Essay on Australian Identity
Australian Identity Term Papers
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Identity is a debate that many Australians are still arguing today. After all these years of living in Australia, the identity of the country is still something that cannot be agreed upon. Though many seem to have their own idea of what an “Australian” is, there is no clear cut view of this thus the conclusion that an “Australian” is a myth can be formulated. Thus, many people of Australia feel as if they should aspire to be citizens of the world instead.
It’s the phrase on everyone’s lips: Australian identity. What is it? To find out what Australian identity is, you first must look for certain evidence based on customs and traditions as well as rites and rituals. But the problem with this is that if you ask almost any Australian on the street the first response that you would get would be the same: the barbecue. Just about anyone can describe the rituals of an Australian barbecue: the man cooking, “usually with a tinny in one hand and tongs in the other;” the women preparing salads in the kitchen. It is difficult to figure out why the barbecue is Australia’s “single most identifiable domestic ritual.”(Carey, The Sum of Us, pp, 30) It might be that it connects Australian’s to their more ritualistic past but it is hard to believe that a countries entire cultural identity relies solely on cooking a piece of meat on a grill.
Sport is another subject that seems to dominate much of Australian society. Such events such as the Grand Prix and Australian Open seem to give some Australians a sense of identity. Australian Rules Football is another sport that seems to encompass many Australians and is a way that many Australians identify. But it is important to note that all three of these are dominant in Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia. With the upcoming Olympics in Sydney being one of the few exceptions, sport is predominantly in Melbourne and isn’t nearly as popular in the other states thus making it difficult to argue for it is “Australian” identity.
Australia Day is considered by many to be part of an identity that is strictly Australian, and given the name, how can you argue. Events included in this celebration include ship races, boat races and wheelchair races. All of this is great but how much they “reflect the national character and identity and how much they reflect the images created by a select group of citizens known as the Australian Day Council is difficult to determine.”(Carey, pp. 30) This group was formed because of the lack of spontaneous celebration thus showing how little it means to many Australians. In other words, it would be hard to use this as an example of “Australian” identity if the people aren’t very supportive of it.
Other than Australian Day, the only historical event that can be used to identify many Australian’s in Anzac Day. The only problem with this is that much of what people believe and celebrate is apart of a myth that has been taught and believed for years. The image of the Anzac which is central to the legend, was a created by C.E.W. Bean, whose role in the evolution of the Anzac legend and the accuracy of the image he imposed on the Australian public have provoked a vigorous debate amongst historians. The Anzac Book ensured that Bean’s image of the ‘Anzac’ became a model for Australians and the heart of the Anzac legend. The mere landing in Gallipoli instantly was considered as national triumph when in reality it was a disaster which cost the lives of 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders; the only success seemed to be the evacuation. (Kent, pp. 30) The movie Gallipoli, based on the Australians only helps to support this image of the Australian soldier. The truth, of course, is that Australian troops behaved like brutal barbarians in Egypt.
All these do is add to the myth that is Anzac Day thus not making it a good thing to base “Australian” identity around.
Another idea in which Australian’s have tried to identify themselves with is...
Gabrielle Cary, “The Sum of Us”, Good Weekend, 25 March 1995, pp. 30-31 David Kent, ‘Bean’s “Anzac” and the Making of the Anzac Legend’, in Anna Rutherford and James Wieland (eds), War: Australia’s Creative Response, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1997, pp. 27-39.
Livio and Pat Dobrez, ‘Old Myths and New Delusions: Peter Weir’s Australia’, in Anna Rutherford and James Wieland (eds), War: Australia’s Creative Response, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1997, pp. 215-227.
James Jupp, ‘Immigration and National Identity: Multiculturalism’, in Geoffrey Stokes (ed), The Politics of Identity in Australia, Campbridge University Press, 1997, pp. 132-144
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