The Unknown Nation: Australia After Empire

Rejecting the self-serving interpretation of Australia’s so-called “new nationalism” of the 1960s and 1970s, this study argues that the receding ties of British influence left the country’s citizens adrift in regards to identity. Revealing how everything from currency to the national flag became subject to scrutiny, this reference also tells how Australia’s methods of celebrating its past achievements became a source of public controversy and political hand-wringing, forcing leaders to find the appropriate rhetoric to invoke the coming nation. Underscoring the continent’s new set of post-imperial markers and how they placed the conduct of foreign relations onto a new but unsure footing, this examination illustrates how Australians—contrary to received wisdom—had neither sought nor particularly welcomed this challenge yet it has exercised their political and creative energies for decades. The origins, influence, and implications of this dilemma are explored in detail, making this survey crucial to addressing the problems of community, identity, and collective purpose in Australian society.