Beyond the kangaroo : an Australian studies reader for Chinese students

A selection of readings on contemporary issues in Australian society: on values, beliefs and customs.

The impact of divergent historical and cultural factors on convergence in global communication practice

Communication practice is increasingly converging around globally consistent approaches and techniques shaped by both globalisation and globalising communications technologies. However, this paper argues, national and regional practice histories and cultural characteristics have shaped, and continue to shape, practice in individual markets. The paper analyses the extent of that these divergent histories and cultures have shaped the structure and practices of the public relations industry in Australia and other countries. The paper challenges the common assumptions about public relations development and industry practice having developed from a predominantly US-based model progressively disseminated globally. It traces the history of public relations in Australia, counter-pointing its distinctive origins, to the US-origin thesis. It also examines the impact of demography and diverse national culture on industry shape and practice, comparing the Australian industry to that of other industries around the world. It uses mini-case studies of campaigns in specific countries to assess the extent to which they are culturally-bound by historical and cultural differences and the extent to which they are capable of being transferred or adapted to individual markets. For instance, assumptions about globally-consistent brand identities are contradicted by McDonalds’ branding practices in markets such as Canada and Japan. The paper also discusses how emerging market PR industries are being shaped by distinctive and divergent cultures and development paths and may create new structural and practice models as the emerging economies becoming dominant internationally. The authors suggest that history and cultural diversity continue, and will continue to, shape national and regional practices.

Australians assembling

Some of the more innovative examples of recent international history writing address the growth of international and regional communities that emerged through the regular meetings of diplomats and bureaucrats. The trend towards multinational assembling grew particularly from the 1930s, as did diplomatic travel with the greater use of aircraft after the Second World War. This paper considers the role of Australian diplomats amongst others overseas. It focuses on the case of Percy Spender, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States in the 1950s, in the context of overlapping worlds: the British world in an era of decolonisation; the insistent internationalism of the United Nations; and the world of Cold War logic. The author suggests that, amidst debates about Britishness, nationalism and transnationalism, the story of Spender in Washington and Latin America highlights why life stories and social histories remain important for debates about Australia and Australians in the world.

The Populist Message of Australian Country Music

Australian country music is influenced by American country music and Australian bush ballads. This music idealises genuine true blue inhabitants of an idealised rural heartland and fuses nationalism with agrarian mythology. The lyrics of a number of country songs contain a populist political message, which is frequently nationalistic but is a form of nationalism.

Nyungar people creating nourishing terrains despite past policies of injustice.

Nyungar people creating nourishing terrains despite past policies of injustice

Digital storytelling as participatory public history in Australia

This chapter discusses digital storytelling as a methodology for participatory public history through a detailed reflection on an applied research project that integrated both public history and digital storytelling in the context of a new master-planned urban development: the Kelvin Grove Urban Village Sharing Stories project.