The Idea of Australia

A Search for the Soul of the Nation

Julianne Schultz

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English

Allen & Unwin
01 March 2022

Cultural studies; Political science & theory; Australian Society

'Schultz reflects on how we might shake off our fears, our mediocrity and our moral torpor, and rediscover the country we once promised to be' KERRY O'BRIEN

'A penetrating analysis' MELISSA LUCASHENKO

'A triumph of art, politics, literature, history, and the deepest scholarship... A towering achievement.' JENNY HOCKING

What is the 'idea of Australia'? What defines the soul of our nation? Are we an egalitarian, generous, outward-looking country? Or is Australia a place that has retreated into silence and denial about the past and become selfish, greedy and insular?

A lifetime of watching Australia as a journalist, editor, academic and writer has given Julianne Schultz a unique platform from which to ask and answer these critical questions. The global pandemic gave her time to study the X-ray of our country and the opportunity for perspective and analysis. Schultz came to realise that the idea of Australia is a contest between those who are imaginative, hopeful, altruistic and ambitious, and those who are defensive and inward-looking. She became convinced we need to acknowledge and better understand our past to make sense of our present and build a positive and inclusive future. She suggests what Australia could be: smart, compassionate, engaged, fair and informed.

This important, searing and compelling book explains us to ourselves and suggests ways Australia can realise her true potential. Urgent, inspiring and optimistic, The Idea of Australia presents the vision we need to fully appreciate our great strengths and crucial challenges.

'Timely, bracing, and ultimately hopeful' YASSMIN ABDEL-MAGIED

'Disruptive, bold and brilliant' CLARE WRIGHT

'A brilliant successor to Donald Horne's The Lucky Country' TOM GRIFFITHS

'A contemporary classic in the making' CHRISTINE WALLACE

'Utterly compelling, engrossing and extraordinary' ANNE TIERNAN

'A wonderfully enthralling read' ROSLYN ATKINSON

'Subtle, powerful and compelling' GLYN DAVIS

'Essential reading' FRANK BONGIORNO

'A stunning book' ANN CURTHOYS

'A marvellous read' TONY KOCH

'Beautifully written' MATT FOLEY

The Idea of Australia: A search for the soul of the nation

By: Julianne Schultz
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 33mm
Weight: 585g
ISBN: 9781760879303
ISBN 10: 1760879304
Publication Date: 01 March 2022
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Professor Julianne Schultz AM FAHA is the publisher and founding editor of Griffith Review and Professor of Media and Culture in the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University. She is an acclaimed author of several books, including Reviving the Fourth Estate (Cambridge) and Steel City Blues (Penguin), and the librettos to the award-winning operas Black River and Going Into Shadows. In 2009, Julianne became a Member of the Order of Australia for services to journalism and the community, and an honorary fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities the following year. She has served on the board of directors of the ABC, Grattan Institute and Copyright Agency, and chaired the Australian Film TV and Radio School, Queensland Design Council and National Cultural Policy Reference Group.