Impact Of Irish On Australian Identity

From the 1970’s Australians have been viewed as bush people as they were seeming as heroic and brave. Never the less, internationally, Australians have been showcased as vulgar, racist that have strong pride for their country. Consequently, Australia has also been viewed as an alcoholic nation as companies continuously push the stereotype to market their products. In turn, Australian’s collective identity is made up of multiple other stereotypes that have been fed into. Despite being incorrectly portrayed; the Australian identity has a positive effect on Australian culture.

To what extent has my understanding of ‘being Australian’ been influenced by the texts (and films) you’ve studied? (Deadly Unna?, Summer Heights High). My understanding of ‘being Australian’ has changed through the study of the book ‘Deadly Unna? (Phillip Gwynne 1988) and the comedic documentary Summer Heights High (Chris Lilley 2007).

But before I begin, I want to pose the question. What truly is the Australian identity? Well, its not just fashionable mullets, jars of vegemite and people riding kangaroos.

The fact that the Australian voice is recognisable contributes to its inclusion in the Australian identity. It is important to understand these voices because they steep various voices in our rich history, continually develop, and ultimately shape who we are today.

Robert Drewe’s 1996 novel The Drowner is, among other things, a representation of Western Australian lifestyle, culture and identity in the late 19th century. At the time, Australia was still a young nation; an “underdog” among Western countries. However, numerous gold rushes brought wealth and prosperity to the nation, attracting millions of immigrants from mainly European countries. Australia’s national identity developed into one centred around the values of hard work, perseverance and mateship—values which are still central to our identity today.

The Gallipoli Campaign Why did I choose this question for my essay? I chose this topic for my essay as the Gallipoli Campaign was a significant event in Australia’s history which extensively affects the national identity of our country. I wanted to research more in depth of the outcome and the events which lead to the process of forming the campaign itself. I also wanted to focus on the failed series of attempts and how it affected Australia’s national identity. By choosing this as my topic question, I will expand my personal knowledge and understanding of the Gallipoli Campaign.

What it means to be Australian has morphed to meet the challenges and diversity of our changing times. Australians hold strongly to an identity and “Aussie values” yet these are more sophisticated and mature and represent our place in a world of global

Today Australia prides itself on being a place of fairness and equity for all its citizens. But the Australian Constitution still does not recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first people of this land. Importantly, we now know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures form part of the longest culture on Earth and evidence of their presence in Australia is now dated back over 60,000 years. It is only right that modern Australia should recognise and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture - past and present - in our Constitution to record their valued place as part of this country and our national identity. Most of the states - Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia have already amended their Constitutions to formally recognise Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first people and nations of their jurisdictions.

This report extracts relevant knowledge from professional and educated individuals that commonly study the subject of Australian identity. Not many folk have a clear understanding of the concepts that make up the Australian Identity or even what could be defined has having an Australian Identity. Through thorough investigation of reports, surveys and journals done by professionals a conclusive answer can be given to the question “What factors play a major role in the Australian Identity?”. Through profound investigation evidence has found that there are four major factors included in the identification of the Australian Identity these include; Traditional Values, Stereotypes, Contradictions and Diversity and Change within Australian Families. These findings have brought to the worlds attention what clearly defines what the Australian Identity is really about.

The Truth: In the United States in the mid-1800’s people from both European and Asian countries began to immigrant to New York City in the search for a better life. Coming to the United Sates was not an easy task but based on the conditions in their native countries it was well worth it. There were many reasons as to why people left their native countries which included overpopulation, crop failures, religious and political corruption and plundering economy due to the industrial revolution and job losses. The reason they came to the United States and saw it as a better way of life was because of the freedom that was offered, economic opportunity and the abundance of land.

From the quote mentioned above, Comparably, our Australian identity that is also exhibited in the film, is emphasized. We, as a nation, believe that we are compassionate, resilient, accepting and that in times of need we will come together and unite as one. This is the true Australian identity. However, from other countries perspectives, Us, Australians are conveyed as being racist, disrespectable and that we are not accepting.

Australian Indigenous people have their own culture, after the colonisation the western culture was a major part of Australia. After all that, due to immigration Australia has a taste of different cultures. We now eat food (pizza), play sports (tennis), and celebrate festivals (Chinese New Year) that aren’t Australian. Multiculturalism provides people with knowledge about different cultures, a taste of different food and also a taste of other country’s life. Some people believe that people coming over in not good for nations.

One of the most important changes was the acceptance that Aboriginal People could be assimilated into ‘White’ culture. Although blatant racial discrimination was disappearing, systemic racial discrimination remained . ‘White’ culture was seen to be the quintessential ideal for Australian society with Aboriginal Australians seen to be unsophisticated and in need of industrialization

Stereotypes have helped to build Australia’s identity, some true and some false. Different images such as Text One: “Australia Day Barbeque” and Text Two: “Farming Family” provide representations of Australian identity however they are different in how they represent Australia. There are some similarities, for example in both texts a sense of togetherness is present. When comparing both texts the Australian identity is represented with similar attitudes, values and beliefs, the pictures also reinforce particular stereotypes. These images also portray a side of the Australian culture that is privileged rather than those who are marginalised.

Australia was a racist and bigoted nation. Commonly referred to as ‘Australia for the white man’, society was dominated by colonisers