Australia's Identity and the Way in Which Anzac Day Is Portrayed as a Part of This Identity

I am, you are, we are Australian:

an investigation of what it means to be Australian by examining the commemoration of ANZAC day and its representation of national identity.

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Contents Page:

Introduction Pages 3 - 4

Log Pages 5 - 6

Central Material: Pages 7 - 29

- Chapter one: What is a national identity

and how is it formed? Pages 7 - 10

- Chapter two: The Australia's identity. Pages 11 - 16

- Chapter three: ANZAC day as a part of

Australia's identity. Pages 17 - 21

- Chapter four: Is ANZAC day a positive

or negative representation of Australia's

identity? Pages 22 - 29

Conclusion Pages 30 - 32

Resource List Pages 33 - 34

Appendix Pages 35 - 52 

Introduction:

I found it very difficult to choose a PIP topic as I believed I was a part of Australia's ‘mainstream' culture. I am ‘Aussie', I am Christian, I am blue-collar. I am in social hegemonic terms, ‘normal', so much so that I seem to be ‘invisible' in society, but what did that mean? Hence I decided to do my PIP investigating an element of accepted norms of mainstream society in Australia, that of the ANZAC celebrations.

There are many things that contribute to Australia's unique identity. They range from celebrities to rituals, Steve Irwin to colloquial language, "g'day" to barbeques. However, it is the repeated celebration of ANZAC day that allows for some questioning of Australia's identity. ANZAC Day is seen as one of the "most important national occasions" , however it is also an occasion that forces the remembrance of the First World War and many other conflicts, in turn a representation of the many Australian lives that were lost.

This PIP is an investigation of how a country form's their national identity, what Australia's identity is, and whether celebrating war through ANZAC day is a positive or negative contribution to Australia's identity. This topic resonates with an aspect of my micro world, as ANZAC day is a time when I remember my

family members that