The Power of Speech: Australian Prime Ministers Defining the National Image by James Curran

James Curran

ISBN 10: 0522850987 / ISBN 13: 9780522850987

Published by Melbourne University Press, Carlton VIC, 2014

About this Item

Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges.

Seller Inventory # 002755

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Power of Speech: Australian Prime Ministers Defining the National Image by James Curran
• Publisher: Melbourne University Press, Carlton VIC
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0522850987
• ISBN 13: 9780522850987
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Subjects - Australian History - Australia Wide
  • Secondhand Books

About this title

Synopsis

The subjects of this book are five fascinating prime ministers - Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard - and how they view Australia. Until the 1960s, our nation believed itself to be British. Then, during a decade of momentous change, this concept of our national identity collapsed. It was buried by the forces of cultural and political renewal; by disturbing and exciting developments in Asia; and by a dawning recognition that the global era of colonial power was over. The result was a crisis of national meaning reflected in public debates about multiculturalism, Australia's relationships with its Asian neighbours, the dispossession of indigenous Australians, and the nation's involvement in war. In recent years, our political leaders have played a conspicuous role in the controversy. In "The Power of Speech", James Curran explores the end of the idea of British Australia, and how successive prime ministers have attempted to assert personal, and often competing, visions of Australian nationalism in its place. This highly original study of prime ministerial rhetoric exposes the sources of our most powerful leaders' beliefs about Australia.

About the Author

James Curran has a PhD in History from the University of Sydney. Since 2001, he has worked as a policy adviser in the NSW and Commonwealth Public Service. Dr Curran is the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library Visiting Scholar for 2004.