50141 Australian History and Politics

This subject explores the relationship between politics and history in Australia. It includes analyses of the ways in which the Australian state shapes social conflict and political action and of the ways in which social conflict and political action impacts upon the state. It explores the methods and uses of historical resources – official documents, oral accounts, cultural artefacts, newspapers, etc. – and political analysis and examines the ways in which these are employed in public debates in Australia, often with explosive effect. Australia is discussed from a comparative perspective, as a settler-colonial state and polity, with particular cultural and political traditions, located within both regional and global political contexts.

Typical availability

Autumn semester, City campus