ASHY 2261: NATIONAL IDENTITY AND ITS CRITICS Asia, the British Isles and Australia
Staff
Dr David Blaazer
History Department, Faculty of Arts, Room 1209 Haydon-Allen Building
Ph: 249 4789; E-mail: David.Blaazer@anu.edu.au
Please see my door for consulting hours.
Dr Craig Reynolds
Asian History Centre, Faculty of Asian Studies, Room E34, Baldessin Precinct Building
Ph: 249 8239; E-mail: Craig.Reynolds@anu.edu.au
Please make appointments through the Centre Administrator on 249 4658
Syllabus
This unit will explore the concept of national identity by studying ways in which
notions of national identity have been formulated, articulated and contested in the
British Isles, East and Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Tutorial readings and discussion will emphasise theoretical issues raised by the
concept of national identity in a variety of historical contexts. Lectures will examine
specific historical processes and episodes which illustrate those theoretical issues.
We will study the diverse and problematic relationships of English, Scots, Welsh
and Irish people to notions of "Britishness" formulated in terms of Britain's role
as an imperial power. We will consider efforts by various Asian states in the process
of national unification to forge a national identity by means of education campaigns,
heritage sites, and national definitions of community. We will also examine changing
notions of Aboriginality and Australian identity and the troubled relationship between
the two, and the complex interaction of notions of Australian national identity with
definitions of Australians' relations with other nations and peoples including those
in the British Isles and Asia.
Lectures
Lecture times and venues may be found in the University lecture timetable. Lectures
will be taped. The subject matter of the lectures will relate broadly to that of
the following week's tutorials
Readings
Each week you will be required to read the relevant material from the reading brick
and, where indicated in the course guide, other texts. Reading bricks are available
from the History Department library upon presentation of a receipt from the cashier.
Books likely to be in high demand are on Reserve or on 2-day loan. Many books have
the most relevant chapters indicated. You will need to use the index and/or your
imagination to pick out the most relevant parts of the other books.
Please note that the reading lists are
not exhaustive. Feel free to read other relevant works.
Attendance
The attention of all students is drawn to the paragraph headed General Requirements
in the introductory section of the History Department's entry in the Undergraduate
Handbook 1996, p.156. In particular, all students should be aware of the History
Department's policy that tutorial attendance is compulsory. Students who miss
more than three tutorials in this unit will be excluded from assessment. While
attendance is compulsory, no marks will be given merely for attending. Tutorial participation
marks will be given on the basis of the quality and regularity of your contributions
to tutorial discussions.