The current critical debates regarding national identity and what is Australian? Can be seen within the critical texts of Linda Ng and Alison Ravenscroft. Although both critics discuss different aspects of what is Australian? They both examine binary relationships within the national identity. Through discussion of both critical texts, it will be determined whether these binary relationships, although prevalent in Australia can be supported by a rapid changing multicultural Australia. Through an examination of Linda Ng’s review Dead Europe and the coming of age in Australian literature: Globalisation, cosmopolitanism and perversity, the binary relationship between Europe and Australia will be looked at with a focus on ‘Cosmopolitism’. Alongside,
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Ng’s critical review brings to light, whether Europe and Australia can maintain its binary relationship due to the rapid progression of modern Australia. Ng’s review sees the binary relationship between Europe and Australia previously being represented as fictitious, while encouraging immigrants to discard their cultural knowledge and historical baggage of the ‘old world’ for a new cultural identity in a ‘new world’ (120-121). This false relationship as described by Ng, co-insides with Haebich, who indicates that the Australian government while embarking on the nation’s first mass immigration of Europeans, reassured the Australian citizens that Australia would remain essentially white and British (11). Therefore, indicating that the immigrant population would forget their prior heritage for a new beginning in Australia, and a new identity, and that the Australian citizens would be reassured that the Australian identity would remain unchanged. These perceptions were formed due to the belief in the impact that immigration would have on Australia, rather than the real effects and consequences of immigration (qtd. In Ueffing, et al. 439). Ng described this false depiction of the binary relationship as being …show more content…
If globalisation brings people who are socially problematic and politically traumatic from vast populations, with different language cultures, identities, religious beliefs, outlooks, lifestyle and everyday practice to a new country (Pakulski and Markowski 4) then the idea of nationalism and being attached to only one nation needs to also be re-evaluated, due to the expansion of new cultures and societies being introduced. Ng’s critical review of Dead Europe delves into the philosophy of cosmopolitanism and the implication that it has on closing the gap between the binary relationship of Europe and Australia due to its ‘universal’ approach of being free from national limitations and being able to attach oneself to multiple nations (Ng
Ng’s critical review brings to light, whether Europe and Australia can maintain its binary relationship due to the rapid progression of modern Australia. Ng’s review sees the binary relationship between Europe and Australia previously being represented as fictitious, while encouraging immigrants to discard their cultural knowledge and historical baggage of the ‘old world’ for a new cultural identity in a ‘new world’ (120-121). This false relationship as described by Ng, co-insides with Haebich, who indicates that the Australian government while embarking on the nation’s first mass immigration of Europeans, reassured the Australian citizens that Australia would remain essentially white and British (11). Therefore, indicating that the immigrant population would forget their prior heritage for a new beginning in Australia, and a new identity, and that the Australian citizens would be reassured that the Australian identity would remain unchanged. These perceptions were formed due to the belief in the impact that immigration would have on Australia, rather than the real effects and consequences of immigration (qtd. In Ueffing, et al. 439). Ng described this false depiction of the binary relationship as being …show more content…
If globalisation brings people who are socially problematic and politically traumatic from vast populations, with different language cultures, identities, religious beliefs, outlooks, lifestyle and everyday practice to a new country (Pakulski and Markowski 4) then the idea of nationalism and being attached to only one nation needs to also be re-evaluated, due to the expansion of new cultures and societies being introduced. Ng’s critical review of Dead Europe delves into the philosophy of cosmopolitanism and the implication that it has on closing the gap between the binary relationship of Europe and Australia due to its ‘universal’ approach of being free from national limitations and being able to attach oneself to multiple nations (Ng