1. VCE Sociology Unit 3 Area of Study 2 Australian Cultural Communities
“The meaning and potential of national culture”

2. National culture
A nation is an independent country that operates with its own set of laws
National culture is constructed by laws and history
e.g. a shared culture with previous generations, or a cultural heritage
A British Anglo-Saxon heritage has shaped our national culture for a long time
Why is Ned Kelly still an icon of Australian national culture?
Pretend you’re backpacking around the world. How would you describe Australia’s national culture to strangers during your travels?
Refer to the ‘Booze and the larrikin: an ugly mix’ article if you get stuck.

3. National culture People identify as members of a nation
This is their national identity
National identity is a way members of a nation separate themselves from other nations
Not at a conscious level (e.g. state system – laws) but it’s in the peoples unique history as they recognise it as being important
Australia has a “soft” national identity as we are not totally politically independent
We are slowly getting rid of our dependence on Britain, but are we replacing it with dependence on the USA?

4. National culture
Symbols of Australian national identity include the beach, thongs, “g’day”, etc
What do these symbols represent?
Australian national values are thought to include democracy, individualism, tolerance, capitalism, welfare state, mutual obligation, secularism, personal achievement, egalitarianism, mateship (symbolic from WWI and WWII), private property, and a ‘fair go’ (opportunities and support for early settlers)
What do all these things mean? Can you think of examples of each?

5. National culture
Rank the values on the previous slide in order of importance to you
Identify other important values that may be missing
Refer to the ‘Shared civic values can unite cultures’ handout if you get stuck

6. National culture
An AC Neilson/Age poll on October 10, identified the most important Australian values as:
27% - Freedom of Speech
25% - Tolerance of different religions and cultures
21% - A ‘fair go’
17% - Respect for democracy and parliament
08% - Mateship
A 2006 Roy Morgan survey found that 91% of respondents thought a ‘fair go’ was an important Australian value.
Read the ‘A Fair Australia’ handout then argue whether you think a ‘fair go’ is a true reflection of Australian identity.

7. National culture
What does this ad suggest about what it means to be Australian?

8. National culture Now look at the political cartoons
What do they suggest about Australia?
Annotate them to identify the literal and figurative meanings

9. National culture
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia which is celebrated annually on the 26th of January.
It commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, the hoisting of the British flag there, and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.
It does not represent the Federation of Australia which occurred on the 1st of January 1901 (when the Constitution of Australia came into force and the colonies collectively became states of the Commonwealth of Australia)

10. National culture How should Australia Day be celebrated?
Storyboard a 30-second Australia Day ad that includes references to:
Material culture: physical artifacts and objects
Non-material culture: abstract creations
The “Australian way of life” according to the government’s ‘Values Statement’, ‘Pledge of Commitment’.

11. National culture

12. National culture

13. National culture
What do the official Australia Day ads suggest about Australian national culture?
Now consider the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples towards January as Day of Mourning (1938), Invasion Day (1988) and Survival Day
For background information refer to the articles ‘Tough year ahead will test what it means to be Australian’, ‘A better future starts with knowledge about indigenous history’ and ‘Look to the future for an Australian Day date’

14. National culture

15. National culture
How does the media represent Australian national culture?
Complete the ‘Advertising’ handout to explore how the media can construct images in particular ways to convey meaning

16. National culture Assimilation Integration
The process in which a minority group adopts the values and patterns of behaviour of a dominant group, ultimately becoming absorbed by the dominant group
The assimilated culture is a homogenous group
It is more difficult where visible signs (eg, clear-cut distinctions of ‘colour’) form the basis of the original division
Integration
Similar to assimilation but recognises individual cultures and languages and aims to blend the different cultures into the mainstream
However, the national culture is changed subtly in the process

17. National culture Does Australia have a single national culture?
In groups or on your own, use the graphic organiser to explore arguments for and against whether you think Australia has a single national culture
Where possible try to use quotes, statistics or other evidence including sociological theory

18. National culture
‘Single’ is interpreted as mono, meaning monoculture, and there is more than one cultural group in Australia
If the whole nation accepts and adheres to multiculturalism then multiculturalism is the ‘single’ national culture
But this is not currently supported by government policy, as the last multicultural policy expired in 2006
Additionally, the Howard government changed the citizenship test to be taken in English-language only
Christian beliefs are entrenched in parliament, courts of law and schools, however citizens are free to practice any religious belief
But we don’t actually run cultures parallel; they are an ‘overlay’ to a single set of values – democracy, equality, English as the national language, etc

19. TO DO Write definitions of the following terms in your glossary:
Australian national values
National culture
National identity