The Power of Speech

Australian Prime Ministers Defining the National Image

By: James Curran, Paul Kelly (Foreword by)

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Paperback | 1 March 2006 | Edition Number 2

At a Glance

Paperback
420 Pages

Edition Type
Revised

Dimensions(cm)
19.84 x 12.85 x 3.05

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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.

A highly original study of prime ministerial rhetoric that exposes the sources of our most powerful leaders' beliefs about 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.

Shortlisted for the 2004 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, Prize for a First Book of History.
Shortlisted for the 2005 NSW Premier's History Awards.

About the Author

James Currran has a PhD in History from the University of Sydney. He was the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library Visiting Scholar for 2004. This is his first book.

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