Product Description

This text is long established as a standard introduction to the development of modern Australian society. It begins with the centuries of Aboriginal habitation before the coming of the Europeans, and takes us through to the present. However, unusually, it is strongly weighted towards the twentieth century. It is arranged chronologically and a broad "political" narrative emerges, but the book is not a chronicle, still less a laborious detailing of governors and governments; rather, it focuses throughout on the transmission of values, beliefs and customs amongst the diverse mix of peoples who are today's Australians.

For this welcome Second Edition, John Rickard has completely revised his text and added an entirely new chapter on the contemporary scene, which surveys the dramatic cultural shifts in Australian society as it approaches the centenary of Federation in the year 2001. The entire book has been reset and redesigned in a larger, more handsome format, and has numerous new illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #982865 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 317 pages

Review

'xxx; an extremely well-written book that seeks to make contemporary Australian society comprehensible to outsiders. In this it certainly succeeds, with its many pertinent illustrations complementing the judicious insights that dot the elegant text.'

The Times Higher Education Supplement