Assessing and reassessing Anzac in 2010
Publication Details
Dean, P. J. (2010). Assessing and reassessing Anzac in 2010. Australian Policy and History, September.
Abstract
● How we interpret 'Anzac' has important ramifications for public policy. The public's understanding of Anzac has the ability to influence school curricula, bodies such as the National Commission on the Commemoration of the Anzac Centenary, funding to the Australian War Memorial and the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as informing our understanding of the commemoration of war and foreign and defence policy.
● In early 2010 a debate was opened on the Anzac mythology driven by a brave but controversial new book, What's Wrong with Anzac? The members of the new National Commission on the Commemoration of the Anzac Centenary would benefit from a thorough reading of this book but they also would do well to learn from its mistakes and misinterpretations.
● Only through a deep understanding of Australian military history and the Anzac mythology will the members of the National Commission avoid endorsing commemorative and educational events to the Commonwealth that will reinforce a simplistic nationalist interpretation of Anzac. This task is made exceptionally difficult due to the absence of an eminently qualified professional historian in their ranks.
Keywords
Anzac, Australia, History, commemoration, national identity, public policy, Anzac Centenary, diggers, Anzac Day, identity, Anzac Legend, Anzac Myth
Link to Publisher Version (URL)
