Anzac Day, 25 April, has grown to be a remarkable cultural and political phenomenon in the past two decades. No discussion of Australian national identity today can avoid the memory of Australia’s fighting forces.

The increasing popularity of Anzac Day and the intensification in its promotion by Australian governments is well-documented. However, little scholarly work has been done to place our understanding of Anzac in an international, comparative perspective. With the centenary of the Great War only two years away, this two-day symposium seeks to address this gap in our understanding. Participants will help situate the recent resurgence of the Anzac legend within a wider international field of enquiry, deepening our understanding of the global and domestic importance of this narrative ahead of the Great War centenaries of 2014-18. It will draw on politics, history, sociology and international relations to explore and analyse the distinctions and intersections between debates about the past in Australia and Europe.

Please address enquiries to ben.wellings@anu.edu.au or shanti.sumartojo@anu.edu.au.

The event is presented by the School of Politics & International Relations, the ANU Centre for
European Studies and the ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences.

With support from the Embassy of France.

To view the flyer for this event please see: The Politics of the Past: Great War Commemoration in International Perspective.