{"product_id":"2026100008611-secondhand-the-foundations-of-culture-in-australia-an-essay-towards-national-self-respect","title":"The Foundations Of Culture In Australia: An Essay Towards National Self Respect","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Very good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Minor wear on boards. Binding remains tight. Clean and bright copy. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt a time when Australia's cultural identity was still being forged on the anvil of colonial legacy and nascent nationalism, P. R. Stephensen issued a provocative and passionate manifesto that dared to ask: what does it mean to be truly Australian? First published in 1936 and reissued with a new introduction by Craig Munro, The Foundations of Culture in Australia: An Essay towards National Self Respect presents a fiercely argued case for the development of an independent Australian literary and artistic tradition — one liberated from the cultural dominance of Britain and the creeping influence of American commercialism.\n\nStephensen, a combative and visionary intellectual, argues with rhetorical force that a nation cannot achieve true sovereignty without a sovereign culture, positioning the arts, literature, and intellectual life as the very bedrock of national identity. His prose is polemical and urgent, carrying the conviction of a man who believed that Australia's destiny lay not in imitation but in originality. Craig Munro's scholarly introduction contextualises Stephensen's controversial legacy and his place within the broader currents of Australian nationalism. For readers curious about the tensions between culture, politics, and national self-determination, this landmark essay remains as thought-provoking today as when it first ignited debate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49130931880155,"sku":"2026100008611-SECONDHAND","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/7f3bc882-908a-4c17-90a0-d765908fdccd.png?v=1786592650","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100008611-secondhand-the-foundations-of-culture-in-australia-an-essay-towards-national-self-respect","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}