To Constitute a Nation: A Cultural History of Australia's Constitution
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is indicative only and does not represent the condition of this copy. For information about the condition of this book you can email us.
This imaginative and resonant book looks at the constitution as a cultural artefact. It attempts to understand the period during which it emerged, culminating in Federation in 1901. Irving looks beyond the well-known events, places and figures to locate federation and the constitution in the context of broader social, political and cultural changes. She argues that Australians displayed an ability to reconcile the demands of pragmatism with the urge of romanticism. Despite its paradoxical construction, there is something uniquely Australian about the constitution, and it marked a utopian moment as the old century gave way to the new. Irving analyses the background and outcomes of the recent Constitutional Convention and considers its significance for Australia's possible future as a republic.
Author: Helen Irving (University of Technology, Sydney)
Format: Paperback, 272 pages, 154mm x 230mm, 495 g
Published: 1999, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom
Genre: Government & Constitution
Description
This imaginative and resonant book looks at the constitution as a cultural artefact. It attempts to understand the period during which it emerged, culminating in Federation in 1901. Irving looks beyond the well-known events, places and figures to locate federation and the constitution in the context of broader social, political and cultural changes. She argues that Australians displayed an ability to reconcile the demands of pragmatism with the urge of romanticism. Despite its paradoxical construction, there is something uniquely Australian about the constitution, and it marked a utopian moment as the old century gave way to the new. Irving analyses the background and outcomes of the recent Constitutional Convention and considers its significance for Australia's possible future as a republic.
To Constitute a Nation: A Cultural History of Australia's Constitution