The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics

Jenny M. Lewis (Editor), Anne Tiernan (Editor)

Research output: Book/ReportEdited Bookpeer-review

Abstract

The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics is a comprehensive collection that considers Australia’s distinctive politics—both ancient and modern—at all levels and across many themes. It examines the factors that make Australian politics unique and interesting, while firmly placing these in the context of the nation’s Indigenous and imported heritage and global engagement. The book presents an account of Australian politics that recognizes and celebrates its inherent diversity by taking a thematic approach in six parts. The first theme addresses Australia’s unique inheritances, examining the development of its political culture in relation to the arrival of British colonists and their conflicts with First Nations peoples, as well as the resulting geopolitics. The second theme, improvization, focuses on Australia’s political institutions and how they have evolved. Place-making is then considered to assess how geography, distance, Indigenous presence, and migration shape Australian politics. Recurrent dilemmas centre on a range of complex, political problems and their influence on contemporary political practice. Politics, policy, and public administration cover how Australia has been a world leader in some respects, and a laggard in others when dealing with important policy challenges. The final theme, studying Australian politics, introduces some key areas in the study of Australian politics and identifies the strengths and shortcomings of the discipline. This Handbook is an opportunity for others to consider the nation’s unique politics from the perspective of leading and emerging scholars, and to gain a strong sense of its imperfections, its enduring challenges, and its strengths.

Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationOxford UK
PublisherOxford University Press
Number of pages608
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9780191843532
ISBN (Print)9780198805465
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Australia
  • Colonial settlement
  • Indigenous heritage
  • Place-making
  • Policy
  • Policy and public administration
  • Political dilemmas
  • Political institutions
  • Politics
  • Studying politics

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