The heroic/shameful role of labour: mythology in the making of White Australia

Paper

Griffiths, Phil. 2009. "The heroic/shameful role of labour: mythology in the making of White Australia." Legacies 09 Conference. Toowoomba, Australia 13 - 14 Feb 2009 Toowoomba, Australia.
Paper/Presentation Title

The heroic/shameful role of labour: mythology in the making of White Australia

Presentation TypePaper
Authors
AuthorGriffiths, Phil
Journal or Proceedings TitleLegacies 09: Public Memory Research Centre Conference 2009
Number of Pages14
Year2009
Place of PublicationToowoomba, Australia
Web Address (URL) of Paperhttp://www.usq.edu.au/legacies09
Conference/EventLegacies 09 Conference
Event Details
Legacies 09 Conference
Event Date
13 to end of 14 Feb 2009
Event Location
Toowoomba, Australia
Abstract

For the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, the Labor Party boasted that the labour movement had played a central role in creating the White Australia policy, and the popular media legitimised that claim. But when historians and activists decided that White Australia had been a racist policy, labour's triumph was simply converted into labour’s shame. This paper will contest the mythology of White Australia as a labour movement creation, focusing on the famous Seamen’s strike of 1878-79 against the replacement of European crews with Chinese sailors. It will look at both ruling class opinion in general and the conservative press in Queensland in particular.

KeywordsWhite Australia, ruling class, conservative, mythology, seamen's strike
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020440801. Australian government and politics
430302. Australian history
Public Notes

Unpublished. Authors retain copyright. Not refereed.

Byline AffiliationsSchool of Accounting, Economics and Finance
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