Australian War Memorials: A Social History Course/Class November 4, 2011

There are over 4000 war memorials in Australia. Nearly all of them are in country towns and city suburbs and nearly all were built in the years following the First World War. While they are a tribute to the soldiers who fought in the wars of the twentieth century they tell us just as much about the society who built them. And they are unique, unlike memorials in any other country. In this course we will look at the nature of these memorials from the sombre and formal cenotaphs in capital cities to the "white diggers" of country towns. They tell us about the Australian belief in the concept of the citizen soldier and the politics and scheming that went into their design and funding. They are a real socio-cultural time-capsule of the period. Details of this event may be subject to change. Please visit http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/awmh for more information or to register.

Official Website: http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/awmh