Abstract

My work seeks to understand the origins of national identity as it pertains to the Anzacs of Australia and New Zealand, their service at the Battle of Gallipoli, and its use in the establishment of a white, male creation myth in both nations following the end of World War One. I furthermore plan to examine how this Anzac myth excluded and even erased the place of marginalized communities in the birth of Australia and New Zealand as modern nations. In other words, my thesis explores both the insiders and the outsiders of the Anzac myth. My cutting-edge research aims to build upon the small but growing scholarship about these "forgotten" Anzacs and their role in the construction of nationhood.

Much has been written about white male Anzacs, and by writing this thesis, I hope to contribute to bridging this disparity in the scholarly literature. Not only will I highlight the roles of women and people of color in greater detail, but I will also analyze how the formation of the Anzac myth systematically excluded them in the first place. The work also explores the ramifications and implications of this exclusion in Australia and New Zealand as increasingly multicultural nations. In sum, it brings together three threads of research: the formation of national identity in these nations, the paradox of the public's reverence of the failed military campaign of Gallipoli, and the exclusion of the "forgotten" women Anzacs and people of color.

Thesis Completion

2020

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Lyons, Amelia

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

History

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

5-1-2020

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