Sociology

On being invisible  by Anita Heiss
Anita Heiss  On Being Invisible  generally talks about Australian national identity and pride. The first part of the article (paragraphs 1-4) describes her personal experiences as a Wiradjuri woman trying to explore a sense of belongingness within various indigenous and non-indigenous communities   in  Australia.

On Page 1 (paragraphs 5-12), Heiss tried to emphasize the history of the Australian ethnicity and the cultural determiners which have contributed vastly towards the definition of Australian culture in general. She also came across with the history of the so-called  real Australians  whose family heritage  came from the  original boat people . They were the ones who formed the First Fleet who set foot in Australia in 1788 and was mainly composed by prostitutes and convicts. The original boat people became land-owners and considered the land as their very own. Although it has been noted that there were already settlers in Australia prior 1788, these inhabitants were often disregarded and remained marginalized.

Even before 1770 when Captain Cook gained possession of the lands east coast (placing it under the doctrine of  terra nullius ), there were already people living in the area of claimed ownership. These people composed the aboriginal Australians.

The Anzac identity was formed from wars which forced people of the southern land to fight regardless if a group recognized the participation of the other or not. The annual celebration of the Anzac Day serves as a reminder of the troops (Australian and New Zealand) who fought and died at the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915 however, aboriginal Australians prefer to exclude themselves from participating such tradition. Although they also fought during the world war, not much is written of their participation according to Australian history.

The  bronzed aussie  identity became a popular term used to describe beach locals (surf life savers) who are often identified for having tanned skin and buffed physique. Although there are a few aboriginal Australians who possessed similar physical attributes, they refused to be  culturally-tagged  as a part of them.

Heiss also discussed the emergence of the  backyard barbecue  identity which some tended to adapt. This involved the idea of barbecuing crustaceans as a part of the new Australian cuisine. The core idea was acquired and developed by Australian locals from a Chinese restaurant.

Comment1 (Paragraphs 2-5) Indeed, it is appropriate to say that Australian ethnicity with respect to its definition deserves clarity. Australia, a nation formed by various cultural descents, is generally composed of the  hyphented Australians  (Greek-Australians, Italian-Australians, Chinese-Australians, Lebanese-Australians) apart from what Heiss claimed as the  real Australians . If one is to define as to what particular descent does Australian people come from, one may find it absurd to make a generalization considering the numerous ethnic backgrounds which settlers of the southern land have had. In addition, each ethnicity claims superior over the other and would naturally refuse to participate in a more collective action. Thus, the continuous emergence of new identities is undeniable and may have had vastly contributed to Australias national sense of multiculturalism.

Comment2 (paragraph 6) If it is true that the food people eat define national identity, then Australians are confused.  The said statement is catchy in the sense that food as being used in the context represented a symbol of common national belongingness. Although cuisines come in many varieties (Chinese, Italian, etc.), it is unfair to say that only Japanese people eat Japanese food.  Australians love to eat foreign foods in as much as Chinese and Europeans do. It would not be appropraite to reduce the meaning of national identity as to how food is cooked and what food is to be eaten. The notion is intended not just for Australians but also for other national identities.

What lies beneath  by James Woodford
James Woodford attempted to unleash the truth behind Sydneys history based on his personal experience and discovery as an advocate of archaeology. Beneath the Sydney City block served as the once location of a place called Weerong, one of the recent places discovered and believed to be a former settlement of aboriginal Australians thousands of years ago. The first and second part of the text involved descriptions of the artifacts found beneath the block and the procedures made prior to extraction. Found beneath the surface were more or less a thousand artifacts which included stone flakes, stone tools and other raw materials which cannot be identified as a product of present Sydney.

Worked stones which appeared like bag of rocks were also found. In addition, archaeologists and developers found a small shell midden from which archaelogist Attenbrow extracted 82 fragments of fish bone and 18 species of shellfish. The material reading of the midden showed it could have existed between 1448 AD - 300 years prior to European settlement. Attenbrow estimated the settelements total people  population at around 8000 before the Europeans arrived.  In her book  Sydneys Aboriginal Past , she claimed it would be quite difficult to determine the number of inhabitants considering the time when the colonizers had set foot on the southern land.

Comment1 What is more interesting about the text is the fact that it encouraged archaeology practitioners, especially those who are based in Australia, to continuously devote their time in related studies and researches which would completely unravel the mystery behind Australias aboriginal past. The discovery of such artifacts beneath the City block serves as a relevant stepping stone for archaeologists and researchers who wished to dig deeper understanding about a culture which is almost entirely different from what the City of Sydney has in the contemporary period.
Comment2 The artifacts particularly fishbones and shellfish remains which were obtained from beneath are mere proofs of the type of culture the people have in the past Sydney. The idea is supported by the fact that the situation of Weerong implies the settlements reliance on sea foods to sustain life. The Cadigal people named the place Weerong, a term used to identify shoreline of the present Circular Quay location.

Patriot Act The Anzac Myth  by Mark McKenna
The text reiterates the importance of having a common Australian national identity and its promotion in major social institutions like media, education and defense. It also emphasized the huge impact of John Howards administration on the basis of patriotism, liberalism and prosperity among the people of Australia. The first four paragraphs of the article identifies the Australian core values and how these gradually changed for the betterment of the Australian community as compared to ten years ago. It also described the type of leadership modern Autralia should acquire towards the promotion of a unified national image. The fifth towards the twelvth paragraph identifies the influence of militarism to the nations educational system and how the annual Anzac Day (celebrated every 25th of April) may be used as a tool to remind people about the military role in nation-building. This is justified based on acted procedures like the nations stand on the war in Iraq and the military support it gives the United States government on the latters national endeavors.

Comment1 The Department of Defense, so to speak the military, has an undeniable role in nation-building as far as national security is concerned. The Anzac Day which is a military celebration shall serve as a constant reminder of the wars fought and the military sacrifices that was made towards sustainability of national pride and image however, the extention of its role towards preservation of military power is in itself a threat to some of the nations core values   a nation which promotes liberalism and prosperity. It violates the mere idea of equality as far as institutional functions are concerned. Although it has been a common practice of the educational system in primary schools to teach students how to raise and praise the national flag every morning (also a common practice in military), disciplinary actions for students should still be in line with the mandates of educational policy   one which is institutionally autonomous and harmonious.