Cultural Patronage in Australia and Historical Precedents Series #2
June 18th 2007 01:57
Part 2
The post-federation era witnessed the birth and continued creation of distinctive cultural identity icons, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the National War Memorial, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC. A particular type of Aussie ‘suburban culture’ began growing out in the suburbs. And in the ritual of international sports, the Aussie identity was a force to be reckoned with, quality product of an emerging culture.
Put simply, the bulk of Australian cultural identity was formed during this period. Certainly, the efforts of our pioneers and colonial bards like Wentworth and Harpur cannot be understated. However, these ancestors are inevitably tied to the British Crown, and play a root-heritage role in the formation of Australian cultural identity. Whereas distinctive and lasting material culture like the Harbour Bridge for example, enduring national character and identities like the ‘bushmen and larrikin’, formed societal structure, Australian law and politics. These are the identifiable signifiers or symbols, of a country’s cultural and social identity.
Australian citizens’ know they are the benefactors of a structured society, a place of rules and rituals, artefacts and symbols, objects and instruments, a place of created and productive material, social, and ephemeral culture. Within a democracy citizens’ trust in their elected-government and academia/intelligentsia/social elite, to maintain and add-to these cultural-levels of society. This cultural-control, the object and instrument regime so to speak, has been going on for as long as the ruling class needed a way of influencing the masses. Take the French Revolution in the 1700s for an example of this phenomenon, as illustrated by Popkin from Darnton and Roche’s Revolution in Print: The Press in France 1775-1800. And in English society, with Malcolmson’s Popular Recreations in English Society 1700-1850.
A finer Australian example of this cultural instrument control could not be found than the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the ABC.
As stated previously, the government set up the ABC in 1932. The policy was to supply ‘Australians with fine music’ (Rowse 1988, p6), and by 1936 had established orchestras in all capital cities and put together a dance band. Here we see ABC as instrument in action, used for the ‘bringing about, lifting the cultural levels of the subordinate classes’. Ordinary Aussies had the opportunity to enjoy live, quality classical music in their own State. The ABC has gone on to establish a national ‘classical’ radio station, and its TV station has cultural information as core- programming.
(cont)
The post-federation era witnessed the birth and continued creation of distinctive cultural identity icons, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the National War Memorial, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC. A particular type of Aussie ‘suburban culture’ began growing out in the suburbs. And in the ritual of international sports, the Aussie identity was a force to be reckoned with, quality product of an emerging culture.
Put simply, the bulk of Australian cultural identity was formed during this period. Certainly, the efforts of our pioneers and colonial bards like Wentworth and Harpur cannot be understated. However, these ancestors are inevitably tied to the British Crown, and play a root-heritage role in the formation of Australian cultural identity. Whereas distinctive and lasting material culture like the Harbour Bridge for example, enduring national character and identities like the ‘bushmen and larrikin’, formed societal structure, Australian law and politics. These are the identifiable signifiers or symbols, of a country’s cultural and social identity.
As stated previously, the government set up the ABC in 1932. The policy was to supply ‘Australians with fine music’ (Rowse 1988, p6), and by 1936 had established orchestras in all capital cities and put together a dance band. Here we see ABC as instrument in action, used for the ‘bringing about, lifting the cultural levels of the subordinate classes’. Ordinary Aussies had the opportunity to enjoy live, quality classical music in their own State. The ABC has gone on to establish a national ‘classical’ radio station, and its TV station has cultural information as core- programming.
(cont)
| 97 |
| Vote |
