Macquarie University

Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics: Race, Nation, Class and Gender - POL201

Despite persistent rhetoric that Australia is egalitarian, the realities of social division and inequality are undeniable. One’s skin colour, ethnicity, social class background, gender, and sexuality continue to have a significant effect on one’s social status and life chances. Moreover, these divisions are shaped by and in turn help shape the ideologies and policies of all political parties, whether this is acknowledged or not. In other words, social divisions are a determinant, as well as an outcome of the political process. Taking this premise as our starting point, this course is organised around the themes of ‘race’, ‘nation’, ‘class’ and ‘gender’, exploring the ways in which these dividing categories are articulated and deployed in contemporary Australian politics. In so doing, the questions we deal with include: is ‘race’ & ethnicity still relevant in today’s political landscape; what contemporary forms does Australian nationalism take; what is Australia’s place in a globalised world; is class politics dead, or are such claims simply a way of denying or concealing the continued importance of social class; how is gender, sexuality & morality articulated in contemporary Australian politics; and what is the current state of democracy and the political party system, following the 2010 Federal election?

Timetable Information

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