Customer Reviews

Culture and Customs of Australia (Culture and Customs of Asia)

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Don't get your hopes up with this book. A tired old refrain about Australia, that was only half a joke, was that it had little culture. Much of the local scene was derivative. The book only slightly disabuses that view. It describes a largely immigrant society, that is strong because of its pluralistic makeup. But which also has had less time to develop truly distinguishing customs.

Now if you regard the book as a travelogue, then it has a good survey of the festivals and main events in the Australian cities. Maybe it's best for this.

The coverage of Aboriginal culture, or rather what's left of it after 2 centuries of colonialism, is where the book really shows an Australian uniqueness. But to see distinctive Aboriginal events and society, you need to leave the big cities. Many Abos there are now very assimilated, and, for example, speak only English. It is in the Outback, especially in Northern Territory, that original customs are largely maintained.