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Assoc. Prof. Carolyn Holbrook (Deakin University), 'How Anzac evolved and why it endures: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding national communities'
History Brown Bag Seminar
What lies behind the enduring power of group mythologies, such as the Anzac legend? In this presentation, I draw from sociology, anthropology and evolutionary psychology to argue that explanations that prioritise the propaganda efforts of the state are incomplete. The title of my talk echoes that of a recent book by the evolutionary psychologist, Robin Dunbar, How Religion Evolved and Why it Endures (2022), which claims that the fundamental purpose of religion—from which I extrapolate the Anzac legend—is group cohesion—in this case, the cohesion of the national community. In claiming that the purpose of mythologies, such as Anzac, lies in their capacity to foster social co-operation in the service of group unity, I also refer to the sociologist Émile Durkheim’s landmark book on The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912), which identifies social bonding as the fundamental purpose of religious practice. The talk also brings to Anzac the insights of the anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse on the bonding function of group ritual behaviour. In understanding the emergence of Anzac and the abiding power of its rituals through a framework that incorporates scientific and social-scientific understandings, we can perhaps gain greater insight into human social behaviour in a range of contexts, at a time when longstanding explanations appear to be redundant.
Carolyn Holbrook is associate professor in history in the Centre for Contemporary Histories at Deakin University, and Director of Australian Policy and History, which connects historical evidence to contemporary political and social issues. With Mia Martin Hobbs and Joan Beaumont, she is editing a forthcoming volume called Challenging Anzac (NewSouth 2025). Her co-authored book with James Walter, Fair Life Chances (MUP), a history of housing, immigration and Indigenous policymaking since 1945, will appear next year also.
Image: Australians are deeply attached to the cluster of beliefs and traditions we call the ‘Anzac legend’. Shutterstock.
Enquiries: [email protected]
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Digital Lab 213, Arts West, University of Melbourne, Parkville campus, Arts West, Medical Rd, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia, Parkville
