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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2010

Tim Soutphommasane
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!’ The gathered crowd, numbering a few hundred in a section of Sydney's Hyde Park, responded as only Australians would. But this was neither a sporting event nor some pantomime moment. The occasion was a citizenship ceremony, and the rallying cry came from a young man from New Zealand as he collected his citizenship certificate. The people in the crowd, most of them waving miniature Australian flags, were there to celebrate Australia Day 2009.

Everyone watched as one by one the 18 individuals on the outdoor stage received their citizenship documents – official recognition of their naturalisation as Australians. Mostly young men and women in their 20s and 30s, they each wore their distinctiveness with pride. There was a young woman from Sarajevo wearing a traditional white, embroidered Bosnian dress. There was a man from Scotland sporting a tartan kilt. There was a man from Malaysia dressed casually in an unmistakable homage to Steve Irwin: wide-brimmed hat, short-sleeved khaki shirt and matching shorts, a pair of brown boots. All, though, were now Australian citizens. Reiterating the new bond they shared with those watching on from the lawn, the master of ceremonies called on all citizens present, new and old, to reaffirm their commitment to Australia: ‘I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.’ The crowd obliged. Then everyone proceeded to sing ‘Advance Australia Fair’.

Type
Chapter
Information
Reclaiming Patriotism
Nation-Building for Australian Progressives
, pp. 1 - 13
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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  • Introduction
  • Tim Soutphommasane, University of Oxford
  • Book: Reclaiming Patriotism
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511691607.002
Available formats
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  • Introduction
  • Tim Soutphommasane, University of Oxford
  • Book: Reclaiming Patriotism
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511691607.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Tim Soutphommasane, University of Oxford
  • Book: Reclaiming Patriotism
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511691607.002
Available formats
×