Australia as the Antipodal Utopia
European Imaginations From Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century
Daniel Hempel
foreword by Bill Ashcroft
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Title Details
- ISBN: 9781785271397
- October 2019
- Pages: 152
- Imprint: Anthem Press
Australia has a fascinating history of visions. As the antipode to Europe, the continent has provided a radically different and uniquely fertile ground for envisioning places, spaces and societies. ‘The Antipodal Utopia’ evaluates this complex intellectual history by mapping out how Western visions of Australia evolved from antiquity to the modern period, with particular focus on the long nineteenth century. The book is underpinned by the provocative argument that due to its unique ‘antipodality’ (its antipodal relationship with Europe), Australia is imagined as a particular form of utopia – but since one person’s utopia is, more often than not, another’s dystopia, Australia’s utopian quality is both complex and highly ambiguous. Drawing on the rich field of utopian studies, ‘The Antipodal Utopia’ provides an original and insightful study of Australia’s place in the Western imagination and makes meaningful conceptual and analytical contributions to the fields of utopian theory, Australian studies and intellectual history.
Daniel Hempel holds a PhD in English literature from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and an MA in European literature from the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. He is interested in the various ways in which utopian thinking structures our perception of the world.
Foreword by Bill Ashcroft; Introduction; Arcadia Australis; The Civilising Mission; Antipodal Inversion; The Antipodal Uncanny; Antipodal Monstrosity; Conclusion; Index.
‘This groundbreaking volume goes further into the origins, prehistory and realisation of Australian utopianism than any before it. Impeccably researched and brilliantly argued, it sets a new and exciting direction in Australian cultural history.’
—Bill Ashcroft FAHA, Professor Emeritus, School of the Arts and Media, University of New South Wales, Australia
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