Citizens of the Fifth Continent: Unexpected Culture in the Late 19th Century
Examines the role of women in Australia & abroad, focusing on women involved in world opera & concert after 1870 & the manner in which they presented Australia to the world. Discussion is situated in the context of Stephen Castles's (1990) idea that Australia lacked any particularly pre-eminent defining moment of national consciousness & that women's roles in any national development were subordinated to that of the "common man." Much attention is given to the pre-eminence of the diva Nellie Melba as a significant dimension of Australian cultural history & her successor Amy Castles. These two figures brought to light tensions between the Protestant & Catholic sectors of Australian society. Also considered is the idea of the British & non-British caste of Australian culture. In closing, it is suggested that the pre-eminent moments that Castles claims were absent in Australia's history may very well have been present in a different manner & that the common woman (as opposed to any diva) had as much to do with it as the common man. J. Zendejas
