Understanding Australia's Neighbours Chapter Summary

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In the book chapter ‘ Understanding Australia’s neighbours: an introduction to east and southeast Asia’, Nick Knight briefly outlines the importance of Australia’s bilateral relationship with Asia in terms of political engagement, with the aim of foreign policy and trade. Drawing largely upon the main complications occurring with Australia’s sense of national identity and history . Knight accounts the comparisons between Asian and Australian societies, despite apprehensions and criticisms the Australian influential figures were keen to maintain a relationship in order to benefit from Asia’s economic, social and political spheres.
The arrangement between Asia and Australia was extremely indispensable, Australian’s went to unreasonable length …show more content…

The fact that Australia was considered as a global nation, which was ‘open to multiple international cultural, political and economic influences (pp.222), was very contentious. Sheridan makes it clear that Asia involvement has shaped Australia, acknowledging the positive and necessary changes in areas including culture, economy, education, defence and more. Knight indicates that Australia was encouraged to begin the desire for economic gain and civilisation. He states ‘Australia thus inherited from Britain a European country, its sense of cultural identity and its feeling of superiority towards Asia and Asians’(pp.223). This demonstrates that Australia views towards Asia were constantly changing leading to an increase in problems examples including smuggling and entering legally from other states. Australians were worried, as they thought these individuals were inferior and are likely to dominate society. The bulletin magazine had a biased perspective towards others of coloured immigrants as it determined to remain culturally ‘British’. Knight explores the consequences of the White Australian Policy, and the authority that it carried as ‘an important symbol of both Australia’s relations with Asia and its own national identity’(pp.226). The intention was to exclude individuals