Reading Stranded Nation by David Walker made me realise that my (lack of) knowledge in Australian history has led to a big gap in my understanding of the current debates in Australia. 1/

I thought my Australian history was sufficient, having gone through the year 9-10 curriculum in NSW. I knew about the White Australia Policy, Chinese miners during the Gold Rush, diplomatic recognition of PRC etc. I was wrong 2/

Stranded Nation is about how Australia sees Asia and how Australia sees itself in Asia during the 50s-60s. It focused less on official meetings and more on culture, especially authors and writers. 3/

Many issues and points raised in the book are still relevant today. Does it mean that some sections of the Australian society has not moved on since the 50s? Here are some quotes: 4/

"Australians were more comfortable instructing 'Asia' than they were in listening to Asian opinion. Asian criticisms of Australia were all too commonly attributed to misunderstandings or distortions that needed 'correction'." 5/

"Where Australian criticisms of Asia were usually judged rational and well-grounded, any Asian criticisms of Australia were often disregarded as emotional and poorly thought-out." 6/

"Knowledge of Asia was appreciated when it took the form of warnings about rising Asia, but any expert who appeared sympathetic to Asia was considered suspect and possibly treacherous." 7/

"The problem was not that Australians harboured anti-Asian prejudices but that an increase in Asian immigration would see the importation of racial antagonisms. Colour prejudice was an imported disease whose carriers, it was implied, were the Asian immigrants themselves." 8/

"The Australian press frequently claimed that coloured people were too quick to take offence at 'racial slights, real or imagined'. These, they thought, were people who suffered from poor emotional control." 9/

"Biggles the orientalist tells his men that the Japanese do not invent things, especially anything mechanical or technical. The Squadron listens carefully as Biggles explains that the Japanese are copyists." 10/

"In Australia, the call to understand rising Asia has been accompanied by regular exhortations that Australians have to become a 'clever country' equipped to fathom the twists and turns of the calculating oriental mind." 11/

Above all, I was struck by the repeated insistence by the government of the day that the White Australia Policy was not racist. And the "proof" was the Colombo Plan, which was trotted out any time "racism" was raised. END