Backbencher

We started this lecture discussing mythistory, which describes the historian's role in the creation of national myths, or belief structures. The founding myths of OZ and NZ are as nations of convicts and pilgrims respectively. OZ, founded as a prison colony, has over time transitioned into the autonomous nation with which we are now familiar. The original "colonists" were described in our notes as traditional dissidents and repeat convicts. The colonies implemented during Australia's early days were placed in New South Wales, Van Diemans Land and Western Australia. Economic opportunities brought other, non-convict, settlers to these areas and over time a desire for respectability and a aversion to more convict "transportations" led to a transition from a prison colony to becoming a recognized portion of the British Commonwealth. New Zealand, on the other hand, was founded as a planned colony meant to emulate the law-abiding British way of life. Overtime, the mythistory of New Zealand changed from that of a planned society to a belief that they constituted the ideal society. This belief, however, has not held true for the younger generation and they often draw their nationalistic pride from the land rather than social/legal systems. As was mentioned in class, this transition is not understood by the older generation which still adheres--most commonly--to the former view of NZ mythistory. I enjoyed discussing how history and myth combine to create national identities. As I said in class, one can definitely see correlations between the differing structures of OZ and NZ national myths and those of the US and Canada. I assume that we will draw upon the points made in this lecture many times throughout the remainder of the semester, but I also think they will benefit us in any historical research.