Anxious Nation

Book excerpt: From the late nineteenth century the Asianisation of Australia has sparked anxious comment. The great catchcries of the day . . the awakening East., . the yellow peril., . populate or perish. . had a direct bearing on how Australians viewed their future. Anxious Nation provides a full and fascinating account of Australia's complex engagement with Asia. Published by the University of Queensland Press in association with the Australian Studies Centre at the University of Queensland and the Journal of Australian Studies. "A thorough and entertaining summation of the discourse between Australia and Asia and an excellent primer, a sweeping but considered overview of the cultural influences that continue to dictate many aspects of that discourse." --John Shaumer, "The Age" "Was Australia destined to be European, Asian or Aboriginal? This book impressively combines the personal and the political; it makes sense of spatial and racial anxieties by exploring Australians' broader sense of their region. Drawing on history, science and literature, David Walker tells of Australia's real and imagined encounters with Asia. He provides us with a deep perspective on our current debates overpopulation, environmental limits, multiculturalism and the legitimacy of Australian settlement. This is a searching history of ideas and intrigue that probes the political and literary dimensions of blood, heat, sun, nerves, sex and dreams. Feverish fears and imaginings are reviewed with sensitivity and cool eloquence." --Tom Griffiths, Research School of Social Sciences, ANU