Abstract
The world is undergoing a period of profound social, economic, and cultural transition. How to handle the risks and opportunities offered by this historical moment is the pre-eminent challenge of our times — one that all states and societies have to address. Turkey and Australia, though geographically far apart, are nevertheless politically and psychologically closer than many would think. Dialogue between these two countries on issues of common concern can make a significant contribution in this regard. In light of the centenary of the Anzac landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in 2015, the different historical trajectories and emerging shared paths of Australia and Turkey are ready for critical examination.
The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of David Tittensor and Abraham Ibrahim at various junctures of this chapter.
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Notes
Andrew Shearer (2010) Sweet and Sour: Australian Public Attitudes towards China (Sydney: Lowy Institute for International Policy), 11.
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An apt example of the personal bond that developed between Atatürk and the former Australian Prime Minister (1923–28), and then Australian High Commissioner to London (1933–39), Stanley Bruce, occurred during the Montreux Conference. After Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia, Atatürk was concerned about Italy’s designs — which occupied the Dodecanese islands at the time — towards Turkey. At the bequest of the Turkish Government, the League of Nations convened a conference at Montreux, allowing Turkey to refortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits. Bruce, who had just completed his term as president of the League of Nations Council, chaired the conference. Atatürk presented Bruce a cigarette case and, as both fought at Gallipoli on opposite sides, it became one of Bruce’s most prized possessions -a bond apparently reiterated by the fact that one of the few photographs Bruce had in his London library was that of his former foe Atatürk. John Connor (2003) Stanley Melbourne Bruce: Guide to Archives of Australia’s Prime Ministers (Canberra: National Archives of Australia), 88–9; and
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The increase in Australians visiting Gallipoli and other war sites coincided with a renewed vigour of Australian nationalism in the post-Cold War period of identity politics. In particular, under conservative Australian PM John Howard, Gallipoli was repackaged to appeal to a younger generation of (Anglo) Australians. See Caroline Winter (2011) ‘Battlefield Tourism and Australian National Identity: Gallipoli and the Western Front’, in Elspeth Frew and Leanne White (eds), Tourism and National Identity: An International Perspective (Oxon, UK: Routledge), 176–89.
As John Basarin, John Hall, and Kevin Fewster (2010) ‘ANZAC Day at Gallipoli: A Turkish Perspective’, in Anne-Marie Hede and Ruth Rentschler (eds), Reflections on Anzac Day: From One Millennium to the Next (Heidelberg, Vic: Heidelberg Press), 74, note, Gallipoli forms the cornerstone of Australian battlefield tourism, which began as early as 1925, but was enhanced during the 1990s with prime ministerial attendance.
Kenneth F. Hyde and Serhat Harman (2011) ‘Motives for a Secular Pilgrimage to the Gallipoli Battlefields’, Tourism Management 32 (6), 1343–51, stipulate that motivation for such ‘secular pilgrimage’ range from spiritual, nationalistic, family pilgrimage, friendship and travel. Interesting,
Peter Slade (2003) ‘Gallipoli Thanatourism: The Meaning of ANZAC’, Annals of Tourism Research, 30 (4), 779–94, asserts that many Australians visit Gallipoli motivated by ‘thanatotourism’ (death tourism) — meaning curiosity over the deaths themselves.
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Gary Smith and David Lowe (2005) ‘Howard, Downer and the Liberals’ Realist Tradition’, Australian Journal of Politics and History, 51 (3), 459–72;
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Alan Bloomfield and Kim Richard Nossal (2010) ‘End of an Era? Anti Americanism in the Australian Labor Party’, Australian Journal of Politics and History, 56 (4), 610.
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© 2015 Michális S. Michael
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Michael, M.S. (2015). Australia and Turkey: New Perspectives between Old Foes. In: Michael, M.S. (eds) Reconciling Cultural and Political Identities in a Globalized World. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-49315-6_1
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