Australians in Britain: The Twentieth-Century Experience

Abstract

Much is known about British migration to Australia and something is known of British communities in Australia, but knowledge, particularly quantitative, of Australian migration to Britain is very sketchy. The phenomenon has been acknowledged but little explored. There are a number of important studies of significant Australians in the UK, and there has been recent research on the current Australian diaspora, but there is no study of the overall Australian presence, its constituents or its characteristics, in Britain. Developments in this field of research offer an important window on how Australians have related to the ‘British world’ historically and on the dynamic nature of the contemporary relationship. Australians in Britain is an edited collection of papers of international research on the character and experience of overseas Australians and Australian communities in Britain since c.1901. It offers a comprehensive overview of current scholarship in this exciting, new and developing field of inquiry. This book has a contemporary focus, drawing on both recent and historical experiences with a view to understanding continuing trends – such as the consistent preponderance of women and the recent surge in young professionals travelling to Britain – and issues such as expatriation, imperialism, globalisation, national identity and overseas citizenship. This book will appeal to scholars of Australian Studies, History, Demography, Literary and Cultural Studies, and Tourism. With an emphasis on London, Australians in Britain explores a range of subject matter including: artists, literary intellectuals, students, women, tourists and travellers, servicemen, nurses, teachers and journalists; global professionals; the changing community; demographic trends; migration; links between Australia and Britain; Australian newspapers in London; and Australia in the ‘British world’.