Flag within a Flag: Understanding the Ongoing Cultural Significance of the Union Jack in the Australian Flag*

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Australia, social scientists have long understood the importance of national symbols and the role they play in both the construction and maintenance of the nation, but in-depth analysis of the national flag has been overlooked. In particular, the cultural significance of the British flag that sits within the Australian national flag warrants focused consideration, as it symbolises the moment Australia became a British possession in multifarious ways. In this article, a critical analysis of the Australian flag demonstrates how the primary symbol of the nation can heighten White privilege through its official point of honour. Vexillology and Indigenist Standpoint Pedagogy provide a framework from which to deconstruct the Australian flag. This article conducts a critical examination of the social, institutional and historical frameworks that support the flag to argue that it is an ongoing signifier of White cultural power.