Abstract
The 'Culture Wars' have been a feature of American and Australian cultural life for well over a decade. The 'Culture Wars' of the USA have been described as a contest for 'American Civilization'. When imported into the Australian context by neo-conservative culture warriors they became more than a rehashing of tired American debates, coming to life as the 'History Wars'. In both the USA and Australia this struggle has been promoted by right-wing think tanks, and played out for the most part in the national press. One of its constant themes has been an attack on 'political correctness' in the academy, which it is claimed has been captured by 'radicals'. This paper argues that the debates have had the intended consequence of making academics more restrained in their public pronouncements (particularly outside their fields of expertise), and the unintended effect of amplifying broader social trends undermining the authority of expert knowledge in general, and universities in particular.
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