Challenging Anzac

The Anzac legend has shaped Australia’s national identity for more than a century. Yet many experiences of war do not fit comfortably within this.

In Challenging Anzac, leading historians explore some of these stories: Aboriginal activists, deserters on the Western Front, veterans who took their own lives and soldiers who became radicalized by their service. They reveal how episodes in Australia’s war history that unsettled the Anzac legend – from the relief of Tobruk, nuclear testing on Australian soil and feminist protests against war, to alleged atrocities in Afghanistan – have been elided or adapted to ‘fit’ the legend.

Edited by award-winning historians Mia Martin Hobbs, Carolyn Holbrook and Joan Beaumont, Challenging Anzac examines how the reality of warfare has always been at odds with mythic representation and considers why, despite this, the Anzac legend has survived.

‘An important addition to our understanding of Anzac history.’ – Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

‘The well-researched essays in Challenging Anzac provide a different perspective and offer plenty to think about. Recommend.’ – Jeff Popple, Canberra Weekly

‘The book deserves a wide readership, ideally among those Australians whose existing views of Anzac are immutable.’ – Seumas Sparkand, Australian Book Review