Examines the importance of war in shaping Australia, from the colonial period to the engagement at Gallipoli and up until the outbreak of World War II. Considers war's contribution to definitions of nationality, ethnicity, citizenship, masculinity and femininity and the way war shaped Australia's place in Empire. Focuses on the battle zone and looks at the way that participants understood and represented the experience of war, drawing on literature and film, personal letters and diaries, reminiscences and oral interviews as well as official records.

Note: Includes a field trip to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.