Considers the ways in which Australia is an extension of European influences, traditions and people whilst simultaneously being a distinctly independent nation shaped by close engagement with the peoples, cultures and economies of the Asia-Pacific. Explores the deep historical links and vital contemporary connections between Europe and Australia shaped by methods and paradigms drawn from a range of intellectual disciplines and informed by themes and interpretations embedded in historiography, social and demographic interactions including impacts of European settlement on Indigenous society and cultures, colonisation, post-colonialism and nation-building, shared experiences in global wars, economic and political developments, as well as literature, art, music, film and popular culture. Consideration will be given to the importance for contemporary Australia of its continuing dialogue with European ideas, practices and peoples.