Subject Area: History
This course can also be studied in the following specialisation: Australian Studies

This course traces the complex ways in which Australian welfare, policy and philanthropy have evolved in a global context. It examines their intersections with the histories of gender, war, race, childhood, religion, medicine and volunteering. As well as analysing attempts to mitigate social inequality we consider how and why the image of egalitarianism has come to shape national identity. Topics covered include gender and philanthropy, the influence of eugenics and contagion on the social order, Indigenous humanitarianism, migrants and displacement and mutual obligation. Students will present a major project based on analysis of primary sources.