The Antipodean uses of literacy

Abstract

This article considers Richard Hoggart’s Englishness and the questions this poses for translating his work to other contexts - the example discussed here being Australia. It argues that while an unabashed identification with Englishness is now generally associated with conservatism, Hoggart’s work stands as a reminder of other possibilities. Such a reminder is useful in overcoming increasingly simplified and ossified positions in Australia around ‘cultural literacy’. Connections are also drawn with the work of Craig McGregor and Donald Horne.