Remembering Anzac: A study tour of commemorative landscapes, museums and memorials across Australia

War memory looms large in Australia’s and New Zealand’s physical and cultural landscape. From modest monuments featured in tiny country towns to the elaborate exhibitions fielded by state and national memorials, war has come to occupy a privileged place in public consciousness. What challenges are involved in representing, exhibiting and ‘remembering’ war? How have commemorative cultures changed over time? What role do museums play in perpetuating war memory decades or generations after conflicts have ended and how is the meaning of ANZAC viewed differently across different communities and in different parts of Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand? This study tour will trace ANZAC across the Australasian landscape. Beginning at the national war memorial in Canberra, it will examine a host of state and local memorials across the country, including the Shrine of Remembrance in Victoria and the ANZAC Memorial in Sydney. You will have the opportunity to discuss future internship programs with leading cultural institutions and meet a diverse range of Australia’s commemorative stakeholders. Crossing the Tasman, you will explore commemorative landscapes, monuments and museums in Wellington and Auckland. Throughout the course, a series of onsite lectures and workshops will introduce students to the changing nature of war remembrance, stimulating reflection on the politics of commemoration and the highly contested nature of war memory.