Architecture is an art that involves both the process and the end product of setting up, crafting, and creating. It is a discipline that has been in existence since time immemorial and is often perceived to manifest the cultural orientations of a group of civilizations. Through this discipline, a group of people can describe themselves culturally in the form of their buildings and other material artifacts. They can also exhibit the science, art, and diverse styles of designing and putting up buildings and other physical structures considering the manner in which they are erected, as seen in Australia. From the above description of the architecture, it is clear that it is a unique way of showing identities that vary from one civilization to the other, one ethnicity to the other, and from one nation to the other. It is also important to note that regions can also have distinct architectures. National architectures have many cons as compared to regional ones. The main objective of this paper is to explore the cons of nationalism in the Australian case.
Nationalism in Australia can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the call for emancipation rose significantly. Such emancipation enhanced calls for the establishment of Australia’s national identity. Through architecture, Australians are able to express their attitude and their national identity in an effective manner. They are also able to take actions that are aimed at achieving a sense of self-determination. In Australia, architecture has brought out the concept of ethnicity, common origin, and cultural ties, which are the fundamental pillars that bind this nation together. On the other hand, regionalism has two implications. In architecture, it describes the American realist modern art movement that was mostly practiced during the 1930s. The architectures based their trade on the creation of rural life scenes as opposed to those of the city. Regionalism also means the art of portraying a common sense of identity and purpose within a certain geographical region. It creates and implements specific institutions that exhibit particular regional shapes and identities. Incidentally, regionalism encompasses nationalism, but the regional geographical landscape is larger than that of nationalism.1
As a way of expressing patriotism and self-identity, nationalism has been blamed for playing a great role in impeding the unity between Australia and its regional neighbors. This is because different ethnicities in Australia express and identify with their architectures in a unique and distinct nature. Some even seem to contradict and conflict with the values held by those of other nations within the same region. For instance, some traditional Hindu paintings and sculptures are viewed by some Australian Christians as satanic. In this regard, in a situation where these religious groups share a common regional boundary, misunderstandings can come up between them. This can be aggravated if either or both of the groups choose to advance their nationalism at the expense of regionalism. It creates an emotional powerful force that can meltdown to violence if not checked.
Architectural nationalism tends to tie Australians to their nations instead of regions or global institutions. In essence, the regional and global institutions are often overlooked or ignored at the end. The resultant effect of all these might be the creation of mistrust and hate that is especially directed at the foreigners who visit other countries. Such mistrust can still boil down to the culmination of violence between nations especially if one country feels offended by the way it is portrayed in the architectural designs of another.
While it is true that architectural nationalism encourages Australians to love and commit themselves to nation-building, it is also true that it breeds unequivocal suspicion toward foreigners. In this instance, the artifacts designed by foreigners are not appreciated even if they are good. Instead, they are discriminated against as Australians, especially the aboriginal community, prefer to value and appreciate their own artworks instead. For instance, the Chinese architectural designs are often handled with suspicion by Australians as well as in other nations. This apparently has the danger of lowering the self-esteem of the architects besides killing the industry as a whole.
Another great danger of nationalism as seen in Australia, through its architectural designs, is its potential to prevent people from identifying and appreciating the differences that exist between other persons with different backgrounds. This is attributed to the very fact that nationalism advocates for the recognition and appreciation of oneself at the expense of others. In the midst of all this confusion, the works and arts by people from other nations are considered redundant and unworthy. The consideration of ‘our own’ as perpetuated by nationalism is tantamount to discrediting others who also have their own unique arts. In so doing, the other people are considered as potential enemies. Needless to say, this also has the implication of generating violence between the nations.2
Nationalism was a good concept in the past because it allowed Australian citizens to identify themselves and fight for a common cause. The use of their own architectural designs such as houses, crafts and other physical structures only cemented their unity. The world today has become a global village. In this regard, Australia’s individual interests must not supersede its quest to benefit from the unity of the world as a result of architectural nationalism. Worse still, such kind of nationalism should not be allowed to infringe on the rights of other nations in the name of freedom. Based on this, it is important that all architectural designs are crafted with the interest of the region instead of that of Australia as a nation.
References
Allen, T, Homesickness: Nationalism in Australian Visual Culture, MacMillan Art Pub., South Yarra, VIC., 2008.
Hage, G, Against paranoid nationalism: searching for hope in a shrinking Society, Pluto Press Australia, Annandale, 2003.
Footnotes
- T Allen, Homesickness: nationalism in Australian visual culture, MacMillan Art Pub., South Yarra, VIC., 2008, p. 108.
- G Hage, Against paranoid nationalism: searching for hope in a shrinking Society, Pluto Press Australia, Annandale, 2003, p. 91.