Learning module:
Popular culture Defining Moments, 1945–present
Bringing it together
Developments in Australian popular culture: Reflections
From what you have studied so far, how would you now answer these questions?
1. What was the nature of Australian popular culture before 1945?
What were the main features?
2. What major changes occurred?
Why and how did these developments occur?
3. What impacts did these changes have on Australian society, and on the world?
Did it involve a change in people’s behaviour, attitudes, values and beliefs?
Did it create harmony or division among communities?
Did it have any economic, political or environmental impacts, as well as social ones?
4. Was there continuity or change in the beliefs and values that influenced the Australian way of life?
Was it a permanent or temporary change?
Can you still see the influence of this change in Australia today?
Explore further by creating a simple questionnaire in order to seek opinions about the key developments you are investigating and asking people to respond to the questions.
If you ask a range of people of different ages and from different areas of Australia, you might start to see some patterns that will help you decide whether the impacts of the development were common to all people and places.
Keep the questions simple, and you will find that you have tapped into a great source of evidence.
