Australia on the world stage : history, politics, and international relations / edited by Bridget Brooklyn, Benjamin T. Jones, and Rebecca Strating ; foreword by Paul Pickering.

When and where is Australia? / Bridget Brooklyn, Benjamin T. Jones, and Rebecca Strating -- Before Australia / Lawrence Bamblett -- Australia before responsible government (1606-1856) / Carol Liston -- From British Australasia to federation : no linear progression / André Brett -- Federation to the Second World War : Australian identity and Anzac / Bridget Brooklyn -- British dominion to almost republic : Australia responds to the end of empire / Benjamin T. Jones -- First Nations and Australia : walking together or walking alone? / James Blackwell -- The unbreakable alliance? Strategic dependence and Australia's US alliance / Rebecca Strating -- The harder they fall : Australia-China relations in Xi Jinping's new era / John Fitzgerald -- Australia-Japan relations : close ties and shared aspirations / David Walton -- Australia and Indonesia : the persistence of distance between proximate neighbours / Michael O'Keefe -- Pacific nation or neighbour? : Australia's relationship with New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific / Helen Bones and Nicholas Ferns -- Australia's southern flank : Antarctica / Elizabeth Buchanan -- Australia and the United Nations / Roland Burke and Jon Piccini.

"Australia on the World Stage: History, Politics, and International Relations offers a fresh examination of Australia's past and present. From the complex interactions of First Nations to modern international relations with significant partners and allies, it examines the forces which have influenced the place now called Australia both historically and today. It is a unique history told in two parts. The first half of the book examines the way Australia acted on the world stage both before and after British colonisation. It outlines the evolution of Australia's relationship with the United Kingdom, first as colonies, then a dominion, and finally as an independent nation. It finishes with a First Nations perspective on foreign relations. The second half of the book provides a wide-ranging history of Australia's dealings with major powers the United States and China, as well as its relationships with New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, and Japan, Antarctica and in the United Nations. Written by leading and emerging researchers in their fields, this book encourages the reader to consider Australia's performance on the world stage over the longue durée, well before the word 'Australia' was ever dreamt up. This interdisciplinary work challenges lazy stereotypes that see Australia's international history as fixed and uncontested. In revisiting Australia's foreign relations, this work also asks the reader to consider its future directions"-- Provided by publisher.