Heritage, Nationalism, Identity: The 1861-62 England Cricket Tour of Australia
Author: Frost W.
Source: The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 19, Number 4, December 01, 2002 , pp. 55-69(15)
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Abstract:
International cricket has long been seen as a major force in shaping ideas of Australian identity in the late nineteenth century. However, this development has mostly been placed in the period between 1877 (the first Test or match between English and Australian sides of even numbers) and 1901 (Federation). The influence of earlier international matches has generally been ignored or dismissed as merely reinforcing notions of the Englishness of the Australian colonists. In examining the 1861-62 All England Tour of Australia, this article contests this interpretation. The tour stimulated a major discussion of a wide range of issues related to English heritage and Australian identity. Certainly there was much discussion of how cricket highlighted what were seen as desirable English national characteristics amongst the colonists. For some this was best expressed through unfavourable comparisons with the USA which was just entering upon its Civil War. In addition there were two other fields of discussion. One was that Australia was developing differently from England, particularly through having a more democratic form of government and through having a more ethnically diverse population. The second was that international sport could aid the economies of the Australian colonies, attracting migrants and investment via the interest generated.Keywords: Cricket; cricket tours; heritage; national identity; Gold Rushes; England-Australia relations
Document Type: Research article
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