Physical description

Index, notes, ill, p.640.

Publication type

non-fiction

Summary

After the slaughter of the First World War, Australians embarked on a remarkable programme of war memorial construction. These memorials, large and small, stand everywhere in the Australian landscape. They embody what Australians have wanted to say about the service and death of their compatriots in overseas wars. They express pride, grief, and perceptions of God, empire and nation, becoming the holy sites of a new civil and nationalist religion -- the cult of Anzac." "In this moving and beautifully written book, award-winning historian Ken Inglis traces the development of the Anzac cult, as well as looking at those who rejected it. Sacred Places also examines a paradox: why, as Australia's wars recede in memory, have these memorials and what they stand for become more cherished than ever? In this updated third edition, that question is pursued into the first decade of a new century.