Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 From National Hero to National Problem : The Image of the Worker in Pix (1938–1954)
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Despite its reputation as a frivolous and licentious magazine, Pix (1938–1972) published a large number of documentary photo essays on work and the daily strife of the Australian labourer. More importantly, the popular magazine promoted a stern work ethic, presented as a sign of patriotism and moral virtue. Pix’s politics are hard to pin down insofar as the magazine never endorsed specific parties or social movements; instead, it adopted an apparently neutral stance in relation to political issues, giving equal coverage to the three mainstream parties of the time. If the national narrative of work that Pix glorified was, fundamentally, a bipartisan narrative, was Pix really apolitical and value-free? I say no: the locus of Pix’s politics has to be found in the way the magazine mobilised the discourse of the work ethic. By reducing work to a moral obligation, Pix tended to individualise and normalise waged work, concealing the unequal and coercive relations informing the social space of the factory. In so doing, the magazine conveyed and championed values such as independence and entrepreneurship that were central to the liberal ideology that found expression in Robert Menzies’s contemporary speeches.' (Publication abstract)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Journal of Australian Studies vol. 47 no. 1 2023 25966087 2023 periodical issue

    'Welcome to the first issue of the Journal of Australian Studies for 2023. As you will see, this is a robust first quarter featuring five general articles and a special section relating to the history of illustrated magazines in Australia, edited by Anna Johnston and Paolo Magagnoli from The University of Queensland. This collection of fascinating articles collectively demonstrates the strength of contemporary scholarship that addresses the intersections between media and culture, and the themed section makes clear that illustrated magazines—as complex, multifaceted objects—provide a unique window on Australia’s recent history. We are delighted to showcase these significant interventions in a growing field, which is finally beginning to attract the sustained attention it deserves.' (Emily Potter and Brigid Magner : Editorial introduction)

    2023
    pg. 49-70
Last amended 28 Mar 2023 08:11:19
49-70 From National Hero to National Problem : The Image of the Worker in Pix (1938–1954)small AustLit logo Journal of Australian Studies
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