Academic Ambassadors, Pacific Allies ― Australia, America and the Fulbright Program

The study is the first in-depth analysis of the Fulbright exchange program in a single country: Australia. Drawing on previously unexplored archives and a new oral history, the authors investigate the educational, political and diplomatic challenges experienced by Australian and American scholars who won awards and those who managed the complex bi-national program. The book begins with the scheme's US origins, moves through its Australian establishment during the early Cold War, Vietnam War dilemmas, civil rights and gender parity struggles and the impacts of mid-to-late 20th century belt-tightening. How the program's goal of 'mutual understanding' was understood and enacted across six decades lies at the heart of the book, which weaves institutional and individual experiences together with broader geopolitical issues. Bringing a complex and nuanced analysis to the Australia-US relationship, the authors offer fresh insights into the global influence of the Fulbright Program.

Alice Garner teaches French and History and is an Honorary Associate in History at La Trobe University, Melbourne

Diane Kirkby is Professor of Law and Humanities at the University of Technology Sydney, and Research Professor (Emeritus) in History at La Trobe University, Melbourne