(More) Europe in Australia

The last few days have witnessed an immensity of thinking and feeling--thinking and feeling my way around this place: Australia, Sydney, the northern beaches...

Being here, in this farthest of European satellites, has lead me to think--over and over again--about Europe. It is strange--I realize this--but I can't help but think about Europe and its immense will to extend its arms and legs as far out as possible, and end up here. It is so clear to me that Sydney is a European city and Australia at large is a European "satellite." [I use this term "satellite" because it seems more appropriate than either "colony" or "country." It is not a European country because it is not in what we call "Europe" geographically, and because Australia is, in some ways, decisively different from Europe. Not all Australians belong to or feel a connection with Europe, and in some ways the Australian out-back  is distinctively Australian. It is not a colony, because, well, it is independent of England, and has its own laws, leaders etc. But it is a European satellite, because it belongs, in a strong way, to the European world, and world-view. Its values are European. It is an implantation of Europe in the far east.]

Last night I read an article in the Australian magazine, The Monthly, that connects the origins of Melbourne University's humanities departments, among them the philosophy department, to recent European immigrants. The first people to really make the University an exciting and intellectually rich place were WWII refugees from Europe. They went on to start important journals, conceive whole departments (Anthropology), and create a strong sense of culture at the University--European culture, of course. But if one thinks only one step further--the very idea of a University and of the various faculties is, well, European (German, to be exact).

In Sydney, I find myself surrounded by Europeans. All of Luke's family are recent immigrants from Europe (post WWII), and their connections to Europe are very strong. His mother and aunt still speak French; his other aunt, German.  Many Friends have European connections--whether they were born in Europe, married to Europeans, or living in Europe. (Yesterday I went for a walk in Manly with a family friend, and we spoke German the whole time... )

All this Europe around me has lead me to think about Europe--surprisingly, for the first time. I had always thought: I am not European, therefore I don't need to concern myself with Europe. This attitude was based on the belief that Europe is for the Europeans, and they should really be thinking about it--I am an outsider.

But here, where Europe has extended itself so clearly "outside" of Europe, the ideas of "inside" and "outside" don't hold. In fact, they are shown to be completely false. We don't have a choice any more--whether or not we are Europeans or live "inside" or "outside" of it--but to think about Europe, because, in fact, every day, we are living with and in Europe.

What does this mean? Well, I write and speak in English. Though it is not my first language, it is the language I am most comfortable in. I study European thought. I read mostly European authors. I lived in "Europe" for many years. I speak German, and French. My home country was deeply influenced by European activity in the region (colonization, etc.). My aunts looked at Europe as setting the standard for fashion. My father studied in European institutions. The list goes on.

But what is remarkable to me, is that in spite of these deep connections to "Europe," it is not until Australia that I begin to become aware of them. Europe, I now realize, is much more than a geographical location.


[Side note: You may think my realization is quite late, and, might wonder, why I didn't consider this question previously, in the US, for example. It is interesting to think about the US and how it differs from Australia in its relation to Europe. I actually think that Australia's connections to Europe are much more present than America's connections to Europe. The European immigrants are more recent, and their connections are therefore stronger. Also, the cities here look more European (think Chicago, LA, Atlanta--they are very "American" cities). Though of course America is an offshoot of Europe and represents the unfolding of some European ideas (capitalism, for example), it has also a very strong and specific identity that makes it more independent of Europe as well.]

What do the Europeans think of this? I would be excited to hear...