The Formation of Right-Wing Anti-Elitist Discourse Amongst Australian Intellectuals: 1972 - 1988

Abstract

This thesis analyses the historical development of anti-elitist discourse amongst Australian right-wing intellectuals. Examining Quadrant magazine and neo-liberal think tanks between 1972 and 1988, this thesis argues that right-wing anti-elitist discourse formed initially in the 1970s in Quadrant as a conservative critique of the cultural values and institutional power of the intellectual left. Such a critique drew on both the intellectual traditions of Australian conservatism and the ‘new class’ idea imported from American neo-conservatives. As the 1980s progressed, this discourse began to be adopted by neo-liberal think tanks, who also modified the discourse into a critique of the welfare state.