A problematic discipline: the identity of Australian political studies

This is an electronic version of an article published in the Australian Journal of Political Science, 36(1), 7-26. Australian Journal of Political Science is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t713404457 /Political science as a distinct discipline only emerged in the Australian academy after World War II. By the end of the 1950s it was attracting thousands of undergraduates. Into the 1990s and beyond, political science has remained a relatively ‘successful’ discipline. However it would be difficult to argue that the identity of Australian political science has been forged by disputes over the ‘scientific’ core of the discipline. Some Australian political scientists have claimed that this deficit is a fundamental weakness, denying the discipline both a set of common professional values and a basis for the integration of research. By contrast, this paper will argue that the issue of identity is better considered from a historically sensitive perspective rather than purely in terms of profession and methodology