Le prosélytisme mémoriel australien dans la Somme et le nouveau Centre Sir John Monash

Abstract : Commemorative Australian proselytising in the Somme: The new Sir John Monash Centre This article considers the evolution of Australia’s official commemoration of the First World War through the prism of its most ambitious memorial project, designed for the conflict’s centennial: the Sir John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux in France. This article historicises the origins of this new interpretation centre, offers an overview of the centre’s galleries, and analyses the most distinctive features of Australian commemorative policies during the last twenty years. In doing so, this article demonstrates that the unveiling of the Sir John Monash Centre is the culmination of a process that seeks to showcase a positive image of Australia outside of its borders with a view to stimulating national pride back home – a policy which has been purposefully orchestrated by the Australian government since 1998.