Review of 'Gender, desire and the digger' in Fiona Nicoll's "Digger to Drag Queen".

Fiona Nicoll's chapter 'Gender, desire and the digger' from her book "Diggers to Drag Queens" deals with issues surrounding Australian national identity through gendered terms with her main focus being that of the ANZAC or digger legend. Nicoll examines representations, ideologies, misconceptions, connotations and other analyses surrounding Australia and it's participation in different conflicts over time. Nicoll examines the different imagery surrounding women and war, how women are represented in different spheres of Australian life, …

…not document emotional male responses to the forged Australian identity and how this may affect their day to day living and their own identity as both a male and an Australian. Nicoll has addressed an issue within Australia that has until recently has not been examined and thought of as an issue. Nicoll analyses the problematic concerns of gender and Australian national identity and how this identity has caused feelings of alienation for Australian women.