ABSTRACT
All too often discussions of national identity revolve around what are essentially national stereotypes: the easygoing Australian, the polite Japanese, the reserved Englishman, the brash American. Much intellectual energy has been expended in the attempt to dene the national character and explain how it has developed over time. In this volume, on the other hand, I am not concerned with testing the veracity of such stereotypes or with charting their origins. For if there are always multiple and competing discourses of national identity, as I contend, and if these discourses are constantly in ux, any effort to describe and dissect the national character is both misguided and futile.
