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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
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Sociology

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Sociology

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Bodgies and African American Influences in Sydney

Encel, Sol

Iveson, Kurt

Jevons, William Stanley

Spearritt, Peter

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Sociology

Bodgies and African American Influences in Sydney

The bodgie movement was a feature of street life in Sydney in the post-war period. This article, based on oral history interviews, reveals how bodgies modelled their dress and movement on African Americans, including black GIs stationed in Sydney during World War II. Part of the first generation recognised as 'teenagers', bodgies embraced fun, sensuality and spectacle as a rebellion against the dull years of depression and war and the conformism of the dominant Anglo-Irish culture, and their parents' generation.

Encel, Sol

Pioneer in the study of sociology and social policy in Australia, he was also a lecturer, author and active participant in Jewish affairs.

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Iveson, Kurt

Academic and writer on urban ecology.

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Jevons, William Stanley

English economist who came to Sydney as assayer at the Mint, but pursued scientific and sociological work while in the city, completing a social survey of Sydney in 1858.

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Spearritt, Peter

Professor of history with a special interest in coastal urbanisation and the conservation of natural and built heritage.

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Humanities