This short book is one of about two dozen volumes in the Palgrave Macmillan series on national sociology histories around the world. Australia and New Zealand represent overlaps in colonial histories, the growth of western modernity and forms of intellectual and scientific regimes, yet with very different disciplinary accounts (Crothers, 2018). Harley and Wickham’s book expands on other historical work, particularly Germov and McGee’s 2005 volume, providing additional information, especially about the more recent half-century. They use the phrase from their title as a thematic device to suggest three overlapping themes: ‘fragility, survival and rivalry’.