Horses for Discourses: a Critical Examination of the Horse in Australian Culture
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Horses for Discourses: A critical examination of the horse in Australian culture Isa Menzies A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Australian National University October 2019. ©Copyright Isa Menzies 2019 This work is the result of original research carried out by the author except where otherwise indicated in the text. ii Thanks and acknowledgements The path to submission of this thesis has been long, and oftentimes, undeniably bumpy. Yet as I reach the end of that road, I can honestly say that undertaking this work has been engaging, revelatory, and incredibly rewarding. And, against all received wisdom, I still find the topic fascinating! For this I owe my gratitude to all those who assisted me with the research—the interviewees, both formal and informal, who shared their unique wisdom and subject knowledge: Leisa Caldwell, Rob Gibbs, Di Thompson, Graeme Worboys, Terry Claven and Martha Sear; the numerous museum curators and staff who undertook the work of the ERIC survey, and shared the richness of their collections with me; and all those who, knowing my interest in horses, reached out with suggested readings, articles, and books. Like many students, my supervisory panel changed throughout the life of the project, and I am grateful to all who assisted in this capacity as the project evolved. I offer particular thanks to those who saw me over the line: Laurajane Smith, your support has been invaluable, and I am so grateful that you took me on when you did. You renewed my intellectual faith in the project, while also respecting my limited capacity to commit to it wholly and solely, as I juggled the thesis with the full-time parenting of a young child, and occasionally overwhelming work contracts. Thank you—for your advice, inspiration, and experienced guidance. It is not too much to say that I could not have done this without your help. Frank Bongiorno, your kind but incisive feedback on an early draft chapter pushed me to recognise the limitations of ‘mythbusting’ and committed me to a new direction, just when I needed it (even if I didn’t want it!). I appreciate your generosity in agreeing to join my panel at the pointy end of proceedings, and I am very glad to have had the benefit of your knowledge. I will never unthinkingly use the word ‘interesting’ again! Alexandra Delios, thank you for agreeing to come on board so late in the day, and for your helpful comments on the work. My thanks also go to others who gave of their time as part of my panel over the years: Sharon Peoples, Martha Sear, Natasha Fijn, Paul Pickering, and Kylie Message. The work of a PhD student can be lonely, and so I am incredibly grateful for those fellow candidates who have walked alongside me on this journey, whether for some or all of the way: officemates Laura Breen, Iain Johnstone, and Rosanna Beatrice Stevens, thanks for your offerings, including but not limited to, guidance through admin, intellectual probing, and chats over coffee. Special thanks to Priya Vaughan, who through this process has become a dear friend. Thanks for all your conversation, comments on draft work, advice, sympathy, and all ‘round kindness. I am immensely glad to have met you! Outside my academic peer group, I thank two friends in iii particular—Janet, for giving an always-insightful perspective on life outside the thesis, and Kat, for cheering me on with a myriad of horse-related gifts over the years, including the greatest motivator ever: stickers! I am especially grateful for the support of my family. Thank you; Chris, David, Ian, Jane, Katie, Hayley, Lyndsay, Drew, Pauline, Shea, and my dear heart Camille, for helping in so many ways, and never asking “When are you going to be done?!” Maria (Mum/Yaya), I am so grateful for all that you have done for me throughout—your willingness to engage with my topic, and your generosity in offering frequent meals, and hours of child entertaining. I am especially glad that you suggested those riding lessons so many years ago! To Colin (Dad), thank you for sharing your love of horses, the land, and critical thinking with me. I’d have loved to hear your thoughts on my thesis, but I am sure your sub-editor’s heart would be happy with my avoidance of ‘amongst’ and ‘whilst’. To Ione, for being the most delightful thesis distraction I could ever imagine! Finally, to Clinton, my heartfelt thanks and enormous gratitude. Your steadfast support of this project has anchored me. That you saw this thesis as something we were all invested in, and never begrudged me the time it took to get here, is worth more than I can say. Your help with the logistics of Excel, your grammatical wrangling, your wizardry with Word, and, most importantly, your propensity for coming up with catchy titles (I hereby officially and publicly credit you with the title of this thesis!), have all contributed to making this piece of work what it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship. iv Abstract The cultural significance of the horse functions as one of the cornerstone narratives in the production and performance of Australian national identity. From Phar Lap’s preserved remains to the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games; from ‘Banjo’ Paterson’s poem “The Man from Snowy River” to the 2018 Wild Horse Heritage Bill (NSW), the notion that the horse is meaningful to Australians continues to be perpetuated. Nonetheless, the exact nature of this significance remains nebulous and imprecise, and the topic has drawn little critical attention from Australian Studies or Cultural Studies scholars. In view of this academic silence, this thesis interrogates the key narratives associated with the Australian ‘horse discourse’, and asks, broadly, what is the nature of the horse’s significance in Australia, and what does this reveal about Australian identity? Drawing on a mixed-methods approach – including a nation-wide survey of collecting institutions, stakeholder interviews, and the analysis of literature from a diversity of fields – this research seeks to explore the foundational assumptions upon which the equine significance narrative is constructed. The thesis addresses representations of the horse from several key perspectives—as an imported cultural trope; as historically important; within the museum context; and when framed as heritage, particularly with respect to the recent brumby debates. Through these multiple entry- points, the thesis offers a considered analysis of constructions of this animal as an identity narrative. Building on anthropologist James Wertsch’s notion of schematic narrative templates, I identify an Australian iteration, which I name the Underdog narrative template. The thesis argues that tales from the equine significance discourse, when underpinned by the Underdog schematic narrative template, are reinforced, becoming potent sites for the expression of nationalism. Combining this understanding with an Animal Studies framing, I argue that the significance of the horse in Australia is largely instrumental, predicated upon an inherently anthropocentric and utilitarian approach. This in turn allows it to be deployed as a symbolic construct, revealing the cultural work the horse is tasked with—in particular in mediating anxieties of belonging among white, Anglo-European Australians. v Table of Contents Thanks and acknowledgements ................................................................................................... iii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... v Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 10 Thesis structure: themes and content ........................................................................................ 16 Chapter 1: An overview of literature ........................................................................................... 19 Nationalism and narrative in Australia ....................................................................................... 19 Australia’s underdog narrative tradition ............................................................................... 23 The ‘Australian Legend’: masculinity and the idealisation of the rural ...................................... 25 Memory, heritage, history .......................................................................................................... 32 Emotion and affect ..................................................................................................................... 36 Museums, nationalism, and the horse ....................................................................................... 41 The animal ‘Other’ ...................................................................................................................... 44 Anthropomorphism ............................................................................................................... 46 Performing animality ............................................................................................................. 48 Constructing the horse in Australia ............................................................................................ 51 Colonisation, frontier wars, belonging, and the horse ............................................................... 53 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................