DOCSLIB.ORG

Cultivating a Beggar's Garden

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Cultivating a Beggar's Garden Cultivating A Beggar’s Garden: A Novel and Exegesis Author Stringer, Mary-Ellen Published 2015 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Humanities DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3251 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366426 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Cultivating A Beggar’s Garden: A novel and exegesis Mary-Ellen Stringer B.A. Writing and Cultural Studies, Southern Cross University B.A. (Hons), Southern Cross University School of Humanities Arts, Law and Education Group Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2014 SYNOPSIS My novel, A Beggar’s Garden, and its accompanying exegesis, ‘Reading in A Beggar’s Garden: being without shadow’ are offered as sites of confluence where the political, the personal, the poetic and the polemic meet, blend, separate, reform and reconfigure. I hope the work rings with the ‘sociological poetics’ described by Paul Dawson – a poetics which recognises the ‘aesthetic or craft-based decisions of a writer are always the result … of ideological or political choice: the choice to employ social languages and the ideologies they embody … the choice to position a literary work in these languages, as an active intervention in the ideological work they perform’ (Dawson 2005: 211, emphasis in original). Critically and creatively I am telling stories that resonate in a contemporary register and with the tone and timbre of the language of affect which has here been derived from what Mark Davis describes as ‘the logic of affect since … this is the logic of contemporary politics and the public sphere’ (Davis 2007: 26-27). I use language as critique and explore through creative, critical and political idioms the intersections where these languages collide to produce the vernacular that positions, forms and informs subjectivity. The images, ideas, historiography and politics embedded in everyday languages are too often violent and proscriptive. I appropriate the violent tendencies laced through everyday languages and use them towards their opposite effect, towards compassion, belonging and dignity for the outcasts, outsiders and outriders of the community. My creative work is driven by my cultural politics and my critical work by a wish to intervene creatively into political discourses and how these discourses construct and outlaw the other who, in the contemporary socio-cultural order, can be found among the most vulnerable and neglected in the community – the very young and very old, the ‘coloured’, poor, ill and the broken. My work with and through language is designed to trouble and disrupt the processes that help to produce the other and, as a result of the outlawed subjectivity designated to them, deny that other even the smallest comforts of belonging, of being at home. In both a creative and critical sense I am unapologetically driven by the conviction that social justice is more than an idea and that fighting for it matters. I hold fast to a belief in the possibility of beauty and politics being embedded in the heart of fiction. ii The novel in this submission is set in contemporary times in a city much like Brisbane; it focuses on the plight of a woman cast onto the streets with her two young children. The exegesis accompanying the novel provides an account of the research and thinking I undertook in writing the work. iii Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. …………………………………………. Mary-Ellen Stringer iv CONTENTS Synopsis i Statement of Originality ii Contents v Acknowledgements vi A Beggar’s Garden 1 Reading in A Beggar’s Garden: being without shadow 264 Bibliography 345 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to: My supervisor, Professor Nigel Krauth, who from the first meeting made the novel better. Thanks for the patience, lunches, laughs and all round uncommon good cheer. My family, immediate and extended, for everything from living space to work space and for helping to hold back the tide while I kept on writing. My friends, especially Claire Brindle and Jade da Silva, for staying with me on the ride no matter what. My peers and friends, Sue Pearson and Sib Duff, for downing tools at sunset on writing retreats. David Field and Kelton Pell for including my girls and me in the party and for their generosity in agreeing to be included herein. Michelle Lyons, friend and editor, for so much more than just the grammar. To Griffith University, for the scholarships, the trip to Stradbroke Island and for living up to its reputation as the rock and roll uni. For workspaces: thanks especially to my sister, Tor Stringer, for the many weeks alone in her house on the hill in the country where I wrote while she cared for my children. To Tricia and David Kenny, Claire Brindle and Adam Tansell, Sean Stringer and Rosie Winters. To the John Oxley Library at the State Library of Queensland for bending the rules. And to Mervyn Langford and his son, Piers, for the enchanted corner that made all the difference. My daughters, Sianda and Tallulah, for among other things defending my decision to use their stories and for believing I should tell them my way. Brave girls both. And to my mother, Ella Stringer, one of the most well-read people I know, whose fascination with the writing process and belief in my ability to deliver the goods helped get them over the line. Thank you for the encouragement and support which, in all ways and always, was over and above. vi A Beggar’s Garden Page 1 l The trick to riding a bike in Angel’s gear is to pick your line and commit to it before you let go of the handlebars. Speed matters. Too much and the bike will skid on the gravel at the bottom of the hill just as you’re taking the right hand turn. Miss that corner and it’s game over, you’re sprawled on the footpath on the other side of the T-intersection. Too little speed and you won’t have the power to get across the road and clear the path of any car that may or may not be coming over the rise. A blind corner on the crest of a hill, perfect spot for a game of chicken. Page 2 Charlie watches Sean’s approach to the corner. The guy is so smooth he could be on a surfboard. Hands hanging loose at his sides Sean uses his knees to sway the bike out into the middle of the road then tilts it in towards the corner. Picking up speed he leans back, brings his hands together behind his head, clears the gravel patch, coasts across the road and on down the other side of the hill. Feet flat on the ground either side of his bike, Charlie contemplates his own line. He’s bigger and faster than his friend. He’ll go wide, come in to the corner low at a sharp angle and sail past Sean like he doesn’t know he’s there. But even as he’s imagining himself doing it he knows he’s not going to. Some days you’re too spooked for Angel’s gear. Hands firm on the brakes Charlie pushes off and lets the bike roll down the hill. He stops at the give way sign. If he turns right he’ll end up calling his mum from Sean’s place to tell her he’s staying the night. Well, he’ll ask her and both of them will pretend it’s a genuine question because she still thinks he needs to ask her permission about that kind of thing. Sean’s mum will ask after the family. ‘And how’s that gorgeous little monster Lucy?’ ‘Yeah, monstrous, thanks.’ When the questions move onto his mum and Carl, Charlie will duck under the cover of his adolescence. Other people’s mothers are more tolerant of the all-purpose grunt than his. ‘Apes grunt, Charlie, humans use words,’ she says, and gives him a play slap across the back of his head. ‘Yes ma’am.’ ‘Until such time as you can form whole sentences again, you remain a Halfling, neither man nor child. As such, you are entirely subject to my rules, me, your loving mother and a far superior human being.’ Slap. ‘Yessah, ma’am. Me Halfling, you boss.’ ‘Good boy. And do not play the dumb nigger with me.’ Slap. One time some hippy overheard them playing a version of the ‘yes ma’am’ game in the supermarket line and tried having a go at her. ‘You really think that’s a good way to speak to him, Lady?’ Page 3 Charlie kept his head down. His mum turned to face the poor old guy and gave him what Charlie calls her slice and dice look. It’s a quick, cold cut. ‘Oh please,’ she said, running her eyes from the guy’s socked and sandalled feet to his grey ponytail. Outside she frothed at the mouth about the nerve of the guy but it didn’t last long. By the time they got to the car, Charlie yes ma’aming and grovelling and trying to wrestle the trolley out of her hands, she was having trouble keeping a straight face. When she lifted the bags to put them in the boot Charlie snatched at them.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mckee, Alan (1996) Making Race Mean : the Limits of Interpretation in the Case of Australian Aboriginality in Films and Television Programs
    McKee, Alan (1996) Making race mean : the limits of interpretation in the case of Australian Aboriginality in films and television programs. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4783/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Making Race Mean The limits of interpretation in the case of Australian Aboriginality in films and television programs by Alan McKee (M.A.Hons.) Dissertation presented to the Faculty of Arts of the University of Glasgow in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Glasgow March 1996 Page 2 Abstract Academic work on Aboriginality in popular media has, understandably, been largely written in defensive registers. Aware of horrendous histories of Aboriginal murder, dispossession and pitying understanding at the hands of settlers, writers are worried about the effects of raced representation; and are always concerned to identify those texts which might be labelled racist. In order to make such a search meaningful, though, it is necessary to take as axiomatic certain propositions about the functioning of films: that they 'mean' in particular and stable ways, for example; and that sophisticated reading strategies can fully account for the possible ways a film interacts with audiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Honi Soit 2016, Semester 1
    HSEMESTER ONE,oni 2016 • WEEK 8 Soit INDIGENOUS EDITION 2 HONI SOIT INDIGENOUS EDITION SEMESTER 1 • WEEK 8 HONI SOIT INDIGENOUS EDITION SEMESTER 1 • WEEK 8 3 LETTERS Acknowledgement of Country Letters Another Letter We, the Indigenous Collective ask you to join us in acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation upon whose stolen land the University of Sydney is built. It is a privilege to learn and gather on Aboriginal land. about the EU The Gadigal people are the traditional custodians and caretakers of this land but to fully express the complex and spiritual relationship Aboriginal and I am writing as the discourse person did not believe that the experience; and what’s more I Don't like the idea of Torres Strait Island people share with their sacred lands in nearly impossible. surrounding the Evangeli- goals of intersectional feminism believe that under the auspices cal Union’s status has been were worth promoting. Similar- of the Union people should be Autonomous Editions? We acknowledge that the Gadigal people and those of the greater Eora nation were the first to suffer, resist and survive the brutalities of White Supremacy led astray. Yes, Tony Abbott’s ly, I can sympathise with the EU allowed to express their beliefs in in Australia. The centuries long resistance of Australia’s Indigenous community endures as non-Indigenous Australians continue to benefit from the conflation of autonomous not wanting to elect someone a peaceful way that enriches their Are you a racist? colonisation of sovereign Indigenous land. SRC-funded spaces and reli- who does not endorse the cen- University experience.
    [Show full text]
  • Marriageability and Indigenous Representation in the White Mainstream Media in Australia
    Marriageability and Indigenous Representation in the White Mainstream Media in Australia PhD Thesis 2007 Andrew King BA (Hons) Supervisor: Associate Professor Alan McKee Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology Abstract By means of a historical analysis of representations, this thesis argues that an increasing sexualisation of Indigenous personalities in popular culture contributes to the reconciliation of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. It considers how sexualised images and narratives of Indigenous people, as they are produced across a range of film, television, advertising, sport and pornographic texts, are connected to a broader politics of liberty and justice in the present postmodern and postcolonial context. By addressing this objective the thesis will identify and evaluate the significance of ‘banal’ or everyday representations of Aboriginal sexuality, which may range from advertising images of kissing, television soap episodes of weddings, sultry film romances through to more evocatively oiled-up representations of the pin- up-calendar variety. This project seeks to explore how such images offer possibilities for creating informal narratives of reconciliation, and engendering understandings of Aboriginality in the media beyond predominant academic concerns for exceptional or fatalistic versions. i Keywords Aboriginality Indigenous Marriageability Reconciliation Popular Culture Sexuality Relationships Interracial Public Sphere Mediasphere Celebrity ii Table of Contents Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Australian Multicultural Policy and Television Drama in Comparative Contexts
    Australian multicultural policy and television drama in comparative contexts Harvey May BA (Comm), BA, B Bus (Hons)(Comm), Post Grad Dip Ed A thesis submitted in 2003 for the award of Doctor of Philosophy Creative Industries Research and Applications Centre Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology Key Words Multiculturalism, Cultural Diversity, Television, Drama, Casting, Minorities, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States. Abstract This thesis examines changes which have occurred since the late 1980s and early 1990s with respect to the representation of cultural diversity on Australian popular drama programming. The thesis finds that a significant number of actors of diverse cultural and linguistic background have negotiated the television industry employment process to obtain acting roles in a lead capacity. The majority of these actors are from the second generation of immigrants, who increasingly make up a significant component of Australia’s multicultural population. The way in which these actors are portrayed on- screen has also shifted from one of a ‘performed’ ethnicity, to an ‘everyday’ portrayal. The thesis develops an analysis which connects the development and broad political support for multicultural policy as expressed in the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia to the changes in both employment and representation practices in popular television programming in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The thesis addresses multicultural debates by arguing for a mainstreaming position. The thesis makes detailed comparison of cultural diversity and television in the jurisdictions of the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand to support the broad argument that cultural diversity policy measures produce observable outcomes in television programming.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Studies Into the Invisible Presence of Aboriginal People
    School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry Faculty of Humanities Connecting the Dots: Case Studies into the ‘Invisible Presence’ of Aboriginal People Living in Victoria Jessi Coyle This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University January 2019 To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement is made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signed: Date: 15 January 2019 ABSTRACT Aboriginal Victorians have been rendered as an ‘invisible presence’ by the various discourses of race and culture that emerged in 19th-century forms of colonialism, which remain influential today. This thesis demonstrates how (white) belonging is constructed within national narratives by drawing on case study analyses of contemporary Victoria’s central and western goldfields districts, and of Aboriginal Victorian participation in Australian (Rules) Football. Semi-structured interviews were conducted across two case studies, with 28 Aboriginal participants and four non- Aboriginal participants. Interviews were analysed using a grounded theory framework, which prioritises culturally respectful and transparent research by positioning the research around participant testimony rather than the 19th-century colonial research conventions that are still influential and popular today. Working within critical theory, this thesis draws on race and settler colonialism to position the invisible presence of Aboriginal people within the ‘(white) settler colonial psyche’. A central feature of the (white) settler colonial psyche is the maintenance of settler sovereignty, as imagined through (white) belonging.
    [Show full text]
  • Unsettling News: Settler Colonialism, War and Empire in the Australian and British Press (1863-1902)
    UNSETTLING NEWS: SETTLER COLONIALISM, WAR AND EMPIRE IN THE AUSTRALIAN AND BRITISH PRESS (1863-1902) Sam Hutchinson 20901799 Master of Journalism (University of Queensland, 2009) Bachelor of Communication Studies (University of Waikato, 2003) Presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Western Australia School of Humanities English & Cultural Studies/History 2014 ii ABSTRACT This thesis analyses Australian and British newspaper commentary on Australian participation in three conflicts on the fringes of the British Empire during the latter part of the nineteenth century. These conflicts, the Waikato War (1863-64), the Sudan crisis (1885) and the South African War (1899-1902), offer insights into the narratives of British imperialism and Australian settler colonialism at these times. More specifically, the newspaper coverage of each conflict provides a window into the discourses that supported settler colonial and imperial processes, and of the anxieties that unsettled them. Previous scholarship has rarely examined these conflicts in combination or paid close attention to the language in which they were reported in the press. For this thesis the turn toward a discursive critique of colonial print culture has been influential. More recently, the emphasis on the dynamics governing the global circulation of newspaper commentary has proven a fruitful complement to textual analysis. To add to this growing body of knowledge, this study also draws upon recent theoretical consideration of settler colonialism as a discrete modality of the imperial project. Finally, concentrating on the rhetoric of press debates has led to a focus on its affective character, or how sentimental language worked to address readers through a continual process of identifying with British imperial and settler Australian communities and narratives.
    [Show full text]
  • ACAP Units of Work, Part 2
    ACAP Units of Work 6. SCIENCE – STAGE 4 YEAR 8 Australian Plants Duration: 5–6 weeks Introduction The unit set out in this chapter provides the opportunity for students to work in teams on specific projects relating to Australian plants; they may then share and present their acquired knowledge across the whole class. This results in an increase in total group knowledge and understanding across a broad range of areas. The unit topic lends itself to the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives on the use of native Australian plants. This aspect is to be encouraged as much as possible, and may include a broad range of contexts. Teachers are also encouraged to draw on local Indigenous knowledge and expertise. The fostering of Career Education Outcomes is helped in a number of ways, including structuring the unit and the use of group/team project work. Career Education is enhanced by having students specifically investigate careers, pathways and employment-related issues throughout their projects. The Career Education Outcomes are identified below. Career Education Outcomes Critically evaluate personal qualities and physical attributes as they apply to career choice and the requirements of the workplace ■ Recognise that individuals have different skills, abilities and talents. ■ Identify social and interpersonal skills needed to work cooperatively in a variety of work situations, paid and unpaid. ■ Relate their own interests and values to different work tasks and occupations. ■ Identify career choices that may suit their interests and personal characteristics. ■ Assess their own physical attributes relative to specific work requirements. Analyse the key factors influencing the career values, aspirations and achievements of individuals and groups ■ Discuss factors that influence an individual’s choice of an occupation.
    [Show full text]
  • Report to the Australian Research Council
    Edith Cowan University Research Online ECU Publications Pre. 2011 1997 Aboriginality and English : report to the Australian Research Council Ian G. Malcolm Marek M. Koscielecki Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons Malcolm, I.G., & Koscielecki, M.M. (1997). Aboriginality and English : report to the Australian Research Council. Mount Lawley, Australia: Edith Cowan University. This Report is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks/7055 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form.
    [Show full text]
  • 90032 Stolen Secondstep.Indd
    Stolen Generations Victoria Second Step Engaging students with the Stolen Generations A resource for Victorian teachers Acknowledgements Second Step would not have been made possible without assistance from a number of people. Firstly, at Stolen Generations Victoria: Aunty Lyn Austin, Uncle Syd Jackson, Jeannie McIntyre and Brad Brown. For those who assisted with advice in the initial stages: Anthony Balla, Jenny Bates, Matt Bell , Melissa Brickell, Greta Clarke, Deb Connell, Delsie Lillyst, Brian McKinnon, Loretta O’Neil, Moira Rayner, Liz Suda and Uncle Larry Walsh. And fi nally: All the members of the Stolen Generations who have shared their stories, experiences, knowledge and advice. Alister McKeich Senior Policy and Education Offi cer, Stolen Generations Victoria Keeping up to Date Stolen Generations Victoria, located in Preston, stays up to date with the latest news, publications and debates regarding the Stolen Generations in Victoria and across the country. Contact them if you would like to fi nd out more information, or to receive their quarterly newsletter. The organization also has number of members who are willing to speak to students in schools. Stolen Generations Victoria PO Box 101, Preston 3072, Victoria (03) 9470 3477 www.stolengenerationsvictoria.org.au [email protected] Furthermore, you can book a Stolen Generations Workshop with Banyip Kidjeka. These cultural education workshops focus on the impact of government policies for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families, delivered by two remarkable and inspiring members of the Stolen Generations. Contact Cathy Dean [email protected] (03) 9719 7395 Artwork “Cootamundra Girls Home” The front cover shows a painting by Rita Wenberg titled “Cootamundra Girls Home”.
    [Show full text]
  • Bourke : Our Yarns. the Stories Behind 'Blackfellas, Whitefellas
    BOURKE: Our Yarns BOURKE: OUR YARNS THE STORIES BEHIND ‘BLACKFELLAS, WHITEFELLAS’ Collected and edited by Gillian Cowlishaw Designed and illustrated by Robert Mackay UTSePress, Sydney 1 Copyright Information © Gillian Cowlishaw and Robert Mackay First Published in 2006 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Cowlishaw, Gillian K. (Gillian Keir), 1934- . Bourke : Our Yarns. The Stories Behind ‘Blackfellas, Whitefellas.’ ISBN 0 9802840 0 7 (web). Collected and edited by Gillian Cowlishaw Designed and illustrated by Robert Mackay 1. Aboriginal Australians, Treatment of. 2. Aboriginal Australians - New South Wales - Bourke Region – Public opinion. 3. Bourke Region (N.S.W.) - Race relations. 4. Bourke Region (N.S.W.) - Social life and customs. I. Mackay, Bobby. II. Title. 305.89915 Published by UTSePress, Sydney 2006 University Library University of Technology, Sydney PO Box 123 BROADWAY NSW 2007 AUSTRALIA 2 For the Murris of Bourke 3 Contributors: Shiela & Max Bates; Leatta Ballangary, Phil Carrol; Hazel & Frances Clark; Alan Clarke; Gladys Darrigo; Eric & Tony Dixon; Trevor Dutton; Betty Ebsworth; Alf, Iris, Percy (Snow), Sandra & Marg Edwards; Alistair Ferguson; Danny Fernando; Shirley & Noel Gillon; Robert Gray; Cliff & John Hartnett; Yvonne Howeth; Jumbo Johnson; Ron Johnson; Mary, Martha & Douglas Jones; Daisy Kelly; Hopey, Neta, Kevin. Brian & Julie Knight; Alan Leonard; Eileen & Jean Mackay; Chris & John McGirr; Gerald & Ruth McKellar; Frank Martin; Robbie Olsen; Jack, Dudley, George & Matt Orcher; Mandy Provest; Leah Rose, Ruby Shillingsworth; Alma-Jean, Phill & Anthony Sullivan; Bruce Turnbull; Merv Vincent; Val Watson; Gracie, Cliff & Mick Williams; Donna & Ray Willis (Index and biographies p. 104) 4 CONTENTS Preface and acknowledgments 6 1. Surviving the Early Days 7 2.
    [Show full text]
  • 9781925021721.Pdf
    In turn in turn: Ego-histoire, Europe and Indigenous Australia In turn in turn: Ego-histoire, Europe and Indigenous Australia Edited by Vanessa Castejon, Anna Cole, Oliver Haag and Karen Hughes Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Ngapartji ngapartji, in turn, in turn : ego-histoire, Europe and Indigenous Australia / Vanessa Castejon, Anna Cole, Oliver Haag and Karen Hughes, editors. ISBN: 9781925021721 (paperback) 9781925021738 (ebook) Subjects: Aboriginal Australians--History. Aboriginal Australians--Social conditions. Aboriginal Australians--Politics and government. Other Authors/Contributors: Castejon, Vanessa, editor. Cole, Anna, 1969- editor. Haag, Oliver, editor. Hughes, Karen, editor. Dewey Number: 305.89915 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover image: Artwork by Julie Gough. Detail, Intertidal resulted from an invitation to participate in an exhibition <Abstractions>. My concept was to arrive with raw materials collected during my journey to the Canberra gallery from which new works would be made. One of the four pieces produced was titled Intertidal for which I finely ground-up the materials and applied them to a board surface in linear striations. Each ‘stripe’ represented my absence from Tasmania as well as the fulfilling exploration of working with and combining new materials to describe my, at the time, nomadic life.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Black and White: Aborigines, Asian-Australians and the National Imaginary
    BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE: ABORIGINES, ASIAN-AUSTRALIANS AND THE NATIONAL IMAGINARY Peta Stephenson, BA (Hons), MA Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March 2003 The Australian Centre, Faculty of Arts The University of Melbourne Abstract This thesis examines how Aboriginality, ‘Asianness’ and whiteness have been imagined from Federation in 1901 to the present. It recovers a rich but hitherto largely neglected history of twentieth century cross-cultural partnerships and alliances between Indigenous and Asian-Australians. Commercial and personal intercourse between these communities has existed in various forms on this continent since the pre-invasion era. These cross- cultural exchanges have often been based on close and long-term shared interests that have stemmed from a common sense of marginalisation from dominant Anglo-Australian society. At other times these cross-cultural relationships have ranged from indifference to hostility, reflecting the fact that migrants of Asian descent remain the beneficiaries of the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite the long history of contact between Indigenous and Asian-Australians, these cross- cultural alliances have been largely expunged from the white Australian consciousness. By charting white ideological, political and legislative responses to these engagements, the thesis shows why this historical experience has been repressed in dominant narratives of nation. It argues that the Anglo-Australian desire to maintain racial supremacy, economic dominance and exclusive possession of the nation and its resources has motivated attempts to quarantine these communities from each other. This thesis argues that Indigenous and Asian-Australian people’s shared experience of exclusion from one another and from the dominant narrative of nationhood has been a source of agency and of extra-governmental self-determination and cultural exchange.
    [Show full text]