Reverberations: an Exploration of Memory and Cultural Identity

Reverberations: An exploration of memory and cultural identity Diane Powell PhD (English and Media) 2008 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: POWELL First name: DIANE Other name/s: LESLIE Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: ENGLISH, MEDIA & PERFORMING ARTS Faculty: ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES Title: REVERBERATIONS: AN EXPLORATION OF MEMORY AND CULTURAL IDENTITY Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This thesis is about the way memory and identity are continually reconstituted and how they shape and impinge upon each other. I use my own experience of growing up in Italian and Anglo Australian cultures as a primary source to examine the changing nature of memory affects and to consider they ways in which events of the past have formed and transformed my cultural identity. I also explore the intermingling of personal and collective memory and how ethnic groups negotiate community identity within national identity formations. Concepts of Deleuze and Guattari, particularly those of the rhizome, the refrain and territorialisation, are keys to understanding practices associated with memory and identity and I apply them throughout the thesis. Nostalgia and loss are emotions often tangled up with memory and identity and I use the work of Barthes, Stewart and Woodward in discussing these. I use other diverse theories to look at the ways memory is embedded in the body – manifested in gestures, performance and everyday practices – and mediated in rituals, film, photographs, documents and objects. The style of writing does not adhere to the conventions of academic discourse and diverts intermittently from scholarly argumentation. It assembles disparate memory events – both personal and collective – along with factual information, fragments of biography and autobiography, and reflection and analysis. It is written this way in part to resemble the process of thinking and remembering which is never a smooth, logically flowing stream of intelligence. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... Acknowledgements Many thanks to my supervisors, Anne Brewster and Gay Hawkins, for their insight, guidance and understanding in the shaping and writing of this thesis. Their engagement with my project encouraged exploration into fields and ideas that added significantly to my research and writing. Thanks also to the Schools of English and Media for practical help and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for field-work and conference travel assistance to Melbourne and Italy. Thanks to friends and family who have provided the kind of support that keeps one sane and grounded during the process of undertaking a PhD. Finally, thanks to my Italian and English ancestors. Reverberations: an exploration of memory and cultural identity Abstract This thesis is about the way memory and identity are continually reconstituted and how they shape and impinge upon each other. I use my own experience of growing up in Italian and Anglo Australian cultures as a primary source to examine the changing nature of memory affects and to consider they ways in which events of the past have formed and transformed my cultural identity. I also explore the intermingling of personal and collective memory and how ethnic groups negotiate community identity within national identity formations. Concepts of Deleuze and Guattari, particularly those of the rhizome, the refrain and territorialisation, are keys to understanding practices associated with memory and identity and I apply them throughout the thesis. Nostalgia and loss are emotions often tangled up with memory and identity and I use the work of Barthes, Stewart and Woodward in discussing these. I use other diverse theories to look at the ways memory is embedded in the body – manifested in gestures, performance and everyday practices – and mediated in rituals, film, photographs, documents and objects. The style of writing does not adhere to the conventions of academic discourse and diverts intermittently from scholarly argumentation. It assembles disparate memory events – both personal and collective – along with factual information, fragments of biography and autobiography, and reflection and analysis. It is written this way in part to resemble the process of thinking and remembering which is never a smooth, logically flowing stream of intelligence. ◊◊◊ Diane Powell UNSW z3022333 PhD Thesis Contents Contents .............................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1. Introduction........................................................................................ 4 Method/Genre ..................................................................................................... 5 Memory events.................................................................................................... 9 Memory triggers................................................................................................ 10 Mediations of memory ...................................................................................... 14 Identity and recognition .................................................................................... 15 Refrains ............................................................................................................. 18 Mourning........................................................................................................... 20 Beginnings and endings .................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2. Memory and Identity ....................................................................... 27 Memory and psychoanalysis ............................................................................. 29 Memory and philosophy ................................................................................... 31 Duration ............................................................................................................ 34 Locating memory .............................................................................................

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