The Fantasy of Whiteness: Blackness and Aboriginality in American and Australian Culture

The Fantasy of Whiteness: Blackness and Aboriginality in American and Australian Culture Benjamin Miller A thesis submitted to the School of English, Media and Performing Arts at the University of New South Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy 2009 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname: MILLER First name: BENJAMIN Other name/s: IAN Degree: PhD School: ENGLISH, MEDIA AND PERFORMING ARTS Faculty: ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Title: MR ABSTRACT This dissertation argues that a fantasy of white authority was articulated and disseminated through the representations of blackness and Aboriginality in nineteenth-century American and Australian theatre, and that this fantasy influenced the representation of Aboriginality in twentieth- century Australian culture. The fantasy of whiteness refers to the habitually enacted and environmentally entrenched assumption that white people can and should superintend the cultural representation of Otherness. This argument is presented in three parts. Part One examines the complex ways in which white anxieties and concerns were expressed through discourses of blackness in nineteenth-century American blackface entertainment. Part Two examines the various transnational discursive connections enabled by American and Australian blackface entertainments in Australia during the nineteenth century. Part Three examines the legacy of nineteenth-century blackface entertainment in twentieth-century Australian culture. Overall, this dissertation investigates some of the fragmentary histories and stories about Otherness that coalesce within Australian culture. This examination suggests that representations of Aboriginality in Australian culture are influenced and manipulated by whiteness in ways that seek to entrench and protect white cultural authority. Even today, a phantasmal whiteness is often present within cultural representations of Aboriginality. 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 …………………………………………….............. i 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 .............................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and on which this dissertation was written, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. Their sovereignty has never been ceded. This dissertation has benefited greatly from the support of colleagues, friends and family. I’m eternally grateful for the patience, wisdom and careful guidance of my supervisor, Anne Brewster, who has allowed this project to mature in ways that neither of us imagined. I’m a better researcher and writer for having worked with Anne, and I am fortunate for every moment she spent helping me express and clarify my ideas. My various co-supervisors—Bill Ashcroft, Shalmalee Palekar and Sue Kossew—each provided comments that improved the overall thesis. My ideas also grew thanks to my teaching experiences with Brigid Rooney at the University of Sydney. Many thanks also go to Wesley Enoch and Bindi Cole, who generously discussed their work, and Uncle Chika Dixon for sharing his knowledge about Australian history and politics. I’d like to thank fellow postgraduates Blanca Tovias, Heather Moritz and David Fonteyn, who have provided wise sounding boards and proven to be inspirational as they each finished their PhDs. I am unreservedly grateful to my family. My mother believes in the great rewards of deep thinking. My father listens while we disagree and has always let me make mistakes. My brother knows that knowledge doesn’t stop. My sister’s selfless charity is the epitome of care, and her beautiful daughters give me a reason to leave my books (and return to them again). My family give me values that I hold dear and attempt to honour in my work. Last, and most importantly, my love goes to Hallie, who put a lot of hard work into keeping me sane, and slightly less work, I hope, into reading every word of my dissertation. iii RESEARCH SUPPORT AND PUBLICATIONS My research was enabled by an Australian Postgraduate Award administered by the University of New South Wales. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW also provided a Top-up Scholarship from 2005-08, as well as a grant to support my research trip in 2007 to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre at the University of Texas, Austin. In 2006 I also received a postgraduate support grant to present my research on Charles Chauvel at ASAL’s annual conference in Perth, Western Australia. Selections from Chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7 of this thesis have appeared in the below publications. The article “Australians in a Vacuum” is not contained in this dissertation, but is on the theme of whiteness and Aboriginality. I thank the editors and referees who have influenced and improved my research and writing through their engagement with the below articles. Miller, Benjamin. “Aboriginal Short Stories: A Case Study of David Unaipon”. Reading Down Under: Australian Literary Studies Reader. Ed. Amit Sarwal and Reema Sarwal. New Delhi: SSS Publications, 2009. 205-15. ---. “Australians in a Vacuum: The ‘Socio-political Stuff’ in Rachel Perkins’ Radiance”. Studies in Australasian Cinema 2.1 (2008): 61-71. ---. “Confusing Epistemologies: Assimilation, Mimicry and Whiteness in David Unaipon’s ‘Confusion of Tongue’”. Altitude 6 (2005). <http://www.api- network.com/cgi-bin/altitude21c/fly?page=Issue6&n=3> ---.“David Unaipon’s Style of Subversion: Performativity and Becoming in ‘Gool Lun Naga’”. Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (JASAL) Special Issue: The Colonial Present (2008): 77-93. ---. “The Mirror of Whiteness: Blackface in Charles Chauvel’s Jedda”. JASAL Special Issue: Spectres, Screens, Shadows, Mirrors (2007): 140-156. ---. “Unaipon, David”. The Literary Encyclopedia. Encyclopaedia Entry. 2005. <http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4499> iv ABSTRACT This dissertation argues that a fantasy of white authority was articulated and disseminated through the representations of blackness and Aboriginality in nineteenth-

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