Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 Patrick White and James K. Baxter : Public Intellectuals
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'I start with the difficulties encountered in Australia and New Zealand from the 1960s as both countries sought to reconfigure national identities derived from common sources in Victorian imperial racial attitudes, attitudes which were often incorporated into, rather than expelled from, cultural nationalism. To a large extent this process of national ‘rebranding’ has been conducted at state level as a managerial response to an urgent need to modernise settler economies, attract skills and capital, and differentiate contemporary national imageries from colonial ones. In both countries this elite-driven managerialism has been in conflict with the populist politics of settler recidivism. Yet in both also, ethically charged advocacy of a more just national order, is often led by artists and intellectuals but with significant support in the majority white populations, has been crucial in articulating the terms of change and broadening its appeal.' (Source : www.asaa.net.au/files/PATRICK%20WHITE%20CENTENARY%20-%20Speakers%20v3.pdf )

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Patrick White Centenary : The Legacy of a Prodigal Son Cynthia Van Den Driesen (editor), Bill Ashcroft (editor), Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Press , 2014 7902410 2014 anthology criticism

    'This volume marks the birth centenary of a giant amongst contemporary writers: the Australian Nobel prize-winning novelist, Patrick White (1912–1990). It proffers an invaluable insight into the current state of White studies through commentaries drawn from an international galaxy of eminent critics, as well as from newer talents. The book proves that interest in White’s work continues to grow and diversify.

    'Every essay offers a new insight: some are re-evaluations by seasoned critics who revise earlier positions significantly; others admit new light onto what has seemed like well-trodden terrain or focus on works perhaps undervalued in the past—his poetry, an early short story or novel—which are now subjected to fresh attention. His posthumous work has also won attention from prominent critics. New comparisons with other international writers have been drawn in terms of subject matter, themes and philosophy.

    'The expansion of critical attention into fields like photography and film opens new possibilities for enhancing further appreciation of his work. White’s interest in public issues such as the treatment of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, human rights and Australian nationalism is refracted through the inclusion of relevant commentaries from notable contributors.

    'For the first time in Australian literary history, Indigenous scholars have participated in a celebration of the work of a white Australian writer. All of this highlights a new direction in White studies – the appreciation of his stature as a public intellectual. The book demonstrates that White’s legacy has limitless possibilities for further growth.' (Publisher's abstract)

    Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Press , 2014
    pg. 354-367
Last amended 7 Jun 2017 12:43:36
354-367 Patrick White and James K. Baxter : Public Intellectualssmall AustLit logo
Subjects:
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X