Matthew Klugman Matthew Klugman i(6442278 works by)
Born: Established: 1975 ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 A Forgotten Picture : Race, Photographs and Cathy Freeman at the Northcote Koori Mural Gary Osmond , Matthew Klugman , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , vol. 43 no. 2 2019; (p. 203-217)
'A dramatic photograph, published in 1994, depicted Australian athlete Cathy Freeman running at Northcote's Koori Mural in inner-north Melbourne, beneath scenes of Aboriginal elders in chains in the late nineteenth century. Two months later, she famously posed for photographs carrying the Aboriginal flag in a victory lap following her win in the 400 metres at the Commonwealth Games. While the flag photographs remain an iconic image of sport and race in Australia, the Northcote photograph is forgotten. This article explores the history of the Northcote photograph—its background, the image itself, and the aftermath of publication. We analyse the discursive contexts of exposure and elision: unlike the flag pictures, which spoke to the present and to a recognised and saleable discourse (national pride), the Northcote mural image pointed to a more difficult and less palatable discursive relationship with the past (racism, abuse and disenfranchisement).' 

 (Publication abstract)

1 [Review Essay] The Invincibles: New Norcia’s Aboriginal Cricketers, 1879–1906 Matthew Klugman , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 48 no. 2 2017; (p. 297-298)

'This is a fine, invaluable book. Its topic is one of the many forgotten stories of the sporting accomplishments of Australian Aboriginal people – in this instance a cricket team made up of Noongar (Nyoongah) men from the Benedictine Mission of New Norcia, Western Australia who played so well in the early 1880s that they became known as ‘the Invincibles’. Bob Reece provides an account that is at once careful, lucid and beguiling as he traces the rise and fall of the New Norcia team from 1879 to their final games in 1906. Reece’s focus is on their remarkable success against what were previously deemed the best cricket teams in the colony of West Australia – the Metropolitan Cricket Club of Perth, and sides representing Fremantle and the township of York. Many games are described in detail, with separate chapters devoted to the key seasons when the Noongar men played the finest cricket in the colony.'  (Introduction)

1 The Land We Play On : Equality Doesn't Mean Justice Gregory Phillips , Matthew Klugman , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Griffith Review , July no. 53 2016; (p. 185-197)
'The beguiling promise of sport is that everyone is treated equally: that it transcends politics through meritocracy. Fair play and a level playing field remain catchwords. Yet who determines whether the play is fair? Is the playing field really fair? And on whose land do the playing fields rest? ...' (Abstract)
1 y separately published work icon Black and Proud : The Story of an Iconic AFL Photo Matthew Klugman , Gary Osmond , Sydney : NewSouth Publishing , 2013 6442571 2013 single work non-fiction

'It is one of Australia’s most iconic images. On 17 April 1993, the Indigenous AFL footballer Nicky Winmar stood up against racial abuse and made history. Facing the Collingwood crowd that had taunted him all day the St Kilda player pulled up his shirt, pointed to his chest and declared: ‘I’m black and I’m proud to be black’.

'Published the next day, the photos of Winmar’s gesture sparked an intense debate that forced the AFL, the fans and the nation to confront their prejudices head-on.

'Black and Proud takes us behind the searing image to the stories of those who made it happen – the Indigenous team-mates Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam and the two photographers, Wayne Ludbey and John Feder. Bound by a love of the game, the four were brought together by acts of courage and vilification that show how far we have come and just how far we have to go.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Passion Play : Love, Hope, and Heartbreak at the Footy Matthew Klugman , Melbourne : Hunter Publishers , 2009 6442452 2009 single work prose

'There’s something about Australian Rules football that drives people towards madness.'

'Something that produces great pain and joy and an insatiable hunger for more.'

'Passion Play journeys into the world of footy mania and the love and suffering at its heart. Drawing on the experiences of a diverse set of fans who’ve told their stories in interviews, books, articles, and on footy websites and blogs it follows the annual quest for the premiership in all its horror and glory.'

'Matthew Klugman brings footy’s seasonal rhythm of love, hope, and heartbreak to life. The hope and nerves of the pre-season, the stress of matches, the sweetness of victory and the dull ache of defeat.Then come the finals with their agonising tension and tragic losses. The ecstasy of the premiership promises to make all the pain and suffering worthwhile but there can be a danger, too, in getting your heart’s desire.'

'Tales of ordinary football madness sit alongside insights from the worlds of religion and psychology. Love and hate, hope and anxiety, ecstasy and agony and those moments of unbearable tension where it seems, for an instant, that nothing else matters.' (Source: Publishers website)

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