y separately published work icon Aboriginal Writing Today : Papers from the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers anthology   criticism  
Issue Details: First known date: 1985... 1985 Aboriginal Writing Today : Papers from the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'In February 1983 a significant event took place at Murdoch University - the first Aboriginal Writers' Conference. And, as the editors point out, no mere collection of papers can do justice to that historic gathering,. Nevertheless, anyone interested in Aboriginal writing - from its proud beginnings as an oral tradition through its exciting contemporary voice to the strong promise of its future - will want to read Aboriginal Writing Today.'

'Faith Bandler gives a fascinating account of how she researched her novels. Catherine Berndt offers a sensitive analysis of oral literature and, as an added bonus, introduces three story tellers...Gerry Bostock describes the early days of black theatre and points out how Aboriginal drama fits into a long tradition of protest literature stretching back to classical Greek dramatists. Jack Davis provides a valuable overview of Aboriginal writing... and Kevin Gilbert discusses the policies Aboriginal writers have adopted and offers some provocative suggestions for future policies.'

'Colin Johnson talks about the problems of trying to handle Aboriginal themes within white forms, whilst Cliff Watego continues the discussion with a penetrating analysis of Kath Walker's poetry. Finally, Bruce McGuinness and Denis Walker combine two formidable talents to talk about the politics of Aboriginal literature.'

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Notes

  • Papers presented at the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers held at Murdoch University in Perth, WA in February 1983.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,:Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies , 1985 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Opening Address, Ronald M. Berndt , single work criticism (p. 7-9)
Aboriginal Writing : A Personal View, Jack Davis , single work criticism

'...the Aboriginal people, have been recording our history for thousands of years. Our medium has been stone, hair wood, the walls of caves; and the flat surface of rock has been the canvas of our ancestors. Hiar string manipulated by fingers can tell a myraid of stories and the land was our drawing board.' (Source: Jack Davies 1983)

 (p. 11-19)
White Forms, Aboriginal Content, Colin Johnson , single work criticism (p. 21-33)
Black Policies, Kevin Gilbert , single work criticism (p. 35-41)
The Politics of Aboriginal Literature, Bruce McGuinness , Bejam Kunmunara Jarlow Nunukel Kabool , single work criticism (p. 43-54)
The Role of Research, Faith Bandler , single work criticism (p. 55-62)
Black Theatre, Gerry Bostock , single work criticism (p. 63-73)
Aboriginal Poetry and White Criticism, Clifford Watego , single work criticism (p. 75-90)
Traditional Aboriginal Oral Literature, Catherine H. Berndt , single work criticism (p. 91-103)
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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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Works about this Work

Mudrooroo : ‘Waiting to be Surprised’ Adam Shoemaker , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
Anti-Nativism in Australian Indigenous Literature Teresa Podemska-Abt , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Kultura Historia Globalizacja , no. 7 2010; (p. 53-64) 'What in today's literary discourse are the reality and the world created by the words: nativism, nativity, the native, native? Why do we still speak and communicate with them and use them in different contexts, even though we know that these words often carry a negative emotional meaning load, taking us to spaces, times, and experiences of colonial suffering, despite their basis in academic arguments. In Australia such issues have been addressed by many Indigenous writers, amongst them — M. Langton, A. Moreton- Robinson, Mudrooroo, C. Watego, T. Birch, F. Bayet — Charlton, to name just a few.' (Author's introduction)
Australian Aboriginal Identity : Being And/or Becoming Iva Polak , 2009 single work
— Appears in: Studia Romanica Et Anglica Zagrabiensia , May vol. 53 no. 2009; (p. 153-169) 'The paper focuses on the shifting signifier of Aboriginality as discussed by Aboriginal public intellectuals and writers from the publication of Aboriginal Writing Today in 1985 to the most recent anthology of essayist writing by Aboriginal Australians, Blacklines in 2003. The discussion shows initially simple bifurcation of Aboriginal identity on “black” constructed in opposition to “white” and a whole plethora of different and sometimes opposing views on defining contemporary Aboriginal identity from the 1990s onwards.'
Autobiographical Storytelling by Australian Aboriginal Women Kateryna Olijnyk Longley , 1992 single work criticism
— Appears in: Decolonizing the Subject : The Politics of Gender in Women's Autobiography 1992; (p. 370-384) 'It is only very recently that the written autobiographies of Aboriginal people have begun to be published in Australia. So extreme has been the degradation and virtual erasure of Aboriginal culture that it is impossible for white readers to imagine the scale of obstacles that have to be negotiated and compromises that have to be made in order for Aboriginal people to offer their personal stories to a white reading public, and to do so in genres and modes that are not only foreign to Aboriginal culture but have been brutally efficient agents of its destruction for two hundred years. Much Aboriginal history is difficult to relate because it is literally unspeakable. For white readers there are also difficulties that go well beyond the challenges of cross-cultural comprehension. Even the most sympathetic white observers and promoters of Aboriginal culture face the now familiar risk of consolidating the old patterns of domination each time they attempt to act as interpreters of Aboriginal production. It can be argued, however, that there is a much more serious risk of perpetuating the negation of Aboriginal culture by ignoring the new work and remaining silent, and it is from this position that this essay is written. Further, Aboriginal autobiography offers much more than a window for viewing authentic "first-hand" presentations of black experience; it also contributes to a more understanding of the genres by which cultures tell their personal and communal stories and so define themselves. In other words, the window enables vision and reflection both ways, upon fundamentally different worlds and their representations.' (Author's introduction, 370-371)
Paperbark : A Collection of Black Australian Writings : Introduction 1990 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Paperbark : A Collection of Black Australian Writings 1990; (p. 1-6)
Black Writing : A Timely Critical Discussion Tony Scanlon , 1985 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December-January (1985-1986) no. 77 1985; (p. 40-41)
— Review of Aboriginal Writing Today : Papers from the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers 1985 anthology criticism
Bookwatch 1985 single work review
— Appears in: The National Times , 20-26 September 1985; (p. 32)
— Review of Aboriginal Writing Today : Papers from the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers 1985 anthology criticism
From Legend to Literature Diana Giese , 1986 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 12 April 1986; (p. B4)
— Review of Aboriginal Writing Today : Papers from the First National Conference of Aboriginal Writers 1985 anthology criticism
Mudrooroo : ‘Waiting to be Surprised’ Adam Shoemaker , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
Anti-Nativism in Australian Indigenous Literature Teresa Podemska-Abt , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Kultura Historia Globalizacja , no. 7 2010; (p. 53-64) 'What in today's literary discourse are the reality and the world created by the words: nativism, nativity, the native, native? Why do we still speak and communicate with them and use them in different contexts, even though we know that these words often carry a negative emotional meaning load, taking us to spaces, times, and experiences of colonial suffering, despite their basis in academic arguments. In Australia such issues have been addressed by many Indigenous writers, amongst them — M. Langton, A. Moreton- Robinson, Mudrooroo, C. Watego, T. Birch, F. Bayet — Charlton, to name just a few.' (Author's introduction)
Autobiographical Storytelling by Australian Aboriginal Women Kateryna Olijnyk Longley , 1992 single work criticism
— Appears in: Decolonizing the Subject : The Politics of Gender in Women's Autobiography 1992; (p. 370-384) 'It is only very recently that the written autobiographies of Aboriginal people have begun to be published in Australia. So extreme has been the degradation and virtual erasure of Aboriginal culture that it is impossible for white readers to imagine the scale of obstacles that have to be negotiated and compromises that have to be made in order for Aboriginal people to offer their personal stories to a white reading public, and to do so in genres and modes that are not only foreign to Aboriginal culture but have been brutally efficient agents of its destruction for two hundred years. Much Aboriginal history is difficult to relate because it is literally unspeakable. For white readers there are also difficulties that go well beyond the challenges of cross-cultural comprehension. Even the most sympathetic white observers and promoters of Aboriginal culture face the now familiar risk of consolidating the old patterns of domination each time they attempt to act as interpreters of Aboriginal production. It can be argued, however, that there is a much more serious risk of perpetuating the negation of Aboriginal culture by ignoring the new work and remaining silent, and it is from this position that this essay is written. Further, Aboriginal autobiography offers much more than a window for viewing authentic "first-hand" presentations of black experience; it also contributes to a more understanding of the genres by which cultures tell their personal and communal stories and so define themselves. In other words, the window enables vision and reflection both ways, upon fundamentally different worlds and their representations.' (Author's introduction, 370-371)
Paperbark : A Collection of Black Australian Writings : Introduction 1990 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Paperbark : A Collection of Black Australian Writings 1990; (p. 1-6)
Bookwatch 1985 single work criticism
— Appears in: The National Times , 20-26 September 1985; (p. 32)
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Last amended 26 Nov 2014 17:00:37
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