Issue Details: First known date: 2012... 2012 Rectifying 'the Great Australian Silence'? Creative Representations of Australian Indigenous Second World War Service
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Until the publication of Robert Hall's landmark book The Black Diggers in 1989, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were essentially 'written out' of Australia's Second World War history. Still, more than 20 years since the publication of Hall's book, Australian Indigenous participation in the war effort as servicemen and women, labourers and scouts, in wartime industries and in various other capacities, continues to be on the periphery of Australia's war history. The Second World War remains part of what WEH Stanner referred to in 1969 as 'the Great Australian Silence' of Indigenous history. Notwithstanding the lack of significant academic histories of Indigenous military history, there have been a few creative depictions of Aboriginal participation in the Second World War. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have used creative mediums, such as poetry, short fiction, film, musical theatre and music, to portray Aboriginal Second World War service. This paper examines these creative cultural representations and how they position Australian Indigenous war service within a wider narrative of the Second World War and Indigenous history. Though the portrayals of Aboriginal service vary, the majority of creative works present the Second World War as central to Australian Indigenous history. Moreover, the creative representations depict Indigenous servicemen's hopes for a better life after the war, only to be crushed when they returned to ongoing discrimination. Even so, the creative depictions use the Second World War as an early marker of reconciliation in Australia, portraying the conflict as a time when ideals of liberty and equality overruled prejudice to unite Australia. Such a message continues to resonate, as creative representations of the Second World War contribute to contemporary understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizenship and reconciliation.' (Publication abstract)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Australian Aboriginal Studies no. 1 2012 Z1868652 2012 periodical issue

    'Welcome to the first volume of Australian Aboriginal Studies for 2012. The new editorial team is Dr Jakelin Troy, Editor, and Sally McNicol, Assistant Editor, with Dr Lawrence Bamblett continuing as Book Review Editor. We are very pleased to bring you a broad range of papers in this non-thematic edition, including discussions on aspects of education, language, history, anthropology, employment and poverty. This diverse range reflects the breadth of research that is relevant to Indigenous Australians today. Our next edition is planned as a themed special volume focusing on Indigenous scholarship in the Australian tertiary sector.'   (Editorial introduction)

    2012
    pg. 35-48
Last amended 5 Oct 2017 06:18:30
35-48 Rectifying 'the Great Australian Silence'? Creative Representations of Australian Indigenous Second World War Servicesmall AustLit logo Australian Aboriginal Studies
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