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Edward Said's Theory Of Representation Of Orientation

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Representation plays a pivotal role in comprehending and interpreting the complex world around us. According to Stuart Hall, “representation is an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture (Hall The Work of Representation 1997). How adequately one represents one’s own self or the world around them is a matter of prime concern for everyone ranging from critics to common man. However, no representation is neutral and it involves issues of power and control. Much postcolonial scholarships revolve around this issues of power and politics of representation with the deployment of what Foucault has popularly termed as “discourse”. Employing the Foucaultian discursive approach, Edward Said’s …show more content…

He reiterates that the Orient is made visible through various western techniques of representation. These representations “rely upon institutions, traditions, conventions, agreed-upon codes of understanding for their effects, not upon a distant and amorphous Orient” (Orientalism 22). Therefore, the Orient has hardly any role in the process of representation, and it becomes a displaced and excluded object. Said’s theory of representation is widely applicable in any kind of discourse that seeks to analyze the Postcolonial condition. In this regard, the politics of representing Aboriginality has gained considerable significance in the current academic debates and discussions. Representations of the ‘native’ other have circulated in the white Anglo discourse beginning from the journals of the Captain Cook in Australia. As Mudrooroo …show more content…

Until recently, the western trained archaeologist and anthropologist constructed the identities and histories of the Aboriginal people. The western hegemony which still existed in the anthropological and archeological practice effectively silenced the indigenous voices. The identity of the Indigenous Australians does not rest in an imagined Australian Aborigine, but in the multiplicity of names and identities. However, Anthropology is instrumental in constructing the one Aboriginal identity through the operation of language. Therefore, the Aboriginal people, who became one in order to redefine their cultural identity, seek to re-appropriate their past from the colonialist anthropological and historical narratives. In order to see why it is indispensable for the Aboriginal people to reinvent their past, it is important to find out how the Aboriginal people were actually represented in the Anglo-white narratives. In order to view the white Australian’s perception of the Aborigines from the period of contact till the present times it is necessary to examine some of the literary representations from the vast body of White representations. In 1843, Father Raymond Vaccari, a passionist missionary noted in his memoir, “Among the evil dispositions of the Aborigines, I may mention an

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In her book Nanberry, Jackie French portrays colonial life as a very confusing and perplexing time for both the Indigenous Australians and the White British Settlers, albeit in different ways. With the Indigenous Australians confused by the sudden invasion of the white settler (ghosts), and the British Settlers becoming confused by the new sights, smells and culture of ‘Sydney Cove’. Through the characters of Nanberry, Surgeon White and Bennelong, the viewer is shown just how confusing their life was at the time of the first settlement in Australia. Nanberry is one of the main characters in French’s book, and is a prime way through which she portrays colonial life as perplexing and confusing. Nanberry was born into, and partially raised by an Indigenous Australian family, however he was adopted by Surgeon White at the tender age of eight or nine.

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Nanberry by Jackie French outlines the attitudes and perceptions between the two diverse cultures of the indigenous Aborigines and the British during early contact in a manner of historical context. French portrays the initial impressions of the British from the perspective of a young Aboriginal boy; describing the incoming British as mysterious, unknown are creatures. The historical fiction gives insight that the early interactions between the two diverse cultures were approached with caution and curiosity, however no hostility. Nanberry provides insight on early interactions in an emotional and psychological level, of which promotes ideas of the different cultures attitudes and perceptions of each other. Written Primary Source: Vocabulary

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People like Hilda assume that Helmut is “accepted into [Indigenous] religion” (50), however most Indigenous people think that he is “a phony” (53). Lucy withholds this information from Hilda to not kill her curiosity. Even when they are supposed to be represented, their image is the face of their coloniser dressed up in their

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Lastly, it is necessary to look at aboriginals as people, and not a foreign

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THE MONTHLY Nowra’s leap “Into that Forest”: Representing Indigenous Perspectives in Australian Literature Do non-Indigenous authours have the authority to write from Indigenous perspectives? Joshua D’Souza evaluates Nowra’s empowering tale ‘Into that Forest’ and his courageous leap into the world of realism. What is it like to witness your culture, your heritage, your native identity misrepresented for Australia to see? Ask Aboriginal Australians, and they will tell you a thing, or two about being ignored.

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Challenging both cultural and economic forces, Aboriginal art as expressed though Bell’s “It’s a White Thing”, has become an art form governed by the jurisdiction of the Western anthropologists and art

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You tell me, and I won’t put it down on the form, No-one will know but you and me”. It’s obvious that the author, Thomas King, is trying to make awareness about the treatment of Aboriginals are facing in

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In this paper, I examine the influence of Captain James Cook 's conquest of the Southern coastal indigenous aboriginal clans, and his influence on the Western perception. I discuss Western biases noting our cultural biases of the European explorers, their descriptions of indigenous Aboriginals, and comparing these to the written and archaeological records. I look at comparative literature, the Australian government and Aboriginal heritage resources, and the archaeological record along with scholarly articles to determine the likely reaction of the coastal aboriginals to the European settlers. I also examine how the European records of contact may have affected biases against the Southern coastal Aboriginals. It is my assertion that a negative,

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This state of being part aboriginals has driven their identity in crisis. Indeed they have possessed a unique Aboriginal consciousness that have made them to reclaim their lost voice. Their literature has been used as a platform

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Title: Part A Reflective Journals Student Name: Hannah Warren Student ID Number: 17759577 Email Address: Hannah.warren@student.curtin.edu.au School/Department: Unit: Indigenous Cultures and Health INDH1000 Tutor Name: Due Date: Monday 30th March, 2015 by 11.55pm Declaration: I declare that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another unit, degree or diploma at any university or other institute of tertiary education.

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Indigenous Australian youth still face numerous difficulties growing up in a modern Australian society, even though they are living in a time of ‘equality’ for all religions, races and genders. This paper examines the main cultural influences for indigenous youth, and challenges they face growing up. In particular, it will explore the ways in which Indigenous youth today continue to be affected, connected and interdependent to both a dominant white culture and indigenous culture. It also includes the reasons why the indigenous youth of Australia continue to be marginalized, oppressed and stereotyped while growing up in a society that claims to be an egalitarian democratic country. Examples of Indigenous youth from the film ‘Yolngu Boy’ are used to explore this topic.

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The descriptive language, “cheap, exotic food” even tries to ridicule the cultural food which migrants were expected to prepare for the Australians. “Cheap, exotic food” is a connotation for unsatisfactory food. “Feed the mainstream”, hints that regardless of a migrant’s new identity, they were still considered as different from the majority. The quote, “We’ve given you opportunity for family reunion, equality, and status, though your colour could be wrong” uses racial imagery to create a picture in the audience’s mind of the “incorrect” coloured Australians. This statement maintains the concept of migrants never being able to be fully considered Australian.

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The poem My Mother The Land by Phill Moncrieff poetically describes the struggles the aboriginal people faced at the hands of the European people and colonisation throughout history. The fact that the author based the poem on accurate historical events adds to the authenticity of representations and engages the reader in an emotional journey with the struggles the aboriginal people faced with the somewhat loss of their country, culture, identity, people and place. The author uses a variety of language features and text structures to create this view point, for instance the author uses several language features and text structures throughout verse one to demonstrate the loss of culture and people. The poet uses effective language features throughout the poem to describe the loss that the narrator feels in their country, culture, identity, people

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In “The Foreign Travels of Sir John Mandeville,” John Mandeville provides an account of his travels by creating an imaginative geography of the people and places he visits. Through this imaginative geography the idea of the Western “self” is explored by highlighting the differences between “self,” and the “other” – the peoples of civilizations Mandeville visits. It is in this way that the Western identity is formed – it is not concerned with what Western civilization is but more, what it is not. This dichotomy between self and other is explored in Mandeville’s writing in several capacities, specifically: the civilized human and the savage animals, the pious Christians and the uncivilized pagans, and the good and the evil.

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