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'During the 1980s Aboriginal Australians experienced setbacks in their quest for the restoration of their land rights. Neoliberal politics reframed such demands as special interests seeking to gain a material advantage at the expense of the general community and as a threat to the economic security of the nation. As a consequence, politicians failed to pass legislation that would formalize the national land rights system that would guarantee Aboriginal economic self-sufficiency. This paper argues that it was in this context that Aboriginal memoir emerged to prompt social action by recounting experiences of discrimination and exploitation erased by official history and by challenging the imposed racist stereotypes used to marginalize Aboriginal claims. These memoirs prompted sympathy and understanding among a broad readership, which enabled the formation of a political solidarity over the recognition of Aboriginal land rights. These memoirs also expressed a commonality of Aboriginal experience that served to unite an increasingly frayed Aboriginal activist movement eroded by neoliberal policies.' (Publication abstract)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
- Somebody Now : The Autobiography of Ellie Gaffney, a Woman of Torres Strait 1989 single work autobiography
- Dhuuluu-Yala : To Talk Straight : Publishing Indigenous Literature 2003 multi chapter work criticism
- Born a Half-Caste 1985 single work autobiography
- Don't Take Your Love to Town 1988 single work autobiography
- My Place 1987 single work autobiography
- Wandering Girl 1987 single work autobiography
- Me and You: The Life Story of Della Walker As Told to Tina Coutts 1989 single work biography autobiography
- Through My Eyes 1978 single work life story