AustLit
Latest Issues
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
'New Age Trippers': Aboriginality and Australian New Age Travel Books
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Travel Writing , vol. 13 no. 1 2009; (p. 27-43) In the last two decades of the twentieth century Australia became an attractive travel destination for alienated middle-class Westerners in search of a spiritual utopia. In such texts Aboriginality is represented as a source of spiritual transcendence and as a remedy for the evils of modern consumerism and industrialisation. This article examines a number of books by white New Age spiritual travellers-James Cowan's Two Men Dreaming (1995), Marlo Morgan's Mutant Message Down Under (1994), and Harvey Arden's Dreamkeepers (1995) - that claim to (re)discover a lost, universal, sacred heritage within Aboriginal cosmologies. The discourses employed by recent Australian New Age travel texts are prima facie examples of postcolonial forms of cultural appropriation. Yet the involvement of indigenous agents in the production, promotion, and critique of such texts complicates the argument that these texts are simply new forms of cultural colonisation (Author's abstract). -
James Cowan and the White Quest for Black Self
2001
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 2001; (p. 1-20)'A literary genre is emerging in which Aborigines are cast as the spiritual saviours of the supposedly alienated Western self. One of the most prolific authors writing in this field is the Australian, James Cowan. Through a series of books Cowan moves further and further into the Aboriginal metaphysical realm until at last, he would have his readers believe, he actually enters the Dreaming and becomes an intrinsic part of it. In this article I critically examine these books, focusing on Cowan's construction of Aborigines and the sorts of claims he makes. I also consider some possible consequences of his particular portrayal of Aborigines. Despite his prominence in this field, and publishers' claims that he is 'an internationally respected authority on Australian Aborigines and other indigenous peoples', his work so far has received little critical analysis.' (Publication Abstract)
-
In Touch with Dreaming - in Touch with Life
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser Magazine , 21 October 1995; (p. 10)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography -
Romancing the Centre
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 174 1995; (p. 29-31)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography -
From the Wrong Perspective
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 2 September 1995; (p. 10A)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography
-
From the Wrong Perspective
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 2 September 1995; (p. 10A)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography -
Romancing the Centre
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 174 1995; (p. 29-31)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography -
In Touch with Dreaming - in Touch with Life
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser Magazine , 21 October 1995; (p. 10)
— Review of Two Men Dreaming : A Memoir, A Journey 1995 single work prose biography -
'New Age Trippers': Aboriginality and Australian New Age Travel Books
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Travel Writing , vol. 13 no. 1 2009; (p. 27-43) In the last two decades of the twentieth century Australia became an attractive travel destination for alienated middle-class Westerners in search of a spiritual utopia. In such texts Aboriginality is represented as a source of spiritual transcendence and as a remedy for the evils of modern consumerism and industrialisation. This article examines a number of books by white New Age spiritual travellers-James Cowan's Two Men Dreaming (1995), Marlo Morgan's Mutant Message Down Under (1994), and Harvey Arden's Dreamkeepers (1995) - that claim to (re)discover a lost, universal, sacred heritage within Aboriginal cosmologies. The discourses employed by recent Australian New Age travel texts are prima facie examples of postcolonial forms of cultural appropriation. Yet the involvement of indigenous agents in the production, promotion, and critique of such texts complicates the argument that these texts are simply new forms of cultural colonisation (Author's abstract). -
James Cowan and the White Quest for Black Self
2001
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 2001; (p. 1-20)'A literary genre is emerging in which Aborigines are cast as the spiritual saviours of the supposedly alienated Western self. One of the most prolific authors writing in this field is the Australian, James Cowan. Through a series of books Cowan moves further and further into the Aboriginal metaphysical realm until at last, he would have his readers believe, he actually enters the Dreaming and becomes an intrinsic part of it. In this article I critically examine these books, focusing on Cowan's construction of Aborigines and the sorts of claims he makes. I also consider some possible consequences of his particular portrayal of Aborigines. Despite his prominence in this field, and publishers' claims that he is 'an internationally respected authority on Australian Aborigines and other indigenous peoples', his work so far has received little critical analysis.' (Publication Abstract)
- Tanami Desert, Central Northern Territory, Northern Territory,
