Hybrid Space. "A Little Bird Told Me: Family Secrets, Necessary Lies" and "Savage Imaginings: Historical and Contemporary Constructions of Australian Aborigines", by Lynette Russell. [review]
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Date
2002-06
Authors
Guest, Kate
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Publisher
Australian Book Review
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Abstract
From both Lynette Russell’s memoir and her scholarly study we can draw the same sad conclusion: the gulf of understanding between indigenous and non-indigenous society has led to a damaging, though not deadly, fracture of the Aboriginal community and culture. This conclusion is hardly revelatory but, in partnership, these books do shed light on the subtler effects of systemically racist public policy on private worlds. "Savage Imaginings" explores the discourses that have shaped public perceptions of ‘the Aborigine’, while "A Little Bird Told Me" journeys into a concealed family history to uncover the cross-generational secrets and hurt that stemmed from such perceptions.
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Keywords
Book review, Aboriginal Australians -- History
Citation
Guest, Kate 2002. Hybrid Space. Review of "A Little Bird Told Me: Family Secrets, Necessary Lies" and "Savage Imaginings: Historical and Contemporary Constructions of Australian Aborigines" by Lynette Russell. 'Australian Book Review', No 242, June/July, 56-57.