Hi Alison
>I don't know how, if you desire to look at these things, you can avoid
dealing with the idea of nationalism. How else can it be destabilised,
redefined, shown for the myth it is?
I didn't say it should be destabilised. And a myth is NOT a falsity that should be
exposed. Nor is nationalism. There is a lot of good in it (and a lot of evil) if it
does become a dominant discourse. The thing is, it hasn't yet. And that's why I find
it a fairly 'wishfull' and questionable idea to assume that it has such a dominant
place in the context of Australian poetry.
I wasn't in Australia (or born for that)during Whitlam's 'nationalist' government.
But what I did witness first hand was the fierce religious patriotism of Iranians
during the Islamic revolution and the war with Iraq. You will witness the same
hysteria in other 'nations' in times of political chaos; Australians have, for
better or worse, relaxed and relied on an imperialist power - UK or US - in times of
invasion (only once) or in times of political 'revolution' (1975- queen's governor
general called the game). I'll be blunt; in cultures of strong nationalism there is
a PRIMORDIAL resistance against all things foreign, and I'm not saying what's either
right or wrong; I'll leave ethics up to John and Daniel. The fact is we love paying
for American culture, playing sports with Britain, and writing poetry that's often
an obvious mixture of the two English-speaking poetics (for the more 'enlightened'
you can a dash of French). And I'll be the first to plead guilty.
What I'm saying is that 'Australia the Nation' is yet to come, and you'll know its
coming when our media doesn't have a national mourning day over the fact that an
American (cultural imperialist) actor has devorced an Australian one. In the context
of poetry, well, the most vibrant thing in our poetry has been its almost post-
modern ability to allow the underprivilaged (non-English-speaking, non-male, non-
white, non-heterosexual, non-upper class, etc) to function and produce work. And
make no mistakes about it, that's NOT a minor or passable achievment by anyone's
stadards.
And this relatively 'free' condition, I think, is the most important aspect of our
poetry instead of some pastoral poet's notalgic portrait of a settlers' history
throught the course of a draught and the inevitable romantic conflict over a horse
which leads to a pseudo-religious discovery in the outback and...(blah blah, I'm
yawning).
I'm not gonna list my favourite oz poets, but most of them fit the chategories of
the underprivilaged not because I'm so damn noble (I eat meat) but because I'm one
of'em; corny as it might sound, I understand'em. That shapes my perspective of the
Australian Poetry. So I avoid nationalism. for those in need of a nation I suggest a
war, or at least some form of mass genocide. just saying we have a nation won't do.
we'll have to earn it first. if we want it that bad.
Ali A
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