Introduction This essay discusses Henri Bergson’s concept of duration and Emile Durkheim’s concept of the dualism of human nature, using Invasion/Australia Day as a case study. I will demonstrate how these concepts articulate the complexity of identity formation and social integration within society. I will consider the perspectives of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia to provide a nuanced examination of the self within the context of Invasion/Australia Day. Henri Bergson’s Duration Bergson’s (1983) concept of duration suggests that selfhood is deeply tied to the continuity of time, or really, our sense of self is because of time. Bergson suggests that the self is not static but constantly evolving, due to our past experiences and the possibilities of …show more content…
Highlighting the conflict between the self and society, Durkheim asserts that morality requires sacrifice (2005: 37). We must inhibit certain egoistic desires to remain true to collective morals – to fit into society. This dualism shapes our formation of self, as we negotiate individual desires and identities within the context of collectively made morals and values. Through this concept, we can gain insight into the complexity of identity formation within the context of societal structures and cultural expectations. January 26 – Invasion Day, Australia Day, Survival Day. January 26th is a day of highly contested meaning in Australia. It is the day that the British first fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour and hoisted the union jack, declaring the land a British colony. That is the event that took place, and there is no contest or conflict around it. The conflict and continual debate surrounding the date, lies within the meaning made from the event and subsequent events, specifically in relation to collective memory and
The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
The Sapphires is a film based on the McCrae sisters, four Australian Aboriginal singers, and their journey to Vietnam to entertain American troops in 1968. In this paper we will use the film The Sapphires to critically discuss the work of Stuart Hall (1997), Aileen Moreton-Robinson (2015), and Judith Butler (2013) and see how these scholars might analyze its relationship to social identities and difference. In the ‘Spectacle of the Other,’ Hall presents the idea of the ‘other’ and the fear and anxiety it creates. While in ‘I Still Call Australia Home: Indigenous Belonging and Place in a White Post Colonizing Society,’ Moreton-Robinson argues that Anglo colonization continues suppress Aboriginals and dominate Australian institutions. In ‘For
Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian identity, exploring the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson associates
There is a reference to our multiculturalism in the lines ‘All cultures together as one. Yet, individual until the game is won’. These lines acknowledge the fact that even though Australia is an increasingly Multicultural society, all Australians, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, share the same values, principles and national identity.
stage for the development of Australian cultural identity and the values, attitudes and beliefs of
Paul Keating’s “The Redfern Address” is a text that allows responders to explore and understand the possibilities of belonging. The text is specifically aimed at helping non-indigenous Australians explore and understand the possibility of not belonging. This is communicated through the constant use of personal pronouns, e.g. ‘us’ or ‘we’, to direct the entire text at non-indigenous Australians like Keating.
The contributions and achievements of Indigenous role models continue to make substantial impacts upon our history in areas such as the arts, sport, education, science and more increasingly; the world of Politics. Modern Australia is recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people more than ever before, where the social landscape is changing (albeit slowly) as a result. The gradual change of peoples ingrained preconceptions, unfounded ideas and prejudiced notions are being challenged and ultimately transformed.
It is well known that Captain Arthur Philips landed in Australia on 26th of January and took over the land and is referred to as “invasion Day”. Yet little do people know, Captain Arthur Phillip didn’t land in Australia on 26 January. He first landed in Australia between the 18th and 20th of January 1788 in Botany Bay, however where he landed he couldn’t find fresh water so he then sailed into Sydney Cove on the 26th where he found a Tank Stream…..problem solved. Australia day today celebrates our diverse society, our remarkable achievements, our future as a nation and how we can make Australia a better
The Australian Government has made many changes over the years to promote the memory of ANZAC Day. In regards to education, ¬¬¬programs included in schools were put in place whilst society’s view of ANZAC Day has also changed due to an emphasis in the community and wider media . Around 420,
However, what the Turnball supporters fail to recognise is that the days motives cannot be effectively celebrated by our first inhabitants on a date that coincides with pure heart ache. Hence, we need a day that still embodies these motives, however falls on a date that is also connected to this sense of unity we all desire. The first suggestion is a date that has recently appeared in the news, wattle day. The golden wattle is a symbol that has welcomed all of us over its 30 million year history, and also carries the colours that we have effectively branded as our own…the green and gold. Hence, wattle day can effectively celebrate our land, our people and of course our nation, therefore solving the conflict and sadness that surrounds our current date. Another alternative could be federation day, the day that our 6 British self-governing colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Maybe even the day that the White Australia Policy was created….a day that abolished all forms of racism in our country and also embraced diversity. Finally, the day that the Australia Act was formed, a day that terminated the British control of Australian legislature. It is true, as some argue, alternative dates will have their faults and draw criticism, however that is no reason not to consider new dates. Whatever criticism there is of the alternatives they will not attract the criticism of being based on race. The difference between these days and our current date is not in the values they celebrate, but rather the context of the values. The 26th of January is a date that coincides with the beginning of Aboriginal mistreatment, an embarrassing day for us as a nation. These supposed dates all celebrate events that have a positive connotation with our country and all of our
Australia is a relatively young country; only becoming a unified nation in 1901 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2012). A young country is no different from a young person; identity is an issue. Questions of who am I and where do I fit in the world are asked, and unfortunately not often answered until a tragedy occurs. National identity is a sense of a nation and its people as a connected whole. This feeling of cohesiveness can be shaped by many events in a nation’s history but none more so than war. War is a stressful, traumatic affair that changes forever, not only the people that go to it but the nation as a whole. Many consider the Great War Australia’s tragedy where we became a nation (Bollard, 2013) with our own modern identity.
Mid 1930s all ritual were part of Anzac culture-dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, and two-up games
Reynolds, H. (2005). Nowhere People: How international race thinking shaped Australia’s identity. Australia: Penguin Group
Thus, this creates connotations to patriotism and pride towards the country the reader lives in. Coupled with the large image of Australia filled with smaller images of people of all ages, and race, sporting the Australian flag, influences the reader to enter the article with a positive attitude towards Australia Day, as it seems to put this day in high esteem, which consequently convinces the audience, before even commencing to read, that the day is about ‘unity’ and not division. The smaller images of a non-traditional and traditional stereotypical Australian prove that race play no part in this celebratory day, creating the sense of Australia being an accepting
A Comparison Between the Film Gladiator and the Poster The poster for the film gladiator is a form of still media. They have done this poster to draw people’s interest to watching the film. I believe that they have used some very effective techniques which in my opinion work very well together. The words in the caption ‘a hero will rise’ are all affirmative. I think the word ‘hero’ is very effective because when I read the word ‘hero’ I visualise a person who is admired for doing something very brave or great in the film.