The Art of Resistance in Selected Australian Aboriginal Plays

Abstract

The Art of Resistance in Selected Australian Aboriginal Plays Although the Australian Aborigines have lived in Australia for 70,000 years, the image imposed on them by the white settlers and their historical records condemns them to endless savagery. Despite being central to the discourse of post colonialism, the concept of resistance has received limited theatrical examinations in Australian Aboriginal drama. This study brings into focus the efforts made by two Australian Aboriginal dramatists: Jack Davis and Jane Harrison in dramatizing the Aboriginal experience and resistance. The scope of the research is limited to six plays: Jack Davis’ No Sugar (1986), The Dreamers (1983), Honey Spot (1985), Moorli and the Leprechaun (1994) as well as Jane Harrison’s Stolen (1998) and Rainbow’s End (2005). The method of approach adopted in this thesis comprises postcolonial literary criticism, environmental criticism and Jung’s analytical psychology. This thesis is divided into an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The introduction introduces the two dramatists, the research questions, the literature review and the methodological framework. Chapter one examines the concept of resistance in relation to the Aboriginal culture. Chapter two explores the nature of verbal and nonverbal violence as a counter hegemonic attack in the plays under examination, with particular focus on the dilemma of the stolen generation. Chapter three tackles the possibility of reconciliation and brings into focus a futuristic vision, where racism could be transcended. The conclusion sums up the findings of this research and recommends further researches.