Indigenous Biography and Autobiography
Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University
9-12 July 2007
Venue: National
Museum of Australia, Canberra
Sponsored by:
Humanities Research Centre, ANU
National Centre for Indigenous Studies, ANU
Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Western Australia
Australian Centre for Indigenous History, ANU
Centre for Public Culture and Ideas, Griffith University
Conveners:
Ms Frances Peters-Little. E: frances.peters@anu.edu.au
Professor Peter Read. E: peter.read@anu.edu.auProfessor
Anna Haebich. E: a.haebich@griffith.edu.au
Presentations:
The Conference topics especially from biographers of Indigenous people,
and from Indigenous autobiographers will portray Indigenous lives in
the artistic, visual and performing arts.
Conference themes
1.
Mixed Identities
Autobiography:
How do you position oneself
The role of family genealogies
Multiple identities
Biography:
Writing about an identity
Negotiating the subject’s self-definition |
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2. Controversial
lives?
Autobiography:
Upsetting the stereotype
Biography:
Tensions: interpreting a life in the light of changing values
Upsetting conventional wisdom
What are the useful models? |
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3. Who
Owns the Story?
Autobiography:
Who are my audiences?
Working with or revealing other people’s secrets
Values and knowledges
How honest do I want to be/can I be?
Biography:
Conflict with the living subject
Other people’s secrets
Conflicting values and knowledges
Who are my audiences? |
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4. Art and Politics
How have Indigenous autobiographies and biographies changed in the
past half-century?
Self-perception
Political contexts
Changing audience
Public interest - has it remained/will it remain the same? |
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5. Alternative Narratives
Ficto-biography
Ficto-autobiography
The chronological narrative
Multiple voices
New media |
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6. Elusive Relationships
Autobiography:
Maintaining good relations with intimate friends and family: before,
during and after publication
Biography:
What is the desirable relationship between biographer and subject
before, during and after publication?
Negotiating issues of private knowledge |
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7. Performance Sessions
Issues in autobiographical or biographical presentations
Poetry
Music and song
Theatre
Dance |
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8. Who is my Audience?
The author
The family
The Indigenous community
Reviews: in what contexts do we want our work placed?
Australian Indigenous
World Indigenous
Feminist
National literature
Biography or autobiography? |
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HRC Enquiries:
Leena Messina, Programs Manager, Humanities Research Centre, ANU.
Email: Leena.Messina@anu.edu.au
