An Indian Journey through Lent, Day 27
Today’s been interesting, so I’ll take a break from carbon fasting. A month ago I met Dr Meenakshi Paul, Professor of English Literature at the Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla. “Meenu” informed me that the University has a Centre for Australian and New Zealand Studies which was arranging a Seminar today, and she arranged for Lena and me to be invited. The Seminar was about the development of biographical and autobiographical writing over the past quarter of a century from being the province of “heroes” - history’s winners, if you like - to being an instrument whereby those on the underside of history can tell their stories. It focussed on personal stories of oppressed peoples in both India and Australia.
Australia was represented by Dr Jackie Huggins, an aboriginal author and activist who is of the Bidjara (central Queensland) and Birri-Gubba Juru (north Queensland) peoples. Jackie has several publications to her name, including Auntie Rita (with her mother Rita Huggins, 1994) and Sister Girl (1999), and a CV as long as my arm! In her Keynote address she spoke mostly of the experience of writing Auntie Rita, which was really a biography of her mother that highlighted the mistreatment of the Stolen Generations. It was good to chat with her in the breaks.
Many of the papers that followed were delivered by Indians who spoke of the awful treatment of aboriginal people at the hands of white people. Being the only white male in the room was a strange experience. While I subscribe to most of what was said it felt strange having people from another country critiquing my own. On the one hand, as I admitted at lunch time, people like me are used to being the critiqu-ers, not the critiqu-ees. It’s only fair that we get a dose of our own medicine. On the other hand, it’s not a comfortable place to be when speaker after speaker excoriated my culture. Even if I still don’t agree with them I can understand a little better why conservatives such as John Howard talk with such passion about “culture wars” and “the black armband view of history”. In that regard, from what I hear, Himachal Pradesh University’s Department of English Literature may be similar to many departments of English Literature in western universities.
Then there was a senior retired academic who sang a hymn to the Hindu goddess Durga, which of course is his right, then launched into a strident criticism of European colonisation of Australia which included a call for the Seminar to send a letter to the UN, in which he made some basic historical mistakes, and which helped to seriously delay the program. I was far from the only person in the room who became irritated.
Sometimes it’s best to grit your teeth. That's a good Lenten discipline, isn't it?! All in all, though, an excellent day, and further evidence of the importance with which India views education. If you read this, thanks Meenu! You did such a good job moderating your session that you nearly brought the program back on time!
Today’s been interesting, so I’ll take a break from carbon fasting. A month ago I met Dr Meenakshi Paul, Professor of English Literature at the Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla. “Meenu” informed me that the University has a Centre for Australian and New Zealand Studies which was arranging a Seminar today, and she arranged for Lena and me to be invited. The Seminar was about the development of biographical and autobiographical writing over the past quarter of a century from being the province of “heroes” - history’s winners, if you like - to being an instrument whereby those on the underside of history can tell their stories. It focussed on personal stories of oppressed peoples in both India and Australia.
Australia was represented by Dr Jackie Huggins, an aboriginal author and activist who is of the Bidjara (central Queensland) and Birri-Gubba Juru (north Queensland) peoples. Jackie has several publications to her name, including Auntie Rita (with her mother Rita Huggins, 1994) and Sister Girl (1999), and a CV as long as my arm! In her Keynote address she spoke mostly of the experience of writing Auntie Rita, which was really a biography of her mother that highlighted the mistreatment of the Stolen Generations. It was good to chat with her in the breaks.
Many of the papers that followed were delivered by Indians who spoke of the awful treatment of aboriginal people at the hands of white people. Being the only white male in the room was a strange experience. While I subscribe to most of what was said it felt strange having people from another country critiquing my own. On the one hand, as I admitted at lunch time, people like me are used to being the critiqu-ers, not the critiqu-ees. It’s only fair that we get a dose of our own medicine. On the other hand, it’s not a comfortable place to be when speaker after speaker excoriated my culture. Even if I still don’t agree with them I can understand a little better why conservatives such as John Howard talk with such passion about “culture wars” and “the black armband view of history”. In that regard, from what I hear, Himachal Pradesh University’s Department of English Literature may be similar to many departments of English Literature in western universities.
Then there was a senior retired academic who sang a hymn to the Hindu goddess Durga, which of course is his right, then launched into a strident criticism of European colonisation of Australia which included a call for the Seminar to send a letter to the UN, in which he made some basic historical mistakes, and which helped to seriously delay the program. I was far from the only person in the room who became irritated.
Sometimes it’s best to grit your teeth. That's a good Lenten discipline, isn't it?! All in all, though, an excellent day, and further evidence of the importance with which India views education. If you read this, thanks Meenu! You did such a good job moderating your session that you nearly brought the program back on time!
