Alternative Subjectivity in the Post-Nation-State Era: Emerging Possibilities within Australian Literature

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In the formation of the modern nation-state, national literature functions as a means to construct national identity and myths of national foundation. In Australia, from the 19th to the mid 20th century, narratives of the peaceful settlement of the "Terra Nulius" were produced and circulated. In the 1990s, the issue of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians became a significant social issue and literature exploring the formation of subjectivity in the "post-nation-state era" appeared. This study examined works by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers and explored how Indigenous people foreground their historical awareness to construct their subjectivity and allow non-Indigenous Australians to reconsider their sense of belonging and national identity. It identified how contemporary Australian literature seeks out a new horizon in "post-national literature" while attempting to construct an alternative subjectivity within this post-nation-state era.