Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Tara June Winch's Exploration of Aboriginal Identities in "The Yield" and "Swallow the Air"

Rakočevič, Stania (avtor), Čerče, Danica (mentor)

This master’s thesis analyses Tara June Winch’s portrayal of Indigenous Australians’ identities in her novels "The Yield" and "Swallow the Air". The Wiradjuri author explores the lives of different generations of Indigenous Australians impacted by the events of colonialism and the ensuing systemic violence. My analysis presents her works as resistance novels and powerful cultural tools for Indigenous identity reclamation and empowerment. The first part of the thesis examines the history of settler colonialism in Australia and the lives of Indigenous Australians before and after the establishment of the Australian Federation. This socio-political exploration serves as a foundation for the subsequent analysis of Aboriginal resistance, particularly within the field of literature. I examine Indigenous Australian literature as a significant ground for resistance and underline the political importance of Aboriginal counter-discursive works. The second part of the thesis delves into a detailed examination of Winch’s novels. The analysis builds upon the argument that Aboriginal literary works that challenge dominant narratives and foster a sense of agency and strength among Indigenous Australians help pave the way for the social and political empowerment of Indigenous people. I examine how Winch portrays Indigenous identities within the context of colonial dispossession, oppression, racial marginalisation, and Indigenous resistance and how her stories challenge the dominant system that continues to silence Indigenous voices. The thesis demonstrates that by reclaiming Aboriginal identities, which have been repressed and misrepresented by the system established after the colonisation of the continent, Winch produces works that undermine the status quo and carve out a space for Indigenous people to express and fight for their autonomy and self-determination.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: Tara June Winch, Indigenous Australians, settler colonialism, resistance literature, Indigenous identities, Indigenous empowerment
• Vrsta gradiva: Magistrsko delo/naloga
• Organizacija: FF - Filozofska fakulteta
• Leto izida: 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-167266
• Datum objave v RUL: 12.02.2025

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Naslov: Glas utišanih: Tara June Winch in njeno proučevanje identitet avstralskih staroselcev v romanih "The Yield" in "Swallow the Air"

Izvleček

Magistrska naloga analizira upodobitev identitet Avstralskih staroselcev v romanih "The Yield" in "Swallow the Air" avtorice Tare June Winch. Pisateljica porekla Wiradjuri raziskuje življenja različnih generacij Avstralskih staroselcev, ki so bila prizadeta zaradi kolonializma in kasnejšega sistemskega nasilja. Analiza predstavi njeni deli kot uporniška romana in pomembno kulturno orodje za oživljanje in krepitev staroselskih identitet. Prvi del naloge preuči zgodovino kolonializma v Avstraliji in življenja Avstralskih staroselcev pred in po ustanovitvi Avstralske zveze. Ta družbeno-politična analiza služi kot podlaga za raziskavo upora Avstralskih staroselcev, zlasti na področju literature. Avstralsko staroselsko literaturo predstavim kot pomemben prostor upora in izpostavim politično relevantnost njihovih proti-diskurzivnih del. V drugem delu naloge podrobno analiziram romana avtorice. Analiza temelji na argumentu, da avstralska staroselska literarna dela, ki izpodbijajo prevladujoče pripovedi in spodbujajo občutek moči med avstralskimi staroselci, prispevajo k družbenemu in političnemu opolnomočenju staroselskega prebivalstva. Preučim, kako Winch prikaže staroselske identitete v kontekstu kolonialne kraje ozemlja, preganjanja, rasne marginalizacije in staroselskega upora, ter kako njene zgodbe izpodbijajo prevladujoč družbeni sistem, ki vztraja pri utišanju staroselskih glasov. Naloga prikaže, da je Winch skozi upodobitev avstralskih staroselskih identitet, ki so od kolonizacije kontinenta dalje sistemsko zatirane, ustvarila romana, ki omajeta ustaljeni družbeni red in staroselskemu prebivalstvu ponudita prostor za boj za avtonomijo in samoodločbo.

• Ključne besede: Tara June Winch, Avstralski staroselci, naseljenski kolonializem, uporniška literatura, staroselske identitete, staroselsko opolnomočenje