Post-colonial Literature for Children – EDU32PLC Week 7 Lecture 13 Politics and the Personal – Being Biased © La Trobe University, David Beagley, 2005 Read revolutionary books, learn from revolutionaries and become an heir of the revolution

Politics Post-colonialism is political because colonialism is political Therefore, post-colonial literature cannot avoid political issues and interpretations What is politics? POLIS (Gk.) – the city; Polites – the citizens, Politikos – popular/of the people The State or Government, public affairs, the status or influence of organized societies in those affairs “Status or influence” – taking sides, making social/moral judgements, applying value systems

Realism- definitions Believable characters in realistic settings facing, and dealing with, real problems. Accurately reflects life as it was lived in the past or could be lived today. Everything in the story could have happened to real people living in our natural world - it could happen to you. Inner and outer reality Inner - the personal, the lived experience, the elements by which you know yourself Outer - the world outside, the elements by which you place yourself in context

So, where does Literature come into all this? Literature is an indicator of what matters, and what has happened, in a society  Colonial literature presents the colonial ethos  Post-colonial represents how the world has changed Literature can be an agent for change  Can rewrite the colonial history to highlight what was suppressed  Can seek to achieve de-colonization by –re-establishing identity and pride –subverting the colonial themes, genres, values or language  Can reshape current attitudes by recognition of the past

What is Bias? “Status or influence” – taking sides, making social/moral judgements, applying value systems Bias - Inclination, influence, predisposition towards a particular stance, value or judgement Prejudiced, predilection, presuppose, presume, partiality, favouritism, discrimination Is it avoidable? Need it be avoided?

Who is Biased? The Author? Selection of details, interpretations of events, portrayal of personalities – representation of the outer reality Expression of the inner reality of characters that leads them to certain choices The Reader? Preconceived judgements of a situation or character Prior knowledge and interpretation of an event

Allan Baillie and The China Coin Allan Baillie has written several novels looking at cultural place, conflict and relationships – Songman, Little Brother Allan’s wife is Chinese (from Penang in Malaysia) In 1989 they were in China, Allan researching books, his wife exploring her family origins – that aspect of China Coin was already formed From April to June 1989, a series of demonstrations and strikes by Chinese students and workers culminated in the Tiananmen Square massacre

Tiananmen Square Huge public square in central Beijing bounded by the Forbidden City, the tomb of Mao Zedong, and the Hall of Deputies (Parliament) The Monument of the People’s Heroes in the centre of the square

Tiananmen Square Massacre Estimates of the dead range from (New York Times), 1,000 (US Intelligence), and 2,600 (Chinese Red Cross) to over 7,000 (Student activists)

Political bias in literature When writing about major issues or situations, can taking a strong stand on one side of the range of value judgements be avoided? Need it be avoided? E.g. Parvana series (Afghanistan), Schindler’s Ark – Hana’s Suitcase – Diary of Anne Frank (Holocaust) E.g. slavery, Stolen Generation, drug trade E.g. Ned Kelly, Northern Ireland, Hiroshima Compare China Coin, Deadly Unna and Beat of the Drum - all deal with real events that have been interpreted in alternative ways