ABSTRACT

Western Australia has continued to be seen from without as both necessary and as supplemental: its distinctive place within the national economy, history and psyche has continued to drive a specific and contested set of relations with the state that provides a useful lens upon “Australia” and Australian studies in its larger sense. The status of Australian studies has fluctuated over the last decade but continues to thrive, especially internationally. This special issue explores the potential for a Western Australian perspective to engage with a multifaceted Australian studies. Contributors seek to re-evaluate the analytical framework of Australian studies, interrogating influential assumptions about history and culture. Through narratives of deep time, Asian exchange and cosmopolitanism, truth-telling and extra-colonialism, for example, such research reorients our ideas of “Australia” by rupturing the seemingly inevitable contours of the nation and offering means to re-imagine a future shared civic space. A western orientation offers possibilities for spatially and temporally disrupting the Western linearity that has grounded the modern nation-state. Key principles of this approach must include critical interrogation—rather than celebration—of the entity called Australia, the centrality of Aboriginal perspectives and voices, and the opportunities for creativity and innovation offered by interdisciplinarity.

摘要

西澳大利亚继续被外部视为必要和补充：它在国民经济、历史和心理中的独特地位继续推动着与国家的特定和有争议的关系，为“澳大利亚”提供了一个有用的镜头以及更广泛意义上的澳大利亚研究。澳大利亚研究的地位在过去十年中有所波动，但继续蓬勃发展，尤其是在国际上。本期特刊探讨了西澳大利亚视角参与多方面澳大利亚研究的潜力。撰稿人寻求重新评估澳大利亚研究的分析框架，询问有关历史和文化的有影响力的假设。例如，通过对深时、亚洲交流和世界主义、说真话和超殖民主义的叙述，此类研究打破了看似不可避免的国家轮廓，并提供了重新构想未来共享公民空间的手段，从而重新定位了我们对“澳大利亚”的看法。西方取向提供了在空间和时间上打破西方线性的可能性，而西方线性是现代民族国家的基础。这种方法的关键原则必须包括对澳大利亚实体的批判性审讯——而不是庆祝——土著观点和声音的中心地位，以及跨学科提供的创造力和创新机会。西方取向提供了在空间和时间上打破西方线性的可能性，而西方线性是现代民族国家的基础。这种方法的关键原则必须包括对澳大利亚实体的批判性审讯——而不是庆祝——土著观点和声音的中心地位，以及跨学科提供的创造力和创新机会。西方取向提供了在空间和时间上打破西方线性的可能性，而西方线性是现代民族国家的基础。这种方法的关键原则必须包括对澳大利亚实体的批判性审讯——而不是庆祝——土著观点和声音的中心地位，以及跨学科提供的创造力和创新机会。