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| My Place (book) | |
|---|---|
| Name | My Place |
| Author | Sally Morgan |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Magabala Books |
| Pub date | 1987 |
| Pages | 144 |
| Isbn | 9780864450439 |
My Place (book) is an autobiographical work by Australian author Sally Morgan first published in 1987. The book traces Morgan’s discovery of her Aboriginal heritage through family stories and oral history, situating personal memory within broader narratives of colonialism, settler colonialism, and Indigenous Australians' experiences. It has become a landmark text in Australian literature and Indigenous studies, influencing debates in historiography, cultural studies, and postcolonial literature.
Morgan wrote the book after investigating family histories and oral testimonies from relatives in Western Australia and New South Wales, engaging with communities associated with the Noongar people and Eora people. The manuscript was accepted and published by Magabala Books, a publisher known for Indigenous authors and connections to organizations such as the Aboriginal Arts Board and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Publication in 1987 coincided with national conversations sparked by events such as the Australian Bicentenary (1988) and debates around the Stolen Generations, linking Morgan’s narrative to inquiries influenced by institutions like the Human Rights Commission (Australia) and advocacy from groups including the Aboriginal Legal Service. The book’s outreach was supported by literary networks encompassing festivals like the Perth Writers Festival and publishers tied to the Black Australian Writers movement.
The narrative follows Morgan’s childhood in Perth and later life in Sydney, recounting episodes with family members—grandmother, aunts, and uncles—whose recollections reveal the erasure and concealment of Aboriginal identity across generations. Key scenes range from domestic settings to encounters in rural locations near Karrakatta Cemetery and communities on the Central Coast, New South Wales, mapping personal memory onto sites shaped by colonial contact such as settler townships and mission sites like those referenced in histories of the Aboriginal missions in Australia. Through genealogical reconstruction and conversations with elders, Morgan uncovers ancestors whose lives intersect with events broadly recorded in archives held by institutions like the State Library of New South Wales and the National Library of Australia. The book alternates between intimate vignettes and reconstructive family history, culminating in an asserted reclamation of identity linked to wider movements around legal recognition and cultural revival involving groups like the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
Major themes include identity recovery, intergenerational trauma, racial segregation in Australia, and resilience within Aboriginal community networks. The text engages with concepts explored in scholarship on oral history and testimony—dialogue comparable to works that intersect with writings by figures connected to debates in postcolonial theory and Indigenous intellectual traditions. Morgan’s use of narrative voice, blending memoir with reconstructed family chronicles, raises methodological questions central to debates in historiography and literary criticism, intersecting with institutions such as university departments at the University of Sydney, Australian National University, and literary journals including Meanjin. Critics have analyzed the book through lenses shaped by precedents in autobiographical writing by authors associated with movements represented at gatherings like the Sydney Writers' Festival and archives curated by the National Museum of Australia.
Upon release, the book received substantial attention from mainstream media outlets and Indigenous advocacy organizations, prompting responses from critics published in outlets including The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and periodicals connected to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It became a staple on reading lists at secondary institutions and tertiary programs in literature and Indigenous studies at universities such as Monash University and the University of Melbourne, and stimulated curricular discussion in departments concerned with Australian history and cultural policy. Controversies emerged concerning questions of factual accuracy and representation, leading to public debates involving historians, journalists, and cultural commentators connected to forums like the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Law Reform Commission. The work nevertheless inspired generations of Indigenous writers and activists, contributing to community initiatives supported by organizations like the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the Aboriginal Legal Service.
The book has been adapted for stage productions and educational materials performed or used by theatre groups associated with venues such as the Belvoir Theatre and community companies linked to the Black Swan State Theatre Company. School adaptations and teaching guides distributed through state education authorities in New South Wales and Western Australia brought the narrative into classrooms, while dramatized versions were staged at festivals including the Melbourne International Arts Festival and regional events. Morgan’s work contributed to a broader cultural legacy visible in exhibitions at institutions such as the National Museum of Australia and partnerships with publishers and cultural bodies promoting Indigenous literature, including collaborations with Magabala Books and community archives that inform ongoing dialogues in Australian cultural policy and reconciliation efforts led by entities like the Reconciliation Australia.
Category:Australian autobiographies Category:Indigenous Australian literature Category:1987 books