- Title
- Introduction
- Creator
- Johnson, Marguerite
- Relation
- Antipodean Antiquities: Classical Reception Down Under p. 1-10
- Relation
- Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception
- Relation
- https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/antipodean-antiquities-9781350021235
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- A colleague once attended a conference 'overseas' (as some Antipodeans would say) and was asked how he coped with the absence of culture in Australasia. He explained, with tongue in cheek, that barbeques help while away the hours, as do trips to remote libraries, and the occasional visit to art galleries when the buses are running. This story; while fascinating on several levels, speaks to the contested definition of culture. What exactly does culture mean? Who defines culture? Who owns culture? Why don't we pluralize culture more often? Implicit in this story is the equation of culture with European and British traditions. Antipodean folk know that narrative well. We can spin a cultural yarn referencing artistic masterpieces and Renaissance drama from 'overseas', from other cultures, from other peoples, and we can appropriate them to augment our own cultural capital. While Australia and New Zealand are distinct countries separated by the Tasman Sea, by some 2,000 kilometres of water, we share two of the terms used in the title of this collection: 'Antipodean' and 'Down Under'. Both terms speak to issues around culture, reflecting assumptions underpinning the anecdote above; namely, that we are removed from culture and civilization because of geography.
- Subject
- culture; literature; classical; antipodeans; Australia; New Zealand
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1446231
- Identifier
- uon:42802
- Identifier
- ISBN:9781350021235
- Language
- eng
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