A Country Once Great? Asylum Seekers, Historical Imagination, and the Moral Privilege of Whiteness

Francesco Ricatti

doi:10.1080/14443058.2016.1225783

Back

A Country Once Great? Asylum Seekers, Historical Imagination, and the Moral Privilege of Whiteness

Journal article

Peer reviewed

A Country Once Great? Asylum Seekers, Historical Imagination, and the Moral Privilege of Whiteness

Francesco Ricatti

Journal of Australian Studies, Vol.40(4), pp.478-493

2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2016.1225783

Appears in UniSC Diversity and Inclusion Research Collection

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2016.1225783View

Published Version

Abstract

asylum seekers

Australia

history of emotions

moral imagination

racism

refugees

whiteness

UniSC Diversity Area - Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

The current public debate on asylum seekers arriving to Australia by boat is profoundly emotional and divisive. Its emotional nature must not only be considered in the present context but also understood from a historical perspective. This article argues that often the asylum seeker debate has been structured as an emotional dispute about the morality of the Australian nation; and that one of the main functions of such a dispute is to reinstate the moral privilege of whiteness. This has weakened the ability of human rights activists to advocate for the ending of current policies, and has instead reinforced an insular, exclusionary and rhetorical understanding of Australian history. On both sides of the debate, historical amnesia and the rhetorical celebration of the past have at times worked hand in hand with allegedly pragmatic approaches to the "boat people" crisis. Yet it is only in addressing the repressed and haunting memories of the past that Australians might find critical and creative antidotes to the merciless dictates of pragmatic politics. © 2016 International Australian Studies Association.

Details

Title: A Country Once Great? Asylum Seekers, Historical Imagination, and the Moral Privilege of Whiteness
Authors: Francesco Ricatti (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Publication details: Journal of Australian Studies, Vol.40(4), pp.478-493
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2016
DOI: 10.1080/14443058.2016.1225783
ISSN: 1444-3058
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450457602621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

4 File views/ downloads

1254 Record Views

9 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Web Of Science research areas: Area Studies; Cultural Studies; History