When the imaginary Australian is not uncanny: Nation, psyche and belonging in recent Australian cultural criticism and history

Abstract

Postcolonialism does not exists outside the shadow of colonialism and even as Australia remains under the shadow of colonialism, it is postcolonial because it does things that could not have been done if Australia were still just colonial. Postcolonialism in Australia means more Aboriginal presence, but for non-Aboriginal Australians, less Aboriginal contact and so the emphasis on one to one relationships is important, especially in a postcolonial context that conceptualises and officialises contact primarily in pedagogical terms.