The ‘Mobs and Wogs’: Being Indigenous with Southern European Migrant Heritage panel discussion took place on June 7 2019. The panel featured Annette Xiberras, Paola Balla, Dino Hodge, Francesco Ricatti and Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli.
You can listen to the panel discussion here.
Abstract
This seminar will discuss the intersections of Indigeneity, multiculturalism, genders and sexualities. Questions will include:
- What was life like growing up in families, communities, schools, workplaces, churches and in the wider Australian society, and what is it like today?
- How were genders and sexualities understood, affirmed or discriminated in both Indigenous and migrant settings?
- What role did migrants play in influencing and condoning, as well as questioning and confronting, racist and colonialist ideologies on national, community, familial and interpersonal levels?
- Did SE migrants ‘import’ colonial and racial attitudes and convictions that they had acquired in their homelands and colonies, such as Italian colonies in North Africa, or did they learn these from Australian employers, neighbours, churches, schools and media?
Suggested Readings
- Annette Xiberras, “Welcome to Country” in M. Pallotta-Chiarolli (ed) Living and Loving in Diversity, Adelaide: Wakefield Press. (Copies of the book are available from the Deakin Library)
- Paola Balla, “Blak Female Acts of Disruption”. Draft for Altreitalie journal
- Francesco Ricatti, Chapter 4, “Racism and Racial Ambiguity in a Settler Colonial Context” in Italians in Australia, London: Palgrave MacMillan (Copies of the e-book can be accessed from the Deakin Library)
About the Speakers
- Wurundjeri Tribal Elder and Cultural Heritage Consultant, Annette Xiberras, with a Maltese migrant father
- Paola Balla, Wemba Wemba artist and PhD student, with an Italian migrant father.
- Dino Hodge, editor of “Colouring the Rainbow: Blak Queer and Trans Perspectives”
Francesco Ricatti, author of “Italians in Australia: History, Identity, Memory”
Chaired by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli, editor of “Living and Loving in Diversity: an Anthology of Australian LGBTIQ Multicultural Adventures”
To listen to Francesco Ricatti talk about the event (in Italian), see here for his radio interview with SBS.
About the Series
Deakin University Gender and Sexuality Studies holds a public monthly seminar series on the first Friday of each month at Deakin Downtown in Melbourne’s CBD.
Find out more and register for future seminars.
Monthly postgraduate workshops are also open to Deakin University students.
