The relationship between place and identity can be found in all cultures, this connection however is becoming due to globalisation. 1987, a time when this integration of culture was far less prevalent, was the year that Sally Morgan’s ‘My Place’ was released. An autobiographical account of her personal journey to find her true identity in a predominantly white society. Taking place in Perth, Sally is surrounded by a heavy presence of aboriginal culture, through this she Uncovers the horrors her family endured in the past, previously shielded from her, a new founded pride is obtained in addition to the sad truth of the past and the present.
Early in the book the reader is confronted with a disturbing fact about Sally’s childhood, told by her mother that she was indian until the age of 15 as to protect her from the discrimination she would face in school had her peers known her true origins. This falsification of identity may have provided Sally with a …show more content…
Sally sees through this facade and takes her heritage on board, she becomes proud of being Aboriginal and solidifies it as her identity, however given the environment and the people she was brought up around it is likely she would have still retained much of the ‘white person’ traits. This again arises the question, what are the ‘white person’s’ traits? This greatly depends on what perspective is taken, for instance, an Aboriginal of the time the book was published would overall view the white man in a negative manner possessing the same negative traits.
Conclusively, Sally Morgan's “My Place’ explores the ideas of place and identity, there challenges and how to overcome them. The book was so influential the Human Rights Commision recognised Morgan’s efforts and allocated more of their resources to aiding the abolishment of racial discrimination in Australia in
Early in the book the reader is confronted with a disturbing fact about Sally’s childhood, told by her mother that she was indian until the age of 15 as to protect her from the discrimination she would face in school had her peers known her true origins. This falsification of identity may have provided Sally with a …show more content…
Sally sees through this facade and takes her heritage on board, she becomes proud of being Aboriginal and solidifies it as her identity, however given the environment and the people she was brought up around it is likely she would have still retained much of the ‘white person’ traits. This again arises the question, what are the ‘white person’s’ traits? This greatly depends on what perspective is taken, for instance, an Aboriginal of the time the book was published would overall view the white man in a negative manner possessing the same negative traits.
Conclusively, Sally Morgan's “My Place’ explores the ideas of place and identity, there challenges and how to overcome them. The book was so influential the Human Rights Commision recognised Morgan’s efforts and allocated more of their resources to aiding the abolishment of racial discrimination in Australia in