The State of Shame: Unveiling Multicultural Policies' Impact on Indigenous Citizenship - Essay Sample

The article “The State of Shame; Australian Multiculturalism and the Crisis of Indegenious Citizenships” by Elizabeth Povinelli primarily addresses the multicultural policies of the past 25 years and a resort by the existing ruling from conservative nation’s most critical concerns brought forth by local people using their country’s identification to gain entitlement under the law (Povinelli, 1998, p. 578). It offers insights into the overall challenges and conditions endured during the retreat.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The article argues that traditional laws must not oppose Australian law and its basic principles. The Australian high court judge, Mabo, passed a judgment that was his solution and others against Queens’s state. The case of the Native Title Act and the people of Wik versus the state of Queensland in 1996, where the court and the federal government deeply affected Aboriginal people and their sense of self (Povinelli, 1998, p. 590). The natives were forced to conform to claim land and demonstrate an enduring connection to the piece of land and prove the connection or maintain occupation by adhering to traditional laws and customs (Povinelli, 1998, p. 589). Overall, they were forced to perform cultural differences following the law to gain entitlement (Povinelli, 1998, p. 606). However, the realistic views of Povinelli and the existing federal legislation narrate how the ultimatum indirectly affected the non-indigenous people and helped define multiculturalism in Australia. Identifying the performance was outdated (Povinelli, 1998. p. 604). The law sternly prohibits any involvement in cultural differences. The purpose of Povinelli’s article is to highlight the unhappy states of varied theories imposed as an alternative to political ideology (Povinelli, 1998, p. 585). On the other hand, the native argues how people are supposed to show authenticity. Yet, the alien culture dictates their identity or how they are supposed to define themselves when others define them.

Povinelli’s goal is to mark the end of multicultural policy and its criteria. Her arguments also acknowledge identical multiculturalism's failure to address its pitfalls in society (Povinelli, 1998, p. 602). The author believes that a multicultural society limits the mind with what he termed as ‘liberal” consciousness or imagination. She spots the challenges of multiculturalism strongly manifest itself in the line of aboriginal land claims (Povinelli, 1998, p. 610). She even helped the Belyuen people. The Belyuen people are Peninsula inhabitants, located in southern Darwin, and they have been a complainant in the land claim (Povinelli, 1998, p. 605). Part of her argument emanated from disputes with the Larrakia people who are false owners of Darwin. The conflict claims between the two (Larraki and Belyuen) is the center of her story.

References

Povinelli, E. A. (1998). The state of shame: Australian multiculturalism and the crisis of indigenous citizenship. Critical Inquiry, 24(2), 575-610. https://doi.org/10.1086/448886