Reel love' across ethnic boundaries? The extent and significance of inter-ethnic intimacy in Australian cinema

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2146286
AutoresNatascha Klocker (0000-0001-7526-3292), Elyse Stanes (0000-0002-7120-257X)
Año2013
Volumen36
Número12
Páginas2035-2054
Fecha de publicación2013-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEthnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01419870.2012.675080
OpenAlexW1978904807
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas28

National cinemas play an important role in the construction of national identities, representing the 'self' to both domestic and international audiences. Evidence of the material impacts of media representations on individuals and society, and the pervasiveness of movie-watching as a cultural activity, underscore the importance of scholarly inquiry into film. Here, we are concerned with how ethnic diversity has been negotiated within the Australian national cinema - specifically at the scale of intimate interpersonal relationships. Our analysis of twenty-five recent Australian films considers how cinema alerts audiences to the possibilities and limitations of love within and across ethnic boundaries. We find cause for modest optimism in regard to the frequency of Australian cinematic representations of inter-ethnic intimacy, although the narrow range of ethnic groups permitted to participate in these encounters, and an apparent reticence to portray marriage, co-habitation and child-bearing across ethnic boundaries, remain cause for concern.Keywords: intimacycinemafilmethnicityinter-racialprejudice AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank Dr Carol Farbotko and two anonymous referees for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. All remaining errors are our own.Additional informationNotes on contributorsNatascha KlockerNATASCHA KLOCKER is a Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Wollongong.Elyse StanesELYSE STANES is a PhD Candidate in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Wollongong

Ethnic group · Media studies · Movie theater · National cinema · Sociology · Anthropology · Cinema and Media Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Media Studies and Communication