Philosopher's Zone Indigenous literature and the academy in Australia
Oct 9, 2025
Eugenia Flynn, a Larrakee, Tiwi, Chinese-Malaysian, and Muslim writer, discusses her journey in Indigenous literature within academia. She emphasizes the need for Indigenous storytelling to challenge the white-dominated literary canon. Flynn advocates for recognizing non-written Indigenous texts as valid literature and critiques traditional Western frameworks. She explores how Indigenous paradigms can reshape literary critique and suggests creating more Indigenous-centered programs to improve access and representation in the field.
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Writing As Critical Inquiry
- Eugenia Flynn began writing to critically explore race and gender from her multicultural Aboriginal perspective.
- She treats literature as both craft and a means to express political and personal knowledge.
Indigenous Critique Roots And Goals
- Flynn traced critical Indigenous studies back to literary theorists analysing text and oratory, especially from North America.
- She argues Indigenous analysis should use Indigenous ways of reading rather than default Western critique.
Dominance Of Western Frameworks
- Western frameworks are dominant because they grew from anthropology and positioned Indigenous peoples as subjects.
- Flynn frames her work as reclamation to contest that unchecked dominance.
