“Waltzing Matilda”: Early Evidence of Racism in Australian Society?
Keywords:
Australian literature, ethnic discrimination, racism, colonialism, attitude towards Germans, anti-“Germanic” sentiment, Paterson, BanjoAbstract
Australia, an immigrant nation, has an unfortunate history of racism and ethnic oppression. It is generally believed that the origins of anti-“Germanic” sentiment in Australia can be traced back to the First World War. However, an analysis of early Australian literature, specifically “Waltzing Matilda” by Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson, may in fact paint a different picture. “Waltzing Matilda” is strewn with “Germanic” references as though Paterson had a different purpose in mind when writing the poem. This purpose may have been to demonstrate the social conditions around him: the anti-Germanic tendencies already present in Anglo-Australian society.References
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