Related Texts: Journal Articles
Journal articles are a good choice for non-fiction readers to follow up a personal interest or for advanced students to explore an interest in literary theories (eg postmodernism, feminism etc). They can be useful in defining belonging from a more practical perspective than more literary texts.
When analysing articles, be very aware of the context and intended audience of the magazines they come from. "Dolly" or "MAD Magazine" are unlikely to have useful related texts full of language techniques, but if you're interested in Music try "Rolling Stone" ; for Science try "Cosmos" or "Science Illustrated"; for History try "History Today" etc... Don't forget that illustrations and layout contribute as much meaning as the text itself, so look for an article with good visual as well as textual techniques.
All the articles below can be found in the Area of Study Extracts box in the library, but you may wish to search through these magazines (look in the magazine rack or non-fiction shelves) for a text you enjoy:
· Ang, Ien. (1995). “I’m a feminist but…: Other women and post national feminism” in Transitions: New Australian Feminisms. [Women folder at 301] Chinese-Indonesian by birth, educated in the Netherlands, and working in Australia, Ian Ang is perfectly placed to critique the idea that feminism represents belonging for all women. She argues that feminism represents the world of Western middle class women, leaving people of colour alienated from this discourse because “the experience of racism changes the experience of gender”(p.64). This essay is very theoretical, but they key points are underlined, so that you can appreciate the main ideas. It would be an excellent text for advanced students who are discussing feminist viewpoints or the role of “the Other” in their set text. It also links to As you like it because it discusses the difference between difference in terms of tolerance and diversity and difference as part of a political hegemony such as the one that leads the Duke to exile his brother’s family in the forest of Arden.
· Blue, T. (1997). “an (un)real Australian” in Collage 1997. (Belonging folder at 820.9 ) This article discusses the concept of a “true blue” Aussie and how this fits into our multicultural policies, with a fabulous twist at the end. Talk about the way the author constructs him/herself through description and first person (in what ways does s/he belong/not belong?) and her/his use of formal language mixed with colloquialisms as well as the structure of the text and the symbolism of the author’s name.
· Bremer, Krista, (2011). “My daughter’s Choice” in Marie Claire, April 2011. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When Krista’s half-Lybian daughter, Aliya, chooses to wear hijab her mother is alienatied from her. Look particularly at the constant contrast between the clothes Krista wore and the clothes her daughter has chosen and the metaphors which depict her alienation from her daughter. Why has aliya chosen to wear hijab? What do the different types of clothes symbolise to the mother? The daughter? What changes to make Krista feel that her daughter belongs to her after all?
· De Soyza, Niromi, (2011). “I was trained to kill at 16” in Marie Claire, April 2011. (Belonging folder at 820.9) This is the author’s story of why she joined and later left the Tamil Tigers, a resistance group fighting the Sri Lankan government to establish their own independent country. Discuss the sensual imagery of the hook and the chronological structure of the rest of the article, focusing on how living in a state of civil war created alienation, so that she felt she had to become a soldier to belong. Identify some of the powerful emotive vocabulary (eg “betray”)
· Ervine, Janathon. (2008). Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The music of Zebda” in ACME and international e journal for critical studies 7 (2). [View online at http://www.acme-journal.org/vol7/JEr.pdf or look in the Belonging folder in the O-drive]. This is a cultural studies essay about the way music sets and contests boundaries of identity in a racist society. It’s worth getting through the academic language that lays out the political background because the song analysis on p.205-8 is fabulous. Standard students (especially those studying Skrzynecki) may wish to focus on these pages while advanced students thrash out the politics (which would help explain the role of the Forest of Arden in As you like it).
· Fouts, Joshua. (2010). “Al-Andalus 2.0”, Saudi Aramco World, July/August 2010. Also online at http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201004/al-andalus.2.0.htm Where do you go if you’re a Muslim online? Second Life now has an online mosque where Muslims all over the world can find a sense of virtual belonging. Look at layout features like the “hook” and “sidebars”. Discuss the structure of the article and analyse the language describing the virtual space (making it’real’). Consider which ‘experts’ he chose to interview and why he included particular quotes.
· “It happened to…” series. (Belonging folder at 820.9, books at 362) All of these interviews with troubled teens discuss way they were alienated and had to find a new way to belong - Arjun ran away from a forced marriage, Kylie got pregnant at 16. Ask yourself – who is the audience? How does the colloquial language and magazine-style layout attract this audience? What do the photographs say about belonging? How is the interview structured? How do the facts contribute to the message of the interview? Recommended for standard and ESL students.
· Luxner, Larry. (2005). “The Arabs of Brazil”, Saudi Aramco World, Sept/Oct 2005. Also online at http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm . this article describes the way Arabs have assimilated into the multicultural society of Brazilian cities and outlines how this sense of belonging can lead to improved educational and business relationships. Focus on the way the structure supports the argument and the way each example is unpacked – the choice of interviewees, juxtaposition of negative and positive stories, the comparison with Japanese migrants – as a well as vocabulary choice and register. Precisely what makes this persuasive? Is assimilation always a good thing?
· Malik, Surbhi, "UK is Finished; India's too Corrupt; Anyone can become Amrikan": Interrogating Itineraries of Power in Bend It Like Beckham and Prejudice Bride. In the Journal of Creative Communications. 2:1&2, 2007, p. 79-100 [join a library -NSW and Australian National libraries online - to access the journal]) this theoretical essay anayses two important English films from a post-colonial perspective (easy for you to turn into a who-belongs-where argument). As it’s an academic article you need to discuss the way it’s structured to develop an argument through subheadings and contrast, the use of quotes from other academics, and the use of formal technical language. Recommended for advanced and extension students only.
· Morris, Mark (2000). “Notown: the Face of Michael Jackson”in Whiteness, Vol 1, No. 1. (Belonging folder at 820.9) A theoretical analysis of Michael Jackson’s face in various videos as a reflection of the way African-American entertainers have been represented in the media. Look at the way the article constructs Machael Jackson’s continual plastic surgery as an attempt to “belong” to his white public and as an expression of a lost (or alienated) identity. As it’s an academic article you need to discuss the way it’s structured to develop an argument through subheadings, the comparison with other stars, the use of quotes from experts in race, cultural theory or philosophy, and the use of formal technical language. Recommended for advanced students who are looking for a more complex argument about belonging and identity. Even if you don’t end up using, it’s a great example of essay-writing.
· Plumwood, Val (2000) Being Prey. (online at http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM30/ValPlumwood.html ) Val Plumwood was an eco-feminist (ecologist and feminist) who thought we should radically re-think the ways we interact with the environment. Instead of exploiting the environment (the way colonists exploited native peoples or men exploited women), she thought we should live as part of an ecosystem - even when this meant we became prey rather than predators. Ignore the philosophical content and focus instead on the beginning and end, noticing different ways she belongs to the Kakadu landscape – first as a tourist and then as a crocodile’s dinner! (Yes, it’s a true story). Look the way the lyrical sensory imagery connects her to the setting, then the violent verbs and short sentences reject her. In the last page, look at the way the experience is used to symbolise a larger human connection to the environment. Because it’s about the “outsideness” of nature,this text works very well with As you like it. Look in Belonging on the O-drive for an analysis of this text.
www.socialinclusion.gov.au/.../report_stronger_fairer_australia.rtf This article outlines how (and why) the Australian government tries to make all; Australians “belong”. This is an excellent text to use if you are studying PDHPE, Community and Family Studies or Society and Culture because it allows you to apply concepts from other subjects to the way characters think and behave in your texts.
When analysing articles, be very aware of the context and intended audience of the magazines they come from. "Dolly" or "MAD Magazine" are unlikely to have useful related texts full of language techniques, but if you're interested in Music try "Rolling Stone" ; for Science try "Cosmos" or "Science Illustrated"; for History try "History Today" etc... Don't forget that illustrations and layout contribute as much meaning as the text itself, so look for an article with good visual as well as textual techniques.
All the articles below can be found in the Area of Study Extracts box in the library, but you may wish to search through these magazines (look in the magazine rack or non-fiction shelves) for a text you enjoy:
- Cosmos
- New Internationalist
- Dance Australia
- Marie Claire
- Saudi Aramco World
- National Geographic
· Ang, Ien. (1995). “I’m a feminist but…: Other women and post national feminism” in Transitions: New Australian Feminisms. [Women folder at 301] Chinese-Indonesian by birth, educated in the Netherlands, and working in Australia, Ian Ang is perfectly placed to critique the idea that feminism represents belonging for all women. She argues that feminism represents the world of Western middle class women, leaving people of colour alienated from this discourse because “the experience of racism changes the experience of gender”(p.64). This essay is very theoretical, but they key points are underlined, so that you can appreciate the main ideas. It would be an excellent text for advanced students who are discussing feminist viewpoints or the role of “the Other” in their set text. It also links to As you like it because it discusses the difference between difference in terms of tolerance and diversity and difference as part of a political hegemony such as the one that leads the Duke to exile his brother’s family in the forest of Arden.
· Blue, T. (1997). “an (un)real Australian” in Collage 1997. (Belonging folder at 820.9 ) This article discusses the concept of a “true blue” Aussie and how this fits into our multicultural policies, with a fabulous twist at the end. Talk about the way the author constructs him/herself through description and first person (in what ways does s/he belong/not belong?) and her/his use of formal language mixed with colloquialisms as well as the structure of the text and the symbolism of the author’s name.
· Bremer, Krista, (2011). “My daughter’s Choice” in Marie Claire, April 2011. (Belonging folder at 820.9) When Krista’s half-Lybian daughter, Aliya, chooses to wear hijab her mother is alienatied from her. Look particularly at the constant contrast between the clothes Krista wore and the clothes her daughter has chosen and the metaphors which depict her alienation from her daughter. Why has aliya chosen to wear hijab? What do the different types of clothes symbolise to the mother? The daughter? What changes to make Krista feel that her daughter belongs to her after all?
· De Soyza, Niromi, (2011). “I was trained to kill at 16” in Marie Claire, April 2011. (Belonging folder at 820.9) This is the author’s story of why she joined and later left the Tamil Tigers, a resistance group fighting the Sri Lankan government to establish their own independent country. Discuss the sensual imagery of the hook and the chronological structure of the rest of the article, focusing on how living in a state of civil war created alienation, so that she felt she had to become a soldier to belong. Identify some of the powerful emotive vocabulary (eg “betray”)
· Ervine, Janathon. (2008). Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The music of Zebda” in ACME and international e journal for critical studies 7 (2). [View online at http://www.acme-journal.org/vol7/JEr.pdf or look in the Belonging folder in the O-drive]. This is a cultural studies essay about the way music sets and contests boundaries of identity in a racist society. It’s worth getting through the academic language that lays out the political background because the song analysis on p.205-8 is fabulous. Standard students (especially those studying Skrzynecki) may wish to focus on these pages while advanced students thrash out the politics (which would help explain the role of the Forest of Arden in As you like it).
· Fouts, Joshua. (2010). “Al-Andalus 2.0”, Saudi Aramco World, July/August 2010. Also online at http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201004/al-andalus.2.0.htm Where do you go if you’re a Muslim online? Second Life now has an online mosque where Muslims all over the world can find a sense of virtual belonging. Look at layout features like the “hook” and “sidebars”. Discuss the structure of the article and analyse the language describing the virtual space (making it’real’). Consider which ‘experts’ he chose to interview and why he included particular quotes.
· “It happened to…” series. (Belonging folder at 820.9, books at 362) All of these interviews with troubled teens discuss way they were alienated and had to find a new way to belong - Arjun ran away from a forced marriage, Kylie got pregnant at 16. Ask yourself – who is the audience? How does the colloquial language and magazine-style layout attract this audience? What do the photographs say about belonging? How is the interview structured? How do the facts contribute to the message of the interview? Recommended for standard and ESL students.
· Luxner, Larry. (2005). “The Arabs of Brazil”, Saudi Aramco World, Sept/Oct 2005. Also online at http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm . this article describes the way Arabs have assimilated into the multicultural society of Brazilian cities and outlines how this sense of belonging can lead to improved educational and business relationships. Focus on the way the structure supports the argument and the way each example is unpacked – the choice of interviewees, juxtaposition of negative and positive stories, the comparison with Japanese migrants – as a well as vocabulary choice and register. Precisely what makes this persuasive? Is assimilation always a good thing?
· Malik, Surbhi, "UK is Finished; India's too Corrupt; Anyone can become Amrikan": Interrogating Itineraries of Power in Bend It Like Beckham and Prejudice Bride. In the Journal of Creative Communications. 2:1&2, 2007, p. 79-100 [join a library -NSW and Australian National libraries online - to access the journal]) this theoretical essay anayses two important English films from a post-colonial perspective (easy for you to turn into a who-belongs-where argument). As it’s an academic article you need to discuss the way it’s structured to develop an argument through subheadings and contrast, the use of quotes from other academics, and the use of formal technical language. Recommended for advanced and extension students only.
· Morris, Mark (2000). “Notown: the Face of Michael Jackson”in Whiteness, Vol 1, No. 1. (Belonging folder at 820.9) A theoretical analysis of Michael Jackson’s face in various videos as a reflection of the way African-American entertainers have been represented in the media. Look at the way the article constructs Machael Jackson’s continual plastic surgery as an attempt to “belong” to his white public and as an expression of a lost (or alienated) identity. As it’s an academic article you need to discuss the way it’s structured to develop an argument through subheadings, the comparison with other stars, the use of quotes from experts in race, cultural theory or philosophy, and the use of formal technical language. Recommended for advanced students who are looking for a more complex argument about belonging and identity. Even if you don’t end up using, it’s a great example of essay-writing.
· Plumwood, Val (2000) Being Prey. (online at http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM30/ValPlumwood.html ) Val Plumwood was an eco-feminist (ecologist and feminist) who thought we should radically re-think the ways we interact with the environment. Instead of exploiting the environment (the way colonists exploited native peoples or men exploited women), she thought we should live as part of an ecosystem - even when this meant we became prey rather than predators. Ignore the philosophical content and focus instead on the beginning and end, noticing different ways she belongs to the Kakadu landscape – first as a tourist and then as a crocodile’s dinner! (Yes, it’s a true story). Look the way the lyrical sensory imagery connects her to the setting, then the violent verbs and short sentences reject her. In the last page, look at the way the experience is used to symbolise a larger human connection to the environment. Because it’s about the “outsideness” of nature,this text works very well with As you like it. Look in Belonging on the O-drive for an analysis of this text.
www.socialinclusion.gov.au/.../report_stronger_fairer_australia.rtf This article outlines how (and why) the Australian government tries to make all; Australians “belong”. This is an excellent text to use if you are studying PDHPE, Community and Family Studies or Society and Culture because it allows you to apply concepts from other subjects to the way characters think and behave in your texts.
