My Place (book)
| Author | Sally Morgan |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Australian Aborigines, History of Indigenous Australians |
| Publisher | Fremantle Arts Centre |
|
Publication date
|
1987 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 444 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 18120323 |
My Place is an autobiography written by artist Sally Morgan in 1987. It is about Morgan's quest for knowledge of her family's past and the fact that she has grown up under false pretences. The book is a milestone in Aboriginal literature and is one of the earlier works in indigenous writing.
Sally Morgan's My Place is a story of a young Aboriginal girl growing up to false heritage and not knowing where she is from. Recounts of several of Morgan's family members are told. The story setting revolves around Morgan's own hometown, Perth, Western Australia, and also Corunna Downs. Morgan has four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. She faces many challenges, such as fitting in at school, getting good marks for acceptance in University, and living life without her father.
The book has been published in several parts 'for young readers' in the following parts:
Sally's story (Fremantle: Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1990.) edited by Barbara Ker Wilson ('My Place' for young readers, part 1'. For children.) ISBN
Arthur Corunna's story (Narkaling Productions, 1995) edited by Barbara Ker Wilson ('My Place' for young readers, part 2'. For children.) ISBN
Mother and daughter: The story of Daisy and Glady's Corunna (Narkaling Productions, 1994) Edited by Barbara Ker Wilson ('My Place' for young readers, part 3'. For children.) ISBN
The book is widely studied in Public Schools across New South Wales as part of an 'Aboriginal Studies' program compulsory for all students.
In her essay "Always was always will be," Indigenous writer, activist and historian Jackie Huggins responds to Australian historian Bain Attwood's "deconstruction of Aboriginality" in his analysis of Sally Morgan's My Place, in addition to identifying problems that Huggins has with the book itself. Here is a brief excerpt from Huggins' essay:
"It cannot be denied that among those who have read My Place are (usually patronising) whites who believe that they are no longer racist because they have read it. It makes Aboriginality intelligible to non-Aboriginals, although there are different forms of Aboriginality which need to be considered also; otherwise these remain exclusionary and the danger is that only one ‘world view’ is espoused.
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