Abstract
In 1940, two expatriate New Zealanders, Hector Bolitho and John Mulgan, were resident in war-time London. Disgusted by the attitudes of Little Englanders towards their colonised compatriots, they remarked that the British are one of the least Empire-minded people in the world. 'I hate abroad,' somebody said. Another Briton once vowed that 'The niggers begin at Calais.'1
This statement, citing an un-named and perhaps even fictional source, is so tantalisingly provocative that it demands a sharp intake of breath. While most of us weave spiderwebs of communities and their others, it is a stark world-view that can pinpoint 'the niggers' from Calais and beyond. This paper follows a televisual journey beyond Dover and the English Channel, and beyond Bolitho and Mulgan's imagining. I explore a Pythonesque travel narrative to investigate how home and foreign lands are named, mapped and marinated in post-war popular culture and cultural studies theories.
This statement, citing an un-named and perhaps even fictional source, is so tantalisingly provocative that it demands a sharp intake of breath. While most of us weave spiderwebs of communities and their others, it is a stark world-view that can pinpoint 'the niggers' from Calais and beyond. This paper follows a televisual journey beyond Dover and the English Channel, and beyond Bolitho and Mulgan's imagining. I explore a Pythonesque travel narrative to investigate how home and foreign lands are named, mapped and marinated in post-war popular culture and cultural studies theories.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Europe – Divided or United? |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the twelfth biennial conference of the Australasian Association for Euopean History (University of Western Australia, July 1999) |
| Editors | Franz Oswald, Maureen Perkins |
| Place of Publication | Canberra |
| Publisher | Southern Highlands Publishers |
| Pages | 139-152 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0733407188 |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | Twelfth biennial conference of the Australasian Association for European History - University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Duration: 1 Jul 1999 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Twelfth biennial conference of the Australasian Association for European History |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Perth |
| Period | 1/07/99 → … |