EMERGING FROM THE RUBBLE OF POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES: BOOK HISTORY AND AUSTRALIAN LITERARY STUDIES

• Published in: Ilha do Desterro 2016-05, Vol.69 (2), p.117-126
• Main Author: Henningsgaard, Per
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: American literature; Australian literature; book history; intellectual history; LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS; Literary studies; LITERATURE, AMERICAN; LITERATURE, BRITISH ISLES; Pacific Rim studies; postcolonial studies; Postcolonialism; transnational turn; Transnationalism
• ISSN: 0101-4846; 2175-8026; 2175-8026
• DOI: 10.5007/2175-8026.2016v69n2p117

[...]this claim that book history has played an integral role in removing Australian literary studies from its isolationist, national context and transforming it into something "transnational" is so widespread that an article was published documenting this trend; Michael Jacklin's "he Transnational Turn in Australian Literary Studies" asserts that "in the past ive years [2004-2009] there have been a cluster of articles by leading scholars in the discipline who all point towards this transnational turn in the study of Australian literature" (1). [...]the appeal of book history methods for Australian literary scholars may run precisely contrary to this assumed transnational potential. [...]without attempting a comprehensive survey of book history scholarship in the ield of Australian literary studies, the unscientiic impression of this author is that most such scholarship remains exclusively focused on the national subject. [...]there is the continued reluctance among Australian book history scholars to embrace the term "book history," which has clearly gained international market share. he third and inal piece of evidence that suggests Australian book history scholars are focused on the national at the expense of the transnational is their focus on publishing history.