Representations of feminism in the Australian print media: the case of Pat O’Shane

Abstract

Pat O'Shane is a sometimes controversial public figure who has maintained a media profile alongside her public service roles as head of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and as a magistrate in New South Wales. Born in Northern Queensland to an Aboriginal mother and Irish father, O'Shane describes an early life of family poverty and discrimination in school. She recalls being subject to both racist and sexist taunts. Despite a period of mental illness and an early divorce, O'Shane has, by any standards, been a high achiever (O'Shane 1984b; Mitchell 1984, 2001). Expressing a strong commitment to promoting social justice for marginalised groups, she has made contributions to Aboriginal and feminist politics in deed and in the public debate. Yet her views do not always accord with the views of the political communities (or publics) she supports. Her public observations about sexism within the Aboriginal community and about racism within the Women's Movement (O'Shane 1976) have made O'Shane's public voice unique. The intent of this analysis is not to provide a profile of a public individual as much as to gain some insight into how feminism has been represented in the context of media reports about Pat O’Shane. This paper characterises O’Shane as an example of a synthetic identity – a public figure marked by identity difference but able to achieve media publicity for political causes within the norms and conventions of news reporting. O'Shane's public identity has been forged by a public status as "first Aboriginal woman to…" and by a narrative of individual struggle and achievement which she and the media have cultivated and sustained. An analysis of reports in the mainstream press (including the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), the Age, the Australian and the Canberra Times) indicates that identity difference is marginal to a populist narrative about individual struggle and success. Yet, in the wake of media publicity O’Shane creates opportunities for public debate about race and gender politics. And whether we agree with her comments or not, O'Shane often provides opportunities for Aboriginal and feminist groups to establish a position within the mainstream public debate. Yet, the high visibility of synthetic identities is a mixed blessing in the promotion of these political causes because synthetic identities also work to imply democratic access rather than to challenge the myth of a unified and accessible public sphere. I argue that synthetic identities should not be viewed for their mimetic accuracy but should be appreciated as an example of diversity in the public sphere. Whether diversity furthers identity politics remains the question. Show more