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Some authors are threatened by the idea of a cultural sensitivity reader reviewing their work. The job has been described as “publishing’s most polarising role”. But what does a sensitivity reader actually do?
In our Friday essay, Barkindji woman Allanah Hunt explains what she looks for when reading a book before publication. Rather than overt racism, she often finds stereotypes (such as the trope of the “hostile” Blak woman) that misrepresent Aboriginal culture. Hunt’s impassioned, droll essay gave me new insight into the importance of this work. It’s not censorship, but a vital form of research.
In Britain, meanwhile, a new publishing house will initially focus on releasing books by men. The argument that “stale, pale” men are being overlooked in today’s industry has been made here too. Is it a furphy, given women writers were historically marginalised and today’s readers are overwhelmingly female? Or do we need more literature about men’s experiences to counter the lure of the manosphere? Julian Novitz separates facts from fallacies.
Also this week, we launched our annual donations drive. At The Conversation we are committed to making our articles and essays available for free, so we rely on the generosity of readers to help fund our work. If you value what we do and you would like to help us, please make a donation here.
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Suzy Freeman-Greene
Books + Ideas Editor
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Allanah Hunt, The University of Queensland
We all know what racism looks like. It’s loud, it’s angry, it’s terrifying. But when it’s hidden in imagery and connotations, it’s much more sinister.
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Julian Novitz, Swinburne University of Technology
Evidence suggests male writers and readers are in decline – in Australia and elsewhere. Is a male-only publishing house the solution?
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Michelle Arrow, Macquarie University
Australian second-wave feminist Beatrice Faust was a lifelong advocate for abortion law reform. She resisted narratives of victimhood, despite a grim childhood.
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Farid Zaid, Monash University
How a once-neutral term for romantic exclusion became a cultural shorthand for male rage, and what we lose when we ignore the quiet pain it fails to describe.
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Jane Turner Goldsmith, University of Adelaide
Drawing on her personal experience at the Hague, Gretchen Shirm’s novel Out of the Woods confronts the issues of murder and displacement, cruelty and loss.
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Jane Goodall, Western Sydney University
We’re facing a crisis in public trust – in institutions and the information they feed us.
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Hannah Forsyth, University of New England
Cordelia Fine’s Patriarchy Inc. demonstrates that inequality is a result of policies, written and unwritten, within workplaces and across the economy.
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More great reading
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Jye Marshall, Swinburne University of Technology
K-pop’s Lisa and Sabrina Carpenter both opted for leggy looks at this year’s Met Gala. But the origins of going pantless can be traced back several decades.
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Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Australian Catholic University
Anna Jagiellon’s story, set over four centuries ago, shows a woman could secure power through a vote, even in an era when female rulers were nearly unheard of.
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Barbara Tesio-Ryan, University of Edinburgh
The inventor of the lovable but imperfect Moomins created the characters and their world as a way of bringing light after the dark days of the second world war.
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Jessica Gildersleeve, University of Southern Queensland; Kate Cantrell, University of Southern Queensland; Kathleen Williams, University of Tasmania; Panizza Allmark, Edith Cowan University; Rebecca Beirne, University of Newcastle; Ruari Elkington, Queensland University of Technology; Susan Hopkins, University of the Sunshine Coast
This year, why not celebrate with films that capture the beauty and chaos of motherhood.
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