From Cobra Grubs to Dragons: Negotiating the Politics of Representation in Cultural Research

Tanja Dreher

doi:10.5130/csr.v12i2.2338

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5130/csr.v12i2.2338

Keywords:

Cultural research, cultural studies, research, practice, Fairfield, South West Sydney, naming, representation, voice, authority, politics

Tanja Dreher

University of Technology Sydney

Abstract

‘From cobra grubs to dragons’ was suggested as the title for a cultural tour of the Fairfield area in Sydney developed by the author and others through a partnership between the Centre for Cultural Research (CCR) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS), the Fairfield City Council (FCC) and the Migration Heritage Centre of the NSW government. The cultural researchers involved in producing the tour felt that this title was an evocative description of the tour which enables participants to visit numerous sites associated with Fairfield’s cultural diversity. As the project developed, a key funding partner vetoed that title, to be replaced by the prosaic ‘Tune in to Fairfield City: a multicultural driving tour’ which now appears on the audio CD and map which contain instructions for motorists to take the tour. This article analyses the rather more complex issues of naming and representation, voice and authority raised by this cultural research project.

Issue

Vol 12 No 2 (2006): Engagements

Section

Cultural Research (Peer Reviewed)

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Author Biography

Tanja Dreher, University of Technology Sydney

Tanja Dreher is the senior researcher at UTS Shopfront and completed the ‘Tune in to Fairfield’ project during her doctoral candidature at the Centre for Cultural Research, University of
Western Sydney.

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Tanja Dreher, University of Technology Sydney