Multicultural Queer: Australian Narratives

Rating:
Summary: Ethnic Minority Reader from Down Under
Review: I tend to concur with the comments of reviewer from Homewood, IL USA. As an ethnic minority from Down Under, the obvious under-representation of Aboriginal [homosexual] writing is noticeable, and in some ways, embarrassing! For an introductory account to Australian issues about homosexuality, this may be an okay starter, but there certainly need to be more theoretical discussions to make it an important reading for the scholarly community.

Rating:
Summary: okay start for an interesting topic
Review: Jackson and his colleague have amassed essays from homosexual men and lesbians of non-English descent down under. Few books have discussed ethnic and racial differences in Australia and this is truly an important intervention. It is great for a comparison of race and sexuality between Australia and the United States. However, the absence of Aboriginal [homosexual] writing is noticeable. If this book is accurate, minority [homosexuals] in Australia are decades behind their counterparts in the United States in terms of activism, publishing, and a host of other topics; the editors fail to acknowledge this either. Also, the editing is a bit haphazard. The authors say one Asian [homosexual] contributor got a fact wrong. Well, why not edit his article correctly rather than make him look stupid? The submissions are pretty evenly divided between men and women. Those who collect [homosexual] Judaic studies texts may especially be interested in this book. There are American books that are soooooo much better; but this could be a valuable tool for comparative ethnic studies scholars.