Joe in the Andamans - Interview with Writing and Cultural Studies Professor, Stephen Muecke
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Joe in the Andamans is Writing and Cultural Studies Professor Stephen Muecke's latest work, delving into anthropology, representation, post-colonialism and cultural studies.
Described as "a collection of fictocritical essays that apply theory to everyday life" [1], Muecke's assemblage of writings revisits stories from the past while pulling together new ideas and beginnings of future works.
"In the latest Cultural Studies Review there's a piece called A Touching and Contagious Captain Cook: Thinking History through Things [2] which came out of the Captain Cook project. Same as the story in there about Gulaga, which is the Aboriginal name for Mount Dromedary (the highest point on the south coast of New South Wales).
"I'm going to write more poetry in this sort of style and continue to write about questions of nature in relation to culture and broadly speaking, the history and culture of the Indian Ocean. That's why there are pieces on Madagascar in the book, because it's some of my work on the Indian Ocean."
In discussing his choice to write a fictocritical work, Muecke says he chooses to write fictocritically as it allows him to conduct academic research whilst being creative.
Having explored this particular genre in No Road (bitumen all the way) [3] Muecke says this particular style of writing is unique in presenting the reader with a clear argument through a poetic channel.
[1] Rolfe, A. 2008, Joe in the Andamans, U: (Book Reviews), Issue 2, April 2008, p.17
[2] Muecke, S. 2008, A Touching and Contagious Captain Cook: Thinking History through Things, Cultural Studies Review, March 2008
[3] Muecke, S. 2007. No Road (bitumen all the way). Fremantle: Fremantle Arts Centre Press
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