The Real and the Unreal: Hypernarratives of Indigenous Athletes and the Changing Significance of Race

Race is said to be irrelevant conceptually. Drawing on the notion of race formations (evolutionary hegemony) this study engages with the changing significance of race, through an examination of contemporary narratives depicting indigenous efficacy for sport in popular print content. The centrality of the black athletic body to narratives of indigenous dominance in Australian football signals the need to re-examine the social construct of race in the context of sport. Stella Coram argues that hyper celebrations of indigenous athletic performance, as markers of cultural difference and transformation, conform to colonial race discourse of civilisation and control because the physical, the body, becomes the basis for rationalising admittance into the dominant culture. In light of this, she claims that narratives gloss over the realities of competition and inclusion thereby reaffirming liberal assumptions of opportunity in sport. This study, written in a passionate yet reasoned style is suitable for undergraduate and post-graduate students as well as academics.