Abstract: This article deals with the politics of observing and commenting on “elsewhere” in John Mateer’s “Portuguese collection” of poetry, Southern Barbarians (2011), with particular recourse to Marc Augé’s anthropological theories of places and non-places. It also attempts to establish connections between Mateer’s perceptions of Portugal and questions related to a Portuguese national identity as formulated by contemporary cultural commentators (Eduardo Lourenço, José Gil, Boaventura de Sousa Santos). In doing so, an exploration of the relationship between Portugal and Australia becomes inevitable.
Keywords: Australia; elsewhere; John Mateer; Portugal; Southern Barbarians
Copyright © Andreia Sarabando 2012. This text may be archived and redistributed both in electronic form and in hard copy, provided that the author and journal are properly cited and no fee is charged.