A white writer's ethical uncertainties: writing African Australians, self and whiteness : a novella, 'Fragile skins', with accompanying exegesis

"This creative writing thesis reflects the journey of a white Australian writer grappling with the ethical uncertainties of writing about African Australians and of placing the (white) self into the racial problem. The exegesis moves its way progressively from asking questions about the 'other' to interrogating the 'self' as this white writer tries to establish a writing position which paves the way towards writing an ethically nuanced and racially balanced novella concerning the intercultural relations between white Australian and black African Australian characters... The novella, 'Fragile skins', then follows, implicitly reflecting the ethical uncertainties explored in this exegesis as it teases out racial issues and intercultural relations at a visceral and affective level." -- abstract.