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Lest We Forget (Matter)

Posthumanism, Memory, and Exclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Matthew Howard
Matthew Howard*
Affiliation:
Open University
*
matthew.howard@open.ac.uk
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Abstract

Anzac Day commemoration centers on the Anzac Legend, that volunteer Australian soldiers gave a sense of Australian nationhood a global presence. As such, it is considered an important institution in Australia. Largely absent, or at least uncomfortably present for some Australians, are the voices of aboriginal Australians. This exclusion needs to be fully understood if the Australian polity is to be considered an unrestrictive and representative democracy. This article considers a manner in which the un-covering of the means of exclusion of aboriginal voices from Anzac Day can be achieved. This depends on a radical democratization of research. The article discusses Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and new materialism as methodological perspectives that fulfill this imperative. The article urges a democratic research process that considers how many disparate entities participate in a commemorative network in order to contribute to broader questions of exclusion, citizenship, identity, and recognition.

Keywords

Actor-Network Theory (ANT)Anzac Dayexclusiongrievabilitynew materialismresearch ethics

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Article
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Democratic Theory , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , June 2016 , pp. 71 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © Democratic Theory 2016

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