The ‘Southern question’ in Australia: the 1925 Royal Commission’s Racialisation of Southern Italians

Article

Dewhirst, Catherine. 2014. "The ‘Southern question’ in Australia: the 1925 Royal Commission’s Racialisation of Southern Italians." Queensland History Journal. 22 (4), pp. 316-332.
Article Title

The ‘Southern question’ in Australia: the 1925 Royal Commission’s Racialisation of Southern Italians

ERA Journal ID41986
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorDewhirst, Catherine
Journal TitleQueensland History Journal
Journal Citation22 (4), pp. 316-332
Number of Pages17
Year2014
PublisherRoyal Historical Society of Queensland
Place of PublicationBrisbane, Australia
ISSN1447-1345
1836-5477
Web Address (URL)https://search.informit.com.au/browseJournalTitle;res=IELHSS;issn=1836-5477
Abstract

Thomas Arthur Ferry (1877-1963) conducted several Royal Commissions in his role as under-secretary for Queensland’s Premier and Chief Secretary’s Department. His now frequently cited first Report remains the most controversial. While racialising Southern Italians, he articulated the ‘Southern Question’, but this Royal Commission was also symptomatic of systemic racism in Australia. Drawing from Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s theory of ‘racialized social systems’ and Thomas Guglielmo’s application of this framework in his analysis of Italian-Americans in Chicago, this article focuses on the racialist origins, continuities and implications of the Ferry Report which crystallised the racist attitudes of the day.

KeywordsSouthern question; Royal Commission; racialisation; Southern Italians
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020430302. Australian history
Byline AffiliationsSchool of Arts and Communication
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
Permalink -

https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q23yx/the-southern-question-in-australia-the-1925-royal-commission-s-racialisation-of-southern-italians

Log in to edit
  • 1912
    total views
  • 524
    total downloads
  • 2
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

A ‘civil minority’: Costante Danesi, minority community resilience and Australian democracy, 1918–45
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2023. "A ‘civil minority’: Costante Danesi, minority community resilience and Australian democracy, 1918–45 ." Queensland Review. 30 (1), pp. 25-44. https://doi.org/10.1558/qre.26427
Italy and Queensland: Interconnected Histories
Kennedy, Claire and Dewhirst, Catherine. 2023. "Italy and Queensland: Interconnected Histories." Queensland Review. 30 (1), pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1558/qre.26744
They also served: Nurses, the great war, and children's picture books
Millward, Allison, Kerby, Martin, Dewhirst, Catherine and Baguley, Margaret. 2023. "They also served: Nurses, the great war, and children's picture books." Journal of Popular Culture. 56 (3-4), pp. 704-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpcu.13268
Neither in ink nor in stone: Memorials to Australian Great War Nurses
Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Millward, Allison and Dewhirst, Catherine. 2021. "Neither in ink nor in stone: Memorials to Australian Great War Nurses." Australian Art Education. 42 (2), pp. 184-200.
Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press
Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2021. Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan.
‘Virtually a victory': The Australian Woman’s Sphere and the mainstream press during Vida Goldstein’s 1903 Federal candidature
Walker, Natasha and Dewhirst, Catherine. 2021. "‘Virtually a victory': The Australian Woman’s Sphere and the mainstream press during Vida Goldstein’s 1903 Federal candidature." Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard (ed.) Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 193-219
Australia’s migrant and minority community press and cultural heritage
Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2021. "Australia’s migrant and minority community press and cultural heritage." Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard (ed.) Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1-14
Australian Internment Life Stories: Recapturing Salvatore Ragonesi between the Public Record and Family Memories
Dewhirst, Catherine, Kennedy, Claire and Ragonesi, Sam. 2020. "Australian Internment Life Stories: Recapturing Salvatore Ragonesi between the Public Record and Family Memories." Australian Journal of Politics and History. 66 (2), pp. 232-250. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12676
Ethnic and political entanglements of Australia’s Italian migrant press [La stampa degli italiani in Australia e gli intrecci etnici e politici]
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2021. "Ethnic and political entanglements of Australia’s Italian migrant press [La stampa degli italiani in Australia e gli intrecci etnici e politici]." Deschamps, Benedicte and Sergi, Pantaleone (ed.) Voci d'Italia fuori dall'Italia: giornalismo e stampa dell'emigrazione [Voices of Italy beyond Italy: emigration journalism and the press]. Cosenza, Italy. Luigi Pellegrini Editore. pp. 239-260
Respectability and disloyalty: the competing obligations of L’Italiano’s editors
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2020. "Respectability and disloyalty: the competing obligations of L’Italiano’s editors." Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard (ed.) The transnational voices of Australia’s migrant and minority press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 81-105
Australia’s minority community printed press history in global context: an introduction
Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2020. "Australia’s minority community printed press history in global context: an introduction." Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard (ed.) The transnational voices of Australia’s migrant and minority press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1-17
The transnational voices of Australia’s migrant and minority press
Dewhirst, Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2020. The transnational voices of Australia’s migrant and minority press. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan.
Preface: Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press,
Dewhirst Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2021. "Preface: Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press,." Voices of Challenge in Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press,. Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. v-vii
Preface: The Transnational Voices of Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press
Dewhirst Catherine and Scully, Richard. 2020. "Preface: The Transnational Voices of Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press ." The Transnational Voices of Australia’s Migrant and Minority Press,. Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. v-vii
The internment diaries of Mario Sardi by Ilma Martinuzzi O’Brien
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2014. "The internment diaries of Mario Sardi by Ilma Martinuzzi O’Brien." Queensland Review. 21 (1), pp. 112-114. https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2014.14
Letters to the Editor: the 'awkward truths' in Australia's Italian migration history, 1900-1915
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2014. "Letters to the Editor: the 'awkward truths' in Australia's Italian migration history, 1900-1915." Callisen, Christian Thorsten (ed.) Reading and writing history from Bruni to Windschuttle: essays in honour of Gary Ianziti. United Kingdom. Ashgate Publishing Limited. pp. 161-177
Lifting the veil: migrant murder, a 'madre italiana', and the politics of transnational colonisation
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2011. "Lifting the veil: migrant murder, a 'madre italiana', and the politics of transnational colonisation." Emigration Studies. 48 (184), pp. 653-674.
Families, Lovers, and their Letters: Italian Postwar Migration to Canada by Sonia Cancian
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2011. "Families, Lovers, and their Letters: Italian Postwar Migration to Canada by Sonia Cancian." Journal of Family History: studies in family, kinship and demography. 36 (3), pp. 359-361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363199011404136
Colonising Italians: Italian imperialism and agricultural ‘colonies’ in Australia, 1881–1914
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2016. "Colonising Italians: Italian imperialism and agricultural ‘colonies’ in Australia, 1881–1914." The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. 44 (1), pp. 23-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2015.1071099
Italians
Girola, Stefano and Dewhirst, Catherine. 2015. "Italians." Brändle, Maximilian (ed.) We are Queenslanders: contemporary multicultural tapestry of peoples. Brisbane, Australia. Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland. pp. 165-173
The Anglo-Italian Treaty: Australia’s imperial obligations to Italian migrants, 1883-1940
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2014. "The Anglo-Italian Treaty: Australia’s imperial obligations to Italian migrants, 1883-1940." Cresciani, Gianfranco and Mascitelli, Bruno (ed.) Italy and Australia: an asymmetrical relationship. Ballarat, Australia. Connor Court Publishing. pp. 81-113
Illustriousness in the farmhouse villa: reading virtue from a Flemish-Veronese merchant family's history
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2011. "Illustriousness in the farmhouse villa: reading virtue from a Flemish-Veronese merchant family's history." Parergon: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. 28 (1), pp. 113-134. https://doi.org/10.1353/pgn.2011.0014
Tapestry by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
Dewhirst, Catherine. 1999. "Tapestry by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli." Australian Journal of Social Issues. 34 (4), pp. 397-400.
Collaborating on whiteness: representing Italians in early white Australia
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2008. "Collaborating on whiteness: representing Italians in early white Australia." Journal of Australian Studies. 32 (1), pp. 33-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443050801993800
Giovanni Pullè: pioneer and founding father of Italian ethnicity
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2003. "Giovanni Pullè: pioneer and founding father of Italian ethnicity." Spunti e Ricerche. 17 (Supplement), pp. 26-49.
Historical turns in the historiography of Italians in Queensland
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2011. "Historical turns in the historiography of Italians in Queensland." Spunti e Ricerche. 24 (1), pp. 133-153.
150 years of Italians in Queensland: an introduction
Dewhirst, Catherine, Kennedy, Claire and Ricatti, Francesco. 2011. "150 years of Italians in Queensland: an introduction." Spunti e Ricerche. 24 (1), pp. 8-21.
Italians in north Queensland
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2010. "Italians in north Queensland." Queensland Historical Atlas. Dec 2010.
A sense of being Italian: the value of family history
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2009. "A sense of being Italian: the value of family history." Ozhistorybytes.
Italian roots: family history, intergenerational experience, and identity
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2003. "Italian roots: family history, intergenerational experience, and identity." Bradley, R., Buys, E. L. and Lyddon, J. (ed.) Social Change in the 21st Century 2003 Conference. Brisbane, Australia 21 Nov 2003 Brisbane, Australia.
Inventing 'Italians': experiences and responses in Australia's colonial and federation societies
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2002. "Inventing 'Italians': experiences and responses in Australia's colonial and federation societies." Hanna, B. E., Woodley, E. J., Buys, E. L. and Summerville, J. A. (ed.) Social Change in the 21st Century 2002 Conference. Brisbane, Australia 22 Nov 2002 Brisbane, Australia.
Ethnic identity in Italo-Australian family history: A case study of Giovanni Pullè, his legacies and his transformations of ethnicity over 125 years
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2003. Ethnic identity in Italo-Australian family history: A case study of Giovanni Pullè, his legacies and his transformations of ethnicity over 125 years. PhD Thesis Doctor of Philosophy. Queensland University of Technology.
Italian Roots: Family History, Inter-Generational Experience and Identity
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2003. "Italian Roots: Family History, Inter-Generational Experience and Identity." Bradley, R, Buys, L and Lyddon, J (ed.) Social Change in the 21st Century 2003 Conference. Brisbane, Australia 21 Nov 2003 Australia.
Inventing 'Italians': Experiences and Responses in Australia's Colonial and Federation Societies
Dewhirst, Catherine. 2002. "Inventing 'Italians': Experiences and Responses in Australia's Colonial and Federation Societies." Hanna, B E, Woodley, E J, Buys, E L and Summerville, J A (ed.) Social Change in the 21st Century 2003 Conference. Brisbane, Australia 21 Nov 2003 Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology. pp. 1-17