A Maelstrom at Sea: hybrid fiction as a resource to transform attitudes and create change

This research explores how reflexivity and creating hybrid fiction can transform an individual’s understanding of their experience of culture. The project examines how the process of writing hybrid fiction developed a new understanding of attitudes and perspectives towards the cultural experience of a female Royal Australian Navy veteran. The research – based on my experiences of serving in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during a border protection operation, being employed in multiple workplaces and working as a secondary educator in Far North Queensland – utilises creative practice to produce a hybrid fiction and exegesis, which together examine the contribution of cultural conditioning to an individual’s perspective. The creative artefact describes the culture of the military as experienced by women, particularly workplace sexual harassment, and also explores the culture of xenophobia and racism in Australian society. It is evaluated as a resource to transform attitudes and create change. Through the iterative analyses of practice-led research and research-led practice, the exegesis examines the creative process and effect of the research. Textual analysis evaluates the impact of fiction to develop greater understanding and empathy, challenge the construction of gender in the workplace, and act as an agent for change. As identified through the literature review, the study addresses significant gaps in understanding the perspective of women in the ADF. The project evaluates personal narrative storytelling through hybrid fiction as a resource to transform attitudes and perspectives towards the past, in order to inform the present and future.<p></p>