‘Documentary a biased set-up’: bitter Dark Emu feud turns personal

In an explosive reigniting of the Dark Emu debate, social anthropologist Peter Sutton has attacked a new ABC documentary.

Anthropologist Peter Sutton.

In an explosive reignition of the Dark Emu debate, social anthropologist Peter Sutton has attacked an ABC documentary as a “biased set-up” and Marcia Langton as “misusing her extensive power”.

The new documentary, The Dark Emu Story, made by Blackfella Films for the ABC, examines debate around Bruce Pascoe’s landmark book, which questions the hunter-gather tag assigned to the First Australians and points to Aboriginal sowing and harvesting of plants.

Writing in The Australian, Professor Sutton, who co-authored a leading critique of Pascoe’s book, said he was invited to take part in an “even-handed” documentary, only to have key remarks left out and Professor Langton given a “platform” for “an abusive and disrespectful tirade”.

However, Professor Langton hit back, accusing Professor Sutton of “breathtaking arrogance”, a “completely unwarranted” attack on her, and being unwilling “to debate historical records”.

Professor Sutton, co-author with anthropologist Keryn Walshe of Farmers or Hunter-gatherers? The Dark Emu Debate, accused Blackfella Films of “bad faith” and painting him and his colleague as “racists”. “The film is biased towards one side of the debate, the side of Bruce Pascoe,” Professor Sutton told The Australian. “At several points it turns into propaganda.

“This is the opposite of the much-stressed independence and even-handedness that Blackfella Films promised in our pre-filming discussions. It becomes a puff piece for Pascoe. Worst of all, the film depicts us as racists by association with right-wing shock jocks. Marcia Langton associates us with the colonial anthropology of 100 years ago. The film was a set-up. A case of bad faith.”

Bruce Pascoe.

Professor Sutton, a social anthropologist and linguist who has spent 50 years studying and recording Aboriginal languages and mapping Indigenous cultural landscapes, said Professor Langton had “turned on the community of scholars who have long both nurtured and learned from her”.

“In the film, she tries to hijack a debate about the precolonial economies and technologies of the old people and turn it into a personal battle in the great race war,” he said.

“She parodies modern anthropologists as if time had stood still in 1914 … But Langton’s political rage does not entitle her to misuse her extensive power and high profile, especially in an effort to prop up Pascoe’s work by denigrating her colleagues. But misuse it she does.”

Professor Langton, an anthropologist and geographer who has produced a large body of work in political and legal anthropology and Indigenous culture and art, accused Professor Sutton of “lacking collegiality”. “It is clear that he feels justified in publishing an entire book with Keryn Walshe which contains a great number of errors and interpretations that I do not agree with, and which many others do not agree with,” she said.

Marcia Langton. Picture: Nic Walker

“His problem is that he refuses to accept any criticism of his work – not mine, nor anyone else’s; his arrogance is breathtaking. My objections are with the core of his ideas, which originate in 19th and early 20th century scientism … It is clear that he feels justified in completely ignoring all critique.”

Professor Sutton said the film, directed by Indigenous writer and director Allan Clarke, became a “sympathy drive for Pascoe”, descending into “schmaltz and bathos with violins playing in the background”.

“But it’s not the failure of the film as an attempt at documentary that most concerns me here. It’s how the film suffers terminally from an overdose of viewer-bullying from Langton,” Professor Sutton said.

An ABC spokeswoman said: “The ABC applied the documentary to legal and editorial review before it was broadcast, and is satisfied the filmmakers delivered a program that informed, educated and entertained our audience.”

Blackfella Films and Mr Clarke did not respond by deadline.