Contexts of Collection- a dialogic approach to understanding the making of the material record of Yolngu cultures. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made acc ....Contexts of Collection- a dialogic approach to understanding the making of the material record of Yolngu cultures. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made accessible to a wide range of different users. It will help people understand the complex historical processes that have resulted in the present museum and archival record and facilitate their use.Read moreRead less
Australian news media and Indigenous policymaking 1988-2008. Our research will enhance both journalistic and policymaking practice by providing comprehensive, contemporary data about the relationships between journalism practices and Indigenous policymaking processes. We will examine media texts, policy documents, public statements and journalists' and policymakers' local knowledge. The ways in which Indigenous issues are discussed through the public media have concrete policy outcomes that impa ....Australian news media and Indigenous policymaking 1988-2008. Our research will enhance both journalistic and policymaking practice by providing comprehensive, contemporary data about the relationships between journalism practices and Indigenous policymaking processes. We will examine media texts, policy documents, public statements and journalists' and policymakers' local knowledge. The ways in which Indigenous issues are discussed through the public media have concrete policy outcomes that impact on the lives of Indigenous Australians, on the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and ultimately on Australia as a nation. As such, the research falls within theNational Research Priority area of maintaining good health, by aiming to strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
Unsettling Histories: Australian Indigenous Modes of Historical Practice. This investigation of indigenous Australian historical practices seeks to find fresh perspectives and constructive methods of collaboration and historical innovation. By extending Nabokov's work on American Indian ?ways of history?, this trans-national project explores multi-dimensional and -sensory modes of historical delivery. These include visual, musical, material culture, museum and 'traveling through country' mediums ....Unsettling Histories: Australian Indigenous Modes of Historical Practice. This investigation of indigenous Australian historical practices seeks to find fresh perspectives and constructive methods of collaboration and historical innovation. By extending Nabokov's work on American Indian ?ways of history?, this trans-national project explores multi-dimensional and -sensory modes of historical delivery. These include visual, musical, material culture, museum and 'traveling through country' mediums. Outcomes include a major book, exhibition briefs and collections papers, significant historical exchange meetings, content for a television series and website. Collaborative research between academic and community-based experts and performers will provide new understandings of indigenous history and signal future directions for rethinking historical practices.Read moreRead less
Authenticity: Globalisation and Indigenous Culture. Who speaks for the Fourth World? Why is there an obsession with 'authenticity' whenever Indigenous people are being discussed? This study explores those questions by examining a combination of sources, ranging from international museum collections to the advertising campaigns of multinational companies; from literature to the cultural festivals of the Olympic Games. The research is original, comparative, empirical. It explores the intersectio ....Authenticity: Globalisation and Indigenous Culture. Who speaks for the Fourth World? Why is there an obsession with 'authenticity' whenever Indigenous people are being discussed? This study explores those questions by examining a combination of sources, ranging from international museum collections to the advertising campaigns of multinational companies; from literature to the cultural festivals of the Olympic Games. The research is original, comparative, empirical. It explores the intersections between postcolonial and cultural studies to speak -- not for Indigenous peoples -- but to the non-Indigenous representation of First Nations. Why? Because this provides key insights into the future of race relations in western democracies.Read moreRead less
Aboriginal song cycles from the Simpson Desert and the Cooper: an integrated linguistic and musicological study. The project will produce a detailed linguistic analysis of four previously undocumented Wangkangurru song cycles from the Simpson Desert, recorded by the applicant in the nineteen sixties, including a study of the singer's comments on esoteric meanings. It also involves similar work with the Nguninta ?travelling ceremony? from the upper Cooper. Integrated with this will be an ethno-m ....Aboriginal song cycles from the Simpson Desert and the Cooper: an integrated linguistic and musicological study. The project will produce a detailed linguistic analysis of four previously undocumented Wangkangurru song cycles from the Simpson Desert, recorded by the applicant in the nineteen sixties, including a study of the singer's comments on esoteric meanings. It also involves similar work with the Nguninta ?travelling ceremony? from the upper Cooper. Integrated with this will be an ethno-musicological study aimed particularly at showing the distribution of song-styles and the way songs were transmitted.Read moreRead less
The Queen gave us the land: Aboriginal people's histories and memories of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria was an important figure for Aboriginal people during her reign from 1837 to 1901 and became a powerful symbol in their oral traditions. By examining these histories and memories, the study illuminates Aboriginal people's changing ideas about and relationship to the British Crown.
Intercultural inquiry in a trans-national context: Exploring the legacy of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. In terms of National Research Priorities, the project will encourage cultural health and cohesiveness in Arnhem Land by providing access to cultural property held until now in remote archives. It will enhance understanding of our region and the world by studying cross-cultural interactions within Australia. Furthermore, it will illuminate how Aboriginal te ....Intercultural inquiry in a trans-national context: Exploring the legacy of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. In terms of National Research Priorities, the project will encourage cultural health and cohesiveness in Arnhem Land by providing access to cultural property held until now in remote archives. It will enhance understanding of our region and the world by studying cross-cultural interactions within Australia. Furthermore, it will illuminate how Aboriginal territory and knowledge were used to shore up the Australia-US relationship at a formative historical moment.Read moreRead less
The politics of Indigenous enumeration in Australia, Canada and New Zealand - a history. The recent 'History Wars' demonstrated that how we tell our national story is more than an 'academic' issue. Settler-colonial nations, whether they enjoy it or not, are bound to ponder and to debate the histories of the relationships between colonisers and colonised. By being comparative, the project will enable Australians to consider what is common and what is unique in the Australian story. By highlightin ....The politics of Indigenous enumeration in Australia, Canada and New Zealand - a history. The recent 'History Wars' demonstrated that how we tell our national story is more than an 'academic' issue. Settler-colonial nations, whether they enjoy it or not, are bound to ponder and to debate the histories of the relationships between colonisers and colonised. By being comparative, the project will enable Australians to consider what is common and what is unique in the Australian story. By highlighting social science and social policy, the project will give interested Australians a context for their recent discussions about what policy (if any) should succeed 'self-determination'. Read moreRead less
The subject of the state? Changing relations between government and Indigenous North Queenslanders. This project will provide a detailed analysis of the relationship between the state and Indigenous Australians in three north Queensland townships. This research is directly relevant to Indigenous social policy at a time when innovative solutions to chronic Indigenous disadvantage are being sought. The project will provide empirical data on the effectiveness of projects promoting practical reconci ....The subject of the state? Changing relations between government and Indigenous North Queenslanders. This project will provide a detailed analysis of the relationship between the state and Indigenous Australians in three north Queensland townships. This research is directly relevant to Indigenous social policy at a time when innovative solutions to chronic Indigenous disadvantage are being sought. The project will provide empirical data on the effectiveness of projects promoting practical reconciliation and mutual responsibility through increased intervention in Indigenous lives. As well as providing input to policy debates at the State and Federal level, the project aims to inform Indigenous community organizations and local Indigenous groups about current changes resulting from a new Indigenous policy environment.Read moreRead less
Don Dunstan and political and social reform in Australia. Don Dunstan, Premier of South Australia in 1967-68 and 1970-79, was an extraordinarily influential politician whose sweeping reforms led the way nationally and internationally in areas ranging from constitutional reform, Aboriginal land rights, equal opportunities, decriminalisation of homosexuality and civil liberties to urban planning, the arts and food culture. This project will produce the first full-length, comprehensive biography of ....Don Dunstan and political and social reform in Australia. Don Dunstan, Premier of South Australia in 1967-68 and 1970-79, was an extraordinarily influential politician whose sweeping reforms led the way nationally and internationally in areas ranging from constitutional reform, Aboriginal land rights, equal opportunities, decriminalisation of homosexuality and civil liberties to urban planning, the arts and food culture. This project will produce the first full-length, comprehensive biography of Dunstan. It will also use Dunstan’s political and cultural transformation of South Australia to examine the wider dynamics of reform in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, to understand how and why such change occurred at both state and national levels.Read moreRead less