Early collections of Warlpiri cultural heritage and resulting community access needs in remote desert Australia. Led by Warlpiri elder, Steven Wanta Patrick, this project will assess collections of Warlpiri cultural heritage. It will address the enormous Warlpiri interest in gaining access to their cultural heritage, and using these for local initiatives that improve youth engagement with tradition, dialogues across generations and cultures, and community well-being.
The unwired horizon: clouded and mobile delivery platforms for early collections of Yolngu cultural heritage in Arnhem Land, Australia. Led by the Yolngu Elder and researcher Joseph Gumbula, this project will develop a clouded database engine and networked applications for streaming digitised heritage resources in ways appropriate for Indigenous peoples, particularly those in remote communities. Trial content will be selected from records of Gumbula's own heritage dating from 1924.
Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Education. This project investigates the prevalence of ‘deficit discourse’ and its influence on Indigenous education. Deficit discourse frames Indigenous identity in a narrative of negativity and deficiency. Recent work indicates that deficit discourse is active in policy, public debate, pedagogy and practice, and its prevalence in Indigenous education influences student performance. By mapping the discursive environment and analysing education programs that reje ....Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Education. This project investigates the prevalence of ‘deficit discourse’ and its influence on Indigenous education. Deficit discourse frames Indigenous identity in a narrative of negativity and deficiency. Recent work indicates that deficit discourse is active in policy, public debate, pedagogy and practice, and its prevalence in Indigenous education influences student performance. By mapping the discursive environment and analysing education programs that reject the deficit model, this project assesses whether its removal improves outcomes for Indigenous students. This project provides an original approach to challenge entrenched perceptions, resulting in tangible benefits for the Australian education system and the communities that it serves.Read moreRead less
Western Desert speech styles and verbal arts. Verbal arts are central to social interaction. In the Western Desert Ngaanyatjarra and Ngaatjatjarra people use special speech styles to mark particular occasions and life transitions. Led by Ngaatjatjarra linguist, researcher and educator Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis, the research team aims to build on a corpus of these endangered oral traditions. Following in-depth linguistics analysis the project aims to implement strategies to revitalise these endan ....Western Desert speech styles and verbal arts. Verbal arts are central to social interaction. In the Western Desert Ngaanyatjarra and Ngaatjatjarra people use special speech styles to mark particular occasions and life transitions. Led by Ngaatjatjarra linguist, researcher and educator Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis, the research team aims to build on a corpus of these endangered oral traditions. Following in-depth linguistics analysis the project aims to implement strategies to revitalise these endangered styles through dynamic contemporary applications thus reintegrating them into the language socialisation framework of youth. The project aims to assist Aboriginal people to safeguard their heritage and contribute to a wider public appreciation of Aboriginal languages and cultures.Read moreRead less
Social capital and the academic success of indigenous students. This project aims to generate new knowledge about high-achieving Indigenous students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This longitudinal study will provide evidence on success factors that are most effective in improving academic achievement and experience of Indigenous students, and inform government and Aboriginal communities in developing evidence-based policy and practice. The project is expected to provide a unique opportunit ....Social capital and the academic success of indigenous students. This project aims to generate new knowledge about high-achieving Indigenous students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This longitudinal study will provide evidence on success factors that are most effective in improving academic achievement and experience of Indigenous students, and inform government and Aboriginal communities in developing evidence-based policy and practice. The project is expected to provide a unique opportunity to unveil how Indigenous students’ network characteristics formed in family, school, and community interplay with their psychological constructs in shaping their academic success longitudinally. The project will also represent a significant advancement in the global research field of Indigenous education.Read moreRead less
The David Unaipon Award: Shaping the literary and cultural history of Aboriginal writing in Australia. The David Unaipon Award has fostered a rich lode of Aboriginal writing and is a vital site for the study of Aboriginal literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This project uses the Award to critically analyse Aboriginal writing and cultural expression in the historical and political context of post-bicentenary Australia. In 2014 the award reaches its 25th year. Now is the time t ....The David Unaipon Award: Shaping the literary and cultural history of Aboriginal writing in Australia. The David Unaipon Award has fostered a rich lode of Aboriginal writing and is a vital site for the study of Aboriginal literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This project uses the Award to critically analyse Aboriginal writing and cultural expression in the historical and political context of post-bicentenary Australia. In 2014 the award reaches its 25th year. Now is the time to review and explore the established canon of Aboriginal literature. The book produced from this project will model an historically broader, more nuanced and culturally sensitive paradigm for reading, reviewing, engaging with and teaching Aboriginal literature in the twenty-first century.Read moreRead less
Reading the Nation: A critical study of Aboriginal/settler representations in the contemporary Australian literary landscape. This project will map literary representations of Aboriginal Australians by non-Aboriginal authors in the post-Mabo period, and the reciprocal representations by Aboriginal Australians. This is a study of the politics of representation that play out between Aboriginal and white Australians in the contemporary literary landscape.
Indigenous young people's resilience and wellbeing. This project aims to identify factors related to, and those which predict, the development of resilience and wellbeing in Indigenous youth. Resilience protects the social and emotional wellbeing of youth exposed to high levels of adversity, and reduces the likelihood of substance misuse, violence, and risky behaviour. This project will examine the development of resilience and wellbeing in Indigenous youth; compare Indigenous youth’s self-asses ....Indigenous young people's resilience and wellbeing. This project aims to identify factors related to, and those which predict, the development of resilience and wellbeing in Indigenous youth. Resilience protects the social and emotional wellbeing of youth exposed to high levels of adversity, and reduces the likelihood of substance misuse, violence, and risky behaviour. This project will examine the development of resilience and wellbeing in Indigenous youth; compare Indigenous youth’s self-assessment of their resilience and wellbeing between low and high risk cohorts; and study how community services develop youth wellbeing and resilience. The expected benefit of this research is a better understanding of connections among age, cultural identity, resilience, wellbeing and risky behaviours in Indigenous youth.Read moreRead less