Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Since the 1970’s, there has been a growing impetus in Australian education to include Aboriginal issues across the full range of educational settings, from pre-school to tertiary levels. In practice, the provision of an Aboriginal perspective has often lead to socio-cultural constructions of Aboriginal people that tend to reflect, rather than contest, hegemonic understandings of Aboriginal people and culture. In doing this some fundamental misconceptions are continuing to have currency within mainstream Australia, becoming more entrenched due to the ascribed legitimacy of the educational institutions. The discipline of sociology has recently self-identified an absence in its scholarship related to provision of comment on Aboriginal issues. The challenge for the future is to find meaningful alternatives that allow for the diversity of Aboriginal cultures and histories to be interpreted through a multiplicity of cultural subjectivities. Given the diversity of both Aboriginal cultures and the student cohorts examining them, an essentialising curriculum based on the inclusion of Aboriginal content is ultimately unhelpful. Rather, the development of critical pedagogies actively seeking a localised praxis is of far greater utility. This thesis considers the author’s pedagogical approach to teaching Aboriginal perspectives within the mainstream discipline of sociology at a regional university in New South Wales, Australia. Methodologically, the thesis is framed on a syncretic model between the Western mode of auto-ethnography and the Indigenous narrative tribalography. It includes a deeply reflexive component that aims to illustrate the way the Aboriginal lived experience can inform teaching, as well as a more standard textual engagement with academic literature and debate. Specific focus will be applied to consideration of The Dreaming as a foundational Aboriginal philosophy.

The settlement of the Nunavut land claim in 1993 followed closely by the enactment of the Nunavut territorial legislation in 1999 were significant historical events for all aboriginal peoples in Canada. The newly formed public government made a commitment to have Inuit traditional knowledge, language, and culture as the foundation of "all we do". This commitment provides the starting point for the present study, which explores how the role of Inuit language and culture is constructed within the curricula and practices of Nunavut schooling. / Data were generated from dialogue with Nunavut teachers and with authors of the Inuuqatigiit curriculum. In order to interpret the interview texts, a discourse analysis was undertaken using James Gee's ideas of situated meanings, cultural models, and discourses at work within them in relation to the Nunavut schooling context. This analysis was informed by a critical review of government and academic texts related to northern education policy. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Masters Research - Master of Social Science / I identify as Koori and belong to the Worimi and Bundjalung peoples of N.S.W. I grew up in the inner city suburb of Waterloo and spent school holidays at Port Stephens with my Grandparents who informed me of the world, the ways of the ‘Old People’ and our link with them. I also developed links to my Father’s north coast country and to a pan-Aboriginal community in Sydney. At a meeting at the Aborigines Progressive Association I met Wayne and we have been married for 41 years. We have one daughter Kathleen and we are enjoying a ‘second parenthood’ with grandchildren Phoebe, Andrew and Harrie. Through my writing I hope to contribute to overturn the myths, which continue to oppress my people. This thesis uses the method of tribalography developed by Choctaw author LeAnne Howe (2002) to contextualise my life experience and research journey as part of the broader Indigenous encounter with modernity. In reviewing the literature relevant to this area I expand on the concept of tribalography to make this a foundational philosophy in approaching Aboriginal women’s autobiography. As such the three key works cited are part of my extended kinship network. I also engage with the debate on the differences between Western and Indigenous knowledges and a general historical overview of colonial and twentieth century attitudes and policies towards Aboriginal peoples to provide the external context of the life histories discussed. Methodologically, I use different voices, from a naturalistic representation of oral history to a literature-based analysis of theory and historical events. This includes an analysis of the family photographs for their value in oral history and ethnographic insight. I also use other forms of primary source material such as newsletters from the organisations that I was involved in during the 1960’s and the Dawn magazine, which was the official newsletter for the Aborigines Welfare Board. I also include collaboratively written work with my daughter that exemplifies the multi-generational continuance of tribalography.

Masters Research - Master of Social Science / I identify as Koori and belong to the Worimi and Bundjalung peoples of N.S.W. I grew up in the inner city suburb of Waterloo and spent school holidays at Port Stephens with my Grandparents who informed me of the world, the ways of the ‘Old People’ and our link with them. I also developed links to my Father’s north coast country and to a pan-Aboriginal community in Sydney. At a meeting at the Aborigines Progressive Association I met Wayne and we have been married for 41 years. We have one daughter Kathleen and we are enjoying a ‘second parenthood’ with grandchildren Phoebe, Andrew and Harrie. Through my writing I hope to contribute to overturn the myths, which continue to oppress my people. This thesis uses the method of tribalography developed by Choctaw author LeAnne Howe (2002) to contextualise my life experience and research journey as part of the broader Indigenous encounter with modernity. In reviewing the literature relevant to this area I expand on the concept of tribalography to make this a foundational philosophy in approaching Aboriginal women’s autobiography. As such the three key works cited are part of my extended kinship network. I also engage with the debate on the differences between Western and Indigenous knowledges and a general historical overview of colonial and twentieth century attitudes and policies towards Aboriginal peoples to provide the external context of the life histories discussed. Methodologically, I use different voices, from a naturalistic representation of oral history to a literature-based analysis of theory and historical events. This includes an analysis of the family photographs for their value in oral history and ethnographic insight. I also use other forms of primary source material such as newsletters from the organisations that I was involved in during the 1960’s and the Dawn magazine, which was the official newsletter for the Aborigines Welfare Board. I also include collaboratively written work with my daughter that exemplifies the multi-generational continuance of tribalography.

Sustainable development is becoming institutionalised across culture and geography as a framework in which to address ecological and social crises that are increasingly apparent and manifesting in diverse ways across local spaces. It is however, dominated by binary thought which is uncomfortable with ambivalence and seperates self from nature and ‘the other’ of Indigenous people. Indigenous people are beginning to use the discourse of sustainable development but approach this from relational and holistic perspectives. The negotiation of representational structures and responsibility for implementating strategies towards sustainable development must account for these cultural differences and will require dialogue. This thesis explores how institutional practice and discourse frames Indigenous representation and responsibility and how this either enables or disenables dialogue with Indigenous people. A case study approach informed the research, and included two consultancy participatory projects in 2001-2004. The case study was located in the Western Desert of Western Australia and involved the Martu people in addition to people working within institutional structures. The first project required extending community development strategies and strengthening Martu representation to take responsibility for a housing development. The second project, titled Dialogue with the Pilbara: Newman Tommorrow, involved encouraging Martu representation in a process based upon deliberative democracy. Reflections from the fieldwork form a considerable part of the analysis. The research also included analysis of a number of interviews with local institutional actors in Newman. Two major themes are outlined: power and representation; and culture. The research is reflexive and involves the use of an autoethnographic story technique which enables a better understanding of the researcher’s implicit and changing perspectives. The lessons that emerged from the reflections from the case study are insightful for sustainable development. The thesis involves two layers (and is structured accordingly): the first relates to a case study and the second to the theory and practice of sustainable development. The concluding section combines these two layers and emphasises the need for greater attention to Indigenous participation and autonomy in order to achieve Indigenous sustainable development. This thesis argues that diverse and hybrid Indigenous voices require considerable amplification within the discourse of sustainable development in order to provide relational and holistic perspectives. Particular focus is required upon the negotiation of representative structures to allow for Indigenous voices to be heard, and thus permit for the negotiation of responsibility across culture (an important consideration of sustainable development). This requires ongoing dialogue, creativity and reflexivity in context.

The Northbridge curfew is one of the stand-out success stories of Western Australia’s Labor Government. Introduced in June 2003 in an alleged bid to make the streets safer, the Northbridge curfew has enjoyed overwhelming popular support and consistently high recognition in public opinion polls. This is despite the fact that the curfew bypasses those known to be responsible for most of the crime in the precinct (white males aged 18 to 35 years), targeting instead young people aged under 18 and affecting indigenous girls in particular. The curfew did not introduce any legislative changes (the police already had the powers under the Child Welfare Act 1947 to apprehend young people); neither did it allocate any additional resources to the organisations working with young people in Northbridge. Yet the coverage of the curfew in the WA press implied that indigenous youth presented a serious problem in Perth’s premier entertainment district and that the State Government was doing something about it. This thesis uses a framing analysis of the press coverage of the Northbridge curfew as well as interviews with the relevant journalists and government media advisers to demonstrate how news values, work routines and political imperatives encouraged the WA press and State Government to work together in creating a 'fable' about Northbridge that criminalised indigenous youth. I argue that the story of the Northbridge curfew, like the 'Emperor's new clothes’, presents a deliberate distortion of reality and that the various stages of its development illuminate the processes by which media and government can collaborate to manipulate public opinion. I draw on my research findings to present recommendations designed, first, to encourage media professionals to develop a range of sources beyond government and, second, to draw the attention of the State Government to the broader ramifications of the Northbridge curfew story for all members of the Western Australian community.

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1990. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 287-295).

Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, Wheaton, IL, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Sydney, 1952. / Includes bibliographies.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Western Hemisphere)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Jaskoski, Maiah ; Second Reader: Trinkunas, Harold A. "June 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 13, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Bolivia, Ecuador, indigenous, hydrocarbon, mobilization Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-99).