KRS4020

Theoretical perspectives in Koorie culture and history

Liz Reed

12 points - 2-3 hours per week - Second semester - Clayton

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed an understanding of the importance of Koorie/Aboriginal culture to Australian society, government and institutions; developed an awareness of the need for sensitivity in the study of Koorie/ Aboriginal histories and cultures; developed an understanding of the ways in which the structures and settings of Australian institutions have impacted upon Koorie/Aboriginal communities and the nature of the struggle against oppression fought by both individuals and groups within the Koorie/Aboriginal community.

Synopsis This subject will cover the following topics of research: the historical and anthropological comparative discourses of Koorie/Aboriginal cultures prior to colonisation; Indigenous Australians' struggles for recognition and rights; the theorectical and institutional settings and practices which have impacted upon Koorie/Aboriginal communities and the ways in which these communities have responded. A significant focus will be the contributions of Aboriginal voices to researching and understanding Aboriginal cultures and histories, as well as the contributions of various academic disciplines.

Assessment Seminar presentation (3000 words): 30% - Methodology paper - special subject (6000 words): 70%

Recommended texts

Attwood B A life together, a life apart: A history of relations between Europeans and Aborigines MUP, 1994
Berndt R and Berndt C End of an era AIAS, 1987
Brennan F Sharing the country Penguin, 1991
Coombs H C Aboriginal autonomy: Issues and strategies CUP, 1994
Fletcher C H Aboriginal self-determination in Australia Aboriginal Studies Press, 1994
Hodge B and Mishra V Dark Side of the Dream Allen and Unwin 1991
Markus A Australian race relations 1788-1993 Allen and Unwin, 1994
McGregor R Imagined destinies MUP 1997
Miller J Koorie: A will to win Angus and Robertson, 1985
Mudrooroo Us mob: History, culture, struggle Angus and Robertson, 1995
Povinelli E A Labor's lot: The power, history and culture of Australian action U Chicago P, 1993
Reynolds H With the white people: Documentation on Koorie/Aboriginal contribution to the Australian economy Penguin, 1990
Rintoul S The wailing: A national black oral history Heinemann, 1993
Swain T A place for strangers: Towards a history of Australia Aboriginal beings CUP, 1993

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