Anthropology, Politics and the Changing World of Aboriginal Australians

Abstract

Essentialism has become a fundament of Aboriginal activism in modern Australia, with the result that informed, first-hand empirical observations of anthropologists who chronicle the deterioration of life in many Australian Aboriginal communities tend not to be taken seriously simply because their authors are not ethnically 'Aboriginal'. This problem has contributed to a relative absence of analysis of the economic history of Aboriginal Australians, fostering instead an approach that prioritises the political and cultural rights of indigenous people above the kinds of life-enhancing circumstances that are necessary for them to participate in the economy and create wealth. This kind of essentialism has also resulted in a disregard for the rights of indigenous people as individuals, rather than as communities seeking self-determination, especially with regard to the rights of women and children. The work of Professor Ronald M. Berndt and Dr Catherine Berndt should serve as an example for today's anthropologists in encouraging broader expert participation in debates on indigenous disadvantage, despite the threat of admonishment or criticism by Aboriginal rights activists wielding the weapon of racial priority or essentialism.

Collaborative approaches to governance for water and Indigenous peoples: A case study from British Columbia, Canada

“…Importantly, while we highlight North American examples here, concern for self-determination is also strongly evident in other jurisdictions, e.g., Australia (Langton, 2011), New Zealand (Coombes, 2003), and Taiwan (Kuan, 2009).…”

Indigenous health: Capabilities and freedom

“…Support for the Intervention was significant among Indigenous women concerned at the levels of social dysfunction reflected, not just in the sexual abuse of children, but also in the incidence of drug-and alcohol-related violence. Indeed, as Langton (2011) put it:…”

Contemporary Anthropologies of Indigenous Australia

“…In Sutton's (2009) controversial The Politics of Suffering: Indigenous Australia and the End of Liberal Consensus, anthropologists were accused of downplaying child neglect, pedophilia, alcoholism, self-harm, and violent physical abuse in their delusional upholding of the self-determination of indigenous peoples. The resulting arguments also showed a discipline unsure of its intellectual future, wrestling with fears of irrelevancy in the face of changed subjects and tainted authority (Langton 2011).…”