Authors' biographical notes:Chelsea is a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander health researcher and lecturer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies.Mark is a social anthropologist with extensive experience in transcultural health research and teaching. His work emphasises strengths-based, anti-oppressive approaches to health and social care.Leonie is a social anthropologist whose work examines the intersection of colonial history, policy and practice, knowledge, power, class, race relations and wellbeing. She teaches and publishes the relationship between history, culture and health embracing the philosophy of cultural safety.
AbstractBlood metaphors abound in everyday social discourse among both Aboriginal and nonAboriginal people. However, 'Aboriginal blood talk', more specifically, is located within a contradictory and contested space in terms of the meanings and values that can be attributed to it by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. In the colonial context, blood talk operated as a tool of oppression for Aboriginal people via blood quantum discourses, yet today, Aboriginal people draw upon notions of blood, namely bloodlines, in articulating their identities. This paper juxtaposes contemporary Aboriginal blood talk as expressed by Aboriginal people against colonial blood talk and critically examines the ongoing political and intellectual governance regarding the validity of this talk in articulating Aboriginalities.