2016 NIRAKN NEWSLETTER

2016 NIRAKN NEWSLETTER From The Director 2017 NIRAKN Key Dates: February 6-10 Level A Workshop April 28 Undergraduate Essay Prize Closing Date June 4-8 Critical Race Studies and Indigenous Studies Conference July 17-21 NIRAKN Mid-Year Program July 31 NIRAKN Seminar Series September 7 Research Methodologies Workshop October 9-10 Critical Reading Group October 23 NIRAKN Seminar Series

Welcome to the second edition of the NIRAKN newsletter for 2016. The festive season is well and truly upon us and now is the perfect time to reflect on and celebrate the achievements, learnings and partnerships of the network over the past six months. The second half of this year began with the week-long Research Capacity Building program on the Gold Coast, where new and familiar faces formed a collegial gathering of Postgraduate students and NIRAKN members from around Australia. Node leader Associate Professor Mark McMillan was acting Director and oversaw the delivery of the program. My appreciation is extended to him for an excellent delivery of the program.

Inside this Issue Capacity Building

Dear NIRAKN Members and Friends,

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News Desk 3 Research Hero

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IJCIS Call For Papers

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Contact Us 9

With the arrival of October came our Critical Reading Group and the highest attendance of Indigenous postgraduates for 2016. The cohort critically examined the works of Professor Chris Andersen (Canada), Professor Brendan Hokuwhitu (Aotearoa - NZ) and Associate Professor Hokulani Aikau (Hawaii). This and other activities would not have been possible without the diligent and tireless work of the NIRAKN Hub Staff. Their efforts were recently recognised and rewarded by the Queensland University of Technology’s Vice-Chancellor’s Performance Award – a testament to the hard work of the NIRAKN Hub. Looking beyond 2016, I return with a renewed sense of purpose as NIRAKN continues in 2017. On this note, I wish you, your families and communities a happy and safe festive season. Sincerely,

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson NIRAKN Director

December 2016 Volume 4 Edition 2

2016 Capacity Building NIRAKN Mid-Year Program and Undergraduate Essay Prize Winners

From left to right: Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQU), Professor Peter Radoll (University of Canberra), Associate Professor Simone Tur (Flinders University), Professor Dawn Bessarab (University of Western Australia), Dr. Mick Adams (Edith Cowan University), Professor John Maynard (University of Newcastle), Associate Professor Roxanne Bainbridge (James Cook University), Associate Professor Karen Martin (Griffith University), Dr.Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews (UTS) and Associate Professor Mark McMillan (University of Melbourne).

The Mid-Year Research Capacity Building program holds the title as NIRAKN’s biggest event on the annual calendar. More than fifty Indigenous academics, postgraduates and NIRAKN members gathered at the Hilton Surfers Paradise in July for a productive week of learning, critical engagement and networking. The program included an impressive collection of presentations by Associate Professor Gary Thomas (QUT), Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQU), Associate Professor Simone Tur, Natalie Harkin, Faye Blanch and Ali Baker (Flinders University), Associate Professor Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews (UTS), Professor Dawn Bessarab (University of Western Australia), Professor John Maynard (University of Newcastle), Associate Professor Roxanne Bainbridge (James Cook University), Dr Marcus Waters (Griffith University), Liz Minchin (The Conversation), Rose Trapnell (QUT), Terri Janke (Terri Janke and Company) and Belinda Richardson. This wealth of academic and professional experience served to raise awareness and understanding in the following areas: Research ethics and integrity, project methodology, yarning as a methodology, ARC grant applications and proposals, academic progression, media and public relations, and understanding copyright and intellectual property. In celebrating academic excellence, acting NIRAKN Director Associate Professor Mark McMillan and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks awarded the 2016 winners of the NIRAKN Undergraduate Essay Prize competition to Ms Davina Lucas (Queensland University of Technology) and Mr Alexander Garay (University of Melbourne). NIRAKN would further like to acknowledge Associate Professor Mark McMillan who, together with the NIRAKN Hub staff, successfully oversaw the delivery of the mid-year program.

Critical Reading Group Taking place in the refurbished QUT Indigenous Research and Engagement Unit (IREU), Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson and Dr David Singh hosted one of the largest postgraduate cohorts seen for a Critical Reading Group. This year’s group focused on the text Critical Indigenous Studies: Engagements in First World Locations edited by Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (UP Arizona). In discussing the contributions from a number of highly regarded international Indigenous scholars, the group were introduced to a range of critical reading techniques that will assist with their higher degree research projects. It is always rewarding to see postgraduates attending an advanced level workshop after first meeting them at introductory level workshops near the start of the year. We hope to continue to assist postgraduates on their academic journeys in 2017 and look forward to seeing new and familiar faces at next year’s workshops.

From left to right: Associate Professor Mark McMillan (University of Melbourne), Ms. Davina Lucas (QUT), Mr. Alexander Garay (University of Melbourne) and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQU). Photo Courtesy of Professor Bronwyn Fredericks.

Seminar Series Continuing NIRAKN’s Seminar Series for 2016, QUT hosted Associate Professor Maryrose Casey (Monash University) in December for her presentation on Indigenous performance. Entitled “Ebb and flow of performances of colonisation and resistance”, Associate Professor Casey described how 19th century Aboriginal performance, from solo parodies to scripted satires of colonial violence, worked to disrupt the colonising impulses of the European settler.

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News Desk International Engagements - New Zealand The month of October started with a gathering of international Indigenous professors in New Zealand. Distinguished Professor Graham Smith (Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi), Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (University of Waikato), Professor Brendan Hokowhitu (University of Waikato), Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (Queensland University of Technology) and Professor Steve Larkin (PVC University of Newcastle) gathered at various points to discuss key issues associated with Indigenous higher education and research. Highlights of the week included the launch of Critical Indigenous Studies: Engagements in First World Locations (UP Arizona); a public lecture entitled “Aboriginal Sovereignty, Foucault, and the Limits of Power” delivered by Distinguished Professor Moreton-Robinson; an Academic Leaders panel discussion on “Navigating the Academy” at the University of Waikato; and a HDR Masterclass at the Te Toi Tauira mo te Matariki Conference, held at the Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi. This gathering is expected to bring about exciting collaborations between Australia and New Zealand for 2017 and beyond. From left to right: Professor Steve Larkin (University of Newcastle), Professor Brendan Hokowhitu (University of Waikato), Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (University of Waikato), Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (QUT) and Distinguished Professor Graham Smith (Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi).

International Engagements - American Studies Association

From left to right: Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (QUT), Professor George Lipsitz (University of California Santa Barbara), Associate Professor Audra Simpson (University of Columbia), Professor David Roediger (University of Kansas) and Professor Cheryl Harris (University of California Los Angeles).

In November Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson attended the American Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. There she was invited to respond to a panel discussion which focused on the significance of her book, The White Possessive: Property, Power and Indigenous Sovereignty (UP Minnesota). The panel was comprised of leading scholars in the areas of Whiteness Studies and Critical Race Theory, and included Professor Cheryl Harris (University of California Los Angeles), Professor David Roediger (University of Kansas), Professor George Lipsitz (University of California Santa Barbara) and Associate Professor Audra Simpson (Columbia University). To an audience of standing room only, each panel member offered their critical reflections on the scholarship of Moreton-Robinson in relation to their own, and on her significant contribution to the field of Whiteness Studies and Critical Race Theory.

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News Desk Congratulations to Australian Research Council Grant Recipients Congratulations to the recent Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant and ARC Indigenous Discovery Grant recipients: Dr Linda Ford’s Discovery Indigenous Grant aims to examine the nature of Aboriginal or Yolngu cosmology and its meaning for and effect on public policy for women and gender. The project will identify the Djurrwirr Yalu guiding principles used to enhance the levels of governance and other systems applied to their community, culture, traditional ecological environmental knowledge and skill sets. Dr Shino Konishi’s Discovery Indigenous Grant will research Indigenous biography through collaboration between Indigenous researchers and the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB). This project draws upon the issue of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being significantly underrepresented in the ADB. The project aims to produce the Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography, which will act as a supplementary volume of the ABD on 190 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney is another noteworthy winner of an ARC Discovery Indigenous Grant. His project will examine how teachers in mainstream middle classrooms can teach young Australians in a culturally sensitive way. The project aims to develop an Australian theory for culturally responsive pedagogy that draws on International and Australian Indigenous Studies, pedagogy studies, and empirical work in schools. Final congratulations goes to NIRAKN Director Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson and Associate Professor Maryrose Casey on their winning Discovery Project examining how Aboriginal women resisted and negotiated colonisation through the everyday and public performances of Quandamooka women on their own lands, Moreton Bay, Queensland.

Congratulations to Yumalundi Fellowship Recipients The Yumalundi Fellowship Program was launched at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in 2016. The Fellowships support researchers to visit AIATSIS to conduct projects that build knowledge and understanding of the Institute’s collection. Congratulations to Professor Len Collard (University of Western Australia) and Mr Stephen Kinnane (University of Notre Dame) for their successful applications. Professor Collard’s project “Nyungar Placenames in Southwestern Australia” will study Nyungar place names, language and culture to bring to light information on boodjar (country), moort (kinship) and katitjin (knowledge) in an accessible format. Mr Kinnane’s project will explore Indigenous Biography and identify the disjuncture between the rise of Indigenous biography nationally and internationally, and the lack of institutional engagement by national biographical projects. More information on these projects and AIATSIS can be found here.

Atlantic Philanthropies Initiative Launch During October, Distinguished Professor Moreton-Robinson attended the launch of a collaborative new initiative designed to improve social equity, with a strong focus on enhancing Indigenous leadership. Launched at Parliament House by the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP and convened by the University of Melbourne, the program aims to build the capacity of the next generation of social change leaders by harnessing the network of influential domestic and international partnerships.

From left to right: The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP, Glyn Davis (VC, University of Melbourne), Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (QUT) and Dr. Jackie Huggins (Co-chair of Congress). Photo courtesy of University of Melbourne.

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News Desk YURAKI Node Professor John Maynard (University of Newcastle) spoke at Harvard University on three separate panels for the Australia’s Deep Human Past in the Context of Global History Forum during September. Professor Maynard further delivered a keynote address at the Maori Association of Social Science in Wellington and was jointly awarded the University of Newcastle Alumni Indigenous Award with Dr Mark Wenitong. The new book entitled Living with the Locals (National Library of Australia) authored by Professor John Maynard and Professor Victoria Haskin was launched by Professor Larissa Behrendt at the National Library of Australia in Canberra during November. From left to right: Professor John Maynard (University of Newcastle), Professor Steve Larkin (PVC, University of Newcastle) and Dr. Mark Wenitong. Photo courtesy of Professor John Maynard.

Ms Marlene Thompson is currently residing as a Visiting Scholar at Purdue University in West Lafayette, United States. Supported by NIRAKN through the International Travel Bursary scheme and the Wollotuka’s Internal Research Scheme, Ms Thompson travelled to Hawaii to build an understanding of the impact of trauma and violence from homelessness; the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis which depicted the impact of colonisation on Native American communities, and the “We Still Rise” exhibition at the Charles Wright Museum, Detroit. Her time at Purdue University has allowed her to establish research networks and gain new understandings and knowledge through participation and liaison with leading scholars in African American studies.

Marlene Thompson (center-left) with staff and students of the Native American Education and Cultural Centre, Purdue University, Indiana. Photo courtesy of Marlene Thompson.

Health Node

NATSIHEC Accelerating Indigenous Higher Education National Roundtable

Associate Professor Roxanne Bainbridge (James Cook University) was presented with the 2016 National Emerging Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Researcher Award at the Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference.

The NIRAKN Director attended the National Aboriginal

Ms Clair Andersen (University of Tasmania) of the Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching received the 2016 University of Tasmania Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. Led by Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQU), the NIRAKN funded Youth Health and Wellbeing Project with the Woorabinda Aboriginal Community has been progressing well with data collection and preliminary feedback to the community completed. Look for the report and publications in 2017.

and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC) “Accelerating Indigenous Higher Education National Roundtable” in Adelaide during October. Comprised

of

representatives

from

Government,

universities and industry, the forum worked to determine the most effective reform strategies across three priority areas:

Indigenous student participation and outcomes

in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM); the number and capacity of the Indigenous academic workforce; and whole-of-opportunity approaches to improving Indigenous higher education outcomes.

From left to right: Professor Bronwyn Fredericks (CQU), Susan Kinnear (CQU) and Carolyn Daniels (CQU). Photo courtesy of Professor Bronwyn Fredericks.

The roundtable built upon the latest evidence in determining the measurable actions to advance national policy and funding in these priority areas.

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NIRAKN Research Heroes Each NIRAKN newsletter profiles Indigenous academics who attribute their path to success to working as a collective with communities, keeping connected to country and driving a national Indigenous led research agenda. In this edition we interview Professor Kim Scott, Professor of Writing at Curtin University.

Professor Kim Scott is the Professor of Writing in the School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts at Curtin University. Known for his work on Nyungar culture, he is a recipient of the Miles Franklin Award and was the Western Australian of the Year for 2012.

1. Where is your traditional country and what do you love most about it? Noongar country – south-west Western Australia. That said, my specific traditional country is the south-east coastal strip from around Gairdner River to Cape Arid. The Horton language map labels it Koreng/Wudjari, but my cultural elders prefer to nurture an oral tradition and use the term Wirlomin Noongar. What I love most about it is the opportunity to trace the paths of ancestors, to hone and nurture the sinews and energy of a long human presence and to resonate with an ancient language that belongs here and nowhere else. I love the distinctiveness and diversity of the natural environment, its resilience despite over-clearing, the rivers and springs that well in the dunes, the arcs of white sand slung between granite headlands, the razor-edges of shifting sand dunes, the granite ‘islands’ scattered in the sand-plains, the banksia rattling in the wind, the ngaama holes and lizard traps, the strips of bark peeling from tree limbs, and – if I may put it this way – how it opens up and offers spiritual sustenance as we – a small home community of descendants - strengthen our reconnection after a most-hostile history. 2. In your capacity as an Indigenous Academic, what are your areas of expertise? How important is this work for Indigenous people? Frankly, I’m more conscious of my inadequacies than my expertise, and that I’m something of an academic interloper. My expertise is, I think, creative practice, which may only mean a readiness to risk failure in developing narratives and possibilities from ancient and sometimes neglected sources, and from the deconstruction of more readily available mainstream material. I try to develop alternatives to adversarial discourses, and to operate with a dual focus; on the one hand engaging with an English-speaking literary tradition, and at the same time attempting to consolidate a regional story and language heritage in its home community, and helping that home community control, enhance and share its heritage in widening circles and in ways that empower its members.

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NIRAKN Research Heroes I think regional Indigenous cultures are the primary source for healing the damage of colonisation and for altering power relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. We need to invest in and enhance that cultural capital. It is not for me to say how important this is to Indigenous people. I trust it is. 3. Your research contributes significantly to a number of academies and universities across Australia. What are some of your recent highlights? A recent highlight was the opportunity to begin working with the University of Sydney’s ex-pat Noongar Dr Clint Bracknell on ‘mobilising song archives’ to nourish Noongar language in its home community – although, in the short term, that is likely to be more of a contribution to community rather than the academy. The ‘Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project’ (www.wirlomin.com.au) remains a personal highlight, although it began, and has now continued for a decade, mostly independent of the academy. Another area of interest has been engaging with the development of a ‘Noongar wikipedia’ (with UWA’s Len Collard and Jennifer Buchanan, Curtin University’s Ingrid Cumming, John Hartley and the late Nyall Lucy, with crucial assistance from the University of Sydney’s Clint Bracknell) and the necessary negotiation of a nexus between a global digital platform and a very regional, precious and arguably endangered, cultural heritage. A further highlight was collaborating with a small group of people to reunite an archival creation story with its landscape, and to begin developing a program to further consolidate that knowledge in a growing circle of people connected to that country. 4. What vision do you have for Indigenous academia in Australia? How do you see the future? I would like to see us modelling and leading new and sometimes ‘hybrid’ forms of scholarship and cultural expression, derived from regional Indigenous heritages, from collective acts of decolonisation, and from a rigorous pride in challenging the academy on its own terms, while providing a critique of its limitations. I hope we can resist the encouragement to all-too conveniently package ‘Indigenous knowledges’ for the benefit of mainstream academic institutions and audiences, and to instead engender respect for the diversity, complexities and nuances of Indigenous worldviews that can contain ‘western’ intellectual approaches within their repertoire of intellectual and spiritual enquiry, and to thus ‘indigenise’ those very same tools. 5. What message would you like to express to the future generations of Indigenous academics? Be wary of bullshit and bluster. Be rigorous and joyful. Trust your ancestors to guide you. Strategic thinking is valuable and wise, but sincere risk, play and improvisation are also important. Be supportive, and independent. Be brave enough to take responsibility. Listen carefully. Be.

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Indigenous peoples from around the world share common experiences of colonisation and have been involved in the struggle for self-determination at the global level. Our collective politics have been shaped by our intellectual traditions which inform our work within the academy. The International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies (IJCIS) offers a virtual intellectual space for the dissemination of international scholarship from scholars across disciplines that include the Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Law and Education in the field of Indigenous Studies. As Critical Indigenous studies is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field we are seeking articles, review essays and book reviews from a variety of disciplines related to but not exclusive of the following topics: • Indigenous sovereignty and colonisation

• Indigenous science

• Indigenous people and the environment

• Indigenous economies

• Indigenous politics and rights

• Indigenous literature

• Indigenous people and the law

• Indigenous pedagogy and education

• Indigenous people and racism

• Indigenous health

• Indigenous people and new

• Indigenous feminisms

technologies

• Indigenous queer politics and theory

• Indigenous visual art and performance

• Indigenous critical theory

• Indigenous people and media

• Indigenous history

• Indigenous methodologies and research

• Indigenous identity

• Indigenous cultures, heritage and

• Indigenous philosophy

repatriation

• Indigenous film making

As a refereed journal with distinguished scholars across a range of disciplines on the editorial board, the quality of accepted submissions will be of the highest standard. The journal offers scope for critical international engagement and debate by bringing together emergent and ground breaking research in the field of Critical Indigenous studies from around the globe. Please view the submission guidelines at: http://www.isrn.qut.edu.au/publications/internationaljournal/styleguide.jsp

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Attention NIRAKN Members: Please remember to log onto the members only section of the NIRAKN website and gain access to meeting papers, Node research projects, participate in discussion boards and join NIRAKN programming & events. Keep up to date with NIRAKN and its affiliates by following on Twitter and Facebook. Simply search the following links to join the conversation: National-IndigenousResearch-and-KnowledgesNetwork-Nirakn @The_NIRAKN

2017 Scholarships & Fellowships Victorian Government Early Childhood Scholarships for Aboriginal People Always Open NHMRC Practitioner Fellowships Closes February 1 2017 NHMRC Project Grants Opens January 11 2017, Closes March 15 2017 ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2018 Opens January 16 2017, Closes March 22 2017 ARC Discovery Projects 2018 Closes March 1 2017 ARC Discovery Indigenous 2018 Opens January 23 2017, Closes March 29 2017

June 2017 Edition of the International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies

Become a Network Affiliate of NIRAKN

Edited by Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (QUT), Associate Professor Mark McMillan (UoM) and Dr. David Singh (QUT), the IJCIS offers scope for critical international engagement and debate by bringing together emergent and ground breaking research in the field of Critical Indigenous studies from around the globe.

If you missed the chance to become a member of NIRAKN, you may be interested in becoming an Affiliate Member! Affiliate membership of the network is now open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics across Australia. For an application form and more information on how to apply, please contact [email protected]

Previous editions and more information can be found at:

If you’re an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate student, contact us now to ensure you’re receiving information about access to our events and programs through our Indigenous Postgraduates email list. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous community members are also welcome to keep up with our news through our ‘Friends of NIRAKN’ email list. Email [email protected] for more information.

http://www.isrn.qut.edu.au/publications/ internationaljournal/

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