The Colonial Fantasy: Why white Australia can't solve black problems

States of the Nation seminar series

Interdisciplinary discussions on research important to contemporary Australia, and Australia's relations to the region and the world.

Despite persistent policy failure in Indigenous affairs, many scholars, activists, and analysts - Indigenous and settler alike - maintain the belief that working with the state is the only viable political option for improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In contrast, this paper argues that white Australia can't solve black problems because white Australia is the problem.

Indigenous policy in Australia has resisted the one thing that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want, and the one thing that has made a difference elsewhere - the ability to control and manage their own lives. This paper therefore argues for a radical restructuring of the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the Australian settler state, foregrounding the promising resurgence of Indigenous nationhood as the only way forward.

All welcome, lunch provided, no bookings required.

Presented by the Australian Centre

Presenter

Associate Professor Sarah Maddison, Research Coordinator