UQ Talks: The past, present and future of Indigenous Studies

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Historically, the study of Indigenous peoples emerged out of the discipline of Anthropology. From the 1960s, anthropological discourse shaped disciplines such as history, archaeology, linguistics and political science and the study of Indigenous peoples gained traction in ways it had not in the previous century. The 1960s and 70s were fertile years for social movements – Universities were impacted by these social changes and different fields of study emerged, including Native Studies, Māori studies, Women’s studies, Gay and Lesbian studies, African American studies, Peace studies and Ethnic studies.

Over the next two decades, Indigenous scholars entered universities in unprecedented numbers, and contested non-Indigenous studies of Indigenous peoples. In the United States in the 1970s this influx debates about whether Indigenous programs should become disciplines. Similar discussions occurred in New Zealand, Hawaii, and Canada but not in Australia where Aboriginal people were still struggling to gain access to universities. In 1976 only 78 Australian Aboriginal people held university degrees.

In this UQ Talk, globally renowned scholar Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, a Goenpul woman of the Quandamooka people, will provide an overview of Indigenous scholarly debates about what constitutes Indigenous Studies in contemporary Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada.

Event details

Date:      Tuesday 21 March 2023
Time:      6–8pm (talk 6.30–7.30, refreshments before and after)
Venue:   The Long Room, Customs House, 399 Queen St, Brisbane
Cost:      $35 per person

Presenter

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson is a Goenpul woman of the Quandamooka people (Moreton Bay) and Distinguished Professor of Indigenous Research at UQ. A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences and an international honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Moreton-Robinson is an internationally renowned scholar whose books include the ground-breaking Talkin Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism (UQP) 2000.

UQ Talks
Ignite your curiosity with UQ Talks – fascinating presentations from the brightest minds at your University. This year-long event series brings you the latest UQ research, online and in person.