Indigenous Development Perspectives (DEVT90059)

The challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia are a source of constant debate among policy-makers, NGOs, commentators and, of course, Indigenous people themselves. This field work intensive subject brings together elements common to Indigenous development all over the world, including discussions of rights, decolonisation, self-determination, access to services and economic development. In Australia, the role of the state is particularly important as the main interface between people with migrant or settler origins and the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who desire to live on their traditional lands. The historical experience of communities of dispossession and discrimination are a powerful backdrop to their continued struggles to maintain language and culture, wellbeing and a better quality of life ‘on country’.
This subject is part of the Masters in Development Studies. It explores development as experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote Australia. It considers both their own endeavours and aspirations through self-generated development and those initiatives (generally in the form of projects and programs) brought by outsiders, especially government agencies and NGOs. The subject will comprise a participatory action research process designed by students and a period of five days visiting a remote community, together with meetings and discussions with government and NGO representatives. Aboriginal people and organisations will host the group in the community, playing an active role in the research. Students will gain insights that will enable them to develop a comprehensive analysis of the Australian development condition as it relates to a remote community of Aboriginal people in the far north of the country.