'Monsters, argue Jane and Lewis Gordon, have plagued humanity for millennia. Their continued presence in the modern age therefore, is nothing new. What is new, rather, are what such 'disastrous people' are made to symbolise, and the roles they are made to play, in order to ensure continued existence of the anti-black, colonial nation. In this paper I examine the specific colonial/ racist conditions that have led to the recent resignification of Australia's indigenous people as monstrous beings whose very presence within the national space poses a threat to the nation's white identity. Having done so, I attempt to articulate, via the work of Lewis Gordon, the conditions to which humanity must aspire if we are to avoid such tragic occurrences.' (Publication abstract)
'This paper describes the lines of inquiry that higher degree research (HDR) provides for an opportunity to pursue, in a documentary project motivated by a long-running encounter with anthropological filmmaking and educational policy and practice. Focusing on research and development, and pointing forward to pre-production, it contributes to broader discussions about documentary uses of knowledge, protocols, ethics and the politics of representation. Using the concept of the diaspora illustrates how my film project has come about and describes the research journey from undertaking an Aboriginal cadetship at Film Australia in 1989 to commencing an HDR in creative practice in 2015.
'The aim of this paper is to chart interconnections between personal and professional experiences of working in the field of education in relation to challenges faced by the Northern Territory regarding the education and social integration of Aboriginal people, particularly the Aboriginal children who featured in the film Walking in the Sunlight, Walking in the Shadow (Kingsbury 1971). Research enables me to consider the proximity of texts from film, anthropology and policy in relation to one another - and the wider historical projects they represent - and what relationship they may have with Walking in the Sunlight, Walking in the Shadow being made.' (Publication abstract)
