WMST2016 Indigenous Women's Voices: Race, Gender and Colonialism

2020

4.5

1 x 2-hour lecture weekly
1 x 1-hour tutorial weekly

1 of WMST3004, WMST7027, WMST8005 has been successfully completed

Associated majors: Women's Studies; History

Associated minor: Indigenous Studies

Bachelor of Social Work; Bachelor of Archaeology; Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education degrees

This topic engages student with the voices and perspectives of Indigenous women in Australian society, exploring some of their many struggles and achievements across a variety of fields. It takes a history of colonialism as its starting point and investigates how ideas about and practices of race, interwoven with gender, shape the lives of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people. In this context the topic will introduce the idea of whiteness as a racial category and will raise questions about the relationship of feminist theory, as a non-Indigenous conceptual framework, to the lives of Indigenous women. The scholarly writing and creative work of Indigenous women form the basis for investigation of a range of issues and for student research and exploration. The topic stresses the differences as well as commonalities among Indigenous women in Australia and will also make reference to Indigenous women in other countries.

The topic aims to critically engage students with the voices and perspectives of Indigenous women in Australia. Students will critically assess the ethics and relevance of non-Indigenous conceptual frameworks as the basis for engaging with Indigenous women. Students will work both collaboratively and independently to explore the lives and scholarly and creative work of Indigenous women and their own positions in relation to Indigenous women. The topic aims to develop students' oral presentation skills, independently and in collaboration with others.