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Humanities and Social Sciences |
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School of Social SciencesAboriginal Studies
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Welcome to Aboriginal Studies Aboriginal Studies has developed over the last few decades as an interdisciplinary program. La Trobe has been, and continues to be, home to a number of prominent scholars involved in Aboriginal research and there is an impressive publications record in the area. We are also working towards increased participation by Aboriginal scholars. Being interdisciplinary, the Aboriginal Studies Program is very diverse, which is its strength. We welcome enquiries from students wishing to pursue studies in almost any field. |
Aboriginal Studies focuses on the Indigenous people of Australia – both Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Indigenous Australians as a whole feature prominently in public debates about colonial history, equality, justice, multiculturalism, land rights, health, the arts and other issues. Such matters also spill over into the international domain through organisations such as the United Nations, which has a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The Aboriginal Studies Program provides an opportunity for students to develop a broad appreciation of Indigenous Australia through a variety of disciplines. These include Anthropology, Archaeology, English, History, Legal Studies, Linguistics and Politics, although other disciplines also contribute towards the Program. Key issues covered in the Program’s subjects include contemporary Indigenous identity, the development of Indigenous societies in both pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial contexts, Indigenous people’s relationship to Western law and the process of reconciliation.
Aboriginal Studies is currently only available to students at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus, although, where appropriate, Bundoora students can apply to take a subject at another campus or university. The Program offers a sub-major at undergraduate level and research degrees (MA and PhD) at postgraduate level. Those undergraduates who wish to undertake a sub-major in Aboriginal Studies have the advantage of combining their Aboriginal Studies focus with recognised disciplinary expertise – for example, in Anthropology, Archaeology, History or Politics.
Academic staff in Aboriginal Studies have ongoing contacts with Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. Research projects are invariably collaborative and engage many communities in Victoria and all other states and territories. Indigenous staff teach some Aboriginal Studies subjects and the Program has links to the Ngarn-gi Bagora Indigenous Centre (Bundoora’s Aboriginal liaison office). There is also a Koori and Gubba Club on campus.
An Aboriginal Studies sub-major prepares graduates for many careers where there is a need for basic familiarity with Indigenous Australian culture and history. Such career opportunities exist in government departments, health services, legal services, museums, schools and universities, as well as in Aboriginal land councils and other Indigenous organisations. Graduate career prospects are very much enhanced through combining an Aboriginal Studies sub-major with a relevant disciplinary focus such as an Anthropology, Archaeology, History or Politics major.