Theorising Indigenous Sociology: Australian perspectives

Indigenous social issues are a topic of regular media interest, but there is scope for much work to be done by Australian sociologists to provide new ways of understanding these issues. The contested terrain of the field, the need for new concepts and frameworks, debates about the possibilities for an Indigenous sociology, and the call for a specifically Australian approach, are some of the challenges and dilemmas for the field. A growing, but small group of Australian sociologist are responding to these dilemmas through a range of interesting and innovative theoretical approaches. To provide an opportunity to explore these developments and to encourage greater collaboration with other researchers in the field a two-day workshop was co-hosted by the Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Sociology of Indigenous Issues Thematic Group and the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney. The workshop organisers were Dr Deirdre Howard-Wagner (University of Sydney), Dr Daphne Habibis (University of Tasmania) and Dr Theresa Petray (James Cook University). This double blind refereed edited workshop collection consists of six 3000 word full papers from the 18 papers presented at a two-day workshop held at the University of Sydney on Thursday 19 July and Friday 20 July 2012.