Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)

Deconstructing 'Aboriginal welfare dependency', using postcolonial theory to reorientate Indigenous Affairs, by Zoe Gordon

eng

Bibliography: pages 27-29

no index present

non fiction

Deconstructing 'Aboriginal welfare dependency'

by Zoe Gordon

using postcolonial theory to reorientate Indigenous Affairs

With independence never granted, Australia continues to be a colonised country. This plays out in the way Indigenous affairs are understood and represented. Settler-invader viewpoints and values still have purchase. In this context it is worth returning to the founding ideas behind various approaches in order to be clear about which path to take. Once out in the open, values and assumptions can be assessed, based on their effects. This process combines the theoretical insights of Poststructuralism and Postmodernism with Postcolonial theory's decolonising project. One area which benefits from this approach is the construction of the problem of Aboriginal welfare dependency, particularly by the Howard Government. The loaded language of dependecy, the neoliberal emphasis on individual responsibility, and the lack of prioritisation of Aboriginal cultures all need unpacking. The commonsense approach proposed here has the potential to radically reorientate thinking on Indigenous issues and interrogate Australia's ongoing colonial history. -- Abstract