AIA200: Indigenous Australians in the Twentieth Century- Research Essay Writing Assignment

Internal Code: TV338

Research Essay Writing Assignment:

Task: In Australian Studies a research essay is an essay that answers a question using information gleaned from proper scholarly research. The two most important things to remember when working on this assignment are question and research: you must answer the question, and you must do research into your chosen topic. Each of the questions below are related to one of this unit’s weekly topics, and a good place to start your research is the reference list in the relevant topic guide. It is important, though, that you do your own research as well. You must fully reference (using either Oxford or Harvard style) and formally present this Essay. Submission is via Cloud Deakin. Requests for extensions should be directed to the Unit Chair. The criteria of assessment can be found below. Please choose one of the following questions and answer in essay format: 1. ‘The radical forms of pro-Indigenous activism that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s were more effective in achieving Indigenous rights than the moderate activism that came before it.’ Do you agree? Why/why not? 2. Can Native Title be postcolonial? Answer with reference to at least one case study of a Native Title ruling, agreement, or piece of legislation. 3. ‘The emergence of an Aboriginal middle class in Australia in the last two to three decades has gone largely unnoticed. While the numbers remain small, this change heralds an economic future for Aboriginal people’ (Marcia Langton, ‘Changing the Paradigm’, 2012). Is economic development the path to a postcolonial future for Australia’s Indigenous peoples? Why/why not? 4. ‘The repatriation of all Indigenous objects, artefacts and human remains is an essential step towards a postcolonial future for Indigenous peoples.’ Do you agree? Why/why not? Answer with reference to at least one case study of repatriation. 5. How is Aboriginal art a form of resistance? Answer with reference to at least one Indigenous artists and their works. 6. In what ways might Indigenous participation in organised sport be a form of resistance? Answer with reference to at least one case study of an Indigenous sportsperson. 7. ‘Their voices are a challenge and an invitation’ (Anita Heiss and Peter Minter, Macquarie Pen Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, 2008). What are the challenges and invitations of Indigenous literature? 8. ‘Indigenous theatre [or performance] runs the risk of representing Indigenous cultures in a way that brackets or renders them static and unchanging’ (Helena Grehan, ‘Aboriginal Performance’, 2010). How postcolonial is Indigenous performance? Discuss with reference to either theatre or music or film. 9. How does Indigenous owned and operated media empower Indigenous peoples? Discuss with reference to at least one case study. 10. In what ways might Indigenous language revival support the project of decolonisation in contemporary Australia? Discuss with reference to at least one case study.