Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Anthropology

Major Professor

Faye V. Harrison

Committee Members

Benita Howell, Rosalind Hackett

Abstract

Identity politics, the social construction of identity, is a phenomenon which affects many people worldwide. Indigenous Australians, however, are unique because of their indigenous, racial, and ethnic status. The construction of Koori identity, then, has its roots in a colonial and post-colonial history of cultural and racial devastation and discrimination. At this historical moment, Koori people are voicing and identifying themselves, consequently, contesting the externally imposed dominant paradigms of their identity. This text is a study of the construction of self-construction of Koori identity at La Perouse. The overall purpose of this thesis is to explore the day-to-day meaning of the social construction of Koori-ness in Australia. More specifically, three themes in the formation of Koori identity are discussed in this text through the use of narratives collected during 11 weeks of fieldwork conducted by the author. First, how do personal life narratives contribute to the formation of Koori identity? How does a Koori in La Perouse define her/himself? Second, how do personal narratives intersect with, contradict, and contribute to a community narrative and community identity via the family? Finally, how does the physical place, La Perouse, contribute historically and contemporarily to the identity of individuals and the community living in that space? The narratives and themes offer an avenue for exploring, deconstructing, and understanding the on-going internally derived re-invention of Koori identity.

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