|
The Chair of AIATSIS Council, Professor Mick Dodson recently highlighted the importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge and identity within Australian society. Indeed, strong connection to culture is fundamental to Indigenous wellbeing. International guest lecturer, Professor Taiaiake Alfred, will be joined by a panel of thought leaders in this symposium to examine contemporary strategies of decolonisation through philosophical analyses, personal reflections and collective experiences. The forum will also consider the place of Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices as part of the national identity. The symposium will illustrate pathways to preserve, renew and restore Indigenous knowledge systems to strengthen relationships among all peoples and, in turn, our understandings of, and connections with land and water. Indigenous traditions, cultures and identities are not an historical artefact or museum piece; Indigenous knowledge is vital and contemporary, and it is critical to Indigenous wellbeing and our shared understanding about how to live in the world. Importantly, approaches based on Indigenous cultural strength must
drive our engagement with the environment, lead settlements between Indigenous peoples and governments, drive new approaches to education and health care, and shape the direction of academic research and public policy.
|
