Voicing the Living Archive

Increasingly universities in Australia are engaging and working with First Nations perspectives, knowledge and communities in teaching and research. University museums and collections are part of this, being custodians of First Nations material culture, archives, and art.

This symposium invites perspectives on, and experiences of, people working with First Nations arts and artefact collections in universities. We welcome proposals that include collaborative work among First Nations Australians and Non-Indigenous researchers. We encourage curators and managers of collections as well as researchers, teachers and students to propose presentations across diverse topics relevant to their expertise and experiences in this space.

Some topics for discussion could include, but are not limited to:

• First Nations ethics in the object-based learning
• Navigating cultural obligations and protocol
• Culturally appropriate research and teaching methods
• Reflections on working with cultural objects in the classroom or in research

Ways to participate:

• We invite abstracts of up to 250 words for papers that present research or personal insights on any of the conference topics or related themes (20-minute presentation).
• We invite proposals for workshops or roundtables that engage with the conference topics or related themes.

For all submissions please include:

• Name of presenter, position, Institutional affiliation and contact details.
• A short bio (150 words) for all authors/presenters
• The theme with which your proposal engages
• Whether you are proposing a paper, panel, or a workshop/roundtable

Submissions close Monday 29 April 2024.

There is no registration fee for HDR students and Early Career Researchers (though numbers are limited). The symposium is an in-person event.

Send all submissions to wendy.somerville@canberra.edu.au and hakim.abdulrahim@canberra.edu.au.