An Appreciation of Difference
WEH Stanner and Aboriginal Australia
WEH Stanner's writings on post-colonial development and assimilation policy urged an appreciation of Indigenous people's distinctive world views and aspirations. Stanner contributed much to public understandings of the Dreaming and the significance of Aboriginal religion. His 1968 broadcast lectures, After the Dreaming, continue to be among the most widely quoted works in the field of Aboriginal studies. He also produced some exceptionally evocative biographical portraits of Aboriginal people.
Stanner was a public intellectual whose work reached beyond the walls of the academy, and he remains a highly significant figure in Aboriginal affairs and Australian anthropology. Educated by Radcliffe-Brown in Sydney and Malinowski in London, he undertook anthropological work in Australia, Africa and the Pacific.
Hinkson and Beckett have drawn together some of Australia's leading academics working in Aboriginal studies to provide an historical and analytical context for Stanner's work, as well as demonstrating the continuing relevance of his writings in the contested field of Aboriginal affairs.
Production Details
- Paperback
- 130mm x 150mm x 18mm
- 312pp
- Released October 2008
- ISBN 9780855756604
Excerpt
Contents
About The Author
WEH Stanner was a public intellectual whose work reached beyond the walls of the academy, and he remains a highly significant figure in Aboriginal affairs and Australian anthropology. Educated by Radcliffe-Brown in Sydney and Malinowski in London, he undertook anthropological work in Australia, Africa and the Pacific.
Stanner contributed much to public understandings of the Dreaming and the significance of Aboriginal religion. His 1968 broadcast lectures, After the Dreaming, continue to be among the most widely quoted works in the field of Aboriginal studies. He also produced some exceptionally evocative biographical portraits of Aboriginal people. Stanner’s writings on post-colonial development and assimilation policy urged an appreciation of Indigenous people’s distinctive world views and aspirations.
Hinkson and Beckett have drawn together some of Australia’s leading academics working in Aboriginal studies to provide an historical and analytical context for Stanner’s work, as well as demonstrating the continuing relevance of his writings in the contested field of Aboriginal affairs.
About The Cover
Cover images: (front) WEH Stanner in his room at University House, Australian National University, c. 1958; (back, L-R) Major WEH Stanner, 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit, c. 1942, AWM, PO4393.001; Stanner at a campfire, Fitzmaurice River, c. 1958; Stanner during fieldwork in the Daly River region, c. 1932.