Constructing racism in Australia
There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the extent of racist attitudes, broadly defined, in Australia. A telephone survey of 5056 residents in Queensland and NSW examined attitudes to cultural difference, perceptions of the extent of racism, tolerance of specific groups, ideology of nation, perceptions of Anglo-Celtic cultural privilege, and belief in racialism, racial […]
Guest Editorial: Engagement of Indigenous clients in mental health services: What role do cultural differences play?
Stereotype change and prejudice reduction: short- and long-term evaluation of a cross-cultural awareness program
The present study reports an evaluation of an applied prejudice reduction intervention. Previous research has indicated that such programmes achieve limited success. The programme evaluated was an in-house anti-racist education programme aimed at reducing prejudice towards Aboriginal Australians. The target audience were employees of a large public service organization. Knowledge of, prejudice towards, and stereotyping […]
Psychology and reconciliation: Australian perspectives
Australia is engaged in the process of reconciliation. In this paper we argue that psychology has a key role to play in the process, and outline a position on psychology and reconciliation. We begin with and overview of reconciliation and by identifying the some of the factors that have impeded psychology’s involvement with Indigenous people. […]
“Why should i feel guilty?”: Reflections on the workings of guilt in white-Aboriginal relations
Statements by various public figures that White people ought not to feel guilty about Aboriginal dispossession, and although many Australians assert that they feel no guilt in the matter, this paper asserts that White attitudes to the Australian Aboriginal people are strongly influenced by guilt. The nature of a guilt that ostensibly does not and […]
Unresolved grief and the removal of Indigenous Australian children
This paper considers the usefulness of theory and practice in mainstream psychology in relation to the experiences of Indigenous people directly affected by the practice of child removal. It consists of an interview in which one of the authors, Joyleen Koolmatrie, an Indigenous psychologist, reflects on her work with Indigenous people affected by the removal, […]
Reconciliation 2
An annotated poem inspired by the inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families challenges us to consider our involvement in this issue.
The construction of Aboriginal identity in people separated from their families, community, and culture: Pieces of a jigsaw
Aboriginal history since colonisation has been largely shaped by government policies. The most striking and destructive historical policies directed at Aboriginal people concerned those that advocated the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents and their placement in white foster homes or institutions. This paper reports on interviews with seven Indigenous participants who had been […]
Incorporating Indigenous and crosscultural issues into an undergraduate psychology course: experience at Curtin University of Technology
There has been a clear expression of the need to incorporate Indigenous and crosscultural issues into psychology curricula and to develop models to guide the process. This paper outlines the process of developing an Indigenous and crosscultural psychology unit at Curtin University of Technology. A conceptual framework that includes foundational, professional, and socially responsive knowledge, […]
Racism and prejudice: An Australian psychological society position paper
In view of the rise of racist rhetoric in Australian public life in recent years, this paper reviews psychological research on racism and prejudice as they are expressed at every level of society from government policy to the intrapersonal sphere. It draws on evidence arising from social, developmental, clinical, and community psychology. The mental health […]
Towards guidelines for survey research in remote Aboriginal communities
Based on our experience in developing and evaluating community-based health promotion programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we offer guidelines to assist nonindigenous health and public policy professionals whose information gathering in these communities includes the use of unstructured interviewing or survey questionnaires. The guidelines primarily apply to research among mainland remote Aboriginal […]
The psychological impact of white settlement on Aboriginal people
The experiences of dispossession, the incidents of colonialism, racism, exclusion, extermination, denigration and degradation have a direct impact on the mental and physical health of the Aboriginal people. Hence, to achieve a balanced state of health amongst Aboriginal communities, they must join the political campaigns to ensure that the continuing practices of colonialism are identified […]
Footprints in time: the longitudinal study of Indigenous children
This website provides information on the Footprints in Time study and links to its publications. Footprints in Time is the name given to the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), an initiative of the Australian Government. Footprints in Time is conducted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) under the guidance of the Footprints in […]
