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Redefining viability: Aboriginal homelands communities in north‐east Arnhem Land
Author(s) -
Morphy Frances
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
australian journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1839-4655
pISSN - 0157-6321
DOI - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2008.tb00109.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , human settlement , argument (complex analysis) , ethnography , project commissioning , publishing , geography , sociology , face (sociological concept) , economic growth , political science , social science , ecology , archaeology , law , biochemistry , chemistry , economics , biology
The current policy debate about the future of small Indigenous homelands communities in remote Australia is being framed in terms of a narrow economic definition of ‘viability’, with little attention to factors such as the social characteristics of such communities and the health, well‐being, and aspirations of those who choose to live there. The debate is taking place in the absence of comparative socio‐demographic data on these communities as opposed to other kinds of settlements in remote Australia. This paper argues for a broader conceptualisation of viability. It outlines some reasons why governments might consider helping homelands communities to become more economically self‐sufficient rather than starving them of support so that their inhabitants increasingly face a ‘choice’ between a marginalized and impoverished existence on the homelands and recentralisation in larger settlements. The argument is based on an analysis of ethnographic data from north‐east Arnhem Land that demonstrate the social cohesiveness and functionality of homelands communities as compared to larger hub settlements.