Dialogues in the Desert

Indigenous people are often denied the right torepresentation, and this has important implications for sustainabledevelopment. This book explores how Australian government practiceand discourse frame representations of Martu people, one of thelast Indigenous tribes in Australia to come into contact withsettler society. The context of the case study is the WesternDesert of Western Australia, and spans a number of Martusettlements. The research was action orientated and involved theuse of participatory techniques. Two major themes are outlined:power and representation; and the framing of Martu culture.Conclusions emphasise the value of Indigenous relationalworldviews, Indigenous autonomy, the negotiation of representativestructures and the surfacing of ideologies through deliberativepolitics. This book emphasises the importance of these for theprocess of sustainable development.

Klappentext
Indigenous people are often denied the right to representation, and this has important implications for sustainable development. This book explores how Australian government practice and discourse frame representations of Martu people, one of the last Indigenous tribes in Australia to come into contact with settler society. The context of the case study is the Western Desert of Western Australia, and spans a number of Martu settlements. The research was action orientated and involved the use of participatory techniques. Two major themes are outlined: power and representation; and the framing of Martu culture. Conclusions emphasise the value of Indigenous relational worldviews, Indigenous autonomy, the negotiation of representative structures and the surfacing of ideologies through deliberative politics. This book emphasises the importance of these for the process of sustainable development.