SOCA3850.2: Borderlands

This is the second of four courses in the SOCA3850: Indigenous Peoples of the Contemporary World program.

This program explores the contemporary social, cultural, economic and political situations of indigenous peoples across the world. Students are introduced to definitions and parameters of ‘indigenous’ peoples and their overlap with ‘ethnic minorities’ and the concept of ‘fourth world nations’. Throughout the program, students will engage with case studies that illustrate indigenous peoples’ struggles, including battles over land/marine rights, co-existence with settler/migrant communities, independence and nationhood, and reclamation of pre-colonial political boundaries and entities. The program offers an anthropological exploration of indigeneity and ethnicity, and students are introduced to post-colonial and de-colonial theory. By investigating examples of 21st century land use struggles (eg Standing Rock, Adani Carmichael Mine, the Brazilian ‘war of survival’), it places distinct emphasis on how contemporary challenges facing indigenous peoples continue to relate to questions of land and land use.