We Sing Our Home, We Dance Our Land

Indigenous Self-Determination and Contemporary Geopolitics in Australian Popular Music

Bibliographic Data

ID4763497
AuthorsChris Gibson (0009-0007-6215-6579)
Year1998
Volume16
Issue2
Pages163-184
Publication date1998-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning D Society and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-7758 • E-ISSN: 1472-3433
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1068/d160163
OpenAlexW2000932727
LanguageDE
Citations received34
References cited35

Strategies for indigenous self-determination have emerged at unique junctures in national and global geopolitical arenas, challenging the formal hegemony of the nation-state with claims to land rights, sovereignty and self-governance. These movements are reflected qualitatively, in a variety of social, political, and cultural forms, including popular music in Australia. An analysis of the 'cultural apparatus', recordings, and popular performance events of indigenous musicians reveals the construction of 'arenas of empowerment' at a variety of geographical scales, within which genuine spaces of Aboriginal self-determination and self-expression can exist. Although these spaces often remain contested, new indigenous musical networks continue to emerge, simultaneously inscribing Aboriginal music into the Australian soundscape, and beginning to challenge normative geopolitical doctrines. The emergence of a vibrant Aboriginal popular music scene therefore requires a rethinking of Australian music, and appeals for greater recognition of Aboriginal artists' sophisticated geopolitical strategies

Geopolitics · Soundscape · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Music History and Culture

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