Professor Mick Dodson. Photo by Belinda Pratten.
A new research project from The Australian National University will reveal for the first time the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have played in Australian war and peacekeeping. The new research project is being led by the National Centre for Indigenous Studies (NCIS) in partnership with the Australian Centre for Indigenous History (ACIH). It will focus on the contributions of Indigenous personnel to all conflicts and peacekeeping operations since the Boer War. NCIS Director Professor Mick Dodson said that there were many stories about Indigenous Australians? military service in books, pamphlets and newspapers, as well as oral history, which had not been collated or mobilised for public education and display. 'There is a whole range of stories of national significance about Indigenous veterans which have not been previously told, let alone fed into the school or public domain,' he said. "Honouring the service contribution of Indigenous Australians to the nation is a vital part of the reconciliation process and will feed into new and richer understandings about Australian identity and history. ?The project will also explore the potential of family collections to further the understanding of Indigenous Australians perspectives on military participation and the impacts it had on their lives and communities.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
