Shared Country, Different Stories

Anthropology in Australia has been both celebrated and contested, particularly in its engagements with Indigenous people. This book delves into senses of place and belonging across diverse sectors of society with a particular focus on the intimacies and tensions of engagements with Indigenous Australia. It examines the politics of anthropology, the sensitivities of cross-cultural understanding, and the challenges posed by rising Indigenous activism. David Trigger reflects on a career committed to cultural relativism while grappling with inherited values and beliefs. The book's conclusion addresses what “shared country” in the context of “different stories” can mean for the future.

David S. Trigger is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at The University of Queensland and Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia. He has carried out more than 40 years of anthropological research on Indigenous land tenure including for native title and cultural heritage cases. He is the author of 'Whitefella Comin': Aboriginal Responses to Colonialism in Northern Australia (Cambridge University Press, 1992) and a wide range of scholarly articles.

David S. Trigger is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at The University of Queensland and Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia. He has carried out more than 40 years of anthropological research on Indigenous land tenure including for native title and cultural heritage cases. He is the author of 'Whitefella Comin': Aboriginal Responses to Colonialism in Northern Australia (Cambridge University Press, 1992) and a wide range of scholarly articles.

“This is such an important text for its time in the history of Australia. The issues addressed by the author are seminal and very contemporary.” • John Bradley, Monash University

“Trigger writes compellingly of his experiences as both an academic and an applied researcher in the field of Indigenous Land Rights and Native Title … I was immediately intrigued by the author’s account of his experiences as a young working-class Jewish boy growing up in Australia.” • Rosita Henry, James Cook University