LibGuides: Indigenisation resources: Activism

About Aboriginal Lives Matter

Against the backdrop of the global Black Lives Matter movement, Karla Grant speaks with three families who have lost loved ones while in custody.

Hosted in the Library's ClickView database

Warning: This video may contain images and footage that could distress First Nations viewers.

In a searing and deeply personal story, Stan Grant gives voice to the frustration and hurt that has defined the life experience of so many Indigenous Australians and explores why George Floyd's death resonates so profoundly.

Hosted in the Library's ClickView database

Warning: This video may contain images and footage that could distress First Nations viewers.

Featured resources

#Aboriginallivesmatter: Mapping Black Lives Matter discourse in Australia by Tisha Dejmanee, et al. (eds)
Publication Date: 2022

This paper explores the hashtag #AboriginalLivesMatter on Instagram which was widely used in Australia as part of a global Black Lives Matter (BLM) response in 2020. We map the participants and themes of #AboriginalLivesMatter through the quantitative coding and qualitative thematic analysis of 603 Instagram posts published with this hashtag in June 2020.
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy by Gary Foley (Editor); Andrew Schaap (Editor); Edwina Howell (Editor)
Publication Date: 2013

The 1972 Aboriginal Embassy was one of the most significant indigenous political demonstrations of the twentieth century. What began as a simple response to a Prime Ministerial statement on Australia Day 1972, evolved into a six-month political stand-off between radical Aboriginal activists and a conservative Australian government.
Fight for Liberty and Freedom by John Maynard
Publication Date: 2007

Opposition to the British colonisation of Australia did not spring from the Mabo decision or the Native Title Act, nor was it born in the vibrant 1960s, which culminated in the famous tent embassy in 1972. Rather, the first politically organised and united all-Aboriginal activist group was the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA), begun in 1924 under the leadership of Frederick Maynard.

Books

Access a pre-set Library catalogue search

Journal articles

Access a pre-set Library catalogue search

Films and TV shows

Web links

The fight for human rights and equality - Learn about the beginnings of Aboriginal activism, the ongoing fight for human rights and the successes of activists.
A Short History of the Australian Indigenous Resistance 1950 – 1990 - Selected events discussed in this short history focus largely on the indigenous resistance in NSW, they also illustrate how events that occurred in NSW during this period ultimately had profound effects on a national level.
How to learn from Indigenous people about the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia - The conversation around justice for Indigenous people has been going for more than two centuries, but it took the death of George Floyd in the United States for Australians to open their hearts and minds.
Aboriginal Tent Embassy - The Tent Embassy is a symbol of Aboriginal protest against successive governments and their approach to Indigenous issues.

Specialist databases

BlackWords - Covers all forms of creative writing, film, television, criticism and scholarship, both by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, and literary and storytelling cultures.
Informit Indigenous Collection - Contains specialist journals, conference papers, reports, magazines, eBooks and grey literature unavailable elsewhere online. Some full-text.
JSTOR - Access to journals in areas related to communication, mass media and closely-related fields of study.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text - Indexing world history articles (excluding Northern America), focusing on the 15th century to the present.

Indigenisation resources: Activism

Featured videos