Changing listening frequency to minimise white noise and hear indigenous voices

Listening… can involve the listener in an intense, efficacious, and complex set of communicative acts in which one is not speaking, discussing, or disclosing, but sitting quietly, watching, and feeling-the-place, through all the senses…. In the process, one becomes a part of the scene, hearing and feeling with it (Carbaugh 1999: 259).To listen this way involves much more than providing a chance for words to be spoken; it includes tuning in and getting the listening frequency clear. As a non-Indigenous person seeking to conduct qualitative research that listens to Aboriginal people, I need to ask how I can tune into the “active attentiveness” described by Carbaugh (1999) in order to listen in a manner that is appropriate, respectful and minimises my inherent white privilege. In addressing this question I draw on the work of Indigenous authors and academics, critical whiteness studies and my own experiences learning from Aboriginal people in a number of contexts over the past ten to fifteen years.History in Australia since colonization has created a situation where Aboriginal voices are white noise to the ears of many non-Indigenous people. This paper proposes that white privilege and the resulting white noise can be minimised and greater clarity given to Aboriginal voices by privileging Indigenous knowledge and ways of working when addressing Indigenous issues. To minimise the interference of white noise, non-Indigenous people would do well to adopt a position that recognises, acknowledges and utilises some of the strengths that can be learned from Aboriginal culture and Indigenous authors.This paper outlines a model of apprentice, allied listening for non-Indigenous researchers to adopt when preparing to conduct research alongside Indigenous people. Such an approach involves Re-learning of history, Reviewing of the researcher’s beliefs and placing Relating at the centre of the listening approach. Each of these aspects of listening is based on privileging of Indigenous voices.

Signposts that helped a white activist find her way as a critical ally

As a white researcher setting out on a research journeywith Indigenous people, how could I deal with theparadox of being part of the problem I was seeking toaddress? Awareness of, and desire to minimise, theimpact of my white privilege would not automaticallycancel it out. Activist researchers who have challengedpowerful systems have a history of being condemned andostracised by colonial centres of power. Would it be myfate to be condemned by the colonial centre of power inwhich I found myself; the academy? Would I also becondemned by those not in positions of power? Whatsignposts could show me how to act, what to do and howto undertake the research journey?This paper outlines the intersecting theories I meldedtogether to use as a map for a critical activist allystandpoint when conducting research in IndigenousPrisoner Education in Western Australia. Drawing ontheories of whiteness, power, critical pedagogy, activismand standpoint theory, I attempt to navigate a directionthat allows for the struggle, uncertainties and paradoxesthat are what it means to work critically as an alliedactivist. I explore some of the challenges I face as acritical, activist ally who is exploring Indigenouseducation in Western Australian prisons. I invite audiencediscussion, feedback and reflection on these challenges

The ‘r’ word and closure of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia; a potential framework for change

AbstractThe latest Australian Commonwealth Government Close the Gap Report reveals the circumstances of many of Australia’s Indigenous Peoples are either stagnant or going backwards. This paper argues that such ongoing injustice is a consequence of systemic racism that has been perpetuated since colonization and sustained in the twenty first century by discussion or mention of racism being taboo. A counter colonial educational framework is then provided that has the potential to address such institutional racism. The paper begins by providing a definition of systemic racism. Following this there is a brief explanation of the unique geographical context and the racist history of colonization in Australia. The nature of remote communities, the link between traditional law, country and identity will be outlined. Based on readily available sources such as media reports, social media links, and public policy announcements by government the paper then reflects on what has been reported about closure of remote communities in Western Australia. Government policy, announcements and events of the past year will be described and critically discussed in light of the definition of racism provided at the beginning of the article. The proposed framework requires self-reflexivity of organisations and individuals with a particular focus on aspects of sovereignty, healing, re-learning history and starting with a focus on agency instead of deficit. Being guided by this framework has the potential to avoid arbitrarily forcing people from their physical, spiritual and ancestral home, though this is likely to be a long term proposition rather than a quick fix.

Weathering, fibre strength and colour properties of processed white cashmere

Weathering refers to the degradation of wool fibres that occur during growth from exposure of the fleece to sunlight, water and air. Weathering damage to Merino wool reduces quantities of fibre that are harvested, reduces length in both raw and processed wools, reduces spinning performance and dyeing outcomes. This work aimed to aimed to quantify if and to what extent weathering occurred in 38 lots of commercial dehaired white cashmere and cashmere top sourced from traditional and new origins of production and the extent of any association between weathering and tensile strength properties of the dehaired cashmere and cashmere top. The cashmere was tested for physical properties, bundle tenacity and extension, tristimulus values brightness (Y) and yellowness (Y-Z) and reflectance. Dye uptake was used as an index of weathering. Linear models, relating to weathering, bundle tenacity and Y-Z were fitted to origin and other objective measurements. Mean attributes (range) were: mean fibre diameter, 17.0 μm (13.5–21.3 μm); bundle tenacity of tops, 10.3 cN/tex (8.3–12.9 cN/tex), for dehaired fibre, 10.1 cN/tex (9.1–11.4 cN/tex). Stain uptake varied from 0.92 to 6.34 mg/g fibre indicating a six-fold variation in the extent of weathering. Both the extent of weathering and the bundle tenacity of commercial lots of cashmere were affected by the origin of the cashmere. Increased weathering reduced bundle tenacity, bundle extension, increased the yellowness and reduced reflectance of white cashmere. Bundle tenacity of cashmere declined as fibre diameter variability increased from 20 to 22.5%. For the samples tested, the cashmere from China, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Iran showed more weathering than cashmere from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The differences in the extent of weathering and of bundle tenacity between cashmere from different origins were of commercial significance.

Welcome to country: acknowledgement, belonging and white anti-racism

 The Welcome to Country (WTC) ceremony and its twin, the Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners, have become prominent anti-racist rituals in the post-settler society of Australia. These rituals are rich in meaning. They are simultaneously emblems of colonisation and dispossession; of recognition and reconciliation; and a periodic focus of political posturing. This article analyses the multiple meanings of WTC ceremonies. In particular, I explore the politics of belonging elicited by WTC and Acknowledgement rituals. Drawing on ethnography of non-Indigenous people who work in Indigenous affairs, I argue that widespread enjoyment of these rituals among White anti-racists is explained because they paradoxically experience belonging through a sense of not belonging.

Genetic characterisation and global comparison of ancient Mediterranean Great White Sharks population (Carcharodon carcharias, L.1758)

This study poses as its objective the genetic characterization of the ancient population of the Great White shark, Carcharodon carcharias, L.1758, present in the Mediterranean Sea. Using historical evidence, for the most part buccal arches but also whole, stuffed examples from various national museums, research institutes and private collections, a dataset of 18 examples coming from the Mediterranean Sea has been created, in order to increase the informations regarding this species in the Mediterranean. The importance of the Mediterranean provenance derives from the fact that a genetic characterization of this species' population does not exist, and this creates gaps in the knowledge of this species in the Mediterranean. The genetic characterization of the individuals will initially take place by the extraction of the ancient DNA and the analysis of the variations in the sequence markers of the mitochondrial DNA. This approach has allowed the genetic comparison between ancient populations of the Mediterranean and contemporary populations of the same geographical area. In addition, the genetic characterization of the population of white sharks of the Mediterranean, has allowed a genetic comparison with populations from global "hot spots", using published sequences in online databases (NCBI, GenBank). Analyzing the variability of the dataset, both in terms space and time, I assessed the evolutionary relationships of the Mediterranean population of Great Whites with the global populations (Australia/New Zealand, South Africa, Pacific USA, West Atlantic), and the temporal trend of the Mediterranean population variability. This method based on the sequencing of two portions of mitochondrial DNA genes, markers showed us how the population of Great White Sharks in the Mediterranean, is genetically more similar to the populations of the Australia Pacific ocean, American Pacific Ocean, rather than the population of South Africa, and showing also how the population of South Africa is abnormally distant from all other clusters. Interestingly, these results are inconsistent with the results from tagging of this species. In addition, there is evidence of differences between the ancient population of the Mediterranean with the modern one. This differentiation between the ancient and modern population of white shark can be the result of events impacting on this species occurred over the last two centuries.

Benthic and substrate cover data derived from a time series of photo-transect surveys for the Eastern Banks, Moreton Bay Australia, 2004-2015

This paper describes seagrass species and percentage cover point-based field data sets derived from georeferenced photo transects. Annually or biannually over a ten year period (2004-2015) data sets were collected using 30-50 transects, 500-800 m in length distributed across a 142 km**2 shallow, clear water seagrass habitat, the Eastern Banks, Moreton Bay, Australia. Each of the eight data sets include seagrass property information derived from approximately 3000 georeferenced, downward looking photographs captured at 2-4 m intervals along the transects. Photographs were manually interpreted to estimate seagrass species composition and percentage cover (Coral Point Count excel; CPCe). Understanding seagrass biology, ecology and dynamics for scientific and management purposes requires point-based data on species composition and cover. This data set, and the methods used to derive it are a globally unique example for seagrass ecological applications. It provides the basis for multiple further studies at this site, regional to global comparative studies, and, for the design of similar monitoring programs elsewhere.

Sea-surface paleotemperature reconstructions for the middle Miocene-Holocene of ODP Site 133-811 in the Coral Sea off northeast Australia

The derivation of a detailed sea-surface paleotemperature curve for the middle Miocene-Holocene (10-0 Ma) from ODP Site 811 on the Queensland Plateau, northeast Australia, has clarified the role of sea-surface temperature fluctuations as a control on the initiation and development of the extensive carbonate platforms of this region. This curve was derived from isotopic analyses of the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber, and converted to temperature using the surface-water paleotemperature equation accounting for variations in global ice volume. The accuracy of these data were confirmed by derivation of paleotemperatures using the water column isotopic gradient (Delta delta18O), corrected for salinity and variations in seafloor water mass temperature. Results indicate that during this period surface-water temperatures were, on average, greater than the minimum required for tropical reef growth (20°C; Veron, 1986), with the exception of the late Miocene and earliest early Pliocene (10-4.9 Ma), when there were repeated intervals of temperatures between 18-20°C. Tropical reef growth on the Queensland Plateau was extensive from the early to early middle Miocene (~21-13 Ma), after which reef development began to decline. A lowstand near 11 Ma probably exposed shallower portions of the plateau; after re-immersion near 7 Ma, the areal extent of reef development was greatly reduced (~ 50%). Paleotemperature data from Site 811 indicate that decreased sea-surface temperatures were likely to have been instrumental in reducing the area of active reef growth on the Queensland Plateau. Reduced reefal growth rates continued until the late Pliocene or Quaternary, despite the increase of average sea-surface paleotemperatures to 22-23°C. Studies on modern corals show that when sea-surface temperatures are below ~24°C, as they were from the late Miocene to the Pleistocene off northeast Australia, corals are stressed and growth rates are greatly reduced. Consequently, when temperatures are in this range, corals have difficulty keeping pace with subsidence and changing environmental factors. In the late Pliocene, sedimentation rates increased due to increases in non-reefal carbonate production and falling sea levels. It was not until the mid-Quaternary (0.6-0.7 Ma) that sea-surface paleotemperatures increased above 24°C as a result of the formation of a western Coral Sea warm water pool. Because of age discrepancies, it is unclear exactly when an effective barrier developed on the central Great Barrier Reef; the formation of the warm water pool was likely to have either assisted the formation of this barrier and/or permitted increased coral growth rates. Fluctuations in sea-surface temperature can account for much of the observed spatial and temporal variations of reef growth and carbonate platform distribution off northeast Australia, and therefore we conclude that paleotemperature variations are a critical control on the development of carbonate platforms, and must be considered an important cause of ancient platform "drowning".

The British colonial library, comprising a popular and authentic description of all the colonies of the British empire, their history - physical geography - geology - climate - animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms - government - finance - military defence - commerce - shipping -monetary system - religion - population, white and coloured - education and the press - emigration, social state, &c.

Published in 1834-35 under the title: History of the British colonies.

A contribution to the flora of Australia,

Mode of access: Internet.

The possessive logic of patriarchal white sovereignty: The High Court and the Yorta Yorta decision

Race is fundamental in shaping the development of Australian law just as it has played its part in other former colonies, such as the United States, where a body of critical race theory has been established on the basis of this premise. Drawing on this theory I argue that the possessive logic of patriarchal white sovereignty works ideologically to naturalise the nation as a white possession by informing and circulating a coherent set of meanings about white possession as part of common sense knowledge and socially produced conventions in the High Court's Yorta Yorta decision.