The non-indigenous state's conception of indigenous identity has traditionally been influenced by ethnic thinking and imagination (Geyer 2011). The indigenous population in Australia has faced a number of differences due to the color of their skin, traditional origin, or even religion; since non-indigenous people arrived in the region, they have struggled to recognize and appreciate indigenous culture. Since then, aboriginal people have been confused and discriminated against. For example, when it comes to most legislative acts and the making of policies, it would be necessary for both the indigenous group and the non-indigenous to have a say in this but only the non-indigenous get that opportunity.
Over the years, various Australian states have adopted different practices that are meant to 'manage' the indigenous people. The application of racist identification by the state has made it very convenient when it comes to matters pertaining to education and social justice (Konadu 2001). Australia's indigenous group faces discrimination socially, emotionally, economically and also academically (in comparison with the non-indigenous peoples). The persistent nature of the racism faced by Australia's first people's calls for the global acceptance, appreciation of indigenous identities in the various sectors.
Most non-indigenous peoples like may argue that these are practices that only happened in the previous generations but all evidence shows that this is not the case. For instance, in 2007, John Howard the prime minister then, was the leader to a racist group called Northern Territory Intervention; this group was condemned by the United Nations as it violated the rights of the indigenous peoples (Geyer 2011). In recent years, the Australian Government has also gotten itself in an unnecessary fight with the indigenous people of their country. The Western Australian government made an announcement that they were planning to take away government subsidies meant to fund essential services to the indigenous societies. This was a strategy to force the indigenous peoples out of their homelands as they found it quite hard to survive in this region.
Also, in 2016, a study carried out by the Productivity Commission proved that the first peoples of Australia are highly disadvantaged when compared to the non-indigenous; this has led to the skyrocketing rates of intergenerational trauma, psychological health issues, high suicide rates and an alarming rate of imprisonment among this group of peoples (Howlett et al. 2016). Non- indigenous people are also ignorant of the fact that the Australian Indigenous peoples still live in the colonial period where they are still dispossessed off their belongings and experience violence that is totally uncalled for.
Education in the Western countries is considered to be the key to success and acquisition of good quality life standards. This has greatly influenced other nations; they have come to the realization that denying a person education is a violation of their rights. It is ironic to see that the education system which should be used as a tool to redress the discrimination against the indigenous groups is actually being used to perpetuate these inequalities against the people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. I am a non-indigenous Australian and for sure I do not go through the same struggles my indigenous counterparts have to go through in matters education; the indigenous peoples have been faced with inequalities in the academic sector for many decades now. This is the main reason why the indigenous peoples are lowest rung on the academic ladder within the society of Australia.
It is also very unfortunate that regardless of how educated an indigenous person is, they will still be treated differently. For example, in the 2011 survey of academic staff in higher education in Australia, 70% of the highly educated professionals experience inequality and racially prejudiced attitudes at their workplace (Geyer 2011). Even worse, 10% of the surveyed non-indigenous Australians, say they would also take part in the discrimination against the aboriginals. The survey showed that there have been more than 27 public complaints against the non-indigenous Australians regarding the discriminations; all of which have not been prosecuted according to the Anti-discrimination laws set by the government in 1989. This goes a long way to show that the non-indigenous Australians, have reserved discrimination for the indigenous community. Also, the racial discrimination is deeply rooted in the constitution of Australia and has been used to enact new policies in the various states.
Justice is also not a privilege that the indigenous peoples enjoy. In January 2014, there were race riots in Australia protesting the death of a young aboriginal boy by the name T J Hickey who was killed on the streets while being chased by the police. An aboriginal man was arrested in relation to the riots; he was accused of being the ring leader. The trial for this man had to be moved from Townsville to a different state; his community feared that he would not get a fair trial in that town. The abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in 2004 by the Australian government led to more discrimination for the indigenous Australians. This happened because immediately after the abolition, the federal government formulated new laws to govern the indigenous people. The new laws required the aboriginals to get into shared responsibility agreements with the government for them to have infrastructure and essential services. This was quite discriminatory as the non-indigenous community received social amenities such as infrastructure and essential services by the virtue of their citizenship.
Contesting the Racial Definitions against the Indigenous People
These definitions by the non-indigenous people have been contested by the indigenous people. For instance, in 2014, Beyond blue campaigned nationwide against the discriminatory acts directed to aboriginal people. This campaign had the interest of the indigenous people's well-being socially and emotionally at heart (Konadu 2007). It was meant to explain the effects of subtle or even casual discrimination on the aboriginals. Being a non-indigenous it may seem strange if I am of the opinion that racism is very harmful to the wellbeing of the indigenous communities but truth be told; no one would like to go for a job interview and get judged based on the color of your skin or cultural origin or religion rather than by how attractive your curriculum Vitae (CV). I would not want to be rejected as a tenant simply because my skin color is too light or too dark; Racism is a vice that should be fought against actively. Racism is like a disease that could separate a human being's skin color from their self-image to make a point that it more than metaphorically breaks the human body. In 1938, the Australian Aborigines Advancement league campaigned for their rights with the help of indigenous activists such as Douglas Nicholls. The campaign was mourning the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the non-indigenous people from Britain; it was stating the grievances of the indigenous people and demanding for full citizenship rights. This was because the government system then, restricted movement and job opportunities for most aboriginal people; the indigenous were living in very poor conditions. In the 1960s, Charles Perkins who was among the first aborigines to acquire higher education and graduate from the University of Sydney, assisted in the organization of freedom rides. This rides in various parts of Australia were of essence as they exposed the racial discrimination and inequality the indigenous communities faced. This contested the racial thoughts that aborigines are primitive and illiterate. Through the commonwealth Electoral act, Robert Menzies also contested the definitions of indigenous people by the non-indigenous community (Thomas et al. 2008). This act provide the opportunity for the aborigines to vie for political positions and also vote during elections. Before this law was enacted, the Australian indigenous community would not participate in elections unless they were ex-servicemen. In the 1970s, indigenous Australians were represented in the parliament.
Contemporary and Historical Representations of Identity
In the modern Australia, negative view and stereotypes have remained in the way of curbing racism against the indigenous people. For example, most non-indigenous Australians consider racism as an action that happens automatically. Also, the fight against racism is considered to be irrelevant by most non-indigenous people due to the few occasions they interact with the indigenous people. The indigenous are also thought to be lazy and yet given unfair advantages by the government. However, this is not the case on the ground. Growing up in Australia has given me a chance to interact with the indigenous people. I have come to see that for being a non-indigenous Australian, I have gotten to enjoy multiple privileges that the indigenous people do not get to enjoy.it may sound simple but the following are things that the indigenous do not get: When walking around I am comfortable in my own skin and the people do not move away from me when I sit next to them in public transport, I also have not heard anyone make a nasty joke based on my skin color. This shows that the darker skin tone is seriously picked on despite all the efforts in previous years to eliminate this vice. The Contemporary situation of the indigenous communities in Australia is not good; the life expectancy is lower by 9.5 and 11.5 in different areas in comparison with the non-indigenous Australians, the average wages and salaries are very low compared to their non-indigenous counterparts, fewer Australian first people own their homes, infant mortality rates are twice as much as those experienced by other citizens, indigenous peoples admitted to hospital more often for assault than the others and indigenous women are imprisoned more often than the non-indigenous (Kirwan et al. 21013). These situations happening in a country considered to be wealthy are very shameful as the government and the relevant bodies have turned a blind eye to it.
Theoretical Positions
The Othering Theory. The indigenous peoples of Australia are also perceived to be primitive and uncivilized while the non-indigenous peoples are perceived to be highly educated placing them at the top most position in the racial and cultural hierarchy. This called for a separation between the two groups as one group (non-indigenous) felt they were superior to the other (Kirwan et al. 2013). The Othering theory which suggests that people who are different from us are definitely 'not part of us' is a behavior that is common among the non-indigenous who feel that the indigenous peoples of Australia are 'not part of them.' Due to this, the indigenous people and the aboriginals (descendants of the indigenous people are dismissed as less worthy of respect, appreciation, and dignity. This intergroup biasness in Australia gives the different identities a sense of enmity for instance, if you are not an indigenous citizen, the non-indigenous will feel the need to bully you at the workplace at school or even while using public transport. The theory of otherness critically analyses how minority and majority groups in the society come to existence states that the greater the political power a certain group possesses, the more control they have over the society (Cotter et al. 2012). This Othering of the aborigines and the non-indigenous has led to the superiority complex we see; feeling more entitled to better facilities than the other group. Essentialism Theory Essentialism as explained by (Said 42), was the defining mode of western historiography and ethnography from the 19th century to date (Thomas et al. 2008). This theory ignores the social and cultural changes that have taken place over the years. It also considers non-western societies as historically unchanging. He provoked intense controversy that lives on to date; it is considered to promote racism, inhumanity, and disrespect to femininity and of course controlling. Indigenous people in Australia in this case would be considered to have social and cultural values that have not changes since the colonial period. However, I can attest to the fact that indigenous people have significantly changed overtime. After the introduction of education, indigenous people have since gone to school to acquire education just as we (non-indigenous people) have done. In higher learning institutions we also have students from indigenous communities. I do not agree with Said as there is no community that does not undergo social- cultural changes over time. Essentialists' notions in the case of Australia should be dismissed as they lead to the oppression of the traditionally disadvantaged communities. This notion is described as inappropriate while trying to handle complicated situations involving young girls in the justice system (Kirwan et al. 2013). In Australia to be more specific, Kirwan et al. are worried that essentialists' kind of thinking loses sight of the individuality of the aboriginal girls and puts emphasis on the general category of female delinquency. In conclusion, like most former colonial countries, in Australia, racism is quite prevalent (Cotter et al. 2012). Racism in the case of this country has been portrayed as the over rejection, hostility of the indigenous groups by the non-indigenous people based on the color of their skin. In most surveys of racist attitudes and beliefs in Australia, the findings have shown that between half and three quarters of the respondents in the different case studies give racist responses to self-reported queries. Since the non-indigenous people first came to Australia in 1788, the indigenous people have faced a lot of family destruction after their children are taken away from them, displacement, genocide, and many more stresses that come with belonging to a minority identity and residing in a country where racism is most people's bread and butter (Howlett et al. 2016). This all goes to show how much The Australian government devalues the indigenous community. This is quite unfortunate as this country has multiple resources but instead choose to not distribute them equally. People and cultures are diverse and should be appreciated for peace to be restored in this country.
Work Cited
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Howlett, Monica, Matthew Gray, and Boyd Hunter. “Wages, Government Payments and Other Income of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians.” Australian Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 19, no. 2, 2016, pp. 53-76, ABI/INFORM Collection, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1857262478?accountid=45049.
Kirwan, Padraig, and David Stirrup. ““I’m indiginous, I’m indiginous, I’m indiginous”:
Indigenous rights, British Nationalism, and the European Far Right.” Tribal Fantasies, 2013, pp. 59-83.
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Thomas, David P., Ian P. Anderson, and Margaret A. Kelaher. “Accessibility and Quality of Care Received in Emergency Departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.” Australian Health Review, vol. 32, no. 4, 2008, pp. 648-54, ABI/INFORM Collection, https://search.proquest.com/docview/231777931?accountid=45049.
