INDIGENOUS LIVES 2007

A Conference on Indigenous Biography and Indigenous Autobiography
Humanities Research Centre,
Australian National University,
9-12 July 2007

Sponsored by

Humanities Research Centre,
National Centre for Indigenous Studies,
Institute of Advanced Studies,
University of Western AustraliaAustralian Centre for Indigenous History,
ANUCentre for Public Culture and Ideas,
Griffith University

Convenors

Ms Frances Peters-Little frances.peters@anu.edu.au
Professor Peter Read peter.read@anu.edu.au
Professor Anna Haebich a.haebich@griffith.edu.au

Presentations

We invite contributions from people interested in the topics listed below, especially from biographers of Indigenous people, and from Indigenous autobiographers. As well as writers, we welcome interest from those concerned with portraying Indigenous lives in the artistic, visual and performing arts. We take ?Indigenous? to include Indigenous people from all parts of the world. Interested persons are invited to forward to the convenors a presentation abstract addressing one of the themes outlined below. The convenors will prefer presentations that address difficulties and issues raised by these themes

Please send proposals and abstracts to Peter Read by 28 February 2007mailto:2007peter.read@anu.edu.au

Conference themes.

1. Mixed Identities

Autobiography:
How do you position yourself?
The role of family genealogies
Multiple identities
BiographyWriting about an identity
Negotiating the subject?s self-definition

2 . Controversial lives?

Autobiography
Upsetting the stereotype
Biography
Tensions: interpreting a life in the light of changing values
Upsetting conventional wisdom
What are the useful models?

3. Who Owns the Story?

Autobiography
Who are my audiences?
Working with or revealing other people?s secrets
Values and knowledges
How honest do I want to be/can I be?
Biography
Conflict with the living subject
Other people?s secrets
Conflicting values and knowledges
Who are my audiences?

4. Issues in presentation as autobiography for

Electronic media
Radio
TV
On-line
FilmExhibitions
Art galleries
Museums

5. Alternative Narratives and Technologies

Ficto-biography
Ficto-autobiography
The chronological narrative
Multiple voices
New media

6. That Elusive Relationship

Autobiography
Maintaining good relations with intimate friends and family - before, during and after publication
Biography
What is the desirable relationship between biographer and subject before, during and after publication?
Negotiating issues of private knowledge

7. The Performing Arts

Issues in autobiographical or biographical presentations
Poetry
Music and song
Theatre
Dance

8. Who Owns the Work?

The author
The family
The Indigenous community

Reviews: in what contexts do we want our work placed?

Australian Indigenous
World Indigenous
FeministNational literature
Biography or autobiography?
Art and Politics
How have Indigenous autobiographies and biographies changed in the past half-century?
Self-perception
Political contexts
Changing audiencePublic interest - has it remained/will it remain the same?