National Conference on Racism in a Global Context 9th - 11th November 2007, Murdoch University
Up to two-hundred and fifty delegates attended NCRGC, participating in a series of plenary and breakout presentations, seminars, and workshops designed to discuss and develop applied solutions to fight racism in Australia. In the final plenary session, delegates worked together to develop a set of formal conference recommendations calling on the government to implement specific practical measures to promote reconciliation and self-determination, asking the media to work towards eliminating racist content, and undertaking to address the needs expressed by representatives of new, emerging, and established minority communities.
Nidja Nyungar Boodjar Noonook Nyininy (this is Nyungar country, you are sitting in it)
The National Conference on Racism in a Global Context was held on Friday 9, Saturday 10, and Sunday 11 November 2007 at the South Street Campus of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. The South Street campus is built on the land of the Nyungar people, and delegates were welcomed to country by traditional owners of the Beeliar Boodjar.
Summary and on-going initiatives
Conference Program
The conference program and abstracts for plenary and general delegate presentations are available for view in pdf format and as web pages. In many cases, the full text of presentations are also available to view as pdfs.
A number of delegates have also submitted full papers based on their presentations for review and publication in the conference proceedings. Further information about the availability of conference proceedings will be appear on this web site as it comes to hand.
Conference DVD
The conference was extensively documented on film by staff and students from the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre at Murdoch University and the Murdoch School of Media Communication & Culture. Editing of that footage is underway with the intention of producing a short documentary about the conference, as well as making a number of plenary addresses available on DVD and (possibly) through electronic download. Details will be available from this site once production is complete.
Liyarn Ngarn
The organisers were were proud to include the Western Australia launch of the documentary 'Liyarn Ngarn' in the conference program.
Liyarn Ngarn is a compelling new documentary by award-winning Director Martin Mhando, starring renowned English actor Pete Postlethwaite, respected Indigenous leader Patrick Dodson, and celebrated songman Archie Roach. The film aims to change peoples' perception and attitude to Indigenous people, and to assist with the process of true and lasting reconciliation.
The launch included a catered reception, screening of the film 'Liyarn Ngarn', and a Q&A session with Martin Mhando, Pat Dodson, Bill Johnson, and Michael Long.
You can learn more about Liyarn Ngarn at ABC Radio's Late Night Live web site and The ANTaR web site.
Original Conference Site
For reference purposes, an archive copy of the original conference web site taken at the start of the conference can still be accessed. Note that some options (e.g., on-line registration, etc) may no longer work.
In November this year, Murdoch University and partners hosted a National Conference on Racism in a Global Context. Following on from the United Nations World Conference against Racism (WCAR) held in Durban South Africa, this unique three day conference brought together a range of internationally respected academics and researchers, local and national government representatives, NGOs, Indigenous leaders, and groups and individuals from the community to review the themes and issues raised at WCAR, and to explore experiences and effects of racism. In line with the goals of the Durban conference, participants worked together to develop practical solutions for the community, organisations, and government to advance the fight against racism in Australia and promote positive racial and cultural relations.
The conference aimed to inform and encourage broad thought and debate about racism and discrimination, and to spark positive action. To ensure community engagement, community-targeted initiatives ran in conjunction with the academic conference. One of the key initiatives wass a film festival that screened movies with topics relevant to the conference's themes . The centrepiece was a screening of 'Liyarn Ngarn', a new feature length documentary produced by Steve Hawke, directed by award winning director Martin Mhando, and starring Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite, respected Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson, and renowned balladeer Archie Roach. The film festival was open to the public, and timed to complement the conference program.
Conference sessions were grouped around three key thematic areas and included a series of keynote addresses, individual presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops. The thematic areas were intended to provide a general framework for papers, and to guide the overall direction of the conference towards strategic and applied outcomes.
Day 1 - Contexts
The first day of sessions reviewed contextual factors of racism, and examined and explained the manifestations of racism in a globalised world. Submissions from a wide range of disciplines were received, including (but not limited to) social, psychological, historical, economic, and political analyses of racism focused at individual, organisational, national, or international levels. Topics included the motivations and causes of racism, racism and religious beliefs, portrayals of racism in the media, the global debate on health and immigration, the role of partnership and self-determination, and the legacy of the 1967 Referendum.
Day 2 - Narratives and Experiences
The second day of sessions provided an opportunity for those who are the targets of racism to give voice to their own experiences, and to engage with researchers, public services providers and activists working in the area of racism, discrimination and human rights. Sessions on day two included racism and Indigenous peoples, an African people's forum, racism and public policy, and discussions on the wider social and economic effects of individual and institutionalised racism. Submissions were received not only from researchers, but from Indigenous representatives, and from members of new, emerging, and established communities.
Day 3 - Strategies and Solutions
The final day of sessions targetted the way forward. Speakers tied together the two earlier thematic streams by concentrating on proposals for practical measures of prevention, education and protection. Delegates considered current anti-racism programs and initiatives, and looked to generate new recommendations for specific strategies to combat racism and discrimination.
The following invited speakers took part in the conference :
Click names to see speakers' biographical information, or view the Invited Speakers - Abstracts page for details of their talks at NCRGC.
If you need any further information about the conference and associated events and activities, or have any problems with this web-site, please contact Girish Lala at the Centre for Social and Community Research, Murdoch University by email (ncrgc@murdoch.edu.au) or telephone ((61-8) 9360 6969)
Call back for further updates and information!
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