Date of Award
2000
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences
First Supervisor
Dr Christopher Sonn
Second Supervisor
Keith Truscott
Abstract
In a history characterized by dispossession and oppression since colonisation, the responses of Aboriginal people to oppression have typically been presented from an ethnocentric perspective of internalization and assimilation. Another body of literature however, suggests alternative responses to non-dominant status such as resistance and adaptation to oppression. This study sought to investigate the ways in which Aboriginal adolescents respond to the negative messages they receive about being Aboriginal and the implications for their developing sense of identity, within a sociopolitical framework. A group of nine participants (five females and four males), aged 14 - 17 years (M = 15.4yrs), were recruited from a state suburban high school and interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Four main themes emerged from the data: Ways of Being Aboriginal; Resisting and Rejecting Stereotypes; Moving Against Stereotypes; and Moving Towards Social Action. A minor theme of Holding On emerged and this referred to participants from the Northwest holding on to White imposed stereotypes about urban Aboriginal culture, in order to retain a privileged status as 'real' Aboriginal people. The implications for identity development and how adults work with young Aboriginal people are discussed and suggestions for future research provided.
Recommended Citation
Hovane, V. E. (2000). An investigation of the multiple response to oppression and implications for identity among Aboriginal adolescents. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/884