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Saltwater Cowboys: Life In A Time Of Death And Destruction, Lisa Slater

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper begins at the Derby (western Kimberley, WA) bull rides, where young Aboriginal men compete to be champion bull riders - with the prize of a social status akin to an AFL football star. The abundance of life performed in this arena lies in stark contrast to the too often rehearsed appalling health and social statistics, which has produced policies such as the Northern Territory National Emergency Response, Shared Responsibility Agreements and 'Close the Gap'. Too many Indigenous Australians are in a state of relentless poverty, which is responded to with shortsighted instrumentalist policies. Achille Mbembe argues that the …