Recognition? It’s a matter of life and death in Aboriginal Australia.

As an ABC documentary to air on September 20 asks ‘RECOGNITION: Yes or No?‘, it may be time for you to get a copy of CASSE’s ‘Recognition’ booklet and consider this question from the psychological viewpoint.

Written by the Director of CASSE’s Aboriginal Australian Relations Program, Pamela Nathan, in preparation for her role as a panellist at the Sydney Ideas event ‘What is Recognition?‘, featuring Noel Pearson and Jonathan Lear,  ‘Recognition – A matter of life and death in Aboriginal Australia’ is a 30 page booklet and is available for just $10.

To order your copy, please contact CASSE – Phone 0450 540 366  Email enquiries@casse.org.au

Following is Pamela’s Preface to the book:

This essay was written in preparation for the Sydney Ideas Event – ‘What is Recognition? Noel Pearson and Jonathan Lear in Conversation’, held on December 8, 2015. What is Recognition? The event was a very powerful emotional experience with heartfelt words from two national Aboriginal leaders, Noel Pearson and Professor Marcia Langton AM. It was a seminel event to have Noel Pearson in conversation with Professor Jonathan Lear whose wonderful work with the Crow Indians has influenced the thinking of Noel. His work on ‘radical hope’ has inspired thinking in Australia – certainly CASSE’s. (You will see something of Lear’s work in CASSE’s Saving Lives and The Milky Way booklets). The audience was large, interested and supportive. Professor Duncan Ivison was on the panel along with Marcia and myself. Professor Shane Houston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr Michael Spence, Vice-Chancellor and Christopher Freeland, National Managing Partner of Baker& McKenzie all spoke to the event. Philosophic and psychoanalytic thinking coalesced and to put these stories alongside the Aboriginal story was profound and generative. CASSE was very proud to co-sponsor this event with other psychoanalytic organisation sponsors in Sydney and more. We have used photos from the event in this booklet.

CASSE hopes this essay may be a contribution toward the achievement of constitutional reform in Australia; an imperative in the achievement of humane and equal relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Australia.

Pamela Nathan