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Disruption or Transformation? Australian Policymaking in the Face of Indigenous Contestation

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Global Cultures of Contestation

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Globalization, Culture and Society ((PSGCS))

Abstract

From the Zapatista’s “netwar” to the “hashtag activism” of Idle No More, Indigenous peoples have pioneered digital media for global connectivity and contestation. This chapter explores the promise and the pitfalls of social media for First Nations protest in Australia. Overall, we find new opportunities for disruption and ongoing challenges with regard to significant social and political transformation. The argument is illustrated with two exemplars. Firstly, the “Recognise” campaign is a state-sponsored public information and awareness campaign with a well-developed social media and branding strategy. Dissenting Indigenous voices have been highly successful in disrupting this campaign and asserting an alternative agenda including Treaty and Land Rights. Secondly, the #IASLottery campaign responded to the new Indigenous Advancement Strategy, with less success in impacting policy debates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Tanja Dreher

  2. Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

    Lisa Waller

  3. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

    Kerry McCallum

Authors
  1. Tanja Dreher
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  2. Lisa Waller
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  3. Kerry McCallum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanja Dreher .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Literary and Cultural Analysis, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Switzerland

    Esther Peeren

  2. Department of Philosophy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Robin Celikates

  3. Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jeroen de Kloet

  4. Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Thomas Poell

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Dreher, T., Waller, L., McCallum, K. (2018). Disruption or Transformation? Australian Policymaking in the Face of Indigenous Contestation. In: Peeren, E., Celikates, R., de Kloet, J., Poell, T. (eds) Global Cultures of Contestation. Palgrave Studies in Globalization, Culture and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63982-6_11

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