The development of the culture of non-Aboriginal government workers in remote Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia
Date
2019
Authors
Bergen, Penelope Joan
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Abstract
The successes and failures of interventions to close
the disadvantage gap for remote Aboriginal communities have been
well documented but the role of the non-Indigenous advisers
tasked with carrying out those interventions has remained
obscure. This study explores the development of the culture of
non-Indigenous government staff living and working in remote
Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia in the 1960s and
early 1970s. Elements of Constructivist Grounded Theory
Methodology and its methods were used to analyse interviews of a
representative group of workers. Three core themes were
identified: Confronting disconnectedness, Finding our own space
within the institution, and We formed a new social framework.
Further analysis led to a descriptive narrative that incorporated
personal characteristics, social processes, reactions to
ambiguous governance structures, and the creation of a new social
structure. From this analysis, three propositions can be drawn:
(1) Remote communities with an absence of governance structures
attracted workers characterised by a preference for autonomy and
self-organisation, workers who sought difference, meaning and
adventure. (2) Remote Aboriginal settlements with inadequate
governance structures resulted, paradoxically, in social
connectedness being contingent on the ability to maintain and
navigate distance from other people. (3) The stronger the
governance structures, the more cohesive the group. This led to
less need for external networking, which, in turn, lessened the
likelihood that remote workers would be influenced by other
external factors. The relationship between the strength of
governance structures and the workers’ personal characteristics
determined how, and with whom, non-Indigenous workers formed
meaningful connections. Conclusions: The ongoing heterarchical
network – an unranked collective of absent, unclear or
frequently changing hierarchies - that is identified in this
thesis, would likely benefit from the development of a national
peak body which could aggregate and maintain an organisational
structure, and formalise training and the maintenance of
professional standards of workers in remote settlements.
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Keywords
Applied Sociology, Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology, Heterarchy, Small Group Culture, Remote Workers, Culture Development, Central Australia, Remote Communities
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Type
Thesis (PhD)
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DOI
10.25911/5e578cd96450a