Impact of Modern Technology in Australia: the Aboriginal Culture - Annotated Bibliography Example

Anthropology of Life, Death and Culture – Research Proposal Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Title: Critical Evaluation of the Impact of Modern Technology in Australia: Case Study of the Aboriginal Culture Abstract It is imperative to note that the advent of modern technology has posed extensive impacts on cultures in diverse regions of the world, mostly the indigenous culture. This is in relation to the way the people in these specific cultures communicate, share symbolic interactions, uphold their shared values and norms as well as transmit the tenets of their culture from one generation to the other. This project is about the critical analysis of how the modern technology has impacted on the cultural set-up of the Australian population. This modern technology can be perceived to be characterized by the advent of the internet, mobile phones, computers as well as the social media among other aspects. Towards this end, it will specifically focus on the impact of contemporary technology on the culture of the Aboriginal population in Australia. This is a special category of the modern Australian population. In a generic sense, the Aboriginal population can be perceived as the people who trace their ancestral roots to the ancestors in the Australian continent (mainland Australia or the Island of Tasmania) prior to the colonization of the continent by the British which instigated in 1788. Thus, this project will be specific in the sense that it will focus on a particular or specific societal culture. This project is firmly grounded in the course of Anthropology of Life, Death and Culture. This is founded on the fact that the project focuses on how modern technology has impacted on the cultural practices and perceptions of a particular society (Aboriginal Australians). In this regard, it will critically examine how modern technology has affected the ways in which the members of the Aboriginal population communicate, share experiences, promote their culture in the international platforms as well as perceive modern tenets like medicines which have been advanced by the increased popularity of technology in the contemporary world. In addition, it is relevant in this course based on the fact that technological advancements which have seen elevated access to information have helped in altering the perceptions in different indigenous cultures in aspects like life and death. This is best epitomized whereby advances in technology have seen increased dissemination of medical information. As a result, most members of the indigenous cultures have had a paradigm shift of perceptions in relation to how they view certain diseases which cause death among members of their population. Subsequently, the heightened dissemination of this medicine based information has tended to minimize the level of superstition about the causes of certain deaths and on the other hand has tended to impact on prolonged life spans different indigenous cultures. Therefore, it is plausible to infer that this project is solidly anchored on this course based on its focus how modern technology has impacted on specific cultural tenets of the Aboriginal population in Australia. This is also in relation to their perceptions about life and death, both of which are core to this course. Annotated bibliography Corbett, J. et. al., 2006, ‘Web 2.0 for Aboriginal cultural survival: a new Australian outback movement’, retrieved 28th March, 2013, < http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/G02843.pdf>. Jon Corbett, Guy Singleton and Kado Muir all distinguished scholars in different institutions and extensively engaged in the cultural studies of indigenous societies. In this paper, the authors start with the reflection on the efforts to institutionalize Web 2.0 at Walkatjurra Cultural Centre, which is an Aboriginal organization based in Leonora, Western Australia. They proceed to expound to the necessity of this establishment as well as its characteristics. Additionally, the authors expounded on the background of the Aboriginal culture, specific aspects like language as well as the perceptions of older members of this community to modern technology. This paper is thus important for this project based on the fact that it gives a primary experience of the impact of modern technology on this populations, for instance, digital recordings of ancestral songs which is key in culture transmission. It also illustrates the positive impacts which can be derived from use of modern technology among indigenous cultures. Dyson, LE., 2004, ‘Cultural issues in the adoption of information and communication technologies by indigenous Australians’, proceedings Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology, eds. F. Sudweeks and C. Ess, Murdoch University, Perth, pp. 58-71. Laurel Evelyn Dyson is a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia in the realm of information technology (IT). She is the founder of the Indigenous Participation in Information Technology Project. In this paper, the author instigates by noting that ICTs are bound to pose significant impacts on indigenous communities as they make efforts to adopt these technologies. She then proceeds to pose questions on how these indigenous societies will be able to deal with these new technologies and whether they are able to access the benefits posed by these technologies and concurrently retain their own cultures intact. I find the work by this author to be extremely imperative on this project based on the fact that it will inform on the extent to which technology has been adopted among indigenous Australians as well as how ICTs can be executed to reflect specific Indigenous Australian cultural concerns. Lieberman, EA., 2002, Taking Ownership: Strengthening Indigenous Cultures and Languages Through the Use of ICTs, Academy for Educational Development, Washington D.C. Andrew E. Lieberman, through his organization, Asociacion Ajb'atz' Enlace Quiche has done extensive work in surmounting barriers to education among indigenous cultures, mostly the Mayan people of Guatemala. In this work, the author starts by expounding on the imminent crashes which are instigated by modern technology, for instance, mass media making way into indigenous cultures. The author noted that despite the apparent benefits of modern technology to indigenous societies, there are some evident risks which are associated with this phenomenon. The work by Lieberman is imperative to this project based on the fact that it gives a generic overview about the impact of ICT on indigenous cultures, not only in Australia but also in other regions. It thus forwards a holistic approach to the impacts of modern technology on the indigenous cultures around the world which is imperative in the development of the background of this project. Nickerson, M. & Kaufman, J., 2005, ‘Aboriginal Culture in the Digital Age’, Policy, Politics & Governance, Vol. 10, pp. 1-15. Marcia Nickerson is the head of the KTA Aboriginal Practice Group while Jay Kaufman is a principal at KTA Consulting and the KTA Centre for Collaborative Governance. The authors in this journal start by bringing a holistic view to the impact of ICT for Aboriginal ways of living, knowing and thinking. In addition, it expounds on the importance of cultural identity as well as the central role of ICT in continuity of a culture as well as the renewal of the community. Moreover, it illustrates the impact of ICT in the process of sharing Aboriginal culture in the new economy. This journal is fundamental to this project in the sense that it robustly portrays the extensive impact of modern technology on how the Aboriginal culture is perceived, shared and promoted. Rennie, E, Crouch, A, Wright, A & Thomas, J, 2011, Home Internet for Remote Indigenous Communities, Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, Sydney. Rennie Ellie, Crouch Andrew, Wright Alyson and Thomas Julian are all distinguished scholars from different institutions like CCI-Swin, who interested in technology among indigenous societies. In this report, they start by stating the limited likelihood of indigenous Australian who inhabit remote areas to have elevated access to internet from their homes, facts which are supported by extensive statistics. They proceed to explore the policy framework governing the access to internet among these indigenous communities, with specific focus on Kwale Kwale, Imangara and Mungalawurru communities. Additionally, this report outlines the key findings about access and impacts of internet access among these communities as well as forwarding robust recommendations. This report is core to this project in the sense that apart from informing on the utility and impact of technology among these indigenous societies, it also forwards different recommendations to promote consumption of modern technology in these indigenous communities. Ross, MC, 1986, ‘Australian Aboriginal Oral Traditions’, Oral Tradition, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 231- 71. Margaret Clunies Ross is a Professor of English language as well as the director of Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Sydney. In this journal, the author primarily starts by giving a brief history of the Aboriginal population in Australia as well as acknowledging the three rudimentary religious rituals of fertility, initiation and death which forms the foundation of the Aboriginal culture. This author primarily focuses on the oral tales, songs, dances as well as several rituals which inform the Aboriginal culture. This journal is important for this project based on the fact that it shows the importance of modern technology in the transmission of Aboriginal culture from one generation to the other. Samaras, K., 2005, ‘Indigenous Australians and the ‘digital divide’, Libri, vol. 55, pp. 84–95. Samaras Katrina, a lecturer at Charles Sturt University has extensively written on the culture of the indigenous populations in Australia. In this Journal, the author primarily focuses on the disadvantaged position which the indigenous Australians are placed at with the advent of the digital age. Despite this disadvantaged niche, the author alludes to the cognition by this population about the empowering potential of the internet as a tool for communication, information resource and a medium for publishing. This journal is important to this project based on the fact that it shows the potential impact of ICT in changing the way the members of the indigenous population in Australia communicate, share resources among other aspects. This is in spite of their disadvantaged position in the access to ICT. References Corbett, J. et. al., 2006, ‘Web 2.0 for Aboriginal cultural survival: a new Australian outback movement’, retrieved 28th March, 2013, < http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/G02843.pdf>. Dyson, LE., 2004, ‘Cultural issues in the adoption of information and communication technologies by indigenous Australians’, proceedings Cultural Attitudes Towards Communication and Technology, eds. F. Sudweeks and C. Ess, Murdoch University, Perth, pp. 58-71. Lieberman, EA., 2002, Taking Ownership: Strengthening Indigenous Cultures and Languages Through the Use of ICTs, Academy for Educational Development, Washington D.C. Nickerson, M. & Kaufman, J., 2005, ‘Aboriginal Culture in the Digital Age’, Policy, Politics & Governance, Vol. 10, pp. 1-15. Rennie, E, Crouch, A, Wright, A & Thomas, J, 2011, Home Internet for Remote Indigenous Communities, Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, Sydney. Ross, MC, 1986, ‘Australian Aboriginal Oral Traditions’, Oral Tradition, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 231- 71. Samaras, K., 2005, ‘Indigenous Australians and the ‘digital divide’, Libri, vol. 55, pp. 84–95. Read More