Indigenous Language and Social Identity: Papers in Honour of Michael Walsh

Abstract

For almost 40 years, Michael Walsh has been working alongside Indigenous people: documenting language, music and other traditional knowledge, acting on behalf of claimants to land in the Northern Territory, and making crucial contributions to the revitalisation of Aboriginal languages in NSW. This volume, with contributions from his colleagues and students, celebrates his abiding interest in and commitment to Indigenous society with papers in two broad themes. ‘Language, identity and country’ addresses the often complex relations between Aboriginal social groups and countries, and linguistic identity. In ‘Language, identity and social action’ authors discuss the role that language plays in maintaining social identities in the realms of conversation, story-telling, music, language games, and in education. ‘Language and Social Identity in Australian Indigenous Communities’ will be of interest to students of linguistics, Indigenous studies, anthropology, and sociology.