Lorraine Gibson

Biography

Lorraine completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons.) (2001) and a PhD (2002-2006) in Anthropology at Macquarie University in Sydney. Lorraine's PhD 'Articulating Culture(s): Being Black in Wilcannia' examines the perennial and eternally important question of 'culture' and its intersection with, and deployment within, the categories of 'art' and 'race'. Following conferral of her PhD, Lorraine gained a Postgraduate Fellowship within the Research Branch of the Australian Museum in Sydney where she continued her work with Aboriginal communities in far Western New South Wales. Lorraine was then awarded a Research Fellowship (2 years) at Macquarie University. This was followed by the prestigious Vice Chancellor's Innovation Fellowship (VCIF) (2.5 years) at the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion (CRSI), Macquarie University. During this period, Lorraine built collaborative research links with industry, managed and developed projects, submitted and gained grants and published research results in highly ranked peer reviewed journals. Lorraine contributed to courses and workshops across Indigenous studies, anthropology, sociology and philosophy and was a visiting fellow at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Canada. Lorraine was also fortunate enough to have her sole authored book 'We Don't Do Dots: Art and Culture in Wilcannia, New South Wales', accepted for publication. Part of Lorraine's VCIF fellowship involved the leadership of an ethnographic longitudinal research project between the CRSI and the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES). Lorraine conducted this project with members of the communities of Alice Springs, Moree, Kempsey and Glebe (Sydney) over three years. The project identified what it means to live a productive and successful life from different Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal points of view, and the ways in which ideas and experiences of 'work' intersect with identity. The project culminated in the writing of a comprehensive 60,000 word report, 'Practical Reconciliation: The Aboriginal Employment Strategy, Possibilities for Economic Development and Cultural Sustainability'. This report is restricted access due to the highly sensitive nature of the results and is commercial in confidence.

Research Interest

Race relations Social inclusion/exclusion Class and social placement Socio-economic and complex disadvantage Indigenous Australia Politics of identity Child welfare Aboriginal visual arts Museums and material culture