Paper short abstract:

The paper will outline a research program focused on human/land relationships through investigation of diverse senses of cultural belonging. What is the significance of indigeneity across nations with different histories? How do ideas of autochthonous and settler human identities mesh with notions of nativeness and invasiveness in nature?

Paper long abstract:

The paper will outline a research program seeking to deliver understanding of human/land relationships through investigation of diverse senses of cultural belonging. What is the significance of indigeneity as a concept and publicly asserted identity across nations with different histories? How do ideas of autochthonous and settler human identities mesh with notions of nativeness and invasiveness in nature? The project foregrounds ambiguous tensions between negotiated degrees of belonging in society and parallel assumptions about natural versus exotic qualities among plants and animals. While currently based on Australian material, the intention is to propose comparative investigations across several countries, considering possibilities of work in societies with non-European cultural histories (e.g. Malaysia), nations with non-British colonial histories (e.g. across South America), and countries with both entrenched European minorities and a non-White majority that is culturally distinct from the 'indigenous' minority (e.g. South Africa). Are such societies instructive for nations like Australia & New Zealand, in terms of similar and different senses of place and identity, links between ideas of autochthony and belonging, and pressing environmental issues about 'nativeness' in plants and animals?