TY  - JOUR
TI  - Redefining viability: Aboriginal homelands communities in north-east Arnhem Land
AU  - Morphy, Frances
T2  - Australian Journal of Social Issues
AB  - The current policy debate about the future of small Indigenous homelands communities in remote Australia is being framed in terms of a narrow economic definition of ‘viability’, with little attention to factors such as the social characteristics of such communities and the health, well-being, and aspirations of those who choose to live there. The debate is taking place in the absence of comparative socio-demographic data on these communities as opposed to other kinds of settlements in remote Australia. This paper argues for a broader conceptualisation of viability. It outlines some reasons why governments might consider helping homelands communities to become more economically self-sufficient rather than starving them of support so that their inhabitants increasingly face a ‘choice’ between a marginalized and impoverished existence on the homelands and recentralisation in larger settlements. The argument is based on an analysis of ethnographic data from north-east Arnhem Land that demonstrate the social cohesiveness and functionality of homelands communities as compared to larger hub settlements.
DA  - 2008///
PY  - 2008
DO  - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2008.tb00109.x
DP  - Wiley Online Library
VL  - 43
IS  - 3
SP  - 381
EP  - 396
LA  - en
SN  - 1839-4655
ST  - Redefining viability
UR  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1839-4655.2008.tb00109.x
Y2  - 2021/10/04/23:22:05
KW  - Architecture
KW  - Urban planning
ER  -