CDU Researcher Profile

josephine.douglas@cdu.edu.au

School for Social and Policy Research

Charles Darwin University

PO Box 795

Alice Springs NT 0871

• Research interests
• Publications
• Current projects
• Recent completions supervised

Research Interests

Josie Douglas commenced as Indigenous Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University in July 2005. Previously she was Publisher at IAD Press, a leading publishing house of quality books on Aboriginal languages, natural histories, fiction, art and oral histories.  

She has compiled Untreated, a collection of poems by Aboriginal authors and co-edited Skins an anthology of contemporary Indigenous writing from Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia.

She is a currently a member of the NT Board of Studies. Josie has a strong commitment to Aboriginal education and the arts, particularly community based projects that have a strong language and culture focus. She has lived in Alice Springs for 15 years, working predominantly for community-controlled Aboriginal organizations.

Recent Publications

• Akiwenzie-Damm, K & Douglas, J (editors) 2000. Skins – Contemporary Indigenous Writing, IAD Press, Alice Springs, NT, Australia

• Douglas, J (compiler) 2001. Untreated – Poems by black writers, IAD Press, Alice Springs, NT, Australia

Current Projects

Bush Harvest: Sustainability of small-scale commercial bush harvest

Research Team: Josie Douglas, Fiona Walsh (CSIRO)

Partners: Desert Knowledge CRC (Core Project 2.1), Central Land Council

This project investigates the environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability of bush food harvesting and micro-enterprise in Central Australia. Its goal is to contribute to better income, employment and livelihoods for Aboriginal harvesters and custodians of bush foods in desert Australia. Non-Aboriginal/Western interest in bush foods is increasing. The bush food industry is growing and the market for bush food products is also expanding rapidly. In Central Australia, the commercial harvest of bush foods from natural populations has a relatively recent history, although the customary harvest of bush foods has been happening for thousands of years.

Linking bush schools and education to community based livelihoods

Research Team: Josie Douglas

Partners: Desert Knowledge CRC

This research aims to expand our understanding of the livelihood opportunities that Aboriginal bush schools in Central Australia provide to community members, and to identify the benefits and opportunities of these school related livelihoods and how they can be better supported. In order to achieve this, the study will look at the language and culture programs of bush schools as well as external projects that have a natural and cultural resource management (NCRM) focus that tie into bush school education programs.

This research is part of Desert Knowledge CRC’s Core Project 1 - Livelihoods inland. The aim of CP1 is to understand how natural and cultural resource management can make a stronger contribution to sustainable livelihoods for desert people.

Read more about Desert Knowledge at SSPR

Recent Completions Supervised