Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellyto suspect that the concepts of colonisation and collaboration would beimportant to include and had a small section prepared. After speaking to arange of participants, it became obvious that colonisation was incrediblysignificant, but not well understood by non-Aboriginal people. This led me toincrease my reading and writing in this area significantly, and devote a wholechapter to the topic. As the data was analysed, we identified the dominance ofWestern/English/professional knowledge and one way communication inAustralian society and health care systems and the negative effects these havehad on Aboriginal women’s health and well-being. My search for literature thatcould assist me to understand and explain this in more detail led me topostcolonial and feminist literature.Postcolonial feminism led me to actively seek Indigenous viewpoints andquestion colonising assumptions within literature. Choosing appropriate texts,particularly those related to early colonial activities, has been challengingbecause each text reflected the underlying beliefs of the author and society atthe time that it was written (Said 1993). In discussion with co-researchers,advisors and supervisors, I devised a hierarchy of references that recognisedthe work of Aboriginal researchers, non-Aboriginal researchers who researchand publish with Aboriginal people, and then others. Even with this strategy,there have been difficulties in presenting information in a way that isacceptable for diverse Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal co-researchers.Understandably it is not always possible to gain consensus about what is a‘reasonable account’ of a cultural issue or historical event. However, I havetaken this approach in recognition that not to foreground Aboriginal voicescontinues the colonising process.I have attempted to write this thesis in a way that highlights multipleperspectives and alternate experiences while still being respectful ofAboriginal Traditional culture. I have tried to avoid referring to Aboriginalgroups of people as if they were one homogenous 21 group, but at times havemade some pragmatic generalisations, particularly when discussing SouthAustralian colonial history and health care trends.21 Homogenous refers to all being the same132