Marcia Langton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcia Langton
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Langton in a 2021 NIAA report
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| Born | 31 October 1951 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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| Education | Australian National University (BA), Macquarie University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Anthropologist, geographer |
| Employer | University of Melbourne |
| Organization | Alice Springs Friends of East Timor |
Marcia Lynne Langton (born October 31, 1951) is an important Aboriginal Australian writer and university professor. As of 2022, she is a special professor at the University of Melbourne. She teaches about health and global issues. Professor Langton is famous for working hard to protect the rights of Indigenous Australians.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Marcia Langton was born in 1951 in Australia. Her mother was Kathleen Waddy. Marcia grew up in Queensland. She is a descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara peoples. These are both Aboriginal Australian groups.
Marcia and her mother moved often. They did not always have a secure home or job. Marcia went to nine different primary schools.
She later studied at the University of Queensland. There, she became an activist for Indigenous rights. She wanted to make things better for Aboriginal people.
When she returned to Australia, Langton studied anthropology in the 1980s. She went to the Australian National University. She was the first Indigenous person to get an honours degree in anthropology.
Early Work
Langton worked with many groups. These groups helped with Indigenous social and cultural issues. They also helped with land claims. Land claims are about Indigenous people getting their traditional lands back.
She worked for the Australian Film Commission. She was also a land claims anthropologist for the Central Land Council. This council is in the Northern Territory. She also worked for the Queensland Government. In the early 1990s, she worked for the Cape York Land Council.
University Career
In 1995, Langton started working full-time at universities. She spent five years as a professor in Darwin. She taught about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. This was at Northern Territory University.
In 2000, she became a professor at the University of Melbourne. She was the first to hold the Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies. In 2016, she became a distinguished professor. In 2017, she became an associate provost.
In 2005, she earned her PhD in geography. Her research was about Aboriginal peoples in Cape York Peninsula.
In 2012, she became a patron of the Indigenous Reading Project. This group helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. They use digital tools to improve reading skills.
Standing Up for Rights
Working for Change in the 1970s
In the early 1970s, Langton was a leader in a group called the Communist League. This group later joined the Socialist Workers Party. She was never a member of the Communist Party of Australia.
In 1976, Langton helped start the Black Women's Action (BWA) group. This group published a newspaper called Koori Bina. It was for Aboriginal people. The newspaper ran until 1979. Langton said they were inspired by an older paper called Abo Call.
Langton went to Canberra in 1977. She was elected general secretary. This was for the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. While there, she started studying anthropology at ANU.
From 1999 to Today
In 1999, Langton was one of five Indigenous leaders. They met with Queen Elizabeth II. They talked about an apology and Indigenous recognition in the Australian Constitution.
In 2007, Langton supported "The Intervention." This was a plan by the government. She believed that Indigenous people needed to be more responsible. She thought there was too much dependence on welfare. These ideas were different from many other Indigenous activists.
In 2008, the government asked her to join a group. This group looked at how to improve the native title process.
She has said that agreements with mining companies can help local Indigenous people. She believed these agreements could help more than the government. She wanted mining companies and Indigenous land owners to work together directly. She worked with Rio Tinto. She was impressed by their understanding of native title.
In 2017, she spoke out against environmental groups. She argued they were stopping native title reform. This was part of their fight against the Adani coal mine.
In 2019, Langton and Tom Calma became co-chairs of a special group. This group advised the government on an Indigenous voice to government. This "Voice" would give Indigenous people a say in government decisions. Their report, called the Calma Langton report, suggested a model for this Voice.
In 2022, the new government changed the proposal. It became an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. This Voice would be part of the Australian Constitution. A referendum was held in 2023. Langton campaigned for a "Yes" vote. She believed it was important for Indigenous recognition. The referendum did not pass.
In November 2023, Langton strongly supported new rules. These rules would limit alcohol in the Northern Territory.
Current Roles and Views
Langton often shares her views in the media. She has been on many important committees. These committees focus on Indigenous issues. She was part of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. She also chaired the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.
In 2023, some groups see her as conservative. But generally, she is considered to be apolitical. This means she doesn't strongly support one political party.
Other Activities
Marcia Langton is also known as a film and art critic. She has appeared in several films. These include Jardiwarnpa: a Warlpiri fire and Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy.
In 2012, she gave the Boyer Lectures. These talks were called The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom.
She has been a judge for the annual Horne Prize since 2016.
Awards and Recognition
Langton received the Order of Australia in 1993. This was for her work as an anthropologist. It was also for her advocacy for Aboriginal issues. She was promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia in 2020. This was for her great service to education. It was also for her work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Other awards and honours include:
- 2001: Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia
- 2001: Added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women
- 2002: Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education (with Larissa Behrendt)
- 2005: Named one of Australia's top 20 thinkers by The Sydney Morning Herald
- 2008: Winner, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, for her essay Trapped in the Aboriginal Reality Show
- 2011: Finalist, Female Actor of the Year, in the Deadly Sounds Awards
- 2012: Fellow of Trinity College (University of Melbourne)
- 2016: Fellow of Emmanuel College at The University of Queensland
- 2016: University of Melbourne Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor
- 2017: First Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne
- 2019: Winner, Indie Book Awards, for Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia
- 2020: An asteroid was named 7809 Marcialangton in her honour. This was for her work on including Aboriginal astronomy in school lessons.
- 2021: Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering
Personal Life
Marcia Langton has a son who lives in New Zealand. She also has a daughter who works in theatre.
Selected Works
Books
- Langton, M. 2018. Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia.
- Davis, M. and Langton M. (eds.). 2016. It's Our Country: Indigenous Arguments for Meaningful Constitutional Recognition and Reform.
- Langton M. 2013. The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom.
- Langton M. and J. Longbottom (eds.) 2012. Community futures, legal architecture: foundations for Indigenous peoples in the global mining boom.
- Perkins, R. and Langton M. (eds). 2008. First Australians. An Illustrated History.
- Langton, M., Palmer, L., Mazel, O., K. Shain & M.Tehan (eds). 2006. Settling with Indigenous Peoples: Modern Treaty and Agreement Making.
- Langton, M. & M. Nakata (eds). 2005. Australian Indigenous Knowledge and Libraries.
- Langton, M., M. Tehan, L. R. Palmer & K. Shain (eds). 2004. Honour among nations? Treaties and agreements with Indigenous peoples.
- Langton M. & W. Jonas., 1994. The Little Red, Yellow and Black (and Green and Blue and White) Book: a short guide to Indigenous Australia.
- Langton, M., 1994. Valuing cultures: recognising Indigenous cultures as a valued part of Australian heritage.
- Langton, M., 1993. Well, I heard it on the radio and I saw it on the television: an essay for the Australian Film Commission on the politics and aesthetics of filmmaking by and about Aboriginal people and things.
- Langton, M. & N. Peterson, (eds). 1983. Aborigines, Land & Land Rights. Valuing Cultures: recognising Indigenous cultures as a valued part of Australian heritage.
- Langton, M., 1983. After the tent embassy: images of Aboriginal history in black and white photographs
Articles
- Langton, M., 2010. The Resource Curse. Griffith Review, no. 29.
- Langton, M., and O. Mazel. 2008. Poverty in the midst of plenty: Aboriginal people, the 'resource curse' and Australia's mining boom. Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law. 26(1): 31–65.
- Langton, M., 2008. chapter in Manne, R. (ed.) "Dear Mr Rudd: Ideas for a Better Australia".
- Langton, M., 2007. Trapped in the Aboriginal reality show. Griffith Review Edition 19 – Re-imagining Australia.
- Langton, M., 2003. chapter "Grounded and Gendered: Aboriginal Women in Australian Cinema" in French, L. (ed.) Womenvision: Women and the Moving Image in Australia. pp. 43–56.
Films
- Night Cries: a rural tragedy (1990 short film)
- Blood Brothers, a 1993 four-part Australian documentary series;
- Jardiwarnpa: a Warlpiri fire (4th episode, written by Langton)
- Rachel Perkins' TV series First Australians (SBS television, 2008), features many commentaries by Langton
- Here I Am, 2011 (feature fiction, directed by Beck Cole and starring Langton)
Images for kids
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Langton in a 2021 NIAA report
