Marcia Langton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcia Langton
AO FASSA FTSE
|
|
|---|---|
Langton in a 2021 NIAA report
|
|
| Born | 31 October 1951 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
|
| 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 31 October 1951) is a famous Aboriginal Australian writer and professor. She is known for her work as an activist for the rights of Indigenous people. As of 2022, she is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marcia Langton was born in Brisbane, Queensland. She is a descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara peoples. Her mother, Kathleen, married Douglas Langton when Marcia was a year old.
Growing up, Marcia and her mother moved often. She attended nine different primary schools. Later, at Aspley State High School, she was a good student. However, she was expelled after speaking out against racism she found in a school textbook.
At age 16, the famous activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal took her to her first political meeting. This inspired her. In 1969, she started studying at the University of Queensland and became an activist for Indigenous rights and land rights.
When she was 18, she left Australia with her young son. For five years, she travelled the world, visiting places like New Guinea, Japan, and North America. In Japan, she learned about Buddhism. She also learned about the Black Power movement and the culture of African Americans.
After returning to Australia in 1975, she moved to Sydney. She worked for the Aboriginal Medical Service and with the famous eye doctor Fred Hollows. In 1977, she moved to Canberra to study anthropology at the Australian National University, graduating in 1984. In 2005, she earned a PhD in geography from Macquarie University.
Career and Important Work
Early Career
In Canberra, Langton worked for the Australian Law Reform Commission. She helped them study how to recognize traditional Indigenous laws. She also worked as a researcher at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (now AIATSIS).
In 1988, she moved to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. She worked for the Central Land Council as a senior anthropologist for six years. From 1989 to 1990, she led a unit for the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. This group studied serious issues faced by Indigenous people.
Later, she worked for the Australian Film Commission and the Cape York Land Council, where she met lawyer Noel Pearson. In 1992, she became the chairperson of AIATSIS in Canberra.
Academic Career
In 1995, Langton began working full-time as a university professor and researcher. She taught at Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University) for five years.
In 2000, she became the first Professor of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. In 2017, she was named an Associate Provost, a high-level leadership role at the university.
Her PhD research at Macquarie University was about the special connection Aboriginal people in eastern Cape York Peninsula have with their land. In 2012, she became a patron for the Indigenous Reading Project, a charity that helps Indigenous children improve their reading skills using technology.
Activism and Political Views
Early Activism
In the 1970s, Langton was a strong voice for Indigenous rights. In 1976, she helped start the Black Women's Action (BWA) group with Bobbi Sykes, Sue Chilly, and Naomi Mayers. The BWA published a community newspaper called Koori Bina, which means "Black ears."
Langton has said that the paper was inspired by earlier activists who published newspapers to share the stories and views of Aboriginal people.
Working for Change
Langton has been a powerful voice on Indigenous issues for many years. In 1999, she was one of five Indigenous leaders who met with Queen Elizabeth II to discuss an official apology and recognition for Indigenous Australians.
In 2007, she supported the Howard government's Intervention in the Northern Territory. She and Noel Pearson believed that big changes were needed to help Indigenous communities. This view sometimes put them at odds with other activists.
She has also worked with mining companies like Rio Tinto. She argued that agreements between these companies and Indigenous landowners could bring more benefits to local communities.
The Indigenous Voice to Parliament
In 2019, Langton was chosen to co-chair a group to design an Indigenous voice to government. This was an idea for a group of Indigenous people to give advice to the Australian Parliament on issues that affect them.
The plan later changed to become the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would be added to the Australian Constitution. A national vote, called a referendum, was held in 2023 to decide on this change. Langton campaigned for people to vote "Yes."
During the campaign, she made comments about the "No" campaign that were widely reported in the media. She said that when you look closely at the arguments against the Voice, you find they are based on either racism or "sheer stupidity." This caused a lot of debate. The referendum was held on 14 October 2023, and the "No" vote won.
Other Roles and Activities
Langton has worked in other countries, like Canada and East Timor, to help indigenous peoples with their rights, especially related to the environment.
She is also a respected film and art critic. She has appeared in several films, including Jardiwarnpa: a Warlpiri fire and Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy. She was also featured in the TV series First Australians.
In 2012, she gave a series of famous radio talks called the Boyer Lectures. Her topic was "The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom."
Awards and Recognition
Marcia Langton has received many awards for her work.
- 1993: Made a Member of the Order of Australia for her work as an anthropologist and advocate.
- 2001: Inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.
- 2008: Won a Victorian Premier's Literary Award for her essay Trapped in the Aboriginal Reality Show.
- 2019: Won an Indie Book Award for her book Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia.
- 2020: Promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia for her service to education and as an advocate for Indigenous people.
- 2020: An asteroid was officially named 7809 Marcialangton in her honour. This was to recognize her work in including Aboriginal astronomy in the Australian school curriculum.
- 2021: Made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Personal Life
Langton has a son and a daughter. Her son lives in New Zealand, and her daughter works in theatre.
Selected Works
Books
- Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia (2018)
- It's Our Country: Indigenous Arguments for Meaningful Constitutional Recognition and Reform (2016, co-editor)
- The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom (2013)
- First Australians. An Illustrated History (2008, co-editor)
- Well, I heard it on the radio and I saw it on the television (1993)
Films
- Night Cries: a rural tragedy (1990)
- Blood Brothers (1993, documentary series)
- First Australians (2008, TV series, as a commentator)
- Here I Am (2011, as an actor)
