Successful Honours candidates from the School of Social Science in the 2009 round for UQef scholarships: Jacqueline Hilton (Anthropology), Caitlin Dillon (Anthropology) and Tamar Cohen (Anthropology). See below for information on their projects.

Tamar Cohen

I plan to investigate the impact of sea level rise on Michi, a small coastal village in Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands. Michi is currently experiencing coastal inundation and undertaking an informal relocation process. My research aims to highlight the difficulities in establishing the direct impact on and response of people to current sea level rise because of the complex and village-specific environmental factors, social and cultural practice, and interrelation of these, that invariably mask or compound the changes that are occurring. This research will explore and analyse the complex elements of sea level rise in the area to contribute to better understandings of the situation and assist government or donor organisations to plan appropriate adaptation responses to sea level rise in the future.

Caitlin Dillon

My project aims to look at how and why Aboriginal artists from particular locales have incorporated elements of material culture from other cultural groups and disparate artistic traditions to tell their own cultural narratives. I will focus on South-East Queensland and South-West Western Australia and carry out part of my research among museum collections. My project aims to question the value of Aboriginal cultural heritage as limited to so-called “authentic” or “traditional” art. I will argue that there is heritage value in artwork that explores Aboriginal people's representations of their cultural identities and narratives today and within "contemporary" Australia.  

Jacqueline Hilton

My project will look at the issues surrounding Indigenous women’s employment in the mining industry. In particular, I will explore the cultural barrier which has become evident in a North Queensland mine where women have been unable to work in certain parts of the mine due to the presence of red ochre at the site. In some North Australian Indigenous communities red ochre is customarily considered a men's sacred substance: it is considered dangerous or inappropriate for women to be in contact or close proximity with it. This issue will be explored in the context of gender boundaries surrounding women’s 'economic development'. Employment and specifically female employment in the mining industry have been identified as essential to sustainable economic development outcomes of mining activities in or near Indigenous communities.