Inspired by the works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists on display in Civilization: The Way We Live Now, Professor Lynette Russell and Zena Cumpston reflect on the concept of civilization.

Speakers

Professor Lynette Russell AM is an award-winning author and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow based at the Monash Indigenous Studies Centre (MISC). She has produced over fifteen books and dozens of book chapters and articles. Her research is broadly anthropological history and dedicated to examining the history of Aboriginal and European interactions.

Zena Cumpston is a Barkandji woman and an Urban Environments Research Fellow at the Clean Air Urban Landscapes Hub at The University of Melbourne interested in Aboriginal history, Aboriginal plant use, visual history, sustainability, ecology and biodiversity. Most recently, Zena collaborated with Jonathan Jones, Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage on the Art Gallery of South Australia exhibition Bunha-bunhanga; Aboriginal Agriculture in the south-east as part of the Tarnanthi Festival 2019.