Australian Dictionary of Biography

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Cultural Advice

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website contains names, images, and voices of deceased persons.

In addition, some articles contain terms or views that were acceptable within mainstream Australian culture in the period in which they were written, but may no longer be considered appropriate.

These articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Australian National University.

Older articles are being reviewed with a view to bringing them into line with contemporary values but the original text will remain available for historical context.

Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography

View articles from the Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography

Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography

The National Centre of Biography launched this project to develop an Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography. This project is funded by the Australian Research Council and is led by Dr Shino Konishi from the University of Western Australia, with Dr Malcolm Allbrook and Professor Tom Griffiths, both from the ANU, as chief investigators. Dr Konishi is a member of the Australian Dictionary of Biography Editorial Board, and is also on the ADB's Indigenous Working Party which was established in 2015 and is made up of leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars from each state and territory. The working party advises and guides the project, ensuring that it maintains strong links with Indigenous communities. Dr Allbrook is a research fellow with the National Centre of Biography, and managing editor of the ADB, while Professor Griffiths, one of Australia's leading historians, is chair of the ADB Editorial Board.

The main aim of the project is to add new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander biographies to the ADB which, although it has published over 13,000 biographies since its first volume in 1966, has tended to under-recognise the contribution of Indigenous people to the Australian story. A special stand-alone Indigenous ADB will be published at the end of the project.

The structure of the project, which places the Indigenous Working Party as the key advisory body, ensures that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the opportunity to contribute, both by nominating possible subjects, by authoring biographical entries or assisting with research.