Law: The Way of the Ancestors

Please join us for the launch of Law: The Way of the Ancestors (Thames & Hudson) by Professor Marcia Langton AO and Professor Aaron Corn.

Hear from the authors as they share how Indigenous law has enabled people to survive and thrive in Australia for more than 2000 generations. Nurturing people and places, law is the foundation of all Indigenous societies in Australia, giving them the tools to respond and adapt to major environmental and social changes. The authors argue that these living, sophisticated systems are as powerful now as they have ever been, if not more so.

Law: The Way of the Ancestors challenges readers to consider how Indigenous law can inspire new ways forward for us all in the face of global crises.

Following the launch, a public Q&A session with the authors on topics covered in the book and on related contemporary issues, including the upcoming referendum, will be moderated by Professor Jennie Shaw, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) and Professor Steve Larkin, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement)

Doors open from 4.30pm with music by singer/songwriter Tilly Tjala Thomas, graduate of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM).

Professor Marcia Langton AO is an anthropologist and geographer, who, since 2000, has held the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne and currently also holds the role of Associate Provost. She has produced a large body of knowledge in the areas of political and legal anthropology, Indigenous agreements and engagement with the minerals industry, and Indigenous culture and art. Her role as a member of the First Nations Referendum Working Group and Co-Chair of the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Group, are evidence of Professor Langton's academic reputation, policy commitment and impact, alongside her role as a prominent public intellectual.

Professor Aaron Corn has a background in music, curatorial studies and Indigenous knowledge. He is Inaugural Director of the Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne. Prof Cornhas three decades’ experience of close collaborations with Indigenous colleagues. He has worked towards broader recognition for the significance of Indigenous knowledge through multiple research and education initiatives, including major grants and fellowships led by Indigenous colleagues. Before taking up his current position at the University of Melbourne,

Prof Corn was Director of the National Centre for Aboriginal Language and Music Studies (NCALMS) and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) at the University of Adelaide.

Please register by Monday 22 May.

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