TY - JOUR
T1 - Talking back to the research
T2 - Indigenous wellbeing and resilience narratives from urban Australia
AU - Hickey, Sophie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Resilience is instrumental in understanding the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in colonised countries. However, Indigenous health research in Australia is dominated by investigator-driven deficit-based descriptive quantitative studies that highlight persistent health disparities compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Such studies can limit capacity for Indigenous people to “talk back” to the research process with their own perspectives of wellbeing and resilience. A capability approach can elicit self-determining definitions of wellbeing. This study presents findings from qualitative life history interviews of the self-defined health trajectories from a group of 11 Indigenous adults living in an Australian urban setting. In contrast to the prevailing deficit discourse, interviewees spoke about their strength and resilience. Common determinants of health such as of socioeconomic disadvantage, family dysfunction, stress, problematic alcohol use and mental illness became transformed into narratives of never being without, the opportunity for upwards social mobility, the importance of family as positive role models and social support, abstinence, learning from past experiences and coping through challenges. History context, intergenerational trauma and racism impacted wellbeing. Findings support affirmative action initiatives to reduce socioeconomic disadvantage to improve wellbeing. Narrative approaches provide contextualisation to how Indigenous people navigate through significant life events to maintain wellbeing.
AB - Resilience is instrumental in understanding the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in colonised countries. However, Indigenous health research in Australia is dominated by investigator-driven deficit-based descriptive quantitative studies that highlight persistent health disparities compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Such studies can limit capacity for Indigenous people to “talk back” to the research process with their own perspectives of wellbeing and resilience. A capability approach can elicit self-determining definitions of wellbeing. This study presents findings from qualitative life history interviews of the self-defined health trajectories from a group of 11 Indigenous adults living in an Australian urban setting. In contrast to the prevailing deficit discourse, interviewees spoke about their strength and resilience. Common determinants of health such as of socioeconomic disadvantage, family dysfunction, stress, problematic alcohol use and mental illness became transformed into narratives of never being without, the opportunity for upwards social mobility, the importance of family as positive role models and social support, abstinence, learning from past experiences and coping through challenges. History context, intergenerational trauma and racism impacted wellbeing. Findings support affirmative action initiatives to reduce socioeconomic disadvantage to improve wellbeing. Narrative approaches provide contextualisation to how Indigenous people navigate through significant life events to maintain wellbeing.
KW - Australia
KW - Closing the Gap
KW - Indigenous health
KW - life history
KW - narrative
KW - resilience
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104315531&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19452829.2021.1882966
DO - 10.1080/19452829.2021.1882966
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85104315531
VL - 22
SP - 423
EP - 445
JO - Journal of Human Development and Capabilities
JF - Journal of Human Development and Capabilities
SN - 1464-9888
IS - 3
ER -