Indigenous Professoriate Lecture

Professor Corrinne Sullivan Presents - Didgeridoo or Didgeridon't? Indigenous Fetishism and Erotic Capital

Join us as Professor Corrinne Sullivan, Associate Dean (Indigenous Education) and Professor of Geography in the School of Social Sciences, explores the complex intersection of Indigenous fetishism and erotic capital.

Location: PS-EA.G.19 (LT03)
Date: Tuesday, 6 August
Time: 1:00pm - 4:30pm

Professor Sullivan is a leader with a strong commitment to improving the social, economic, and cultural wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through centering
and amplifying voices to promote positive change.

This lecture will provide an enlightening and thought-provoking exploration of Indigenous identity, representation, and empowerment in contemporary society.

Further information - 
Didgeridoo or Didgeridon't? Indigenous Fetishism and Erotic Capital
Indigenous people are habitually subjected to the colonial gaze, often exoticized and fetishised. This presentation will explore the complex intersection of Indigenous fetishism and erotic capital, dissecting the socio-cultural dynamics underlying these phenomena. The exploration will delve into the ways in which representations of Indigenous cultures as exotic and hypersexualized contribute to the fetishisation of Indigenous bodies and cultural artifacts. An examination of the commodification of Indigenous eroticism in various forms of media, art, and popular culture, will emphasise the role of colonial legacies, racial stereotypes, and sex market demands in shaping representations of Indigenous sexuality. Drawing from a research project with Indigenous sex workers to delineate the ways in which Indigenous peoples navigate and exploit intricate power dynamics where their cultural representations and identities are commodified as fetishes - the notion of erotic capital emerges, encapsulating the tangible and intangible assets individuals possess, including physical appearance, humour, sexuality and cultural (in)authenticity, which are leveraged for social and economic gains. Further, the presentation will highlight the ways in which Indigenous peoples resist and reclaim their erotic capital, negotiate their agency, challenge hegemonic narratives and navigate between the appropriation and assertion of their cultural identity.

About Professor Corrinne Sullivan:
Professor Corrinne Sullivan is the Associate Dean (Indigenous Education) and Professor of Geography in the School of Social Sciences. Her research interests focus broadly on experiences and effects of body and identity in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her outstanding scholarly contributions on gender and sexual themes across geographic, feminist and Indigenous studies have provided valuable evidence-based data which has directly informed government policy, institutional practice, and community-based services and resources. Her recent scholarly contributions have been in the areas of Indigenous LGBTIQA+SB people’s social and emotional wellbeing; Indigenous peoples and urban spaces; and Indigenous communities and organisations. Professor Sullivan is recognised as a leader with a strong commitment to improve the social, economic, and cultural wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through centring and amplifying our voices to promote positive change.