Kenneth James Maddock (1937 – 2 June 2003) was an anthropologist in Australia, and scholar of Australian Aboriginal societies.Hiatt, L.R (2003) "Kenneth Maddock 1937 - 2003". ''The Australian Journal of Anthropology''. Volume 14. Number 3. Pages 402-404 Over a period of approximately 40 years (from the 1960s through to the end of the 1990s) Maddock's range of interests, his depth of scholarship, his analytical acumen, and his lucidity of exposition lead him to make a contribution to the social anthropology of Aboriginal Australians "...second to none...".

Biography

Maddock was born in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, in 1937, obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in Law, then (in 1964) a

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. Maddock's research interests took him to Aboriginal Australia where he undertook ethnographic fieldwork exploring religious beliefs and rituals of Aboriginal peoples in

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

under Dr L.R. Hiatt's supervision, and by 1969 completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on the Dalabon with the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

.Norton, B. (2003)
Vale: Emeritus Professor Ken Maddock
". Macquarie University News. Accessed 11 March 2008 He obtained a position as the first lecturer to work with

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

's foundation professor of Anthropology, and by 1991 achieved his own personal chair, retiring from the chair in 1995 yet continuing his association with the Department as one of Macquarie University's longest serving and most distinguished academics, until his death in 2003. He is survived by his wife Sheila and three children, Catherine, James and Harold. .

Selected bibliography

Maddock left a significant body of notes, papers and records of and about Aboriginal Australians plus records detailing some of the ramifications of researching Aboriginal Australians in the shadow of Australian land rights laws. The record he has left behind includes, significantly, the following three books: *Maddock, Kenneth (1972) ''The Australian Aborigines : a portrait of their society''. Penguin Press. London *Maddock, Kenneth (1980) ''Anthropology, law and the definition of Australian Aboriginal rights to land''. Katholieke Universiteit. Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, Instituut voor Volksrech. Nijmegen, The Netherlands *Maddock, Kenneth (1983) ''Your land is our land : Aboriginal land rights''. Penguin. Ringwood, Victoria.

References

External links

*Sandall, R.
Kenneth James Maddock 1937–2003
. Accessed 11 March 2008 1937 births 2003 deaths People from Hastings, New Zealand Australian anthropologists University of Auckland alumni 20th-century anthropologists {{anthropologist-stub