Marcia Lynne Langton (born 1951) is an Australian academic. she is the Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health,

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. Regarded as one of Australia's top intellectuals, Langton is also known for her activism in the

Indigenous rights Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the Indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the rights over their land (includ ...

arena.

Early life and education

Marcia Langton was born in 1951 to Kathleen (née Waddy) and grew up in south-central

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and Brisbane as a descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara heritage, both groups being

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

peoples. Her father had no presence in her life. Her mother married Scots-born, ex-

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

veteran Douglas Langton when Marcia was a year old. She and her mother moved often, without secure housing or employment, and she attended nine primary schools. She enrolled at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, becoming an activist for

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

rights. While in Japan, Langton learnt about

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, and later became a self-described "lazy Buddhist".

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

artist

Brook Andrew Brook Andrew (born 1970 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian contemporary artist. Work Andrew has exhibited internationally since 1996. His work focuses on Western narratives, especially relating to colonialism in the Australian context, and ...

painted Langton in a Buddhist pose. On her return to Australia, Langton studied

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

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

in the 1980s, becoming the first Indigenous honours graduate in

Early career

Langton worked with several organisations dealing with Indigenous social and cultural issues and

land claims A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, A ...

. These included the

Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a producti ...

; the

Central Land Council The Central Land Council (CLC) is a land council that represents the Aboriginal peoples of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia (NT), predominantly with regard to land issues. it is one of four land councils in the Northern T ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

(where she was a land claims anthropologist); the Northern Territory Aboriginal Issues Unit; the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

and, in the early 1990s, the Cape York Land Council.

Academic career

In 1995 Langton moved full-time into university research and teaching. She spent five years as Ranger Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at Northern Territory University (now

Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, ...

) in Darwin before moving to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Her 2005 PhD

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

in geography at Macquarie University applies phenomenological theory to the study of Aboriginal peoples of the eastern

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

. In 2012 she became the patron of the Indigenous Reading Project, a charitable organisation that uses digital technology to improve the reading ability of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

children. Langton is known for her work in several academic fields, linked by a concern for Indigenous rights, justice, and artistic expression. Langton conducts anthropological work to support land claims by Aboriginal peoples and their negotiations with mining companies and the state.

Activism

In 1976 Langton,

Bobbi Sykes Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Patt ...

Sue Chilly Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * " Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits isla ...

(also spelt Chilli), and

Naomi Mayers Naomi Mayers (born 1941) is a leader in Australian health. She is also known for having been lead vocalist of the music group The Sapphires, on which a popular 2012 film of the same name was based. Early life Mayers was born in 1941, of Yorta ...

formed the

Black Women's Action Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Pat ...

(BWA) group, which later evolved into the

Roberta Sykes Foundation Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Patt ...

. BWA published a monthly community newspaper for Aboriginal people, ''Koori Bina'' (meaning "Black ears"), which ran until June 1979. Langton later wrote that the founders of the paper had been inspired by ''

Abo Call ''The Australian Abo Call'', also known simply as ''Abo Call'', was the first Aboriginal-focused publication printed in Australia, with all issues published in 1938. History There was a total of six issues of ''The Australian Abo Call'', all p ...

'', which had been published in 1938 in SydneyPDF
/ref> by

Jack Patten John Thomas Patten (27 March 1905 – 12 October 1957) was an Aboriginal Australian civil rights activist and journalist. Biography John Patten was born in 1905 to John James Patten and Christina Mary Patten, née Middleton, at Cummeragunja Res ...

(co-founder of the

Aborigines Progressive Association The Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) was an Aboriginal Australian rights organisation in New South Wales that was founded and run by William Ferguson and Jack Patten from 1937 to 1944, and was then revived from 1963 until around 1970 by ...

) and Percy Reginald Stephensen. She was also involved in a number of other Black community publications, and wrote in the introduction to her 1979 ''Listing of Aboriginal periodicals'': "the experience of producing those newspapers within a hostile white environment... because it has the power and resources, has historically defined us".PDF
/ref> In December 1976, Langton played the part of Vena, a nurse, in ''Here Comes the Nigger'' by Gerry Bostock, which played at

Black Theatre Black theatre or black theater may refer to: * Black light theatre, a staging concept using black backgrounds and black light * Black Theatre (Sydney), an Australian Aboriginal theatre company 1972–1977 * African-American musical theater ...

in Redfern, Sydney. In 2000 she was one of five Indigenous leaders who were granted an audience with

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

to discuss an apology and Indigenous recognition in the Australian Constitution. In May 2008, the federal government appointed her to the Native Title Payments Working Group looking into reform of the Australian native title process. She has argued that settlement with mining companies on Aboriginal land often benefits local interests more than the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

, and that the proposed 2010 resource tax on mining in Australia needed a redesign to support Indigenous rights and employment. In 2017 she campaigned against environmentalists, arguing that they were thwarting

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

reform as part of their case against the Adani

Carmichael coal mine The Carmichael coal mine is a coal mine in Queensland, Australia which produced its first shipment of coal in December 2021. The mine has drawn criticism for its environmental impacts on the Great Barrier Reef, water usage and carbon emissions ...

. Her criticisms of Indigenous litigants have been rebuffed by Indigenous lawyer Tony McAvoy SC. She is a frequent media commentator, and has served on various high-level committees on Indigenous issues. These have included the

Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991, focused on the improvement of race relations between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. The Council for Aboriginal ...

, the directorship of the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management, chair of the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council, and as chair of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.

Other activities and roles

As a member of the

Aboriginal Issues Unit, Langton worked for the 1989

Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) (1987–1991), also known as the Muirhead Commission, was a Royal Commission appointed by the Australian Government in October 1987 to Federal Court judge James Henry Muirhead, ...

. In 2012 she gave the

Boyer Lectures The Boyer Lectures are a series of talks by prominent Australians, presenting ideas on major social, scientific or cultural issues, and broadcast on ABC Radio National. The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commis ...

titled ''The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom''. She has been on the judging panel for the annual

Horne Prize The Horne Prize is an Australian award established by Aēsop and ''The Saturday Paper'' in 2016 for a literary essay of up to 3000 words on Australian life. The prize is valued at $15,000 (Australian) and named in honour of Donald Horne (1921– ...

since its inception in 2016. On 30 October 2019, Langton was announced as a co-chair on the Senior Advisory Group of the Indigenous voice to government, convened by

Ken Wyatt Kenneth George Wyatt (born 4 August 1952) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022, representing the Division of Hasluck for the Liberal Party. He is the first Indigenous Australian el ...

, along with by Professor

Tom Calma Thomas Edwin Calma, (born 1953), is an Aboriginal Australian human rights and social justice campaigner. He is the sixth chancellor of the University of Canberra, a post held since January 2014, after two years as deputy chancellor. Calma is th ...

. The group consists of 20 leaders and experts from across the country.

Recognition and honours

Langton was made a member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the 1993 Queen's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...

for "service as an anthropologist and advocate of Aboriginal issues". She was promoted to officer of the

in the

2020 Australia Day Honours The 2020 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2020 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...

for "distinguished service to tertiary education, and as an advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people". Other recognition has included: * 2001: Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia * 2001: Inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

* 2002:

Neville Bonner Neville Thomas Bonner AO (28 March 19225 February 1999) was an Australian politician, and the first Aboriginal Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia. He was appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy ...

Award for Indigenous Teacher of the Year (jointly with

Larissa Behrendt Larissa Yasmin Behrendt (born 1969) is an Australian legal academic, writer, filmmaker and Indigenous rights advocate. she is a professor of law and director of research and academic programs at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education ...

) * 2005: Named one Australia's top 20 intellectuals in a survey conducted by ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' * 2008: Listed as 7th in a list of Australia's top 40 public intellectuals by the API Network * 2012: Fellow of

Trinity College (University of Melbourne) Trinity College is the oldest residential college of the University of Melbourne, the first university in the colony of Victoria, Australia. The college was opened in 1872 on a site granted to the Church of England by the government of Victori ...

* 2016: Fellow of Emmanuel College at The

* 2016: University of Melbourne Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, a continuing role *2017: First Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne * 2021: Honorary Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

In 2020, the International Astronomical Union's Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN) formally approved the asteroid 1979 ML as 7809 Marcialangton in honour of her efforts to incorporate Aboriginal astronomical perspectives into the Australian National Curriculum.

Selected works

Books

*Langton, M. 2018. ''Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia''. Hardie Grant Travel. *Davis, M. and Langton M. (eds.). 2016. ''It's Our Country: Indigenous Arguments for Meaningful Constitutional Recognition and Reform''. Melbourne University Press. *Langton M. 2013. ''The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom''. ABC Books. *Langton M. and J. Longbottom (eds.) 2012.
Community futures, legal architecture: foundations for Indigenous peoples in the global mining boom
'. London: Routledge. * Perkins, R. and Langton M. (eds). 2008. ''First Australians. An Illustrated History''. Melbourne University Publishing, Melbourne. *Langton, M., Palmer, L., Mazel, O., K. Shain & M.Tehan (eds). 2006.
Settling with Indigenous Peoples: Modern Treaty and Agreement Making
'. Annandale, NSW: Federation Press. *Langton, M. & M. Nakata (eds). 2005. ''Australian Indigenous Knowledge and Libraries.'' Canberra: Australian Academic and Research Libraries. *Langton, M., 2005. ''An Aboriginal ontology of being and place: the performance of Aboriginal property relations in the Princess Charlotte Bay area of eastern Cape York Peninsula, Australia''. Unpub. PhD thesis, Human Geography/Anthropology. Sydney: Macquarie University. *Langton, M., M. Tehan, L. R. Palmer & K. Shain (eds). 2004.

'. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing. (''Choice'' List of Outstanding Academic Titles 2006, American Libraries Association, '' Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries'') * *Langton M. & W. Jonas., 1994. ''The Little Red, Yellow and Black (and Green and Blue and White) Book: a short guide to Indigenous Australia''. Canberra: AIATSIS. *Langton, M., 1994. ''Valuing cultures: recognising Indigenous cultures as a valued part of Australian heritage''. Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Canberra : Australian Govt. Pub. Service. *Langton, M., 1993. ''Well, I heard it on the radio and I saw it on the television: an essay for the Australian Film Commission on the politics and aesthetics of filmmaking by and about Aboriginal people and things''. Sydney:

. *Langton, M. & N. Peterson, (eds). 1983. ''Aborigines, Land & Land Rights. Valuing Cultures: recognising Indigenous cultures as a valued part of Australian heritage''. Canberra: AGPS. *Langton, M., 1983. ''After the tent embassy: images of Aboriginal history in black and white photographs'' Sydney: Valadon Publishing.

Articles

* Langton, M., 2010
The Resource Curse.
''

Griffith Review ''Griffith Review'' is a quarterly publication featuring essays, reportage, memoir, fiction, poetry and artwork from established and emerging writers and artists. Each edition focuses on a contemporary theme, enabling pertinent issues to be aired ...

'', no. 29. * Langton, M., and O. Mazel. 2008. Poverty in the midst of plenty: Aboriginal people, the 'resource curse' and Australia's mining boom. ''Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law''. 26(1): 31–65. * Langton, M., 2008. chapter in Manne, R. (ed.) "Dear Mr Rudd: Ideas for a Better Australia". Black Inc. *Langton, M., 2007.
Trapped in the Aboriginal reality show
'. ''

'' Edition 19 – Re-imagining Australia. Sydney: Griffith University. * Langton, M., 2003. chapter "Grounded and Gendered: Aboriginal Women in Australian Cinema" in French, L. (ed.) ''Womenvision: Women and the Moving Image in Australia''. Damned Publishing, Melbourne. pp. 43–56. *

Films

* ''Jardiwarnpa: a Warlpiri fire'' (with Ned Lander and

Rachel Perkins Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films ''Radiance'' (1998), ''One Night the Moon'' (2001), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2010), and ''Jasper Jones'' (2017). Perkins is an ...

) *''Night Cries: a rural tragedy'' (with

Tracey Moffatt Tracey Moffatt (born 12 November 1960) is an Indigenous Australian artist who primarily uses photography and video. In 2017 she represented Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale with her solo exhibition, "My Horizon". Her works are held in th ...

and Penny McDonald) *'' Blood Brothers'', a 1993 four-part Australian documentary series *Rachel Perkins ''

First Australians ''First Australians'' is an Australian historical documentary series produced by Blackfella Films over the course of six years, and first aired on SBS TV in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a ...

'' series for

SBS television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

, 2008, features many commentaries by Langton *''Here I Am'', 2011''Here I Am''
review by Phillipa Hawker, ''

'', 2 June 2011

Footnotes

References

External links

* * * * About

Noel Pearson Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city * Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Briti ...

and Langton. {{DEFAULTSORT:Langton, Marcia 1951 births Living people Australian indigenous rights activists Women human rights activists Australian anthropologists Australian women anthropologists Australian geographers Women geographers University of Queensland alumni Australian National University alumni Macquarie University alumni Bidjara (Warrego River) Officers of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne faculty University of Melbourne women Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Indigenous Australian academics Indigenous Australian women academics Australian Buddhists