Our People in Australian Indigenous Studies

AUIS People title

We are fortunate at ANU to have experts in Australian Indigenous Studies and strong relationships with senior Indigenous knowledge holders in our communities who regularly join our classes. Meet some of those who teach our students at ANU.

Our people live and work in First Nations across the continent, including Wiradjuri, Dharug, Gadigal, Darkenung, Gurungai, Gurindji, Warlpiri, Arrernte, Larrakia, Zenadh Kes, and Yuin Nations. We belong to our homes as these homes belong to us. We recognise and are grateful to those who welcome us to their Country - including the Ngunnawal Ngambri Peoples on whose land the main campus of the ANU is situated. We recognise that across the continents our Country, our home remains unceded territory.

Dr Lawrence Bamblett

Wiradjuri educator, scholar and historian, Lawrie’s courses are universally loved by students. He takes seriously his responsibility to share the stories he has been told and to share that way of storytelling, a gift of teaching that he received from his elders. He brings his depth of knowledge, breadth of reading and extraordinary teaching skills to the classroom to create one of our foundational courses in Australian Indigenous Studies.

Lawrie teaches Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History (HIST2022).

Lawrie is the Director of the Australian Centre for Indigenous History. To read more about Lawrie and his work, go here.

Dr Christopher Sainsbury

Dharug musician, Christopher Sainsbury is one of Australia’s most prolific, highly awarded and regarded composers. Chris is a gentle and creative educator, who creates space in his music courses for students who may not be able to play or compose music to provide an opportunity to appreciate contemporary Indigenous music and the worlds of our musicians.

Chris teaches Contemporary Australian Indigenous Music Studies (INDG2002).

Chris is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Music. To read more about Chris and his work, go here.

Professor Brenda Croft

Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra woman and of Anglo-Australian/German/Irish/Chinese heritage, Brenda Croft is an astoundingly creative and generative artist who produces works that profoundly speak to our contemporary identity and strength, our diverse experiences and heritages. Writer, artist, art historian and more - Brenda has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants. Brenda has recently taken up the extraordinarily prestigious Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University in 2023.

Brenda teaches Australian First Nations Art and Culture (ARTH2098).

Brenda is a Professor in the School of Art and Design. To read more about Brenda and her work, go here.

Mary Spiers Williams

Darkenung and first-settlers descended, Mary Spiers Williams convenes Australian Indigenous Studies. Her research is concerned with examining social structures of colonialism and their impacts on First Peoples' and coloniser-settlers' ways of knowing, and legal pluralism. Mary has developed foundational and continuing courses in Australian Indigenous Studies that support our undergraduate students (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to develop skills in critical thinking and self-reflexive practice that enable insights into First Peoples’ diverse knowledge and perspectives.

Mary is currently developing courses and internships that are opportunities to learn in other countries. These include First Peoples’ Knowledges and Ways of Knowing (INDG3005) which brings together Indigenous educators from across Australia to teach in Larrakia Country and the Social Justice internship program in Alice Springs.

Mary is an Associate Dean(Indigenous Studies Portfolio) in the Office of the Dean of the ANU College of Art and Social Sciences. To read more about Mary and her work, go here.

Dr Annick Thomassin

French-Canadian scholar Annick Thomassin brings to her teaching her experience in decolonial research practice and Indigenous research methodologies. Her research and teaching is informed and influenced by her deep connections with Masig people (Torres Strait) and her relationship with the Yuin people developed over years of ethical and relational research, and her collaborations.

Annick teaches First Nations Economies, Stewardship and Prosperities (INDG3005).

Annick is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. To read more about Annick and her work, go here.

Trish Tupou

Tongan-descended, Aoteoroa-raised, Trish Tupou brings her knowledge of Pacific Studies from graduate studies in Hawaii. A gifted tutor and workshop facilitator, Trish brings her turangawaewae to her teaching, giving our students a window to the diversity of Indigenous Studies globally.

Trish teaches and leads workshops in our first-year courses, Country, Kinship and Continuities: An Introduction to Australian Indigenous Studies (INDG1001) and First Peoples' experiences and ways of being: resilience, agency, resurgence and rights (INDG1002).

Trish is a Doctoral Candidate in the ANU College of Asia and Pacific and a member of the Indigenous Studies Portfolio in the Office of the Dean of the ANU College of Art and Social Sciences. To read more about Trish and her work, go here.

Sam Provost

Yuin man, Sam Provost brings his passion for the environment, geography and Indigenous Studies to his classrooms. A gifted teacher, he inspires students and creates unique spaces for them to develop insight into the nature of Country.

Sam teaches Indigenous Cultural and Natural Resource Management (INDG2001).

Sam is an Associate Lecturer in the Fenner School of Environment and Society. To read more about Sam and his work, go here.