Kenneth Maddock
Encyclopedia
Emeritus Professor Kenneth James (Ken) Maddock (1937–2003) was an eminent anthropologist in Australia, and respected, rigorous scholar of Australian Aboriginal societies
.
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 Australian's "...second to none...".
, New Zealand
in 1937, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, then (in 1964) a Masters of Arts in Anthropology at the University of Auckland
.
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
under Dr L.R. Hiatt
's supervision, and by 1969 completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with the University of Sydney
.
He obtained a position as the first lecturer to work with Macquarie University
's foundation professor of Anthropology, Chandra Jayawardena, 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 .
.
The record he has left behind includes, significantly, the following three books:
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
.
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 Australian's "...second to none...".
Biography
Maddock was born in HastingsHastings, New Zealand
The city of Hastings is a major urban settlement in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, and it is the largest settlement by population in Hawke's Bay. Hastings city is the administrative centre of the Hastings District...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1937, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, then (in 1964) a Masters of Arts in Anthropology at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
.
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
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
under Dr L.R. Hiatt
Lester Hiatt
Dr Lester Richard Hiatt was a scholar of Australian Aboriginal societies who promoted Australian Aboriginal studies within both the academic world and within the wider public for almost 50 years....
's supervision, and by 1969 completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
He obtained a position as the first lecturer to work with Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
's foundation professor of Anthropology, Chandra Jayawardena, 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 lawsNative title
Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...
.
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. ISBN 0140225056
External links
- Sandall, R. "Kenneth James Maddock 1937–2003". Accessed 11 March 2008