(Cultural)Anthropology

Since 2017 he is a chief investigator in an NHMRC research project assessing language revival and mental health; as well as President of the Australian Association for Jewish Studies. Prof. Zuckermann is the author of seminal books such as Revivalistics: From the Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond (Oxford University Press, 2020), Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew (Palgrave Macmillan 2003), Engaging – A Guide to Interacting Respectfully and Reciprocally with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and their Arts Practices and Intellectual Property (2015), the first online Dictionary of the Barngarla Aboriginal Language (2018), Barngarlidhi Manoo (Speaking Barngarla Together, 2019) and Mangiri – Yarda (Barngarla Wellbeing and Nature, 2021). He has been Expert Witness in Branding and Intellectual Property in court cases all over the globe. Prof. Zuckermann is collaborating closely with Prof. Adone and team.

She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the Australian National University (Canberra, 2014), with additional background in Philosophy (PhD Université Paris-8, 2005). She has extensive experience working with speakers of Indigenous languages in communities of inland Arnhem Land, in the Top End of Australia. In line with her combined linguistic, philosophical and anthropological interests, Maïa Ponsonnet’s research concerns the role of language in humans’ lives, and in particular how language may channel or modify people’s experience and management of emotions. She is the author of a number of articles and books, in particular a 2014 monograph on the encoding of emotions in Dalabon (Arnhem Land) and a 2019 monograph on a comparison between Dalabon and Kriol, the creole that has replaced Dalabon. Some of her work is also available via the website: www.EmotionLanguageAustralia.com. Maïa has worked closely with Prof. Adone at CAS.

Dr Michael Pickering has worked extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organizations, State and Territory Heritage Agencies, and museums across Australia. Dr Pickering moved to the National Museum of Australia as the Director of the Repatriation Program in 2001, later taking on the role of Head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program, from 2004 to 2011. He then moved to the Research Centre. From 2013 to 2014 he was the Acting Head of the Australian Society and History Program. In 2015 he took up the position as Head of Research Centre. From 2018 to 2022 he has been the Senior Repatriation Advisor at the National Museum of Australia.

Dr Pickering is an Honorary Associate Professor with the Department of Museum and Heritage Studies at the Australian National University, an Honorary Professor with the Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Japan, and a Partner with the Centre for Australian Studies, Cologne University, Germany. Dr. Pickering is collaborating closely with Prof. Adone and team.

Dr Pickering is on the editorial boards of the journals ‘Museum Management and Curatorship’ and ‘Museums and Social Issues’.  He is an ‘Expert Examiner’ under the Australian Protection of Moveable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.

He has a wide range of research interests and has published articles on topics ranging from material culture, cannibalism, settlement patterns, museum exhibitions, museum ethics, workplace health and safety, and repatriation.

Research Field(s)

Repatriation, Cannibalism, museum management of Indigenous cultural heritage, Hunter-gatherer settlement patterns.