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Dr Irene Watson

Profile

Degrees:

LLB (1985), LLM (1993), PhD (2000) Adel; Graduate Dip Legal Practise (1985) University of SA

Areas of Interest:

  • Legal Theory
  • Aboriginal Peoples and the Law
  • Gender and the Law
  • International Law
  • Environmental and Heritage Law

Brief Biographical Detail:
Currently a recipient of a Sesqui Post Doctoral Research Fellowship from the University of Sydney. Has a long affiliation with the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, serving as the director, chairperson and also solicitor. Irene has written and spoken extensively both in Australia and abroad on indigenous issues, in particular her work in the area of advocating for indigenous human rights involved participation and advocacy before the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples from 1990-1995. In 1996 Irene was appointed by the Chiefs of Ontario, Canada to sit as one of seven indigenous judges on the 'First Nations International Court of Justice'. Irene received the University of Adelaide Bonython Law School prize, in 2000 for her Ph.D thesis, "Raw Law". Has recently arrived from teaching in the Flinders University Law School and also working as a legal practitioner with the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement on a stolen generations test case.

Publications

Books | Book Chapters | Journal Articles | Papers and Presentations

Books

  • Irene Watson, Looking at You: Looking at Me, self published, (2002). Reviewed by Valerie Kerruish in Australian Feminist Law Journal.

Book Chapters

  • Irene Watson, “Aboriginal Women's Laws and Lives: How Might We Keep Growing the Law?” in M Hinton, D Rigney, E Johnston (eds), Indigenous Australians and the Law, Cavendish: Sydney (Forthcoming 2007).
  • Irene Watson, “Aboriginal Sovereignties: Past, Present and Future (Im)Possibilities” in S Perera (ed), Our Patch, Enacting Australian Sovereignty Post - 2001, API Network: Perth (2006).
  • Irene Watson, “Internationalising, Humanising and Diversifying: the one nation state” in Baden Offord & Elizabeth Porter (eds), Activating Human Rights, Cambridge Press (forthcoming 2005).
  • Irene Watson, “Settled and Unsettled Spaces: Are we Free to Roam?” in Aileen Moreton-Robinson (ed), Sovereign Subjects: Indigenous Critical Engagement, Allen & Unwin (forthcoming 2005).
  • Irene Watson, “One Indigenous Perspective on Human Rights” in Sam Garkawe, Loretta Kelly & Warwick Fisher, (eds), Indigenous Human Rights, Sydney Institute of Criminology Monograph Series: Sydney (2000).
  • Irene Watson, "Reconciliation" in Martin Hinton, Daryle Rigney & Elliot Johnston (eds), Indigenous Australians and the Law, Cavendish Press: Sydney (1997), 213.
  • Irene Watson, "Nungas in the Nineties" in Greta Bird, Gary Martin & Jennifer Nielsen (eds), Majah Indigenous Peoples and the Law, Federation Press: Sydney (1996), 1.
  • Irene Watson, "Surviving as a People" in Jocelyne Scutt (ed), Breaking Through: Women, Work and Careers, Artemis Publishers: Melbourne (1990).

Journal Articles

  • Irene Watson, 'Responses to Peter Sutton' 2006(6) Macquarie Law Journal 184-185.
  • Irene Watson, 'Illusionists and Hunters: Being Aboriginal in this occupied space' (2005) 22 Australian Feminist Law Journal 15.
  • Irene Watson, 'Some reflections on Teaching Law: Whose Law, Yours or Mine?' (2005) 6(8) Indigenous Law Bulletin 23.
  • Irene Watson, 'Settled and Unsettled Spaces' (2005) 1(1) ACRAWSA Journal.
  • Irene Watson, 'From a hard place to softer terrain' (2004) 7(2) Flinders Journal for Law Reform 205.
  • Irene Watson, 'Growing up the Space: a conversation about the future of feminism' (2004) 20 Australian Feminist Law Journal 95.
  • Irene Watson, 'Buried Alive' (2002) 13(3) Law and Critique 253-269.
  • Irene Watson, “Raw Law” in Isabelle Schulte-Tenckhoff (ed), Altérité et droit: contributions à l'étude du rapport entre droit et culture (translation: Alterity and Law: contributing to the study of the relationship between law and culture), Bruylant: Brussels (2001).
  • Irene Watson, 'Through Conflict We Discover What is True' (2000) 9 Horizons 6.
  • Irene Watson, 'There is No Possibility of Rights Without Law: So Until Then, Don’t Thumb Print or Sign Anything!' (2000) 5 Indigenous Law Bulletin 4.
  • Irene Watson, ‘Kaldowinyeri’ (1999) 3 Flinders Journal of Law Reform 1.
  • Irene Watson, ‘The Future We Leave Our Children’ (Dec 1998) Rights Now, National Children’s and Youth Law Centre 16.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Power of Muldarbi and the road to its demise’ (1998) 11 Australian Feminist Law Journal 28.
  • Irene Watson, ‘Naked People’s Rules and Regulations’ (1998) 4 Law Text and Culture 1.
  • Irene Watson, Book Review; ‘Killing Rage, Ending Racism’ (1997) 22 Alternative Law Journal.
  • Irene Watson, ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Law Ways: Survival Against the Colonial State’ (1997) 8 Australian Feminist Law Journal 39.
  • Irene Watson, ‘The Impact of Colonialism on Indigenous Culture and Law’ (1996) 14 Law in Context 107.
  • Irene Watson, 'First Nations’ International Court of Justice: A time to begin' (1996) 3(7) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 9.
  • Irene Watson, ‘How far is there to travel in achieving Indigenous Rights?’ (1993) 3 Law Society Journal of NSW 30.
  • Irene Watson, ‘Has Mabo Turned the Tide for Justice?' (1993) 12 Social Alternatives 1.
  • Irene Watson, ‘1993: International Year of Indigenous Peoples’ (1992) 2(59) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 11.
  • Irene Watson, 1992 ‘Statement of behalf of the Tanganekald and Meintangk Peoples’ in UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Tenth Session, Geneva, Switzerland; The Australian Contribution, Canberra: Office of Public Affairs ATSIC, 20-31 July 1992.
  • Irene Watson, The White Invasion Diary, Volcano Press: Adelaide (1986).

Papers and Presentations

  • Irene Watson, 'Law-Full Mimini-Woman: Holding and maintaining sovereign ground in the face of colonial violence', presented at ASFPG Workshop, Centre for Legal Theory, Hamburg, 23-25 June 2005.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Sovereignties: Past, present and future (im)possibilities', presented at Backyard Blitz? Enactments of Australian Sovereignty Post 2001, Seminar, Curtin University, Perth, 19 August 2005.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Human Rights' presented at Talk Blak Series, Melbourne Conversations, Federation Square, Melbourne, May 2005.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'Where has the law gone? – re-finding a homeland', presented at the Re-collections: Official Knowledge and the Memory of Unofficial Practices, Law and Society Conference, Brisbane, December 2004.
  • Irene Watson, 'Seeing and Being Nunga in a diminishing space', presented at Mapping Law and the Margins through the lenses of postcolonial theory, Griffith University Law School, December 2004.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Perspectives', presented at the Kingsford Legal Centre Symposium, University of New South Wales, November 2004.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'Borders of the Soul: exploring the limits and evaluating diversity', presented at Diverse Voices in Evaluation, Australasian Evaluation Society, International Conference, October 2004.
  • Irene Watson, 'The pre-historic native: when does history begin, and from ideas of beginning what of endings?', presented at Generations and the Law Conference, Australia and New Zealand Law and History Society 23rd Annual Conference, Murdoch University, July 2004.
  • Irene Watson, Seminar presentation, 'Keeping the fires of identity burning', presented at Thinking Race and Identity, University of New South Wales, July 2004.
  • Irene Watson, 'Taken without our consent: land, body, mind and spirit', presented at Sexual Assault Satellite Symposium, FAMSAC Australia and DSAC March, Adelaide 2004.
  • Irene Watson, Discussion panel, 'Meeting the challenges for a just future today', presented at 25th Anniversary of the Office of Crime Statitstics and Research, Adelaide, December 2004.
  • Irene Watson, 'Settled and Un-settled Spaces', presented at Placing Race and Localising Whiteness Conference, Flinders University, October 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'Fall from Grace: Truth in Public Life since the Olympics', presented at the Festival of Ideas, July 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'Implications of Land Rights in an Indgenous Family Law Context', presented at Sharing Knowledge, Family Court of Australia Judges Annual Conference, Alice Springs, July 2003.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote Address, 'Internationalising, Humanising Diversifying, the One Nation State', presented at Activating Human Rights and Diversity Conference, Byron Bay, Southern Cross University, July 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'Law-full woman', at Legal Feminism – Now and Then, Flinders University, Adelaide, June 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'From a hard place: negotiating a softer terrain', presented at Elliot Johnston Memorial Tribute Lecture, Flinders University Law School, and the Yunggorendi First Nations Centre, 13 May 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Spirituality', presented at Spirituality in the Pub, Maccesfield, 6 May 2003.
  • Irene Watson, 'Racism and the law', presented to Southern Cross University Law School, Byron Bay, December 2002.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote Address, 'Dialogue from the other side; are you my friend or my enemy?', presented at Interdisciplinary Conference, In Conversation, Adelaide Reseach Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, Adelaide University, 17 November 2001.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'The sovereignty of terra nullius', presented at Globalisation Live Conference, Adelaide Research Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, Adelaide University, 26 July 2000.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'An Indigenous Perspective on Human Rights', presented at Australian Indigenous Human Rights Conference, The College of Indigenous Australian Peoples and the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University, Byron Bay, 11-13 February 2000.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'Raw Law', presented at Law and Society Conference, Byron Bay NSW, 7-10 December 1999.
  • Irene Watson, 'Power of the Muldarbi', presented at Feminist Intersections Seminar, University of Melbourne, 8-9 July 2003.
  • Irene Watson, ' 1998 Naked Peoples Rules and Regulations, Law and Literature Conference, Griffith University Brisbane, July 18-20th.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Stereotypes and the Criminal Law', presented to the Law Society of South Australia, October 1997.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Judicial Culture of terra nullius', Aboriginal Cultural Awareness, 1996.
  • Irene Watson, Seminar for the South Australian Judiciary, Adelaide, May 1996.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Women and Colonialism', presented at International Women’s Conference Adelaide University, 1996.
  • Irene Watson, 'Indigenous Peoples and the colonial state', presented at Law and Society Conference, Ballina NSW, December 1996.
  • Irene Watson, 'Indigenous Voices at the U.N.- Untying the Knot of colonialism', presented at The UN and Global Security Conference, La Trobe University, July 1995.
  • Irene Watson, 'Indigenous Cultural Rights', presented to Jumbunna Indigenous Student Support Centre, University of Technology Sydney, August 1995.
  • Irene Watson, 'Impact of Colonialism on Indigenous Laws', presented at Australasian Law Teachers Association Conference, La Trobe University, September 1995.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993, and Indigenous self-determination', presented to the United Nations Working Group Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, July 1994.
  • Irene Watson, Keynote address, 'Justice Issues for Aboriginal Peoples in the Nineties', presented at Perspectives on Justice, Queensland University of Technology School of Justice Studies Faculty of Law, Brisbane 19 and 20th March 1993.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Perspective’s on the Mabo decision', presented to Redfern Aboriginal Legal Service, Sydney, December 1993.
  • Irene Watson, 'Reconciliation', presented to Catholic Education Services, Mary MacKillop Seminar, Adelaide 1993.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Rights of the Indigenous Child', presented at National Early Childhood Conference, Victor Harbour, SA, September 1993.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Native Title Decision', presented at National Conference of Community Legal Services, Brisbane, September 1993.
  • Irene Watson, 'ATSIC, and self-determination', presented to UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, July 1992.
  • Irene Watson, 'Mabo and the dispossessed', presented to Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Forum, Adelaide, November 1992.
  • Irene Watson, 'International Year of Indigenous Peoples', presented to Kaurna Lecture Series, University of South Australia, October 1992.
  • Irene Watson, 'Aboriginal Law and Tjilbruki', presented at The International Eco-City Conference, Adelaide, April 1992.
  • Irene Watson, 'Comments on the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody', presented at Australian Society of Labor Lawyers, 13th Annual National Conference, Adelaide 6-8 September 1991.
  • Irene Watson, 'Law and Culture', presented at 1st International Indigenous Women’s Conference, Adelaide, 1989.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Australian Wasteland', presented at Australian Studies Seminar Series, University of Adelaide, 1989.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Dispossessed', presented at Uniting Church, Apathy and Empathy Conference, Adelaide, 1987.
  • Irene Watson, 'The Dreaming', presented at Opening of the Aboriginal Resource Centre, University of SA Underdale, 1986.