On the Unsafe Side of the White Divide: New Perspectives on the Dreaming of Australian Aborigines
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 1999 DOI: 10.1525/ac.1999.10.1.1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that the Dreaming can be interpreted as a subliminal reality that Aboriginal people can tap into through various means, using Schutz's mutual tuning-in relationship and Csikszentmihalyi's flow as a theoretical framework. |
Abstract
The central feature of traditional Aboriginal religion which is reiterated throughout Australia, in spite of regional variations and the vastness of this continent is the Dreaming and its integral link between humans, land, and all that lives on the land. Variously referred to as Dreamtime, Eternal Dreamtime and, the Law, the Dreaming is the sacred knowledge, wisdom and moral truth permeating the entire beingness of Aboriginal life, derived collectively from Dreaming events performed by the creative ancestors. In this paper I shall review interpretations of this thing called the Dreaming and pursue an alternative one. This alternative is that the Dreaming can be interpreted as a subliminal reality that Aborigines can tap into through various means. As a working paradigm I shall use the theoretical perspectives of Schutz and the mutual tuning‐in relationship, as well as Csikszentmihalyi s notion of "flow." Keywords: Aborigines, Australia, dreaming, consciousness.