Dr Julie Lahn
Areas of expertise
- Studies Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Society 169902
- Policy And Administration 1605
- Social And Cultural Anthropology 160104
Research interests
Indigenous Policy research:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Experiences of Work in Government Bureaucracies
- Professional forms of Work
- Anthropology of Bureaucracy
Current research engages a range of issues and insights raised by First Nations peoples in encountering professional forms of employment, particularly state bureaucracies but also the professions more generally. I combine qualitative insights, statistical data and policy analysis to progress the following areas:
- understanding the effects of workplace cultures in retention and early exit (Lahn 2018; Lahn & Ganter 2018);
- analysing obstacles to career progression (Faulkner and Lahn 2019);
- engaging questions of value and contribution of First Nations peoples to contemporary workplaces (Lahn forthcoming).
Cultural Heritage research:
I also maintain an additional longstanding interest in conducting scholarship to aid the relocation, reengagement and return of lost or forgotten cultural materials belonging to First Nations peoples held in academic and cultural institutions including:
- repatriation debates concerning the Kow Swamp ancestral materials, the subject of my honours thesis (Lahn 1996a; 1996b; 2007; 2014; 2020);
- relocating cultural heritage belonging to Torres Strait Islanders notably materials removed from the region in 1836, renamed as the 'Lewis Collection' and held by the Australian Museum; some items escaped the Sydney Garden Palace fire of 1882 through prior transfer to the National Museum of Denmark in the 1870s (Lahn 2013);
- reconnecting people and materials involved in the 1970-80s Japanese geographical and ethnological surveys to the Torres Strait region including Torres Strait communities, Australian and Japanese researchers and cultural institutions (Lahn 2018).
Researcher's projects
Rekindling Japanese and Torres Strait Islander Connections: Celebrating 50 years (2021-2024)
Co-Researchers: Julie Lahn (CAEPR, Annick Thomassin (CAEPR), Samantha Faulkner (CAEPR), Yuriko Yamanouchi (Tokyo University for Foreign Studies).
Project Linkage and Funding: Gur A Bharadharaw Kod Torres Strait Sea and Land Council, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.
Project Funding: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia Japan Foundation 2022-2024, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Studies Return of Cultural Heritage Unit 2022-2023, Australian Research Council Discovery Project 2023-2025.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment in the Australian Public Service 1967 – 2021: A History of Policy Intent and Outcomes (2021-2022)
Co-Researchers: Julie Lahn (CAEPR), Elizabeth Ganter (CAEPR), Samantha Faulkner (CAEPR), Lisa Conway (Crawford)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce: Options for Future Policy Planning (2020)
Co-Researchers: Julie Lahn (CAEPR), Stefanie Puszka (CAEPR, Menzies School of Health Research, CDU), Paul Lawton (Menzies, CDU), Yonatan Dinku (CAEPR), Nina Nichols (CAEPR), Francis Markham (CAEPR).
Project Linkage and Funding: National Health Leadership Forum (NHLF)
Obstacles to Career Progression for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Australian Public Service (2018-2019)
Co-Researchers: Julie Lahn (CAEPR) and Samantha Faulkner (APS Secondee to CAEPR. Project Linkages: Australian Public Service Commission; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Senior Executive Service Steering Committee.
Project Funding: Australian Public Service Commission, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Reciprocal Accountability and Public Value in Aboriginal Organisations (2016-2020)
Co-Researchers: Patrick Sullivan (Nulungu Institute, University of Notre Dame), Janet Hunt (CAEPR, ANU), Julie Lahn (CAEPR, ANU), Kathryn Thorburn (Nulungu Institute, UNDA).
Project Linkage and Funding: Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre; Nyamba Buru Yawuru; Marra Worra Worra, Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP160102250)
Understanding the Decisions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Servants to Exit the Australian Public Service (2016)
Co-Researchers: Nic Biddle (CAEPR), Julie Lahn (CAEPR).
Project Linkage and Funding: Australian Public Service Commission
Current student projects
Catherine Holmes PhD, CAEPR, ANU 'Children Have Big Stories: An Ethnographic Multi-Sited Study of Contemporary Ngaanyatjarra and Pintupi Children's Early Years Practices' (Chair of Panel)
John Morseu PhD, Centre for Heritage and Museum studies, ANU 'Ngay Badhulaig: An investigation into how Badu Island society sustains cultural Identity' (Associate Supervisor)
Nina Nichols PhD, CAEPR, ANU 'Between Community and Policy: The Capacity of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service to Improve Indigenous Workforce Participation in Remote Far North Queensland' (Associate Supervisor)
Craig Ritchie PhD, CAEPR, ANU 'Culture and Policymaking: Towards Better Aboriginal Policymaking' (Associate Supervisor)
Past student projects
Susan Page PhD, CAEPR, ANU 'Beyond Black and White: Transformative Learning and Educator Practice in Indigenous Studies' (Chair of Panel)
Stefanie Puszka PhD, CAEPR, ANU and Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University 2021 'Moral economies of kidney disease and care: Interdependencies between Yolnu and the Australian state'. (Chair of Panel, Associate Supervisor)
Tjanara Goreng Goreng PhD ANU 2018 'The Road to Eldership: Following the Tjukurpa Way'. (Associate Supervisor)
Jen Malbon BSc Honours (Geography, Fenner) 2016 (Associate Supervisor)
Rosalie Willows BA Honours 1st class (Anthropology) ANU 2014-5 'The Value of Work and the Will to Improve: The Affective Atmosphere of Closing the Gap'. (Primary Supervisor)
Publications
- Lahn, J, Puszka, S, Lawton, P et al. 2020, Beyond Parity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Planning: Achieving Equity through Needs-Based and Strengths-Based Approaches.
- Bourke, C, Lahn, J, Gibbs, C et al. 2020, 'Assessing the support of health leadership for increased Indigenous participation in the health workforce', Australian Health Review, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 505-511.
- Lahn, J 2020, 'Kow Swamp', in Claire Smith (ed.), Encylopedia of Global Archaeology, Springer Link, Cham, pp. 6332-6336.
- Lahn, J 2020, 'COVID-19 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce', in F Markham, D Smith & F Morphy (ed.), Indigenous Australians and the Covid-19 Crisis: Perspectives on Public Policy, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU, Canberra, p. 1.
- Faulkner, S & Lahn, J 2019, Navigating to senior leadership in the Australian Public Service: Identifying employment barriers and enablers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Lahn, J & Ganter, E 2018, 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Public Service Roles: Representation, recognition and relationships in Australian government bureaucracies', Journal of Australian Political Economy, vol. 82, pp. 133-48.
- Lahn, J 2018, 'Good policy needs good relationships: an expanded role for Indigenous public servants and regional offices in the future of Closing the Gap', in F Markham, K Jordan & D Howard-Wagner (ed.), Closing the Gap Refresh: papering over the gaps or structural reform?, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU, Canberra, pp. 12-13.
- Lahn, J 2018, 'Being Indigenous in the Bureaucracy: Narratives of Work and Exit', International Indigenous Policy Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-17.
- Howard-Wagner, D. 2018. 'Urban community enablement beyond service delivery'. In Markham, F, Jordan, K, Howard-Wagner, D et al (eds), Closing the Gap Refresh: papering over the gaps or structural reform, CAEPR Topical Issue No.2/2018.
- Lahn, J 2018, 'Book Review: Reluctant Representatives: Blackfella Bureaucrats Speak in Australia's North', Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 83-84.
- Lahn, J 2018, 'Insulaires du detroit de Torres', in Peter Brown and Jean-Yves Faberon (ed.), L'Australie: 101 mots pour comprendre, Centre de documentation pedagogique de la Nouvelle-Caledonie, Noumea, pp. 26-27.
- Lahn, J 2018, 'Towards Epistemological Humility in Critical Area Studies: Insights from the Torres Strait (Australia) - A Locality at the Margins of Areas', in Takahiro Nakajima, Paul Pickering, Xudong Zhang (ed.), Papers from the 2018 PKU-ANU-UTokyo Winter Institute, The University of Tokyo Centre for Philosophy, Tokyo, pp. 105-120.
- Lahn, J 2017, 'Invited Submission to the SENATE Finance and Public Administration References Committee: Appropriateness and effectiveness of the Community Development Program'.
- Lahn, J 2016, 'Indigenous Studies and Engaged Anthropology: The Collaborative Moment - [Book Review]', The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol. 17, no. 3-4, pp. 363-365pp.
- Biddle, N & Lahn, J 2016, 'Understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee decisions to exit the Australian Public Service'. CAEPR Working Paper 110. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University.
- Hunter, B & Lahn, J 2015, Editorial: 'Looking back to look forward: The future of public debate of social policy in Australia', Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 5-11.
- Lahn, J 2014, 'Non-Indigenous Visions', Arena Magazine, no. 132 Oct/Nov, pp. 10-11.
- Hunt, J. in Klein, E, Lahn, J, Altman, J et al 2014, Academic perspectives on The Forrest review: creating parity Topical Issue 2/2014.
- Lahn, J 2014, 'Kow Swamp', in Claire Smith (ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, pp. 4323-4328pp.
- Lahn, J 2013, 'Aboriginal Professionals: Work, Class and Culture'. CAEPR Working Paper 89. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University.
- Lahn, J 2013, 'The 1836 Lewis Collection and the Torres Strait Turtle-Shell Mask of Kulka From Loss to Re-engagement', Journal of Pacific History, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 386-408.
- Lahn, J 2012, 'Poverty, Work and Social Networks: The Role of Social Capital for Aboriginal People in Urban Australian Locales', Urban Policy and Research, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 293-308.
- Lahn, J 2012, 'Aboriginal professionals: Work, class and culture', Theorising Indigenous Sociology: Developing Australian and International Approaches, ed. D. Howard-Wagner, D. Habibis and T. Petray, University of Sydney, Sydney Australia, pp. 1-11.
- Taylor, J, Gray, M, Hunter, B, Yap, M & Lahn, J, 2012, 'Higher education and the growth of Indigenous participation in professional and managerial occupations', CAEPR Working Papers, vol. 83/2012.
- Lahn, J 2007, 'Native title and the Torres Strait: Encompassment and recognition in the Central Islands', in BR Smith and F Morphy (ed.), The Social Effects of Native Title: Recognition, Translation, Coexistence, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 135-149.
- Lahn, J. 2007. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers: a social history of the Kow Swamp remains. In, Smith, L. (ed), Cultural Heritage: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies, Volume 1, History and Concepts, pp.361-410. London: Routledge.
- Lahn, J 2006, 'Women's gift-fish and sociality in the Torres Strait, Australia', Oceania, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 297-309.
- Delfabbro, P, Lahn, J & Grabosky, P 2006, 'Psychosocial correlates of problem gambling in Australian students', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 40, no. 6/7, pp. 587-595.
- Delfabbro, P, Lahn, J & Grabosky, P 2006, 'It's Not What You Know, but How You Use It: Statistical Knowledge and Adolescent Problem Gambling', Journal of Gambling Studies, vol. 22, no. 2006, pp. 179-193.
- Lahn, J, Delfabbro, P & Grabosky, P 2006, 'Classroom or cyberspace? Ethical and methodological challenges on on-line gambling surveys for adolescents', Journal of Gambling Issues, vol. 16, pp. 1-15.
- Grabosky, P, Delfabbro, P & Lahn, J 2005, 'Further Evidence Concerning the Prevalence of Adolescent Gambling and Problem Gambling in Australia: A Study of the ACT', International Gambling Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 209-228.
- Lahn, J 2005, 'Gambling Among Offenders: Results From an Australian Survey', International Journal of Offender Therapy and Criminology, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 343-355.
- Lahn, J 2004, ''Living in the light' and island dance: morality and temporality in Warraber Christianities', in Richard Davis (ed.), Woven Histories Dancing Lives Torres Strait Islander Identity, Culture and History, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, pp. 73-89.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Rekindling Japanese and Torres Strait Connections - manuscript translation and republication (Primary Investigator)
- Rekindling Japanese and Torres Strait Connections (Primary Investigator)
- Understanding the decisions of Indigenous public servants (Secondary Investigator)
