Traditional Custodian Interviews: Traditional Custodian Country in Land-Use Planning Research

Abstract

In 2012, I undertook a PhD to explore what happens when Aboriginal Australian understandings of the concept of Country are addressed in land-use planning in the peri-urban geographical space. Previous research in this area largely relies on analysis of formal and informal textual data and semi-structured interviews without questioning whether and how these methods represent a Traditional Custodian understanding of Country. While my study analysed a variety of sources, it also sought for a Traditional Custodian understanding of Country to be present in my interviews with those involved in land-use policy and practice. This account shows how semi-structured interviewing can be adapted to centre the knowledge and values of Traditional Custodian interviewees; I have termed these Traditional Custodian interviews. This case study illustrates some of the contextual and methodological challenges that arose during my 3-year PhD project. It gives insight into the complexities of conducting interviews to elicit culturally appropriate data, which can lead to a broader consideration of the power differentials between a non-Indigenous interviewer and Traditional Custodian interviewees. Particular attention is paid to the value of Country as a method of drawing on more meaningful representations of Traditional Custodian opinions and understandings for the research project.