Assistant Professor makes ABC news
Since 1995, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Kim Christen has worked with the Warumungu people from Tennant Creek, a remote town in the Northern Territory of Australia, on a range of community projects including writing a community history, producing digital video and audio recordings, and compiling archived data for use in interpretive displays.
Recently, Christen completed an interview with the BBC regarding the Mukurtu archive, which was featured on "Digital Planet." Christen's research interests regarding the digital archives were also noticed by ABC News.
Christen's primary research involves examining contemporary indigenous alliances, mostly in Australia, but with a global comparative analysis. She's currently exploring the overlap of indigenous cultural heritage, intellectual property rights, and the use of digital technologies in and by indigenous communities.
She also researches global issues such as sovereignty, land rights, cultural tourism, intellectual property rights and digital "remix" as they mutate and mingle with indigenous communities. She follows the "free culture" movement spreading across college campuses, and the lingering effects of its singular focus on what counts as culture, mostly digital music, and who "owns" that culture. Christen believes it should be "free."