The Centre

CRAMS Mission

Contact Details

The mission of the Centre operationalises the Faculty’s overarching mandate to:

Encourage and support creative and innovative scholarly inquiry and the development of cutting edge research

Provide a supportive research environment

Enhance research competency through the provision of high quality research training, mentoring programs for novice researchers, and appropriate research leadership

(FEHPS Vision Statement 2003 – 2006:6)

Consequently CRAMS focuses on transformative action research and research training, publications and consultancies in specific interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary areas such as:

• Minority health, education and community building with special reference to colonisation, cross-cultural contact and cultural safety.

• The relationship between language, culture and pedagogy in Australia’s culturally diverse environment.

• The impact of power and powerlessness, adaptation and accommodation, cultural violence, structural violence, systemic bias and ecological violence on the education, health and community building of culturally diverse groups.

• The principles and practices embodying empowerment in education, health and community building.

• Cross-cultural research methodologies particularly those which involve members of minorities in defining and clarifying their views of society and their place within it.

• Processes (theoretical as well as practical), which influence cross-cultural communications with rural and remote regions.

• Research into community building, peace building and conflict transformation.

While CRAMS’ Mission clearly reflect the Faculty’s Strategic Research Plan and Vision, it also support the University’s Strategic Plan 2002 – 2006 in the following ways:

CRAMS provides opportunity for

• Excellent research in rural and regional issues

• Indigenous Studies

• Health Studies

• Assisting individual researchers with aligning themselves with research concentrations at UNE

• Nurturing potential research staff

The Centre for Research in Aboriginal and Multicultural Studies (CRAMS) provides a focus on the impact of cultural difference as it relates to education, health and interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research and research training. The work of the centre extends to publication and consultancies of national and international significance related to Aboriginal and multicultural health, education and welfare; cultural difference, language and learning in Australia's culturally diverse society and the processes (theoretical as well as practical) which influence cross-cultural communications. The centre also capitalises on existing ties with government and community groups in Australia, Asia and the Pacific to carry out commissioned research and training.

Background

Australia has always been a multicultural society and the influences of cultural differences on health, education and social welfare have been clearly recognised as national priorities since the early 1970s. The status of culturally diverse groups, their location in the wider society and the complexity of their interactions with it, have thus become major focus areas for government policy as well as national and international academic debate and research.

Aboriginal and multicultural studies have been a feature of educational research and practice at UNE since 1977. Over the past 25 years this area of substantive knowledge has grown and developed beyond the discipline of education and has attracted staff and students interested in a wider perspective which includes language, community and social welfare studies. Within this inter- and multi- disciplinary framework theoretical, methodological and practical issues and concerns in relation to minority group status, power and powerlessness have become the focus of research and teaching.

Because of the range and quality of research, teaching and consultancies carried out within the broad spectrum of Aboriginal and multicultural studies, the University in 1996 established the Centre for Research in Aboriginal and Multicultural Studies (CRAMS) after some 12 months of planning.

Mission

To encourage and support creative and innovative scholarly inquiry and the development of cutting edge research, provide a supportive research environment, enhance research competency through the provision of high quality research training, mentoring programs for novice researchers, and appropriate research leadership.' (FEHPS Research Objectives, 2003-2006)