Labour and Industry

Indigeneity, Labour, and Equity: Reframing Work through Indigenous Lenses

Labour and Industry is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing interdisciplinary research on the social, organizational, and institutional dimensions of work and industrial relations. The journal seeks to foster scholarly dialogue, challenge conventional boundaries, and promote innovative thinking by integrating insights from diverse academic disciplines.

Special Issue Theme

This special edition will foreground Indigenous perspectives, knowledges, and experiences in the context of labour and industrial relations. It aims to address the historical and ongoing marginalization of Indigenous voices in academic discourse and policy development related to work and employment.

We invite contributions from Indigenous scholars globally, as well as researchers working in collaboration with Indigenous communities, to explore the multifaceted intersections between Indigeneity and labour.

About the Special Issue Editors

Associate Professor Sharlene Leroy-Dyer is the Director of the Indigenous Business Hub, University of Queensland Business School. She is a Garigal, Awabakal, Darug, and Wiradjuri woman. Her research focuses on Indigenous business, employment equity, and the socio-economic dimensions of Indigenous participation in labour markets.

Dr Ria Te Uira Holmes is a wahine Māori legal scholar. Her iwi affiliations are Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Law at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. Her areas of research include Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ The Treaty of Waitangi, Tikanga Māori (Māori laws and Philosophy), Indigenous Methodology and Labour Law.

Emeritus Professor Boyd Hunter is a researcher associated with the Centre for Social Research and Methods, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. His main area of research involves the economic history of ‘The Indigenous Economy’ and the implications for contemporaneous social and economic policy.

Dr Christian Eva is a Research Fellow at The Australian National University. His research has primarily focused on Indigenous employment and the Indigenous business sector in Australia. He contributes to various research projects within POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy and Research.

Theoretical Framework and Rationale

Despite increasing attention to equity and inclusion in labour studies, Indigenous perspectives remain underrepresented. This edition seeks to redress this gap by centering Indigenous epistemologies and experiences in the analysis of labour relations, employment policy, and workplace dynamics.

Indicative Topics

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Indigenous justice, human rights, and labour standards
• Historical and contemporary Indigenous labour market participation
• Stolen wages and reparative justice
• Employment risks and opportunities for Indigenous communities
• Equity in employment and workplace inclusion
• Indigenous labour relations and public policy
• Union engagement and Indigenous workers
• Labour supply and demand in Indigenous contexts
• Protection of Indigenous working rights
• Colonial and settler-colonial impacts on labour relations
• Discrimination and exclusion in labour markets
• Indigenous entrepreneurship and business development
• Economic contributions of Indigenous labour
• Disability and employment in Indigenous communities
• Reconciliation and labour policy