Sarah Bourke
Sarah Bourke is a descendant of the Djaru and Ongkomi people from WA on her mother’s side and the Gamilaroi people from NSW on her father’s side.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts degree with first class Honours in Biological Anthropology from the Australian National University (ANU). After completing her MPhil at Oxford, Sarah is currently completing a DPhil in Medical Anthropology at St John's College, Oxford. Her thesis is titled 'Making cultures count - The development of the Mayi Kuwayu National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing in Australia'. More information on her thesis can be found here.
Sarah's Master’s dissertation at Oxford explored the meaning of health and well-being from different cultural perspectives, and specifically, how these affect interpretations of Western science and its applications to research involving Indigenous communities.
Sarah’s research for her Honours degree focused on the significance of the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral human remains to their community of origin. The major question that her study addressed was whether Indigenous ancestral remains should be studied scientifically. Although this sort of study may provide valuable and unique data on the population genetics, migration and health of Indigenous populations in the past, it has also been argued that scientific study intrinsically seeks to objectify and de-humanise the ancestral remains. Repatriation has been seen as a method for restoring both the integrity and the identity of these individuals; however, such a course may mean that the valuable biological data stored in the remains will be lost to science. Sarah’s research found that a major factor which influences the conversation around the scientific study of remains is the miscommunication and lack of understanding between various Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. This lack of understanding ignited her interest in the cross-cultural communication of science, and particularly in the wellbeing of Indigenous people involved in scientific research.
After her doctorate, Sarah plans to embark on a career in research promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and the exploration of Indigenous heritage through science.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts degree with first class Honours in Biological Anthropology from the Australian National University (ANU). After completing her MPhil at Oxford, Sarah is currently completing a DPhil in Medical Anthropology at St John's College, Oxford. Her thesis is titled 'Making cultures count - The development of the Mayi Kuwayu National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing in Australia'. More information on her thesis can be found here.
Sarah's Master’s dissertation at Oxford explored the meaning of health and well-being from different cultural perspectives, and specifically, how these affect interpretations of Western science and its applications to research involving Indigenous communities.
Sarah’s research for her Honours degree focused on the significance of the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral human remains to their community of origin. The major question that her study addressed was whether Indigenous ancestral remains should be studied scientifically. Although this sort of study may provide valuable and unique data on the population genetics, migration and health of Indigenous populations in the past, it has also been argued that scientific study intrinsically seeks to objectify and de-humanise the ancestral remains. Repatriation has been seen as a method for restoring both the integrity and the identity of these individuals; however, such a course may mean that the valuable biological data stored in the remains will be lost to science. Sarah’s research found that a major factor which influences the conversation around the scientific study of remains is the miscommunication and lack of understanding between various Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. This lack of understanding ignited her interest in the cross-cultural communication of science, and particularly in the wellbeing of Indigenous people involved in scientific research.
After her doctorate, Sarah plans to embark on a career in research promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and the exploration of Indigenous heritage through science.
