David Trigger

Professor David Trigger
Anthropology and Sociology
University of Western Australia

David has undertaken research on the cultural significance and contestation of land and nature for many years, including a recent project on social values associated with resource development in the Pilbara and South West regions of WA. This work compares pro-development, environmentalist and indigenous language and practices about land and natural resources and builds on a long established interest in Australian Aboriginal relations with land. David is the Chief Investigator on an ARC Discovery project entitled 'Nature, culture & belonging in urban landscapes: an anthropological investigation into environmental beliefs, values and practices in Perth, Western Australia'.  While cities tend to be characterised as remote from 'nature', in reality they are teeming with plants, pets and pests as well as the people who nurture, shape and manage them. As such, cities provide rich settings for the study of environmental attitudes. 'Nature, culture and belonging' investigates how Australians in urban locations think about and create their preferred bio-physical environments. The results of this research will provide valuable insights into the management of urban environments, as well helping us to better understand the way urban-based Australians think about and engage with the wider Australian landscape. Trigger & Mulcock are especially interested in the concepts of indigneity and belonging as they operate in the popular and scientific discourses of settler societies. Their study will link beliefs, values and practices about which species 'belong' in urban backyards, gardens and parks, to notions of local and national identity in Australia. This research will contribute to understandings of how urban citizens of a post-colonial settler society construct meanings about land and nature.