“The Politics of Ontology” is a critical framework in contemporary anthropology and Indigenous studies that explores how different cultures define reality, existence, and being. When applied to asserting Rom in a modern world, it specifically addresses how Indigenous Australian worldviews confront, resist, and exist alongside dominant Western political and legal frameworks. Understanding the Core Concepts
Ontology: The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being and what actually “exists”. In an Indigenous context, ontology is not just an abstract theory; it is a lived, active reality embedded in the land, ancestry, and everyday practices.
Rom: A profound Yolngu (Indigenous Australian) concept that translates roughly to Law, lore, culture, correct living, and the cosmic order. It dictates the interconnected relationships between humans, ancestors, and the “more-than-human” world (animals, plants, water, and land).
The Politics of Ontology: The struggle that occurs when a dominant culture (like a Western liberal state) refuses to recognize an Indigenous worldview as a valid, physical reality. Instead, the dominant state reduces the Indigenous reality to a mere “cultural belief” or “myth,” enforcing its own definition of truth, property, and governance. Key Dynamics of Asserting Rom in a Modern World
Scholars from institutions like Macquarie University and the University of Newcastle—often writing as collaborative human and “more-than-human” collectives (such as the Bawaka Country collective)—highlight several major themes in this struggle: 1. The Violence of Ontological Dismissal
Historically, European colonization in Australia relied on the doctrine of terra nullius (land belonging to no one). This was fundamentally an ontological erasure. By claiming the land was “empty” of Western-style ownership, colonizers completely dismissed the pre-existing presence of Rom, complex boundaries, and ancient stories. Asserting Rom today is a direct political act aimed at undoing this ongoing colonial erasure. 2. One World vs. A Pluriverse
The Western Matrix: Modern Western politics assumes there is exactly one universal, physical world (Nature), and various groups just have different cultural perspectives on it (Culture).
The Indigenous Reality: Concepts like Rom posit that the world is a pluriverse—a world where multiple, distinct realities actually coexist. When a Yolngu person speaks of a rock or a river as an active, sentient ancestor with legal rights, they are not speaking metaphorically; they are describing literal existence. 3. Relational and Dynamic Continuity (PDF) The politics of ontology and ontological politics
When you dig into the soil of Australia, you find. lirrwi, charcoal. To say so is a cultural statement, an. assertion of Rom (Law/ ResearchGate
The politics of ontology and ontological politics – Sage Journals
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