Politics: Philosophical Ordering by Country

What do you need to know to prosper as a people for 65,000 years or more? The First Knowledges series provides a deep understanding of the expertise, wisdom and ingenuity of Indigenous Australians.

First Nations peoples of Australia are among the world's oldest political designers. For them, Country isn't just a place to live, it's part of the network of relationships that shape responsibilities, behaviour and decision-making - a template for living together.

First Nations social and political systems balance individual freedom with a strong sense of responsibility and connection to others. By placing relationships at the centre, these systems encourage ethical behaviour and create long-term stability and security.

Mary Graham and Morgan Brigg interrogate and unpack two political systems - cultural and colonial - that appear to be at opposite ends of a continuum. Politics is about how these two systems can move together and, in these unpredictable times, help to guide the building of a modern Australia.

About the series: Each book is a collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers and editors; the series is edited by Margo Neale, senior Indigenous curator at the National Museum of Australia.

About the author

Dr Mary Graham is a Kombumerri person through her father's heritage and affiliated with Wakka Wakka through her mother's people. She has worked across government and universities, teaching Aboriginal history, politics and comparative philosophy, and incorporating Aboriginal knowledges into curricula. She is one of the foremost writers on Aboriginal Australian knowledges, and philosophy.

Dr Morgan Brigg is an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and long-term collaborator with Mary Graham. He specialises in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, political theory, and the politics of knowledge. His research facilitates exchange between Western and Indigenous political philosophies and socio-political orders as part of a wider exploration of the politics of cultural difference, governance, and selfhood.

Mary Graham and Morgan Brigg
Published July 2026
Paperback
240 pages
198mm x 130m
ISBN 9781760764272