Michael Aird

Michael Aird serves as Director of the Anthropology Museum and Research Fellow in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland in 1990. Since 1985, Aird has dedicated his career to Aboriginal arts and cultural heritage, founding Keeaira Press in 1996, which has produced over 30 publications documenting Indigenous Australian histories and experiences. His research specializations encompass Indigenous Australian history, historical photography, repatriation of cultural items, Aboriginal performance troupes, and the evidentiary role of photographs in native title claims. Aird has curated more than 20 museum and gallery exhibitions featuring Indigenous themes and has contributed to several Australian Research Council projects, including 'From illustration to evidence: the potential of photographs for Indigenous native title claims in Australia' (2017-2022) and 'Connecting Indigenous community photographies: a transnational case study' (2021-2025).

Aird's scholarly output includes eight books, such as co-authorship of The Wild Australia Show: The Story of an Aboriginal Performance Troupe and its Afterlives (2025, ANU Press), Brisbane Blacks (2001, Keeaira Press), and Portraits of our Elders (1993, Queensland Museum). He has published 17 book chapters, including 'Growing up with Aborigines' in Photography's Other Histories (2005, Duke University Press) and 'Trusting the copies? Historical photographs and native title claims' (2023). Recent journal articles feature 'Sport, identity, and self-determination: Aboriginal rugby league in Brisbane after the Second World War' (2024, Australian Journal of Politics & History) and 'The new protectionism: risk aversion and access to Indigenous heritage records' (2024, Archives and Manuscripts). His influence extends to advisory roles in government, education, and creative sectors, alongside international public lectures on Indigenous topics. Aird has received the 2022 Photographic Studies Award from the Royal Anthropological Institute for contributions to anthropology and photography, particularly the Aboriginal archive; the Vice-Chancellor's 2022 UQ Award for Excellence in Community; and the 2015 Indigenous Community Impact Award.

Professional Email: m.aird@uq.edu.au