CHAPTER XXI
INTERACTION BETWEEN SOCIAL STRUCTURES AND WORLDS OF MEANING -
THE ’WORLDS’ OF INSTITUTIONS REFLECTED IN TYPIF!CATIONS1
21.1 Introduct ion
It has been shown that the theorizing in the schools concerning
Aboriginal identity differs from one school to another, thus constructing
different worlds of meaning for Aborigines in different schools.
Since it is posited that identity is the result of interaction
between social structures and worlds of meaning, then it could be expected
that typifications of Aborigines would differ from one school situation
to another. It could be expected that these differences could be shown
to be reflected in the ’world’ produced within the school by the . ∙
theorizing of the reality definers, which, as has already been shown,
reflects the ’world’ of Aborigines in different locations.
For example, theorizing at Port Augusta High where the Aboriginal
population was large, heterogeneous and visible, was quite different
from that at Salisbury North High School where the Aboriginal population,
by moving out from kin groupings, was attempting to be ’less visible’.
In both cases, theorizing in the school situation was seen as appropriately
meeting the ’directions’ being taken by the Aboriginal people.
The question now addressed is whether the theorizing that produces
different ’worlds’ within the schools is reflected in differences in
typifications.
21.2 School populations and typifications - hypotheses
It is posited that where location of individuals within the
Aboriginal minority group is more evident (e.g. Port Augusta and S.A.I.T.),
1See p. 44 above for an exposition of the theory relevant to this
section.