Country, identity and sharing: Australian indigenous Children’s perspectives on their own indigeneity – A further case for authentic empathy

Culture, as part of socialisation processes, has an important role to play in child development. Embedded in the everyday lived experience, culture promotes accepted values and behaviours that children adopt and express in later adulthood. These values become intrinsic and aid in the development of prosocial skills. However, the role of culture in the development of empathy in children is sparse, relying on experimental and survey-based studies rather than focusing on children’s own perspectives. This study provides a unique and rarely seen opportunity to explore culture through drawings with Yolŋu (Indigenous inhabitants of East Arnhem Land) children, from a very small, remote community near the coast of tropical north Australia. By observing children’s perspectives of their own culture, links to different types of empathy are made. Through the use of a two-step iterative abductive analytical process, thematic analysis of the drawings and insights provided by interview transcripts revealed themes of: Country; Identity; and Sharing. These themes revealed a new understanding of empathy, broadening our understanding of what empathy is and how it is demonstrated. This research highlights the important role culture has in the development of authentic empathy in children.