Accepted Panels

The COVID-19 pandemic was, and is, a watershed moment. For anthropology, it signalsed a world less travelled in which face-to-face methods may not be tenable. This paper brings a fresh perspective to this crisis. The project discussed here trialled data collection through phone interviews undertaken with people living in the remote Aboriginal communities of Barunga, Beswick, and Manyallaluk, Northern Territory, Australia. I identify changes in the experiences of different communities and how their views were informed by different histories and contemporary realities brought about by COVID-19. This research is embedded in two innovations that speak to the future practice of archaeology and anthropology. The first is research designed to be undertaken without the anthropologist being present, by developing the skills of community researchers. The second is reconceptualizing the role of social researchers (archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, ethnographers) as facilitators who undertake culturally-driven ground-breaking research, in this case reporting on and developing culturally appropriate tools and strategies to help future-proof remote Aboriginal communities from pandemics.