Interviewer: Courtney Boag
Images: Provided by Dr Cate Massola
Cinematography: Stéphanie Austruy

31 September, 2024

“For me, anthropology is still about translation work and this involves being able to talk to a cross section of people in different ways, and to be able to develop new ideas and hear out other perspectives. In working across different sections, it makes you realize that there are always many ways of being.”


Cate Massola

Cate is a socio-cultural anthropologist specialising in visual anthropology, with an interest in art, material culture, museums and collections. Her long-term research is based in Gija Country, located in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Her doctoral research explored the intersections of learning, agency, art and material culture within the everyday world of the Warmun community. Following her PhD, Cate’s research has investigated Gija value-creation and epistemological processes and analysed contemporary intercultural relationships and negotiations within the context of historic colonial pastoralism. Currently, Cate is working on a book that explores the ‘life’ of the Warmun Community Collection through the relationships that have shaped its trajectory and a visual analysis