This paper discusses the production, nature, and consequences of oppositional behavior among 102 poor, inner-city Koori (Aboriginal Australian) boys and girls attending Greytown School, Australia. The connection between the local indigenous Australian community's history and culture and the classroom life of its primary school illustrates the workings of cultural production. The majority of Koori male and female students exhibited oppositional stances in two categories: subtle and passive work avoidance such as copying from others, sharing work, or off-task behavior, and more open resistance such as classroom disruption, work refusal, and truancy. This resistance was established as early as the first year of schooling and persisted through the senior classes in spite of teaching style or discipline. High resistance was correlated with low academic achievement. Inner-city community factors contributing to oppositional behavior include poverty, alcoholism, drugs, family stress, poor health, and crime. Another contributing factor is the indigenous concept of shame, or losing face. Students could be shamed by not knowing answers, being wrong when questioned, or not being able to cope with classroom assignments. No shame was associated with quitting school. Case studies present typical crisis situations in which oppositional behavior created clashes between students and staff. There was little evidence differentiating the behavior of males and females, but the consequences of a final rejection of schooling did have gender implications. Conclusions show that students' responses to their schooling and education were collective social and cultural processes profoundly influenced by intersecting issues of context, ethnicity, social position, and gender. (Contains 17 references.) (SAS)