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Towards a Decolonising Pedagogy: Understanding Australian Indigenous Studies through Critical Whiteness Theory and Film Pedagogy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2013

Genine Hook
Genine Hook*
Affiliation:
Monash University, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Genine Hook, 4/29 Murphy Street, Romsey VIC 3434, Australia. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This article explores student and teacher engagement with Australian Indigenous Studies. In this article I identify key themes in the film September (2007) that demonstrate how the film can be used as a catalyst for student learning and discussion. Critical whiteness theory provides a framework to explore three themes, the invisibility of whiteness, the reachability of whiteness and the cultural interface. Critical whiteness theory identifies the way in which non-Indigenous people centralise and normalise whiteness within colonised societies, and particularly considers how white privilege is maintained. Interpreting the film September through the lens of critical whiteness theory contributes to translating curriculum and social justice aims of education into action.

Keywords

film pedagogyAustralian Indigenous Studieswhiteness
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , December 2012 , pp. 110 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013

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