Abstract:
In this paper we examine the ways in which the settler colonial state engages pedagogies that secure white dominance both within educational institutions and through socio-cultural lessons. We present a conceptual framework that encompasses material, epistemic and affective domains to demonstrate how whiteness is learned, reinforced, re-made and its dominance is secured by the settler state that attempts to maintain its authority on unceded First Nations land. We argue that by bringing together these three domains greater understanding of the multilayered workings of the settler state are possible and the ways lessons in whiteness impact all Australians in different ways. We demonstrate how the maintenance of white dominance has containing and controlling intent that contributes to a range of racial violences and we consider how this understanding offers possibilities for addressing inequalities and reimagining education.