Abstract:
In this presentation, operationalisation of Moodie’s (2018) Decolonising Race Theory (DRT) is showcased to frame how analysis and examination of interviews with over n=81 First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples (n=27 students, n=28 parents / carers / community members, n= 22 teachers, and n=4 Principals) across five NSW secondary schools in Australia is made possible. Through a DRT framework, identification of the limiting discourses of Aboriginality permeating racist stereotypes of Indigenous damage and deficit is centred to highlight the continued inhibition of First Nations peoples’ sovereign rights and aspirations for young people in school, and reveal the amplified everyday resistance, reconnection and revival that Aboriginal students are pursuing in their schooling environments.