Abstract:
In an era where 1 in 5 students across Australian schools have experienced racism, it is considerably urgent that educators think about antiracist initiatives. Alarmingly, we are increasingly living in a society where the mere accusations of racism are not only vehemently denied, but they are also deemed to be more offensive than actual racism. The development of antiracism literacy can empower educators to differentiate between ‘not racist’ and ‘antiracist pedagogies’. Whilst critical race scholars remind us that race is a disproven scientific concept that remains to operate as a powerful social construction, we see that schooling is indeed a racialized experience for racialized students. Specifically, racism impacts students of colour and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in different ways. Whilst some educators are willing to critically reflect on how racism is not just individual, but also systemic and institutional; the available teaching resources tend to focus on empathy, intercultural understanding and feel-good activities that are bound within white comfort zones.
Yet the question is: how to we develop antiracist pedagogies within a settler-colonial education system that is often critiqued as one dedicated to white supremacy? As Wolfe (2006) reminds us, settler-colonialism is a structure and not an event, which means that educational institutions can operate within this structure in ways that enhance settler-colonial projects. Some academics have argued the importance of developing racial literacy among educators – which in basic terms means ‘knowing about racism’. Whilst this is a significant part of the process, the bridge between theory and practice can be scaffolded if educators think about the curriculum (not just classroom behaviour). Until Indigenous-led systemic change occurs within the Australian education landscape, I propose several curriculum-based starting points for antiracist education. The Australian Curriculum has eight key learning areas, including English, Languages, Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies, Humanities and Social Sciences, Creative Arts, and Health and Physical Education. Perhaps unknown to educators is that there are opportunities to consider several prompts in each of these key learning areas that are compatible with antiracist teaching.
Yet the question is: how to we develop antiracist pedagogies within a settler-colonial education system that is often critiqued as one dedicated to white supremacy? As Wolfe (2006) reminds us, settler-colonialism is a structure and not an event, which means that educational institutions can operate within this structure in ways that enhance settler-colonial projects. Some academics have argued the importance of developing racial literacy among educators – which in basic terms means ‘knowing about racism’. Whilst this is a significant part of the process, the bridge between theory and practice can be scaffolded if educators think about the curriculum (not just classroom behaviour). Until Indigenous-led systemic change occurs within the Australian education landscape, I propose several curriculum-based starting points for antiracist education. The Australian Curriculum has eight key learning areas, including English, Languages, Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies, Humanities and Social Sciences, Creative Arts, and Health and Physical Education. Perhaps unknown to educators is that there are opportunities to consider several prompts in each of these key learning areas that are compatible with antiracist teaching.