Fostering Indigenous Futurity: Applying insights from examining Australia's education system at the cultural interface

Abstract

The objective of Indigenous education policy in Australia is to generate better life outcomes for Indigenous young people. Problematically, these policies are underscored by an assumption of aspirational unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and the Government’s pursuit for equality between Indigenous learners and their non-Indigenous peers. This thesis describes the development and application of two frameworks to query the current policy approaches to Indigenous education, exploring the notion that if better future outcomes for Indigenous young people through education are to be achieved, a more expansive and reflexive way of thinking about Indigenous learners and education is required. Drawing on Nakata’s concept of the cultural interface, the Framework for Indigenous Futurity at the Cultural Interface of Education emerges as a tool which can be used to interrogate the Western context of education by engaging an Indigenous standpoint. Through this analysis, a more holistic picture of the factors and dynamics that play a role in the educational experiences and future outcomes for Indigenous learners begins to emerge. To operationalise the cultural interface in a practical way, this thesis proposes the Indigenous Futurity Outcomes Framework as an analytical tool for decision-makers. This tool offers a reflexive space from which to examine the interplay between representation, power, and self-determination in education policies and programs by placing Indigenous futurity as the central concern. Applying the frameworks to case studies from the Australian education system demonstrates how the two tools can work together to generate an understanding of whether Indigenous education policy or program intent accords with Indigenous learners’ aspirations, or whether their learning experience is framed by the system. In doing so, the case study analyses highlight policy and education environments that are either resistant to change, constraining the future outcomes for Indigenous learners, or environments that are open to transformation with the capacity to foster Indigenous futurity.