Indigenisation, (De)Colonisation, and Whiteness: Dismantling Social Work Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Education and knowledge sharing has a long and rich history within Australia prior to, and since invasion. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have always been committed to truth telling and ways of knowing, being, and doing. The process of decolonisation through the implementation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and pedagogy is an ongoing commitment in higher education settings and is especially relevant in social work education and practices. Social work has historically been complicit in the oppression and genocide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and, as a result, continues to struggle to define itself within an Australian context. Through our experiences in higher education settings, we have found the process of decolonising education practices in social work to be challenging but necessary. This review aims to explore and reflect upon current literature that addresses western-centric social work pedagogical practice in Australia and aims to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander epistemologies using a positional and narrative lens. IMPLICATIONS Engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and pedagogy decolonises social work education and practice. Decolonising social work pedagogy positions social work practice to reflect on the intersectionality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples without othering within contemporary Australia. Positioning social work education within an Indigenous pedagogical framework provides a basis for future teaching practices and knowledge sharing.