‘Crack in the pavement’: Pedagogy as political and moral practice for educating culturally competent professionals

Abstract

This paper explores the reception of Indigenous perspectives and
knowledges in university curricula and educators’ social responsibility
to demonstrate cultural competency through their teaching and learning
practices. Drawing on tenets of critical race theory, Indigenous
standpoint theory and critical pedagogies, this paper argues that the
existence of Indigenous knowledges in Australian university curricula
and pedagogy demands personal and political activism (Dei, 2008)
as it requires educators to critique both personal and discipline-based
knowledge systems. The paper interrogates the experiences of non-
Indigenous educators involved in this contested epistemological space
(Nakata, 2002), and concludes by arguing for a political and ethical
commitment by educators towards embedding Indigenous knowledges
towards educating culturally competent professionals.