Pedagogy or “trauma porn”? Racial literacy as a prerequisite for teaching racially dignifying content in the Australian social work context

Abstract

Purpose On June 21, 2021, a motion was introduced to the Australian Senate calling on the federal government to reject critical race theory (CRT) from the national curriculum, claiming that CRT is divisive and racist. This was allegedly sparked by revisions to the national school curriculum, which included a more accurate reflection of the historical record of First Nations peoples’ experiences of colonisation and the framing of British arrival onto the continent as an invasion. This paper aims to overview the omnipresence of Western thought systems in the academy and critiques how knowledge production as a disciplinary practice positions race as a “marginalised knowledge”. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual and it theorises the morphology and functions of racism within the Australian education system specifically, and across the board. This theorisation offers an invaluable starting point in rethinking how we advocate for and preserve Blac/k scholarship in academia. It examines how the political economy of racism in education offers a transformative position from which scholars can contribute to potential systemic change that promotes racial literacy and racial dignity, and the conditions necessary to foster these changes. Findings The paper confirms what studies by Blac/k scholars already highlight: that racialised knowledges are marked – as an aesthetic addition or as disruptive – or unnecessary – and how these patterns of colonial desires are manifested in the classroom or in race discourse. Originality/value Specifically, the arguments made in this paper examine two undertheorised concepts, namely, “racial dignity” and “trauma porn” to foreground the reimagination of practices that inform racial literacy in education. This offers a helpful starting place to consider how this form of education facilitates ongoing settler colonialism in Australia. The authors then propose an anti-racist pedagogical practice in social work education entailing three core crucial and transformative elements: self- reflexivity, storytelling and collaboration with Blac/k people.

“No Colonial Baggage”: Imagining a Decolonised Australia‐Africa Relations

“…Nevertheless, this proposal was rejected at the highest level of Australian society which, as Gatwiri and Mapedzahama contend, shows "the omnipresence of Western thought systems in the academy" and the disciplinary practice of positioning race as "marginalised knowledge." 44 Meanwhile, as Sales wrote in 1974, black people and people of colour arouse "a more fundamental predilection, a bigotry lurking deeper within the popular mind and based upon a mixture of curiosity about the exotic, a sense of threat and a fear of the unknown, as well as on preconceived." 45 Accordingly, the black person in Australian society becomes a "victim of crass ignorance, exposed to naked hostility and identified as a member of an inferior race [… but who …] was nevertheless admired for an entertainer."…”

“…The comprehensive strategy of engaging Africa and the African diaspora should start with "securing the base" by granting racial dignity to African Australians. Racial dignity, as defined by Gatwiri and Mapedzahama, 114 is "the immutable, unconditional worth of Blac/k people as human beings. To be racially dignified is to be seen through a humanised lens, and to be afforded basic respect, compassion and recognition in interpersonal and systemic contexts."…”

Network Teaching System of Power Machinery Based on Computer Science

“…There is no difference between a traditional learning support system and the core content of an ESS that incorporates computing technology. The system aims to achieve greater efficiency in teaching and learning and to help students better understand what they know [5][6]. However, traditional learning support systems make it difficult to adapt teaching to the specific needs of different students.…”

“…The TAL considered in this work should achieve a reasonable match between learners and resources through a comprehensive analysis of the learners' levels and allocate them according to the complexity of the knowledge system in order to improve teaching and learning outcomes. Adaptive Resource Management The learning management mechanism is the basis of EDP in computer science [13][14].…”

Reclaiming racial dignity: An ethnographic study of how African youth in Australia use social media to visibilise anti‐Black racism

“…In critical racial discourses, we must consider, how the dignity of Black people is compromised or assaulted by racism. In their theorising, Gatwiri and Virginia (2022) argued that racial dignity is conceptualised both in an individual and relational sense, where “racial dignity is the immutable, unconditional worth of Blac/k 1 people as human beings.” It is to be seen through a humanised lens, and to be afforded basic respect in private and public relationships within a complex society that predominantly misreads, mistreats and misuses the Black body. Following the work of Christopher Bracey (2006, p. 20), racial dignity is understood in two ways: 1) at the individual level where a perspective on self‐worth and self‐image is developed and 2) at the societal level where being included and inherently feeling as a valued part of the communal fabric are at the core of human dignity.…”