Securitisation and/or Westernisation: dominant discourses of Australian values and the implications for teacher education

Abstract

Australian education and schooling. In our analysis we suggest that the two dominant discourses, one focusing on securitisation and one on westernisation, have to this point operated separately, but have both focused on narrow, fixed and forced understandings of Australian values. Exploring the key themes of these two discourses, some important issues for teacher educators are set out, including the need to mediate these discourses against research evidence which suggests the importance of holistic and co-operative pedagogical relationships based on trust and humility for effective values education. Though our analysis focuses on the Australian context, the arguments made are likely to be of interest elsewhere given current debates about national values in education across a range of jurisdictions.

Educating Global Britain: Perils and Possibilities Promoting ‘National’ Values through Critical Global Citizenship Education

“…..it is implausible to believe that agreement in values is productive of communityif anything it seems the other way round. (Carr, 2000, p.58) Nevertheless, particular values have been invoked to address challenges of social cohesion, radicalization and citizenship internationally (UNESCO, 2016b), in Europe (EC, 2015) and across a range of national settings, including US, Canada, Germany and Australia (Peterson and Bentley, 2016). In England, this discourse is framed by inter-related issues of national sovereignty within the devolved UK, Brexit and the ongoing migration 'crisis', all of which have been assailed by a number of ideological and political interests.…”

Exploring the role of ‘RE’ in early childhood education and care as a response to the PREVENT agenda in England

“…In modern western societies, there is a challenge for governments to manage diversity and promote harmony. For example, Peterson and Bentley (2016) highlighted that in the Australian context, 'securitisation', counterterrorism, home grown terrorists as a discourse are shaping the debates about citizenship and values. This is a significant shift from the previous discourse that valued multiculturalism and diversity.…”

Education to secure empire and self-government: civics textbooks in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand, from 1880 to 1920

“…There is an extensive tradition of scholarship on military security but theories of securitisation emphasise the “existential” elements involved with socially constructing states, membership, perceived “threats” and desired responses. Securitisation has recently become a popular framework in educational research, especially in civics subjects, because governments often employ public schooling as an “extraordinary measure” to disseminate political ideals, problems and solutions to young people (Peterson and Bentley, 2016). For example, Kelly (2017) argues that the Afghanistan War prompted an educational push in Australia that promoted Western liberal-democratic values, attempting to discourage young people against the perceived ideological threat of terrorism.…”