The Need for a Reconciliation Pedagogy: Educating for a More Holistic, Shared Australian Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Reconciliation is the process of reconciling differences, whether they be historical misrepresentations of cultural identity or any other site of dissonance. In the Australian context, the role of media in portraying indigenous persons and non-indigenous alike has been to marginalise indigenous history in favour of a predominantly white history. A 'Reconciliation pedagogy' aims to educate for a more holistic, shared Australian cultural heritage. The key issues are: nationalism, racialisation and reconciliation. This paper addresses the need for a reconciliation pedagogy, providing an overview of the issues raised and an outline for a tool for use as a teaching aid. This is a position paper exploring the potential of role plays to teach reconciliation in Australia. It proposes that a transformative education emerges through role play triggering empathy and raising questions about indigenous cultural heritage.