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Appreciating World Veiws
Week 1 | Practice Blog: Appreciating World Views
Preface
“You know these terrorists, mate?” *gulp*, ‘yyyyes’ I stutter.
“Don’t ya know that these dogs punched a lifey, 2 days ago?”
I thought I would be ashamed by my reluctance to answer the first question more confidently, however, it was their response that continued to ricochet in my subconscious years later. ‘These dogs’. To give you some context, I grew up in Bankstown with a twin brother who towered at 6’4 and had hair on his chest before I could spell my name. I, on the other hand, struck out at 5’7 and took after my mother’s British heritage while he flaunted his dark European tan. On December 13th, 2005, my twin brother fell victim to a one-sided story during the Cronulla riots.
“You know these terrorists, mate?” *gulp*, ‘yyyyes’ I stutter.
“Don’t ya know that these dogs punched a lifey, 2 days ago?”
I thought I would be ashamed by my reluctance to answer the first question more confidently, however, it was their response that continued to ricochet in my subconscious years later. ‘These dogs’. To give you some context, I grew up in Bankstown with a twin brother who towered at 6’4 and had hair on his chest before I could spell my name. I, on the other hand, struck out at 5’7 and took after my mother’s British heritage while he flaunted his dark European tan. On December 13th, 2005, my twin brother fell victim to a one-sided story during the Cronulla riots.
Blog Post:
The dictatorial nature of this story resonates with the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi who warns about the dangers of a one-sided story and how “stereotypes make the one-sided story become the only story’ (2009). My experience during the Cronulla riots has not formed prejudice in my mind because it fuelled an underlying ambition to appreciate worldviews. Yet, despite my simple goal I realise how outlandishly challenging this is. Just recently I have been teaching Stage 5 about Indigenous Spirituality. I consulted experts and elders from the Jarara community of the Darug nation and with their blessing and instruction we delivered a learning cycle that worked towards an inclusive Aboriginal smoking ceremony. Our teaching team was proud of this unit, it had all the bells and whistles, the type that would land you an interview for an upcoming job promotion. Yet, I have pondered on the words of Bracho (2003) who argued that the “description of a person’s cultural identity is something that must remain with the individual; it should not be defined by others.” At the end of the unit, it dawned on me that I inherently implied ownership of Jarara’s story. Our teaching failed to acknowledge narrative practices (Butler, 2017) as authentic contemporary pedagogy. Consumed by egalitarian leading ideals, I found myself a master of the single-story. I made a very juvenile mistake that robbed Jarara of their dignity and I now search for a practice that ensures students and elders unite in a process where we are primary witnesses and Jarara are masters of their own narratives.
The dictatorial nature of this story resonates with the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi who warns about the dangers of a one-sided story and how “stereotypes make the one-sided story become the only story’ (2009). My experience during the Cronulla riots has not formed prejudice in my mind because it fuelled an underlying ambition to appreciate worldviews. Yet, despite my simple goal I realise how outlandishly challenging this is. Just recently I have been teaching Stage 5 about Indigenous Spirituality. I consulted experts and elders from the Jarara community of the Darug nation and with their blessing and instruction we delivered a learning cycle that worked towards an inclusive Aboriginal smoking ceremony. Our teaching team was proud of this unit, it had all the bells and whistles, the type that would land you an interview for an upcoming job promotion. Yet, I have pondered on the words of Bracho (2003) who argued that the “description of a person’s cultural identity is something that must remain with the individual; it should not be defined by others.” At the end of the unit, it dawned on me that I inherently implied ownership of Jarara’s story. Our teaching failed to acknowledge narrative practices (Butler, 2017) as authentic contemporary pedagogy. Consumed by egalitarian leading ideals, I found myself a master of the single-story. I made a very juvenile mistake that robbed Jarara of their dignity and I now search for a practice that ensures students and elders unite in a process where we are primary witnesses and Jarara are masters of their own narratives.
References
Adichie, C. (2009, 10, 08). The Dangers of a Single Story. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=5s
Butler, J. (2017). Who's your mob?: Aboriginal mapping: Beginning with the strong story. International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work, (3), 22-26.
Bracho, A. (2003) An institute of community participation. https://dulwichcentre.com.au/articles-about-narrative-therapy/institute-of-community-participation/
Adichie, C. (2009, 10, 08). The Dangers of a Single Story. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=5s
Butler, J. (2017). Who's your mob?: Aboriginal mapping: Beginning with the strong story. International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work, (3), 22-26.
Bracho, A. (2003) An institute of community participation. https://dulwichcentre.com.au/articles-about-narrative-therapy/institute-of-community-participation/