Peak bodies: Indigenous representation in the Australian higher education sector [Scholarly Article - Australian Journal of Education, April 2021]

Title:

Peak bodies: Indigenous representation in the Australian higher education sector 

 

Authors:

Michelle Trudgett, Susan Page & Stacey K Coates 

 

Published:

Australian Journal of  Education, 23 April 2021

https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441211011178 

 

Abstract: 

The number of Indigenous Australians engaged in the higher education has risen steadily in recent years. Since the 1970s, several groups have been established to represent issues impacting Indigenous staff and students across the Australian higher education sector. Despite the deep passion and commitment by Indigenous leaders to advance Indigenous education in general, no single group currently provides adequate representation and advocacy on these issues. This article reports on findings from an Australian Research Council-funded study on Indigenous leadership in higher education. In doing so, it shares the perspectives of senior Indigenous leaders, university executive such as Vice-Chancellors and Indigenous academics. Ultimately, this article purports that it is necessary for the Federal Government and Universities Australia to work collaboratively with Indigenous People if we are going to see collective advancement across the sector and that this needs to occur in a more meaningful way than currently exercised.

 

Scholarly Article (2020) - How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK

Title:
How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK

Authors:
K. Schucan Bird & Lesley Pitman

Published:
Higher Education, 79, 903-920 (2020)
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9

From the abstract:
"There is a growing impetus, from university students and administrations, to decolonise the curriculum and develop diverse reading lists. Yet, there is limited theoretical or empirical analysis of the authorship of current reading lists to justify this imperative. The present study developed and applied a method for auditing the authorship on reading lists of two modules, one from science and one from social science, in a research-intensive British university. The paper explores whether these reading lists can be considered descriptively representative of the student body or scholarly community. The analysis of reading lists found empirical basis for concerns that university curricula are dominated by white, male and Eurocentric authors, with some exceptions. The reading lists did not represent the diverse local student body but came closer to representing the demographic profile of academic staff."