Colonialism is like Alligator weed ...

• Main Author: Cooper, Jayson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The University of Melbourne 2025
• Subjects: Higher education; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander curriculum and pedagogy; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early childhood education; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary education; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary education; Cultural responsiveness and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities education; First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26188/26019499.v1; https://figshare.unimelb.edu.au/articles/media/Colonialism_is_like_Alligator_weed/26019499/1

This research podcast critically examines the role of educators in addressing the ongoing legacies of colonialism in Australian education. It argues that to be responsive, educators must engage in deep listening—not just to what is convenient, but to the difficult truths of colonial occupation, dispossession, and Indigenous survival.Examining the persistence of colonial narratives in curriculum and pedagogy, this podcast demonstrates how Australian education has historically reinforced a Eurocentric national identity while marginalising First Nations perspectives. Using metaphors such as invasive species to illustrate the self-perpetuating nature of colonialism, it highlights the structural mechanisms that sustain inequity, including policies that continue to disadvantage First Nations peoples.Through reflections on lived experiences, the research underscores the resistance of Indigenous communities and the responsibilities of educators to challenge structural racism, unlearn dominant narratives, and create ...