Abstract
The overpowering whiteness of everything is a process of erasure that has its historical genesis and contemporary perpetration in colonisation practices; whitewashing history and current events in order to rub out the subtleties of oppression on so many levels. For me as M¯aori, reactions to this process are juxtaposed between feelings of discomfort and resistance, especially to the all-encompassing colonizing term of ‘Indigenous.’ AudreLord (1984)wrote, “I cannot afford the luxury of fighting one form of oppression only. I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you” (n.p.). An overwhelming sense of despair is evident in the above refrain, but there is also a pedagogy of hope that comes from a galvanizing depth of social positioning and action. Is the source a mark of individual spirituality, perhaps? Through a pedagogy of discomfort and a dichotomous Maori-Indigenous resistance lens, the presence and resilience of spirituality is found across different layers of cultural tacit and explicit behaviours. This chapter highlights a contextual space for preparing social work students with just those layers of cultural behaviours; to start developing practice awareness that incorporates inner peace and well-being. These tenets are central to the core of what the profession needs in order to survive, but this context involves both personal and political insights.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Teaching Aboriginal cultural competence |
Subtitle of host publication | Authentic approaches |
Editors | Barbara Hill, Jillene Harris, Ruth Bacchus |
Place of Publication | Singapore |
Publisher | Springer |
Chapter | 15 |
Pages | 181-190 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789811572012 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789811572005 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 Jan 2020 |