Settler (il)literacy in and from the Australian curriculum

In this paper, we introduce settler (il)literacy as a framework for understanding the challenges faced by teachers and students as they construct new knowledge in classrooms. Local knowledges, even when they are foregrounded in schooling, remain intertwined with the ongoing impact of the colonial project. The notion of settler (il)literacy can be used to reveal the discursive twists and turns for teachers and students as they navigate their sense of self and their relationship with the world. These discursive processes reproduce the structures of power and authority that underpin the colonial project. In our research, we direct focus away from the behaviours of teachers and students, toward the official curriculum. Central to our argument are concerns that the Australian Curriculum ensures settler (il)literacies are maintained – indeed celebrated – in and through education. This perpetuates settler (il)literacy as a legacy of 13 years of schooling for many students.