Negotiating Global and Interdisciplinary Imperatives for Indigenous Education Scholarship and Pedagogy

Abstract

Indigenous Studies is a rapidly growing field of enquiry both nationally and internationally. The internationalisation of the discipline is dependent on its interdiciplinarity and on the collaborative efforts of interdisciplinary scholars. Colonised Indigenous people globally share similar experiences despite differences in histories and contexts. In collaborative situations, dedicated scholarship brings together Indigenous people and allies who are committed to the global expansion of Indigenous knowledge through shared understandings of experiences and histories. Collective efforts can improve curriculum development, enhance opportunities for publication, bring scholars together in conferences and symposia and provide opportunities for new research networks for Indigenous scholarship. This paper addresses spheres of collaborative and collective endeavours that continue to reap benefits nationally and internationally in the field of international Indigenous Studies.

Modeling Skills for Survival: Hidden Curriculum in Rural Fiji Education

“…One of the additional findings of this study is a need for indigenous Fijians to publish post-colonial scholarship on their country as a means to reclaim and reimagine the curriculum. The role of non-indigenous researchers, also known as ally scholars, can be to support the scholarship of indigenous researchers, to facilitate spaces for critical dialogue for indigenous educators, and to promote a need for more indigenous research (Brophey & Raptis, 2016;Burarrwanga et al, 2013;Charles, Harris, & Carlson, 2016;Davis & Shpuniarsky, 2010;Howard, 2016;McGloin, 2009;Phillips, Phillips, Whatman, & McLaughlin, 2007;Stairs, 2004). In Fiji, there is a need to return to indigenous knowledge in the school curriculum as a means of preserving the cultural past and present as Fiji moves into the future.…”

Humanistic Environmental Studies and Global Indigeneities

“…Indigenous peoples generally are believed to be more deeply connected with the environment than are other populations and to have suffered more profoundly from exploitation of resources. For instance, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP 2007 [18]), recognizing that respect for Indigenous knowledge, cultures, and traditional practices contributes to "sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment," declares in Article 29: "Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands or territories 7 Charles et al [10] argue that colonized Indigenous people globally share similar experiences despite differences in histories and contexts. See also Anderson ( [12], p. 287); de la Cadena and Starn [13].…”

“…Similarly, Article 32 warns, "States shall provide effective mechanisms for just and fair redress for [the development, utilization, or exploitation of mineral, water, or other resources] and appropriate measures shall be taken to mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural, or spiritual impact" [18]. 10 Yet it goes without saying that all too frequently the mechanisms provided and measures taken both nationally and transnationally are not effective and lead to tremendous suffering, both human and nonhuman. 11 The eleven articles in this Special Issue-written by innovative thinkers in American Indian Studies, Anthropology, East Asian Studies, Historical Climatology, History, Indigenous Studies, Comparative Literature, Social Ecology, and Social Justice-provide new perspectives on these concerns.…”