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THEN LISTEN DEEPLY
It’s not enough to deconstruct curricula,
Manathunga says, they must be
populated with Indigenous, Southern
and Eastern people’s views, culture and
scholarship. One way of doing this is to
truly listen to these people. In this regard,
the Thai proverb, ‘We have two ears, but
only one mouth’, which Manathunga
first heard from a Thai student, applies.
She encourages ‘deep listening’ –
listening to learn – among students and
academics. This notion is also present
in Indigenous culture, where it is known
as ‘dadirri’.
“Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr says that
dadirri is about listening from the heart …
listening to nature,” Manathunga said.
She gave an example of how it can
be implemented in applied research:
it was used by social workers and
academics to help Indigenous former
sportsmen to transition to post-sport
careers. Another example of how
dadirri can benefit society – not just
Indigenous people – in many ways is
provided by Patrick Nunn. A professor
of geography and associate director of
the Sustainability Research Centre at
USC, his book, The Edge of Memory:
Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the
Post-Glacial World, lends evidence to the
theory that 7000-year-old Indigenous
oral stories about rising sea waters and
environmental change over centuries has
a scientific basis.
“That’s a valuing of oral history
traditions … in a way that hasn’t been
done before,” Manathunga said.
Then there’s ‘critical whiteness
studies’, “where people investigate
how whiteness creates privileges”,
across subject matters. An example
of this is investigating how whiteness
advantages people in the workplace.
As well as acknowledging that this is
embedded in classes, she is practising
it herself.
“I’m a privileged white woman. I think
that means I have a special responsibility
to promote decolonisation,” she said.
Decolonisation can also be applied
in day-to-day conversation by “moving
beyond essentialist ideas of identity”,
Manathunga said. For instance,
dichotomies between ethnicities (black/
white, for example), need not be applied.
Instead, multifaceted identities can be
acknowledged. Manathunga embodies
this: she is Irish-Australian, with familial
ties to Sri Lankan, Colombian and First
Nations American cultures.
Finally, Global South-South dialogue
and conviviality – “a dialogue between
knowledge systems” – can be
encouraged.
Manathunga drew upon, among
others, African, Indigenous and gender
studies theorists in developing these
decolonisation strategies. Now, along
with her colleagues, she hopes others
will meaningfully listen. ■
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