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First Person: Challenging Structures of Power

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Boarding and Australia's First Peoples

Abstract

This chapter is the testimony of a young man who attempted to have the Aboriginal flag flown at his school. The obstinate refusal of the principal to do so exposed power dynamics and cultural biases in the institution which this participant described as damaging his sense of belonging and his willingness to invest in school life.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Only the participant’s own letter is reproduced here. Neither the principal or the MP were asked for comment on his account of events.

References

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Correspondence to Marnie O’Bryan .

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© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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O’Bryan, M. (2021). First Person: Challenging Structures of Power. In: Boarding and Australia's First Peoples. Indigenous-Settler Relations in Australia and the World, vol 3. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6009-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6009-2_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-6008-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-6009-2

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