History, Space and Schooling Among Indigenous Australians

There is evidence that Indigenous Australians have, on average, lower school attendance, engagement, completion and achievement levels than other Australians. However, few studies seek to establish the historical and spatial circumstances that have impacted their current schooling experiences and outcomes. This chapter’s central argument is that the schooling inequality observed for Indigenous Australians has a relationship to the collective histories they have experienced, and this relationship has, in turn, resulted in ongoing patterns of spatial inequality. The aim of this chapter is to review evidence of the links between spatial influences, structural factors including the marketisation of schooling and differentiation in access to the school curriculum, and the persistence of schooling inequality among Indigenous people. We argue that exploring space as a critical aspect of social justice can both challenge deficit thinking and transform educational practice.