Unlearning the Past: Indigenous Australian History
Overview
This unit explores Australia’s shared history, untangling the origins of colonial and postcolonial attitudes and their continued influence on contemporary Australian society. It reconsiders Australia’s post-contact history to unlearn the past and address significant historical gaps and omissions through the perspectives of Indigenous voices, experiences, standpoints and agency. The unit presents a balanced picture of Australian history and a multilayered account of Indigenous Australian experiences within the national story, paying particular attention to the experiences of Victorian Aboriginal peoples over the last two and a half centuries.
Requisites
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Identify key gaps and omissions in Australian history as it was recorded
- Recognise the impact of dominant historical discourses on contemporary Australian society
- Explain how knowledge is created and shaped by dominant discourses
- Outline the role of imperialism, colonialism, and postcolonialism in Australia, both historically and contemporaneously
- Examine historical events through a decolonising lens, and identify and explain when colonial logics are at play
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture |
2.00 | 11 weeks | 22 |
| On Campus Workshop |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Specified Activities Various |
2.00 | 1 week | 2 |
| Unspecified Activities Assessment Preparation |
1.5 | 4 weeks | 6 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
9 | 12 weeks | 108 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Analysis | Individual | 35% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Analysis | Individual | 35% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
- The ‘History Gaps’ - examination of knowledge gaps in recorded Australian history
- Disentangling Australia’s shared history through making visible Indigenous Australian experiences
- The concept of ‘Black Armband History’ in Australia
- The role of colonisation throughout Australian history
- Colonialism, political and economic power and social capital
- Investigating Indigenous modes of historical practice
- Assessing Indigenous resistance and alternative histories
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.