Assignment 1:Detailed Instructions
Word Count:1000 words
Essay Question:
In their paper titledWayahna: A Decolonised Social Work, Sue Green and Bindi Bennett, two Aboriginal social workers, wrote that social workers and the social work profession need to decolonise themselves, saying that:
It is not Aboriginal people or culture or communities that need to be fixed. The problem is colonialism, a condition that permeates every part of Australian society and that includes our profession and themanner in whichwe exist and operate(Green & Bennett, 2018, p. 262)
They then went on to state that for social workers and the social work profession:
Decolonisation requires the individual and in turn the profession to undergo a journey of self-discovery and a personal process of decolonising themselves. The individual needs to recognise who they are and their own positioningin regard toAboriginal people. What advances and privileges do they have that are either not afforded to Aboriginal people or are at the expense of Aboriginal people? Once they acknowledge their own positioningin regard toAboriginal people, what are they prepared to do about it? (Green & Bennett, 2018, p. 263)
Drawing upon thesestatements, reflect upon the impact of colonisationand colonialismupon First Nations Australians (people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander).
In responding to this question, it is importantthat youconsiderand reflectupon;
a) how you as an individual may have participated in, or benefited from, the oppression of First Nations Australians (including unintentionally, and even if you are aninternational student).
b) the ways in which social workers (and the social work profession) have been complicit in the oppression created by colonialism and colonisationand;
c) howand whyyou might be an allyandcontribute tothe liberation of First Nations Peoplesby practicing social workthrough adecolonising framework.
It would be useful to draw upon an example from you own life or experiences to help demonstrate your understanding of colonisation, privilege and oppression. This can either be explicitlyin regard toAustralia if you are a domestic student, or you may wish to include a critical discussion of your mother county’s experience of being colonised or a coloniser. However, the experience of First Nations Australiansmust beat the centre of your analysis.
Detailed instructions and extra advice
In this paperyoumust demonstrate thatyouhaveread and engagedwith the paper by Green and Bennett (2018)quoted in the essay question.
I amexpecting to see that you have engaged with thekey topicreadings,especiallythe book by Bob Pease and other topiccontent and ideasfrom Social Work with Diverse Populationswhen you write this paper.
You must ‘locate yourself’ in this paper andexplore your own privilege, this means that you are expected to write in the first person and to position yourself in the paper.
It would be appropriate to engage with and reference the writing of people who identify asFirst Nations Australiansand their allies.
You must use respectful language and tone throughout your paper. A resource on this can be accessed via this link.
References
A minimum of 6 ‘academic’ references (egbooks, book chapters or journal articles).Do notuse a government report or statistics to support your argument you can, but they are not considered ‘academic’.
Referencing system
You must useAPA6threferencing system.
WORD COUNT—1000 to1100 words
Paper format
Paper should be either double spaced or at 1.5. It should be in a font which is easy to read