Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Educational Review
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Education
RAS ID
62073
Funders
National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education
Abstract
In Australia, there has been increased attention to attracting Indigenous peoples into higher education but, despite a recent growth in enrolment numbers, they remain severely underrepresented. This underrepresentation is particularly notable among Indigenous males, who are the least likely to attend. In this paper, we investigate the experiences of four Indigenous young men who attended an elite higher education institution. Aligned with other research on the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic males in higher education, the article captures how their experience in privileged institutions compels them to reflect on their own positionality and the cultural interface between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges. All data were thematically analysed and this paper reports on two key themes: influencers to pursue higher education and motivational factors at university. In considering the journey of these young men into elite higher education spaces, we are interested in the discursive constitution of their Indigenous identities and how their aspirations are realised in reference to a strong sense of cultural pride and social justice.
DOI
10.1080/00131911.2023.2232559
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Smith, J. A., Stahl, G., Harvey, A., Hill, B., Gupta, H., Moore, S., & Wang, J. (2023). Understanding the identity work and aspirations of Indigenous males navigating elite Australian higher education. Educational Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2023.2232559