That which you have just read illustrates a small portion of what I have learnt during the construction of this PIP. My decision to take on a controversial and complex topic led to many intellectual challenges, but more importantly many personal trials for me to overcome.
The first of these was presented when the time came to personally reflect on my own perceptions of Indigenous Australians. It was disturbing to learn that I had subliminally been instilled with a white supremacist ideology that in itself formed a major barrier to the reconciliation process. Having concluded that this ideology was primarily created by media portrayals of indigenous Australians, I was led to analyse the role of the media in the reconciliation process. After concluding that it plays a significant role in the perpetuation of negative stereotyping of indigenous Australians, I now viewed the media with a cynicism, placing me one step closer to being a socially literate person.
Maintaining an ethical and valid research perspective throughout the duration of the PIP was also a challenge. When I came to assess the effectiveness of the Howard Government stance on the reconciliation process, I could not help but consider my own ‘Labor/anti-Liberal’ upbringing and be concerned with the amount of bias I may had been imparting on my research. My consciousness of this led to the development of a very meticulous research ethic. Based on the evidence presented in my research only, I was able to conclude that the policy of ‘practical reconciliation’ fails to recognize the intrinsically spiritual nature of the reconciliation process. By learning about this spiritual element of the reconciliation process I was prompted to cross cultures and truly consider the Indigenous perspective on the reconciliation process.
The third challenge conveyed to me the reality of racism in Australia and hence the besmirched status of reconciliation. My decision to conduct a questionnaire in order to ascertain the public’s opinion of the reconciliation process unveiled to me the deep level of prejudice, ignorance, and outright racism present in Australian society. The verbal confrontations I withstood regarding the nature of the questionnaire left totally demoralized by the reality of racism in Australia and the extent to which I had been sheltered from it.
On further contemplation, I realised that had I been an Indigenous Australian, such outright racism would have been a part of my daily life. I realised that my social context as a white Australian had protected me from ever having to experience the implications of this issue. Accompanied with this realisation was one that reinvigorated the unlearned but keen passion I had when I started this PIP. I had a role to play in the reconciliation process. To those who ventured into my personal sphere of influence I could tell the truth about Australia’s history and Indigenous people today. I could reject the stereotypes and prejudices embedded so deeply into the Australian cultural psyche and thus contribute to Indigenous Australians establishing a more positive social and cultural identity, spurring them onto more positive life outcomes. I could endorse and respect the unique and beautiful Indigenous Australian cultures, supporting their deserved right to have special recognition in Australia’s laws and symbols. Most importantly, I could encourage those of a similar social positioning to do the same thing.
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