Embedding Indigenous knowledge into festivals and events’ curriculum – what do we know?

Abstract

There is a continuing push to embed Indigenous knowledge into the broader higher education curriculum as a strategy to improve Indigenous students' successful transition, retention and completion and respectfully recognise Indigenous knowledge and pedagogies. In response, many Australian universities are adopting this initiative. However, the focus has largely been in the health, education and Australian Indigenous studies areas. Other areas such as the hospitality, tourism and events could also adopt Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum. Additionally, the development of courses embedding Indigenous perspectives could contribute significantly to education institutions' reconciliation efforts and feed into Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs). By conducting a secondary data analysis, this study identifies key information which could inform universities in their process of embedding Indigenous knowledge into the festivals and events curriculum.