Working for Survivance: Indigenous Lea dership, Social Movem ents and Social Change

Social movements and social change have always been a part of Indigenous peoples’ work. One could argue that social movements and social change have been deeply embedded in Indigenous communities since early contact with the West. The movements that are deliberate and borne of a collective vision of survival that has been, over time, taken up across oceans and borders. But social change as we understand and live it today is a modern concept – “a modernist resistance struggle” (Smith, 1999, p.107). Indigenous peoples have fought for the survival of their languages, cultures, histories, and lands and for their wellbeing – spiritual, physical, psychological, and emotional. Since World War 2, and particularly the 1960s, Indigenous peoples concerns and resistance have grown as communities have mobilised across the globe.

The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) program, which the speaker led until September 2024, is focused on understanding, supporting and driving Indigenous-led social change in Indigenous communities. Working with up to 20 Fellows per year, drawn from across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the program aims to develop and support Indigenous leadership at the ‘mid-career’ level.

I will speak about the AFSE program and the research we are currently carrying out with the program’s six ‘elders’ (known as Pou and come from Australia and New Zealand) and an Indigenous leader who contributes to the program. The purpose of the research project is to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of Indigenous-led social change through the stories, narratives, experiences and knowledge of those engaged in achieving social change.

Professor Elizabeth McKinley is Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Melbourne. Prior to returning to the Faculty of Education, she was the Executive Director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE), a program for Indigenous leadership. She is known for her work exploring the interaction between science, education and Indigenous culture. She has a strong research and publication record in the field of sociology of education, Indigenous science education, and Indigenous curriculum. Before moving to Melbourne in 2014 she was Professor of Māori Education and Director of the Starpath Project for Tertiary Participation and Success at the University of Auckland. Professor McKinley has served on a number of national panels and committees. She has received a New Zealand Honour as an Officer to the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).