Peter Wright PhD

Doctoral

This critical ethnographic research investigates the experiences of veiled Muslim women (VMW) as they negotiate their identities against the backdrop of Islamophobia in Australia. It draws on the experiences of fourteen Muslim women from six countries to better understand the processes of cultural racism and its implications for subjectivity and identity formation. Drawing on their experiences of Islamophobia, the thesis aims to interrupt and demystify misunderstood and misrepresented identities related to wearing the veil/hijab. The participants spoke about the impact of racism, stereotypes, discrimination and violence, and how social media (mis)represents their culture. Against this backdrop of ‘crisis’, the thesis seeks not only to challenge the way things are but to open up alternative public pedagogies based on the values of justice, compassion and respect. Theoretically, the research draws on critical inquiry by employing Braidotti’s notion of ‘nomadic subjectivity’ to illuminate the lived experiences of the participants. A nomadic philosophical approach seeks to explain how identities are fragmented yet functional and evolving as they are integral and deep rooted in an individual. Methodologically, the thesis draws on the tradition of critical ethnography to explore the experiences of VMW and their ongoing identity formation. Critical ethnography undertakes ethical responsibility of representation of the ‘other’ by addressing unfairness and injustice. This approach involved getting up close to the participants’ lives and experiences through focus groups, semi-structured interviews, participant observation and fieldnotes. Drawing on this data, a number of emergent themes are identified, grouped under two key anchor points – crisis and hope. The notion of crisis offers a way to explain experiences of violence and intimidation, isolation and exclusion, racial profiling and stereotyping. On the other hand, experiences of hope originate from adversity, leadership actions and confidence in a better tomorrow. Hope endeavours to reclaim a sense of optimism, agency and action. The thesis concludes by advocating a public pedagogy grounded in the principles and values of critically compassionate intellectualism. Using these ideas, the thesis advances a set of community, pedagogical and cultural practices needed to create a more inclusive society based on the values of cultural diversity, equality, democracy and social justice. Keywords: Islamophobia, subjectivity, identity, public pedagogy, critical ethnography

Doctoral

This thesis critically examines the ordinary, everyday practice of streaming working-class students into vocational education and training pathways in public high schools in Western Australia. The thesis challenges existing social and educational hierarchies in a country that prides itself on the myth of egalitarianism. Schools under the influence of neoliberalism are forced into fierce market competition which impacts on the kinds of knowledge working-class students can access, thus affecting their future career aspirations. Drawing on the tradition of critical ethnography, the reflections of eleven young adults studying in the Tertiary and Further Education (TAFE) system on their post–high school years are examined to better understand the processes of streaming and the factors that influenced their decisions. Analysis of these narratives draws on social class theory to shed light on how students are artificially divided into academic and non-academic streams. Based on the students’ narratives, six emergent themes provide a focus of discussion: “the suicide six” – academic competition; “I really should just do the childcare course” – subject selection; “other kids were the smart ones” – the ideology of meritocracy; “they said I wasn’t fit enough to do it” – low aspirations; “I used to spend most of my time in English classes asleep” – disengagement; and finally, “they label you from the start” – the self-fulfilling prophecy. Finally, the thesis attempts to advance a set of alternative possibilities for a socially just education system based on the ideas of critical hope and optimism. It provides critical insight into providing engaging, relevant and meaningful opportunities for working-class students. It seeks to interrupt stereotypical expectations, experiences and career pathways for working-class students and instead, reimagine the nature, purpose and processes of education in more socially just ways.