A Freirean perspective on Indigenous players’ journeys to the NRL and AFL: From freedom to oppression?

Richard L Light & John R Evans

This chapter draws on findings from a study that inquired into the journeys of Indigenous Australian athletes from their first touch of the ‘footy’ to reaching he highest levels of their sport as a process of culturally situated learning. It identified two major stages of development in their development which were (1) the development of the foundations of expertise and a distinctly Aboriginal style of play up to the age of twelve to thirteen years of age and, (2) meeting the challenges of cultural transitioning toward and into professional sport with Aboriginal culture playing a central role in both stages. Drawing on the work of Paulo Freire we contrast the dialogic pedagogy of learning to play up to around the age of twelve, characterized by playing informal, self-regulated games free of adult interference with the highly regulated, monitored and individualized anti-dialogic approach of professional Australian football and rugby league that the participants had to adapt to. We identify the dialogic Aboriginal approach to learning that empowers learners and provides them with dialogic bonds to connect them with their world to contrast it with the anti-dialogic pedagogy of professional sport that dehumanizes and objectifies learners and learning.