Universities, Colonialism, and Indigenous Knowledge in Australia

Host Alex Usher speaks with James Waghorne, University Historian at the University of Melbourne and co-editor (with Ross Jones and Marcia Langton) of Dhoombak Goobgoowana, a two-volume work examining Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne. Waghorne discusses how the project approaches colonial history through case studies of race science, anthropology, and the harvesting of Indigenous human remains, situating the university within broader systems of Western scientific knowledge and settler colonialism. The conversation also explores the University of Melbourne’s reconciliation efforts, including Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum, collaborative research partnerships, Indigenous astronomy, and the challenges universities face in confronting their colonial pasts while reshaping higher education for the future.👉 Episode Links:Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne, edited by Ross L Jones, James Waghorne and Marcia LangtonFocus Friday | May 8: Data Myth Busting | Register for free