ABSTRACT. Integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives and Knowledges in curricula is a priority for many Australian higher education institutions despite lacking clear strategies for enabling this process. Perceived barriers preventing academics and institutions from including Indigenous Perspectives include a lack of resourcing, such as adequate time to undergo meaningful curricular renewal through decolonising practices, fear of getting it wrong or appearing tokenistic, and a lack of cultural knowledge. This paper both advocates for and problematises the principles of slow academia to support non-Indigenous academics to do the required work as ‘action that is not guided by thought carries oppression,’ as McArthur puts it. While slow academia creates a space in which academics can engage in the introspection necessary to consider structural inequality, privilege and decolonising curricula, the process itself is problematic due to inherent privileges, unseen practices and structural inequalities present in the system. The process also remains inaccessible to many precariously employed academic staff who rely on short semester-based contracts in which to conduct teaching. This paper considers perceptions of time through a western and Indigenous lens, as well as reflective narratives of the Indigenous Wadjigan and non-Indigenous authors, to illustrate the cultural complexity inherent in our ontological and epistemological approaches to engaging with the academy. We recommend that university staff look for opportunities to advocate for systemic change and invite them to spend time continually reflecting on voice, power, privilege and positionality in tertiary institutions.

Keywords: Indigenous knowledges; slow academia; decolonisation; tertiary education; time

How to cite: Gibson, C., & Woodlands, L. (2024). ‘Mati, mati, my boy, mati mati’: Using slow academia to embed Indigenous knowledges in higher education. Knowledge Cultures, 12(3), 116-130. https://doi.org/10.22381/kc12320247.

Received June 1, 2024 • Received in revised form October 16, 2024
Accepted October 16, 2024 • Available online December 1, 2024