Two-Way Learning: A Model for Decolonising Feminist Leadership and Advocacy

Abstract

“Two-way learning” has come to be conceptualised as a collaboration between Indigenous and Western knowledges, which redresses historical power imbalances to create a culture of meaningful collaboration. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group provides a case study in which the principle of two-learning drives Indigenist feminist leadership and work to prevent violence against women. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group consists of Aboriginal women working to end family violence and bring visibility to their experiences. The group works in Australia’s Northern Territory, which has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. These women have applied the concept of two-way learning to their primary prevention projects: “Girls Can Boys Can” and “Old Ways are Strong”. The “Girls Can Boys Can” project created gender-equitable and anti-racist messaging and resources for early years educators. “Old Ways are Strong” developed animations to challenge the pervasive idea that violence against women is a part of traditional Aboriginal cultures. Both projects aimed to increase strengths-based representations of Aboriginal people. Both projects were evaluated which indicated that they were having some success in shifting attitudes and beliefs which drive violence against women. In this article, we will present the work of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group to prevent violence against women and will argue that “two-way learning” is an important principle to strengthen feminist movements.