Open lecture: Truth and Reconciliation Education from Australia in Global Comparative Perspective

In this Open Seminar, Dr Matthew Keynes from University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education will present recent research on the relationship between education and truth-telling, drawing on his work in Australia, Canada, and the Nordic states.

07.05.2026

Date

07.05.2026

Location

Room D-210, University of Lapland, and online via Teams

Organiser

Organised by the Sámi ED research group together with Umeå University, ‘Preparing to Teach About the Sámi’ Swedish Research Council project led by Associate Professor Björn Norlin, and the CAP-SHARE and REBOUND projects, in collaboration with the Arctic Change and Adaptation Research Community.

Teams link: Join the lecture via Teams

Across many democratic societies, truth-telling processes have become central responses to historical injustice. From recent Sámi truth commissions in the Nordic countries to the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission in Australia, education is frequently positioned as a key site for confronting contested pasts and their legacies. Yet little attention has been given to how educators themselves understand and navigate these expectations. Drawing on ongoing studies conducted across the Nordic region and Australia, in this paper, Matthew explores how educators interpret and practice truth-telling in their professional work.

The research includes studies with teacher educators in Norway, Finland and Sweden working to incorporate Sámi perspectives into teacher education, conversations with educators about the politics and labour of Sámi education, and research with Australian educators in the aftermath of the 2023 ‘Indigenous Voice’ referendum defeat. Across these contexts, educators are navigating a shared set of tensions: limited teacher preparation, crowded curricula, and increasing political polarisation about the past and its legacies. By centering educators’ experiences, Matthew reflects on both the possibilities and limits of education as a site for truth and reconciliation.

Dr. Matthew R. Keynes is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. His books include Education and Historical Justice: Redress, Reparations and Reconciliation in the Classroom (Bloomsbury 2025) and Historical Justice and History Education (Palgrave 2021). His research areas are International and Comparative Education, History of Education, and Indigenous Education.

Programme

Welcome words by Dr. Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, Faculty of Education, University of Lapland
Presentation by Dr. Matthew Keynes, University of Melbourne, Australia
Discussion and closing remarks

The seminar will be hosted by Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä from the University of Lapland.

Organisers

The seminar is organised by the Sámi ED research group together with Umeå University, ‘Preparing to Teach About the Sámi’ Swedish Research Council project led by Associate Professor Björn Norlin, and the CAP-SHARE and REBOUND projects, in collaboration with the Arctic Change and Adaptation Research Community.

Contact

Dr. Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä
University of Lapland
Email: rauni.aarela-vihriala@ulapland.fi ;

Dr. Matthew Keynes
The University of Melbourne
m.keynes@unimelb.edu.au

Welcome to the seminar!

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