Distinguished Lecture: Richard Howitt on Indigenous Self-Determination
On April 24, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) hosted the sixth session of its Distinguished Lecture Series, featuring Professor Richard Howitt, a leading Australian geographer, Yushan Honorary Chair Professor, and Chair Professor in NTNU’s Department of Geography. A 2023 Member of the Order of Australia, Professor Howitt delivered a lecture titled “Rejecting Business-as-Usual in Colonizing-Settler Societies.”
The lecture drew over a hundred attendees and was livestreamed to enable broader participation from scholars in Taiwan and abroad. The session was chaired by Professor Joan Chiung-huei Chang, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and attended by senior NTNU faculty including Vice President Yao-Ting Sung, Professor and Vice Chairperson Su-min Shen, Professor Shew-jiuan Su, and Distinguished Professor Ming-Huey Wang, Director of the Center for Indigenous Research and Development.
Internationally recognized for his work on Indigenous geographies, land justice, and sustainability, Professor Howitt examined how colonial legacies continue to shape modern institutions. His lecture focused on issues of identity, governance, and institutional participation, drawing on fieldwork conducted in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Taiwan, and Israel.
He noted that Indigenous peoples in both Australia and Taiwan face systemic barriers in areas such as language rights, land sovereignty, and public policy. Achieving equity, he argued, requires policies grounded in historical understanding and Indigenous knowledge systems, and designed with inclusion and responsiveness in mind. He highlighted examples from Aotearoa New Zealand and Israel to show how education systems can help advance multilingualism, strengthen cultural identity, and support Indigenous agency.
During the discussion, Professor Howitt emphasized that culturally responsive, justice-oriented education policy must begin with meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities. In multilingual, multiethnic societies, he said, education reform must balance the preservation of language and culture with the evolving identity and learning needs of diverse groups.
He also shared insights from recent developments in land and resource governance in places such as Greenland, calling for institutional frameworks that support Indigenous participation. Indigenous knowledge and practice, he stressed, offer valuable guidance for sustainable development globally and should inform future public policy.