Noel Pearson – författare

Mission traces a life of politics, ideas and inspiring words.Whether he is recalling his boyhood in Hope Vale, Queensland, making the case for Indigenous recognition, or evoking a reconciled, multicultural Australia, Noel Pearson confirms he is one of Australia s most powerful and influential thinkers and an extraordinary writer. Mission selects the best of Pearson s work to date. There are indelible portraits of political leaders seen close up Keating, Rudd, Whitlam, Turnbull and more. There is Pearson s brilliant exploration of a Voice to Parliament, which led eventually to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. And there are acute analyses of passive welfare; of the fate of the Labor Party; of identity politics, good and bad; and of education and the role of a great teacher. The volume also contains a remarkable new extended title essay, in which Pearson reflects on his life and work so far. Mission is honest, provocative and utterly original. Noel Pearson is a lawyer, activist and founder of the Cape York Institute. He is author of Up From the Mission, Our Right to Take Responsibility, Mission, two Quarterly Essays and many essays, articles and speeches.

In Radical Hope, one of Australia's most original and provocative thinkers turns his attention to the question of education. Noel Pearson begins with two fundamental questions: How to ensure the survival of a people, their culture and way of life? And can education transform the lives of the disadvantaged many, or will it at best raise up a fortunate few?In an essay that is personal and philosophical, wide-ranging and politically engaged, Pearson discusses what makes a good teacher and recalls his own mentors and inspirations. He argues powerfully that underclass students, many of whom are Aboriginal, should receive a rigorous schooling that gives them the means to negotiate the wider world. He examines the long-term failure of educational policy in Australia, especially in the indigenous sector, and asks why it is always Groundhog Day when there are lessons to be learned from innovations now underway. This is an essay filled with ideas and arguments and information from a little-known educational revolutionary named Siegfried Englemann, to the No Excuses ethos and the Knowledge Is Power program, to Barack Obama s efforts to balance individual responsibility and historical legacy. Pearson introduces new findings from research and practice, and takes on some of the most difficult and controversial issues. Throughout, he searches for the radical centre the way forward that will raise up the many, preserve culture, and ensure no child is left behind. It is time to ask: are we Aborigines a serious people? Do we have the seriousness necessary to maintain our languages, traditions and knowledge? The truth is that I am prone to bouts of doubt and sadness around these questions. But I have hope. Our hope is dependent upon education. Our hope depends on how serious we become about the education of our people. Noel Pearson, Radical Hope His essay is essential reading for all who care about the true nature of the society we have created in Australia. Alex Miller I confess to experiencing moments of joy when reading Noel Pearson's essay. The opening pages made the rest of the piece irresistable reading. Fred Chaney Over the years, Pearson has prompted quite a few conservative Australians to a change of heart. He's now inviting us to go a little bit further than [John Howard] was prepared to, but it's a project that we should be ready to support. Tony AbbottNoel Pearson is the founder and director of the Cape York Partnership, and the author of Up From the Mission, two Quarterly Essays and many essays, articles and speeches.

In Radical Hope, one of Australia's most original and provocative thinkers turns his attention to the question of education. Noel Pearson begins with two fundamental questions- How to ensure the survival of a people, their culture and way of life? And can education transform the lives of the disadvantaged many, or will it at best raise up a fortunate few?

Pearson argues powerfully that underclass students, many of whom are Aboriginal, should receive a rigorous schooling that gives them the means to negotiate the wider world. He examines the long-term failure of educational policy in Australia, especially in the indigenous sector, and asks why it is always 'Groundhog Day' when there are lessons to be learned from innovations now underway.

Pearson introduces new findings from research and practice, and takes on some of the most difficult and controversial issues. Throughout, he searches for the radical centre - the way forward that will raise up the many, preserve culture, and ensure no child is left behind.

'Essential reading for all who care about the true nature of the society we have created in Australia' -Alex Miller

'Noel Pearson is the best political and social essayist in the country' -Michael Gawenda, Crikey

The nation has unfinished business. After more than two centuries, can a rightful place be found for Australia’s original peoples?Soon we will all decide if and how indigenous Australians will be recognised in the constitution. In the words of Professor Greg Craven: “We have a committed prime minister, and a committed opposition. We have a receptive electorate. There will never be a better time. We have no choice but to address the question. If constitutions deal with fundamental things, our indigenous heritage is pretty fundamental.”In A Rightful Place, Noel Pearson shows how the idea of “race” was embedded in the constitution, and the distorting effect this has had. Now there is a chance to change it – if we can agree on a way forward. Pearson shows what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: true equality and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. This is a wide-ranging, eloquent call for justice, an essay of remarkable power that traverses history and culture to make the case for change.“As long as we have a constitution that characterises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the basis of race, it will always have deleterious implications for their citizenship. It must be removed … This is not just a matter of symbolism. I think this will be a matter of psychology. The day we come to regard ourselves as people with a distinct heritage, with distinct cultures and languages but not of a distinct race, will be a day of psychological liberation. And it will also be liberating for those in the wider community …” Noel Pearson, A Rightful Place