Race, reconciliation, and justice in Australia: from denial to acknowledgment

Abstract

The harm perpetrated by the state of Australia against it Indigenous peoples has been structured, prolonged, and driven by race. In this paper, we conceptualize this harm and how it has been denied (and particularly how race has affected this harm and its denial). Although transitional justice literature has not traditionally been applied to an established democracy like Australia, we demonstrate why it is appropriate to apply transitional justice practices to the relationship between the Australian state and Indigenous peoples, and what transitional justice practices might provide in the Australian case. In particular, we argue that a transitional justice framework may allow Indigenous voices to name the harm inflicted on them, and position the state as acknowledging the harm that they have perpetrated -bringing a fundamentally new relationship between the state and Indigenous peoples.

Trends in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Multidomain Well-Being: Decomposing Persistent, Maturation, and Period Effects in Emerging Adulthood

“…While this finding may be considered within a positive context, the rapid return to the status quo must also be understood. Indeed, Aboriginal scholar Mark McMillian (McMillan & Rigney, 2018; see also Behrendt, 2016; Smallwood, 2015) highlighted growing cynicism and ongoing colonial tensions surrounding the national apology. This includes over 10 years (between the official recommendation for the apology and the apology itself) of divisive and derogatory political and media discourses questioning the existence and negative impact of the Stolen Generations and minimal efforts of successive governments to commit to reparations and justice for individual, families, and communities that have suffered from the Stolen Generations.…”