Truth-telling about a settler-colonial legacy: decolonizing possibilities?

Barolsky, Vanessa

doi:10.1080/13688790.2022.2117872

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For starters, Collins and Watson (2023) argue that such a reframing could clarify, for settler societies, that a truth commission's final report is only the beginning of the process which would entail coming to terms with the systemic violence spanning centuries and continuing into the present. Barolsky (2022) contends that transformative justice requires decentering the settler state-as the active and ongoing perpetrator of settler colonialism-and centering instead local communities and civil society, who hold greater potential for initiating transformative change (see also Nagy, 2022). Ultimately, Balint et al (2014), suggest that its value rests on whether it can "prompt new ways of engaging with historical injustice that are comprehensive in orientation, informed by indigenous as well as non-indigenous frameworks and premised on the pursuit of structural change in order to redress long-term and short-term harms" (p.215).…”

Section: New Direction In Response To Critiques: Transformational Jus...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations Critiques and A New Direction In Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Truth commissions in the established democracies of the Global North: Theoretical and practical perspectives

Gawerc

2024

Sociology Compass

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the wake of South Africa's truth‐telling experiment as part of its transition from apartheid to democracy, truth commissions have become one of the most utilized mechanisms for addressing past atrocities. While most truth commissions are established in countries undergoing “transition” to democratic governance or peace, increasingly, established democracies such as Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Finland have also undertaken such processes to address historical (and often, racial) injustices. The U.S. Department of State has denied the relevance of truth commissions to the United States for addressing its own history of racial injustice, however, the U.S. itself has been home to at least 13 official truth commissions (operating primarily at the state‐, county‐, and city‐level) and numerous unofficial truth‐telling processes emanating from civil society. In this article, I review literature on truth commissions with a focus on history and theorized importance, recent application to the more established democracies of the “Global North” and overall significance and limitations in terms of fostering racial justice and social transformation in what are primarily settler colonial states. I conclude by evaluating the state of this research area and by suggesting directions for future research.

show abstract

Section: New Direction In Response To Critiques: Transformational Jus...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations Critiques and A New Direction In Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Truth commissions in the established democracies of the Global North: Theoretical and practical perspectives

Gawerc

2024

Sociology Compass

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…3 For WCFARN, this approach has enabled therapeutic process where practitioners might previously have worried about dominating the family or rescinding a responsibility of care because of these worries. WCFARN prioritises dialogues and processes that involve truth telling 20,21 and self-determination. 22,23 Truth-telling provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to record truths about Australia's colonial history and to share their culture and heritage with broader communities.…”

Section: Instrument Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Truth-telling supports local and national decolonising efforts by way of privileging Indigenous knowledge and acknowledging the cultural strengths of Indigenous individuals and communities. 20,24 The right to selfdetermination prioritises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values within Western systems and is needed for equitable healthcare. 23,25 In support of self-determination, the WCFARN service appreciates the therapeutic value in encouraging families to lead their own treatment and healing plans.…”

Section: Instrument Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

A culturally safe referral service for at-risk mothers and infants in marginalised, Aboriginal, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse families

Booth

McIntosh

Sri³

et al. 2022

Aust. Health Rev.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This case study describes the development and implementation of a replicable early assessment and referral service for mothers experiencing minority group disadvantage and family violence in the perinatal period. The service aims to mitigate harms for at-risk mother-infant dyads that can lead to involvement in statutory child protection systems. In doing this, the service follows a culturally safe, restorative practice approach to supporting vulnerable families, which emphasises the relationship between worker and client to create a nurturing environment for change. The service model has been developed and refined since 2018 to now, involving stakeholders from the service team, the not-for-profit community organisation, and a university partner organisation, who provided evidence enrichment and support for clinical skill development. To date: the model has provided practitioners with structured and evidence-based ways of creating shared understandings with clients to prioritise cultural and relational needs; achieved culturally safe ways of engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse families; improved practitioners’ confidence in detecting risk in parent-infant relationships; promoted effective communications with external providers; and enhanced therapeutic outcomes for vulnerable families at risk of entry into statutory child protection systems. The model may be suitable for uptake by practitioners and services seeking to improve cultural safety and therapeutic outcomes for diverse and vulnerable families. We share reflections on the scope and function of the model of care with reference to potential for broader application.

show abstract

Reckonings with truth: Sovereign truths on Country

Barolsky

2024

Journal of Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article analyses grassroots truth-telling in Australia, in the light of the 2017 Uluru Statement's call for a Makarrata Commission to oversee truth-telling and treaty. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have long called for truth-telling about the colonial past. Numerous community projects have emerged to engage with these historical truths. However, few of these initiatives have been documented. This article analyses a small sample of these projects, drawing on case study research. It argues that these activities, grounded in Indigenous onto-epistemology, offer unique opportunities to explore the decolonising potential of truth-telling. These truth practices defy the eliminatory logic of settler colonialism, creating spaces for pedagogic encounter that trouble the settler-colonial order by enacting multiple sovereignties on Country. Importantly, they provide insights for formal truth-telling, modelling resurgent, prefigurative praxis that incorporates Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in transformative processes that could help navigate the challenges of transitional justice in the settler-colonial context.

show abstract

Truth-telling about a settler-colonial legacy: decolonizing possibilities?

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Truth commissions in the established democracies of the Global North: Theoretical and practical perspectives

Truth commissions in the established democracies of the Global North: Theoretical and practical perspectives

A culturally safe referral service for at-risk mothers and infants in marginalised, Aboriginal, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse families

Reckonings with truth: Sovereign truths on Country

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About