Cirrus@Austlit

'First Nations peoples in settler-colonial Australia know what it is to be dehumanised, to exist in systems and structures that criminalise and oppress us and our lands and cultures. Curious about the ways forward in a reality that can at times feel deeply debilitating, Kirli Saunders sought the wisdom of two First Nations facilitators from the company Shifting Ground who work with organisations and individuals to foster decolonising practices to pave the path towards a radically hopeful future. With respect and acknowledgement, this conversation took place digitally across unceded Yawuru lands, Larrakia Country and Dharawal lands.' (Introduction)

'International recognition of racial literacy is growing as a field of postcolonial scholarship but has yet to gain momentum in Australia. In this article, we argue for the need to develop a racial literacy approach for Australian contexts and draw on a qualitative study which engaged with university students who participated in the subject Racial Literacy: Indigeneity and Whiteness delivered at an Australian university. The experiences of these students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, reveal the classroom to be reflective of broader tensions that manifest in relation to race as a topic and can be a critical space for racial literacy and decolonising education. We argue here that the application of racial literacy is required to address the significant anomaly that exists between critical race scholarship, common understandings of race, colonisation and the practices and impacts of racism. We contend that to develop a racial literacy approach, which does not perpetuate the limits of critical race studies, the role of race in Indigenous dispossession and the ongoing legacies of colonisation must consistently be foundational.' (Publication abstract)

'This article contains information on deaths in custody and the violence experienced by First Nations people in our encounters with the Australian carceral system. It also contains references to and the names of people who are now deceased.

“They killed him.” 

David Dungay Jr died in Sydney’s Long Bay prison in 2015. In the opening scene of the documentary Incarceration Nation, Dunghutti woman Aunty Leetona Dungay, David’s mother, sets the scene for what viewers are about to witness. 

While David Dungay’s family’s campaign was not discussed in depth in the documentary, there’s no question why they have lodged a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee to seek accountability for the guards involved in his death. 

David Dungay’s death is one of about 500 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission report was released in 1991. No one has ever been held accountable for these deaths. 

Directed by Guugu Yimithirr man Dean Gibson, Incarceration Nation is relentless and emotionally demanding of its audience. This is due to scenes of explicit violence perpetrated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - especially children - by those in authority. It might be one of the most disturbing things you ever watch. 

For non-First Nations people, Incarceration Nation has the potential to shake the very core of your understanding of what it means to be Blak on this continent.'