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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/15576
Record ID: 9eaa7456-a6ae-4814-b10f-369a3ab6d585
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09646639211046134
Type: Journal Article
Title: Law, culture and decolonisation: The perspectives of Aboriginal Elders on family violence in Australia
Authors: May, Suzie
Hovane, Victoria
Blagg, Harry
Raye, Donella
Tulich, Tamara
Worrigal, Thomas
Keywords: Interventions;decolonisation
ANRA Topic: Other
ANRA Population: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
Year: 2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
Citation: Volume 31, Issue 4
Abstract:  Family violence within Aboriginal communities continues to attract considerable scholarly, governmental and public attention in Australia. While rates of victimization are significantly higher than non-Aboriginal rates, Aboriginal women remain suspicious of the 'carceral feminism' remedy, arguing that family violence is a legacy of colonialism, systemic racism, and the intergenerational impacts of trauma, requiring its own distinctive suite of responses, 'uncoupled' from the dominant feminist narrative of gender inequality, coercive control and patriarchy. We conclude that achieving meaningful reductions in family violence hinges on a decolonizing process that shifts power from settler to Aboriginal structures. Aboriginal peoples are increasingly advocating for strengths-based and community-led solutions that are culturally safe, involve Aboriginal justice models, and recognises the salience of Aboriginal Law and Culture. This paper is based on qualitative research in six locations in northern Australia where traditional patterns of Aboriginal Law and Culture are robust Employing a decolonising methodology, we explore the views of Elders in these communities regarding the existing role of Law and Culture, their criticisms of settler law, and their ambitions for a greater degree of partnership between mainstream and Aboriginal law. The paper advances a number of ideas, based on these discussions, that might facilitate a paradigm shift in theory and practice regarding intervention in family violence.
URI: https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/15576
Appears in Collections:Journal Articles

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