NON-FICTION
Content Warning: References to racism, colonisation, eugenics, police brutality
“Always was, always will be”: Unpacking decolonisation Written by Lauren Scott It’s hardly a coincidence that I feel compelled to write on decolonisation so shortly after Invasion Day. I feel a deep catharsis in writing this, but also a nervous hesitance in expressing a sentiment that has been met with unexpected opposition. The twentysixth of January is a day of grieving and of recognition that life in so-called Australia, no matter the circumstances of your arrival, is a life built on a people’s genocide. Each summer it is heartening to see increasing support for Indigenous people in the crowds marching down Bourke Street, but a sceptical part of me wonders if many truly understand what they chant for so loudly. As an Indigenous person in an institution that has historically held us in contempt—to put it lightly—it has been difficult to come to terms with the hollow understandings of decolonisation rife in “progressive” circles. In an Australian context, decolonisation should be read as the act of dismantling colonial structures and hierarchies that disenfranchise those from whom this land was stolen. Unfortunately, I rarely see this reflected in the praxis of the student body at the University of Melbourne. Instead, student activists reinforce the settler-colonial project by redirecting the conversation on decolonisation away from the tangible goal of Indigenous sovereignty to a weaker metaphorical understanding which removes themselves as settlers from the equation. With a well-documented history of involvement in eugenic practices and a commitment to settler-colonial knowledge reproduction, the University naturally has a vested interest in maintaining the colonial status quo. However, the student-led movement has also been complicit in promoting an interpretation of decolonisation almost entirely removed from Indigenous sovereignty. I have too often found that broad anti-racism work led by non-Indigenous students becomes the forefront of the “decolonial movement”. While tackling the colony’s deeply-rooted racism is undoubtedly important, I’ve found this to mean that Indigenous people are reduced to an obligatory sidenote, or worse, not even on the agenda. No doubt the unacknowledged limitations of the curated elite student body at the University of Melbourne contribute to this erasure. There is a low number of Indigenous students involved in political activism on campus, a result of a proportionately small population and activism being inaccessible and hostile to us. Despite a reputation for progressive, even radical thought, the university admission process, which typically allows only the most privileged of any subsection entry through the sandstone, ensures it is almost inevitable that any student movement is shaped by the most socioeconomically privileged. It is incredible the hostility that reaffirming Indigenous sovereignty in this environment can receive from those supposedly committed to progressive action. I can’t help feeling that non-Indigenous student activists participating in conversations on decolonisation, regardless of ethnicity or background, are hesitant to recognise how their perspectives are fundamentally shaped by colonial rhetoric. Without acknowledging their role as settlers, they reinforce the continuing project of disenfranchisement. We are presented with the convenient rhetoric of reconciliation, but Indigenous people need more than just acceptance; we need systemic reform. At the heart of any dialogue on this subject must be sovereignty. Any genuine decolonial project will reject capitalist ideological values that rely on systems incompatible with self-determination. A “BLM” caption on social media or a token acknowledgement of country—“living on Wurundjeri land”—will not achieve us land rights, self-determination, or protection from police brutality. The removal of Indigenous sovereignty from the conversation is ignorant and harmful. decolonisation of any institution on stolen land must centre those who were colonised. If this reads as an obvious conclusion, it’s one many student activists seem to struggle with significantly. For many, this is an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s one long overdue. We are not a prop you can drag out whenever you need a few extra progressivity points and shelve when you’re done. If your decolonial praxis on stolen land does not centre Indigenous people, you are doing the movement a disservice. I urge anyone participating in decolonial discourse at the University to consider their positionality in regards to Australian colonisation, because at worst, you’re contributing to our continued disenfranchisement. There is no justice without First Nations justice—and you certainly cannot “decolonise” Australia without us.
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Illustrated by Melana Uceda