A Peaceful Death?: Kamilaroi French ‘family’ and ‘relative autonomy’ for ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’

Abstract

This thesis addresses two fundamental questions: First, what are the root causes of Aboriginal experiences of violence in Australia today? Second, what cultural resources can be drawn upon to promote ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’ in response to this violence?

This thesis provides new insights into the extent and types of violence Aboriginal peoples are facing today. It draws out implicit Aboriginal frameworks and resources for addressing and transforming violence on an everyday level.

The research for this thesis is based upon Participatory Action Research and Indigenous Methodologies with an explicit applied anthropological focus. It was conducted with Gamilaroi French ‘family’ in the Upper Hunter Valley, NSW. Due to the contentious and confidential nature of the topic, explicit details of the local conflict and local Aboriginal experiences of trauma are not disclosed. Instead, an original methodological and conceptual framework is developed – ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’ – as a framework designed to both uncover continuing settler colonial genocide, and to value and articulate resources for ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’. This thesis finds that there are vital ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’ resources embedded in Kamilaroi French everyday sociality, implicit values, and historicised experiences, and argues that these need to be articulated in order to begin to redress ongoing settler colonial violence.

This thesis presents the first systematic, in-depth application of peacebuilding insights to Aboriginal experiences in Australia. It finds that Aboriginal peoples in Australia continue to experience significant levels of ‘direct’, ‘structural’ and ‘cultural’ violence under settler colonialism. Silence continues to surround ‘structural’ and ‘cultural’ violence and its effects. Consequently, most mainstream efforts to address Aboriginal experiences of violence fail to acknowledge underlying systemic causes; deny both Aboriginal trauma and resilience; and inadvertently exacerbate settler colonial violence. While some commentators recognise the need to address such shortcomings, to date no comprehensive, sustainable, integrated approach has been developed. This thesis presents ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’ as a valuable new methodological and conceptual framework to meet this need. ‘Aboriginal peacebuilding’ is modelled here to both make present settler colonial violence and associated Aboriginal trauma, and to recognise vital Aboriginal resources for addressing and transforming everyday violence.