Separatism as a Mode of Relations: Practicing Indigenous Resurgence and Nationhood in the 21st Century

Abstract

This chapter argues that a politics focused on reorganising Indigenous-settler relations to facilitate Indigenous autonomy and separatism is not beyond imagining. Indigenous peoples have contested colonial domination since the first invasion of this continent began, struggling to regain and sustain their independence from settler authority and control in ways that have come to define Indigenous movements. While a focus on national politics, and particularly on changing the policies of the federal government, was a feature of much of the twentieth century, more recently there has been a profound shift in emphasis. In response to the seeming imperviousness of settler structures and institutions, there has been a growing call for Indigenous people to turn away from hostile political environments in favour of decolonising programs focused on local, place-based politics and cultural rejuvenation. This chapter examines some of what is happening in contemporary Indigenous separatist moves in Australia—moves that will inevitably reshape Indigenous-settler relations in profound ways. It argues that the ability for Indigenous peoples to live genuinely self-determining lives will depend on a careful disentangling of Indigenous and settler modes of governance, combined with extensive work to reconstitute Indigenous jurisdiction, decision-making and control.