People, Place and Nature in Indigenous-Settler Relations

In a world that feels increasingly polarised and disconnected, this edited collection amplifies the voices of Indigenous People and settler allies from Australia, the USA, and Aotearoa New Zealand as we chart pathways to rebuild connection with each other and our more than human communities.

We are immensely proud that the authorship is majority Indigenous, and that there are multiple chapters featuring the work of Indigenous-Settler collaborations. This book includes established leaders as well as early career academics and practitioners, including recent University of Melbourne graduates from law and the Atlantic Fellows of Social Equity Masters program.

In Part 1, Words of the Land: Renaming, Resistance, and Renewal, we show how words—spoken, written, sung, or remembered—carry the potential to unsettle colonial narratives, rename spaces and histories, and renew responsibilities to Country.

In Part 2, Unmaking Extraction: Toward Restoration and Repair, we foreground Indigenous-led responses to the intertwined harms of colonisation and environmental degradation, asking what it means to resist extraction and actively regenerate relationships with land, water, whānau, and future generations.

In Part 3, Restoring Country, Restoring Justice: Pathways to Transformation, we showcase the enduring strength and resilience of First Nations peoples in their efforts to reclaim sovereignty, restore cultural practice, and transform colonial institutions. We demonstrate the centrality of land and water justice to restoration and repair.

We invite you to learn more about each chapter from each of the outstanding authors in the short videos below.