Holding dissonance, while disrupting narratives

• Main Authors: Young, Amy, Borges Jelinic, Ana, Marchetti, Elena, O'Leary, Patrick
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Palgrave Macmillan 2023
• Subjects: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the law; Law and society and socio-legal research; Social Science; 2304 Justice and the law; First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10072/423842; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28609-4_14

This chapter examines social narratives present in the rulings and writings of Samuel Griffith, positioned as a ‘founding father’ of Australia, and the continuation of these narratives in contemporary society. Of particular focus is Griffith’s legal legacy, including the Queensland Criminal Code and interpretations of the Constitution which continue to influence Australia and other countries. The social narratives inherent in Griffith’s work reinforce lines of racial and gendered discrimination. This chapter includes a review of Griffith’s legal legacy in relation to Chinese Australians, and many of those who have been described as ‘aliens’ in the country. Griffith’s silence on the women’s movement, and inaction in upholding justice to protect Queensland’s First Nations peoples are also examined. This sits in dissonance to the dominant image of Griffith as a leading and respected legal thinker and authority figure. Through understanding how past narratives influence contemporary society, and intersect with vulnerabilities in the present, the continuation of these narratives, and the social conditions they drive, can be disrupted. No Full Text