Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
This article argues that criminal justice and health institutions under settler colonialism collude to create and sustain "truths" about First Nations lives that often render them as "bare life," to use the term of Giorgio Agamben (1998). First Nations peoples' existence is...
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ftunivtsydney:oai:opus.lib.uts.edu.au:10453/149794 2023-05-15T16:14:20+02:00 Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Anthony, T Blagg, H 2021-07-01T06:06:53Z Print-Electronic application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149794 eng eng SPRINGER Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 10.1007/s11673-020-10076-x Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 2021, 18, (1), pp. 71-82 1176-7529 1872-4353 http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149794 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess 1801 Law 2201 Applied Ethics 2203 Philosophy Applied Ethics Journal Article 2021 ftunivtsydney 2022-03-13T13:20:55Z This article argues that criminal justice and health institutions under settler colonialism collude to create and sustain "truths" about First Nations lives that often render them as "bare life," to use the term of Giorgio Agamben (1998). First Nations peoples' existence is stripped to its sheer biological fact of life and their humanity denied rights and dignity. First Nations people remain in a "state of exception" to the legal order and its standards of care (Agamben 1998). Zones of exception place First Nations people in a separate and diminished legal order. Medical and health agencies have been instrumental in shaping colonial "biopower," both in and beyond carceral settings to ensure that First Nations lives are managed in accordance with the colonial settler state project. This project is able both to threaten First Nations rights to live and to maintain settler self-perceptions of decency and care. We illustrate this discussion with reference to the tragic and unnecessary deaths in custody of twenty-two-year-old Yamatji woman Ms Dhu in 2014 in South Hedland Police Station, Western Australia, and twenty-six-year-old Dunghutti man David Dungay Jnr in Long Bay jail in Sydney, NSW, in 2015. Health professionals and police demonstrated callous disregard to Ms Dhu and Mr Dungay-treating them as "bare life." Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations University of Technology Sydney: OPUS - Open Publications of UTS Scholars |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Technology Sydney: OPUS - Open Publications of UTS Scholars |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtsydney |
language |
English |
topic |
1801 Law 2201 Applied Ethics 2203 Philosophy Applied Ethics |
spellingShingle |
1801 Law 2201 Applied Ethics 2203 Philosophy Applied Ethics Anthony, T Blagg, H Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
topic_facet |
1801 Law 2201 Applied Ethics 2203 Philosophy Applied Ethics |
description |
This article argues that criminal justice and health institutions under settler colonialism collude to create and sustain "truths" about First Nations lives that often render them as "bare life," to use the term of Giorgio Agamben (1998). First Nations peoples' existence is stripped to its sheer biological fact of life and their humanity denied rights and dignity. First Nations people remain in a "state of exception" to the legal order and its standards of care (Agamben 1998). Zones of exception place First Nations people in a separate and diminished legal order. Medical and health agencies have been instrumental in shaping colonial "biopower," both in and beyond carceral settings to ensure that First Nations lives are managed in accordance with the colonial settler state project. This project is able both to threaten First Nations rights to live and to maintain settler self-perceptions of decency and care. We illustrate this discussion with reference to the tragic and unnecessary deaths in custody of twenty-two-year-old Yamatji woman Ms Dhu in 2014 in South Hedland Police Station, Western Australia, and twenty-six-year-old Dunghutti man David Dungay Jnr in Long Bay jail in Sydney, NSW, in 2015. Health professionals and police demonstrated callous disregard to Ms Dhu and Mr Dungay-treating them as "bare life." |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Anthony, T Blagg, H |
author_facet |
Anthony, T Blagg, H |
author_sort |
Anthony, T |
title |
Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
title_short |
Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
title_full |
Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
title_fullStr |
Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biopower of Colonialism in Carceral Contexts: Implications for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody |
title_sort |
biopower of colonialism in carceral contexts: implications for aboriginal deaths in custody |
publisher |
SPRINGER |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149794 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_relation |
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 10.1007/s11673-020-10076-x Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 2021, 18, (1), pp. 71-82 1176-7529 1872-4353 http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149794 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
_version_ |
1766000158654332928 |