ACKNOWLEDGEMENT REVISITED

By Mickey Skidmore, AMHSW, ACSW, FAASW

It has been a few years since I’ve touched on the topic of Acknowledgements. I continue to find this custom to be largely confronting, disturbing, and for me personally, generally offensive. However, a professional colleague has recently challenged me in this regard, prompting the opportunity to revisit my perspective on this issue. It is also an opportunity to highlight the “life-long-learning” principle that professional Social Workers are encouraged to embrace as they reflect on their professional practice. As human beings evolve, and cultural and political sentiments shift over time, it is often useful to revisit our position on issues while embracing an attitude of psychological flexibility.

Although it has been pointed out to me that the origins of this custom may have come from Aboriginal elders themselves; it has nonetheless in my view become more of perfunctory exercise that often has become more of a platform for the expression of white guilt, rather than genuine and respectful acknowledgement. Having said that however, upon further reflection I have come to realise that while I still hold these views to be largely valid, it may not be fair to paint this issue with such a broad brush. In short, there are likely plenty of people who genuinely intend to acknowledge the devastation inflicted on Aboriginal nations resulting from colonialism, and thus engage in this custom humbly and respectfully.

And while their acknowledgement may be genuine or even heart-felt, it becomes a disservice, or at least runs the risk of becoming disingenuous in my view when such efforts venture into influence or indoctrination of what the protocols of this custom might (or “should”) look like. For example, how is not hypocritical to cavalierly verbalises the cliche “this ALWAYS has been … and ALWAYS will be … Aboriginal land …” without the context that sovereignty has never been yielded? 

It is rather poignant that a recent national referendum to acknowledge an Aboriginal voice in Australian government was defeated. This was the country’s best opportunity in hundreds of years to truly acknowledge the grave and tragic injustice that has been inflicted by a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples that continues to adversely impact indigenous cultures. So, it is not much of a stretch to arrive at a conclusion that this custom may be more superficial today, perhaps even trivialised than ever — despite the genuiness of a relatively small minority.

Perhaps the time has come that the overriding protocol should be that only an Aboriginal person  may preside over such a function as it would be difficult to challenge that their agency is underscored in genuiness rather than posturing or any potential for hypocrisy. If the nation has passed on an opportunity to offer a symbolic voice for Aboriginal peoples in Australian government, there should be no shock, surprise or suspense that there is no clear plan for restoration. Nor is it likely that this will emerge any time soon.

While I concede that it is not fair to presume that this custom is disengenuinous in the broad sweeping terms that I wrote about two years ago (and I thank my colleague for calling me on that), many of the visceral reactions that this evokes in me remain unmoved. Just as my colleague triggered a review and reconsideration of my viewpoints, at the very least, perhaps the time has come to re-evaluate this Australian custom as well.

Accordingly, I offer an updated version of my previous personal acknowledgement:

I wish to pay my respects to elders past, present and those who will become elders in the future by expressing my view that this custom has too often become a perfunctory endeavour that is more about posturing and become a platform for the expression of white guilt rather than the genuine or respectful acknowledgement of what was requested.

And while I humbly acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and waters that we are on today, realising that they hold the values, traditions and memories in this enduring relationship throughout the centuries, by doing this I will not avoid stating what many will not — that I also recognise the remnants of colonialism and how a respectful acknowledgment to Aboriginal people is also a constant reminder of the grave and tragic injustice that has been inflicted by a racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples for hundred of years that continues to adversely impact indigenous cultures.

This acknowledgement is a reflection of my personal agency and genuiness that also recognises that not everyone may share this perspective.

REFERENCES

  1. Skidmore, M. Remnants of Colonialism (October 2022).
  2. Skidmore, M. Acknowledgement (December 2022).