White Possession & Indigenous Sovereignty Matters

Indigenous Peoples have been excluded from the settler states of Australia, Canada, the USA, Hawai’i and New Zealand, both conceptually and materially to deny their sovereignty. Moreton-Robinson introduces “white possessive logics” to refer to the functions of whiteness as an institutional power system, not just an identity. Instead of embraced by multiculturalism, Indigenous sovereignty has been intentionally denied. White possession determines who belongs, who has power and whose voices and knowledge are heard and valued. “Possessive logics” describes how whiteness justifies and perpetuates dominance, appearing in all social, economic and political systems. Race is key to policy, law and regulation and white possession is upheld by it. White possession is hypervisible, with street names, buildings, institutions and symbols as continuous reminders of colonization and white possession. Moreton-Robinson suggests a shift in Indigenous Studies to critique colonial power and whiteness, helping to dismantle white possession. Indigenous sovereignty needs to be recognized as still existing, not as something that needs granting.