Black Deaths in Custody

Digital Strategies of Indigenous Mobilisation

  • Chiara Minestrelli London College of Communication
Keywords: Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Black Lives Matter, protests, online activism, multimodality, transnationalism, affective publics

Abstract

Aboriginal Deaths in Custody has constituted a pressing issue for Indigenous communities in Australia since the 1980s. Yet, despite the constant demands for justice raised by Indigenous leaders and activists, this problem rose to public prominence in June 2020, as demonstrations against police brutality spread around the globe in response to the murder of George Floyd. The events of Minneapolis struck a chord with the many Australian Indigenous families and communities who had lost their loved ones to police violence, sparking a series of protests across Australia’s major urban centres. Thus, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, like never before, came together both online and in person to demonstrate solidarity and stand with the Black Lives Matter movement while exposing the very local plight of Black Deaths in Custody. In particular, digital platforms have played a key role in the framing of alternative narratives. Hence, drawing from Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and Appraisal Theory, with references to Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s work on decolonising methodologies, this paper examines the online rhetorical and visual strategies adopted by Indigenous activists to protest the loss of ‘Blak’ lives in police custody. Primarily, I have looked at the website and Facebook page Stop Black Deaths in Custody, along with the digital materials circulated on social media by Indigenous activist groups. Of particular interest is the media work of Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (W.A.R.), a collective of young Aboriginal men and women who have been at the forefront of the BLM protests in Australia. The findings reflect the transnational dimension of the communicative tactics employed to mobilise local and global publics. Indeed, the resources used by Indigenous activists aim to establish affective resonances, gathering national and international support to effect meaningful change.

Author Biography

Chiara Minestrelli, London College of Communication

Chiara Minestrelli, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Media at the London College of Communication (UAL) and Course Leader of the BA (HONS) Contemporary Media Cultures in London. She holds a doctorate in Indigenous Studies from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia). Her monograph, Australian Indigenous Hip Hop: The Politics of Culture, Identity, and Spirituality (2017, Routledge) is an ethnographic study that investigates the discursive and performative strategies employed by Australian Indigenous artists to discuss politics, identity, culture and spirituality through Hip Hop music and culture. In 2020, she was awarded two LCC research Funds and organised a series of workshops called Decolonising the Arts: Challenges and possibilities, and Anti-racism discussions. Both events saw the participation of Indigenous artists, scholars and activists from around the world. She is currently looking at possible uses of VR for Indigenous performance and storytelling. 

Published
2022-12-15