“I fought. I screamed. I bit”: The assertion of rights within historic abuse inquiry transcripts

Journal article


Davis, Fiona. (2018). “I fought. I screamed. I bit”: The assertion of rights within historic abuse inquiry transcripts. Journal of Australian Studies. 42(2), pp. 217 - 230. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2018.1447501
AuthorsDavis, Fiona
Abstract

This article examines how treating historic abuse inquiry testimonies as retrospective assertions of rights can help to shed light on how this abuse was able to occur and how memories are recalled in an inquiry environment. It presents its approach as a possible framework for other historians seeking to analyse testimonies with sensitivity. It uses, as an example, a case study from the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse concerning two interrelated “homes” for girls, showing the ways in which abuse survivors can use their testimonies to assert rights denied them in the past and further the goals of public inquiries.

Year2018
JournalJournal of Australian Studies
Journal citation42 (2), pp. 217 - 230
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN1835-6419
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2018.1447501
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85048866416
Page range217 - 230
Research GroupSchool of Arts
Publisher's version
File Access Level
Controlled
Place of publicationAustralia
EditorsW. Katie and S. Shurlee
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8qvv3/-i-fought-i-screamed-i-bit-the-assertion-of-rights-within-historic-abuse-inquiry-transcripts

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