Meeting in the space between us

Alice Springs can be described as a contact zone, where power relations are highly asymmetrical but at the same time there are spaces for alternative possibilities. This paper looks first at examples of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people striving to be in community with one another, a community situated in the space between us, where we must go to meet and endeavor to recognize one another. It also looks at examples of Aboriginal people seeking to be seen and heard in court, demanding recognition, and the way this has played out in the context of serious criminal trials and community reaction to them. In our contact zone in the foreseeable future the push and pull between oppressive, damaging forces and transformative ones will continue. Bringing to the fore the latter, recognizing them, will surely help shift the balance.