Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
From Reconciliation to Reversal: Explaining Reconciliatory Backsliding in Settler Societies
Christopher Alcantara1, Lucas De Sousa1
1Department of Political Science, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Political Studies Review
|August 8, 2026
Summary
Settler states
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Indigenous Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) fostered global recognition of Indigenous rights.
- Settler states like Australia and New Zealand initially pursued reconciliation policies.
- Recent political shifts in Australia and New Zealand indicate a reversal of these efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the concept of "reconciliatory backsliding" to explain reversals in Indigenous policy.
- To propose an analytical framework for studying the emergence of reconciliatory backsliding.
- To encourage scholarly application and refinement of this framework.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual development of "reconciliatory backsliding."
- Qualitative analysis using New Zealand as a case study.
- Theoretical framework construction for policy reversal examination.
Main Results:
- Identified a "reconciliatory backsliding" phenomenon in Indigenous policy.
- Developed a framework to analyze the drivers and manifestations of policy reversals.
- Highlighted the rejection of constitutional reforms in Australia and dismantling of pro-Māori policies in New Zealand.
Conclusions:
- Reconciliatory backsliding poses a significant challenge to Indigenous rights and reconciliation efforts.
- The proposed framework offers a valuable tool for understanding contemporary political dynamics affecting Indigenous peoples.
- Further research is needed to apply and adapt the framework across diverse contexts.
Related Concept Videos
04:49Robbers Cave
During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension could be...
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
01:29Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions
Aligning actions are communicative strategies individuals employ to maintain social harmony and preserve personal identity in the face of potential disruptions to social norms. These actions are particularly important in managing social impressions when one's behavior might be seen as inappropriate, incompetent, or morally questionable.Types of Aligning ActionsThe three principal types of aligning actions are disclaimers, accounts, and apologies.DisclaimersDisclaimers are preventive; they are...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
02:53Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
01:31In- and Out-Groups
People all belong to a gender, race, age, and social economic group. These groups provide a powerful source of our identity and self-esteem (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and serve as our in-groups. An in-group is a group that we identify with or see ourselves as belonging to.