Reconciliation as Endless Process: The Limits of Reconciliatory Politics and the Possibility of Indigenous Redress

Abstract: This article examines how reconciliatory discourse, especially its intersection with law, politics, and academic engagement, often foregrounds immaterial processes at the expense of substantive, material outcomes for Indigenous peoples. We engage the dominant lexicon of reconciliation, examining its mobilization across academic, legal, and political domains, and its potential for deferring material outcomes for Indigenous communities. Through examination of recent scholarship in the humanities and social sciences as well as the case study of the decision in Coldwater Indian Band et al. v. Canada , we argue that a focus on reconciliation as an endless process undermines Indigenous self-determination and meaningful redress.