The Land is not Empty: Sarah Augustine

On the Way Podcast

Some may think that pronunciations about law made in the fifteenth century during an age of European expansion and exploration would have little impact on lives today. Yet the Doctrine of Discovery is doing just that. It is a body of law and policy, legitimated by the Church, that says land is considered “empty” and therefore free for the taking if inhabited by “heathens, pagans, and infidels”. This doctrine continues to define reality for indigenous peoples across the globe in those parts of the world colonised when Europeans sought new lands across the oceans. Sarah Augustine joins the podcast, bringing a depth of experience in addressing the current and shocking impact of colonising systems and laws that continue to justify exploitation of land and peoples. Sarah believes there is still hope for the righting of wrongs, but the work is urgent as “what was done in the name of Christ must be undone in the name of Christ.”

Sarah Augustine is founder and cochair of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery and is the author of The Land is Not Empty (2021)

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