Defiant Resistance

Defiant Resistance is a powerful testament to Indigenous women’s and families’ unwavering refusal to be silenced. Through personal narratives, they shatter the silence surrounding their experiences of violence, centring their agency, restoring their power and defining their own pathways toward self-determination and a life beyond violence.

 A tribute to the strength and agency of Indigenous women and families impacted by violence, Defiant Resistance is an act of Indigenous self-determination.

 Through sharing women’s stories in their own words, Marlene Longbottom enables them to take back their narrative and reclaim power. The title itself embodies a vital truth: the unwavering refusal by Indigenous women and their families to be silenced or ignored any longer.

With deeply personal narratives from Indigenous women who have faced violence, and Indigenous families who have endured profound loss, this book shatters the silence around their stories. Marlene Longbottom amplifies these voices, demanding systemic change that is long overdue and highlighting community-led pathways toward a life beyond violence.

Production Details

• Paperback
• 230 x 152 mm
• 256pp + cover
• Released 1 June 2026
• ISBN 9781922752055
• ePub 9781922102874 

Content

Introduction
Part A – An imposed culture of violence
Chapter 1 – The infrastructure of violence
Chapter 2 – The intersection of race, gender and colonial history
Part B – Shattering the silence
Chapter 3 – We refuse to be silenced: stories of survival
Chapter 4 – Semicolon (;) – my story
Chapter 5 – Kirsty’s story – Operation Get Home
Chapter 6 – The decision to leave violence — or to stay
Chapter 7 – Aftermath: was it love?
Chapter 8 – Know their names: Florrie Reuben, Crystal Ratcliffe, Allira
Green and Baby Jai
Chapter 9 – My story continues — searching for a safe place
Chapter 10 – Seeking justice and support
Chapter 11 – Coercive control and power
Chapter 12 – Not our culture, not our way of life
Part C – The journey beyond violence
Chapter 13 – Restoring power — and a call to action
References
Index

About the author

Dr Marlene Longbottom is a proud Yuin woman, from the Wandi Wandian and Wodi Wodi clans from Roseby Park Mission (Jerrinja) on the south coast of New South Wales. Currently Associate Professor at the Indigenous Education & Research Centre at James Cook University, Marlene has been a dedicated advocatefor Indigenous communities for more than 30 years, working as an Aboriginal Health Worker and in Indigenous policy and social justice across New South Wales and Queensland. Her practical experience grounds her academic work, ensuring that it remains deeply connected to the lived realities of the Indigenous communities she works alongside. Defiant Resistance stands as a powerful example of this commitment, drawing upon her decade-long research into the violence and harm experienced by Indigenous women and families. For the past 17 years, she has led community-based research and evaluation projects in urban, regional and remote areas of New South Wales and Queensland. Marlene’s deep commitment to Indigenous agency and self-determination has been recognised through prestigious honours including a Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) from the Australian Research Council.

About the cover

Cover designed by Design by Committee