Gavrielides, T. (2021). Race, Power and Justice: The Restorative Dialogue we will not have. Abingdon: Routledge.

ISBN 978-1-4724-8835-0

DOI: 10.4324/9781003194576

 I have always felt that there was something lingering in the background of all my projects, work and writings. A bigger picture that I could not see. The issue that I would not address. The dialogue that I would not have.

This feeling became gradually stronger, as I learned to observe myself, my actions (or inactions), fears and insecurities. My background in legal studies as well as my day job did not help with this process. In fact, they distracted me from investigating further this lingering feeling.  Philosophy and privileged moments of true dialogue with friends and colleagues helped me to start painting the hidden picture... 

As brain specialists and cognitive psychologists would claim, we create meanings through a process of visualization of images infused with feelings that lead to connections. The word ‘table’, for instance, creates a visual image of a surface (most often square) standing on four legs. Conversely, when viewing something resembling this image, our brain labels it as ‘table’. Interestingly, online search engines function in a similar way. Try searching for images using the word ‘table’ and you will most likely get thousands of hits resembling the aforementioned description.

Now, try and visualize the word ‘justice’ or even ‘criminal justice’. When applying the test of using search engines, my hits rendered the same images that were in my mind. These were: the balanced scales of justice, the blindfolded Greek Goddess Themis (again holding the balanced scales of justice and a sword), holding hands or a fist. 

Reflecting on the findings of this homemade test, I came to realise that most of us visualise justice in this way simply because we view it as a virtue, a value-based notion, a higher purpose and an honourable goal that can give essence to our life paths and sacrifices. My brain did not allow me to visualize justice in the form of prisons, courts, suited white men or ministries and politicians.

This then led me to believe that our brains deny diminishing justice to an image anything less than a representation of a higher existence. And yet, when an injustice takes place, we ask for prison bars, tall walls, courtrooms and lawyers. Not for this higher existence. 

I have now come to believe that this subconscious behaviour is by no coincidence. It is part of the hidden picture, which I could not see for years. It is the result of many decades of conscious planning to achieve what Foucault and many others have called “power and control”. By controlling our sense of justice, expectations are directed and the reality can be manipulated. Without this manipulation, there can be change, and change is a thread to the status quo that leads to power abuse and inequality. 

Admittedly, the literature on power, its definitions and different forms, how to develop or diminish it (whether at the inter-personal, inter-community or inter-state level) is rich. And yet, never before have we so silently succumbed to forces of power defining our life purpose, current reality and indeed future. This is a very scary feeling indeed.

But this fear is constructive and honest. It can lead to improvements and change. It is the other kind of fear that I want to expose as dangerous and inconspicuous. As I write this introduction, the world is experiencing unprecedented health and socio-economic impacts, which are compared only to those that followed World War II. We are afraid that we will lose our life, health and independence, income and homes, family and friends. The scale of this unprecedented fear is increased with continuous threats that are brought to our homes, dinner time, private moments and bed time. These may relate to terrorist attacks, financial crises, unemployment, migration and refugee “crises” and viruses. This fear creates dependencies. Dependencies allow control. And control serves the status quo.

I have never believed in conspiracy theories; in fact, my research and legal background made me a rather dull chat friend, as I always ask for evidence. And it is this evidence that I want to present through this book, which aims to paint the hidden picture by starting the dialogue that we’ve never had. We cannot deny what is; we can only learn to observe it, and as we start to awaken, we then seek for tools that will regain the power that we have silently lost through gradual and consensual new forms of slavery. This responsibility is intensified, if we have undertaken a role to serve justice as practitioners, researchers, policy makers or campaigners. 

This project and book respond to this responsibility. They are structured around four concepts, which act as pillars for their arguments and indeed contribution: power, race, justice and restorative justice. This book celebrates 20 years of working in the restorative justice field. During this time, the learning that I was able to receive and give has been incredible, and I hope that each chapter demonstrates and reflects this. 

Dr. Theo Gavrielides

January 2021