Wednesday 27 May marked the start of National Reconciliation Week 2026.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is All In. This theme is an invitation for the University to consider what we can do to change structures, curricula, governance, and research cultures in response to truth-telling and justice and in response to the invitation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
I am conscious of the important work that is being undertaken at a college level to engage with these changes. At the level of the institution, one of the important ways we can support these changes this year is in the audit of our curriculum that the Academic Board has initiated as a key activity for 2026. Another institutional step in this National Reconciliation Week, is the launch of Everlasting Grail that will take place on Tuesday 2 June at the conclusion of the Teaching Conference in Box Hill. As the auspicing body for Everlasting Grail, the University is entering into a formal relationship with a new structure, led by a majority-Aboriginal Council, and taking an important step towards embracing justice and reconciliation. If you are able to join this celebration you are most welcome.
Throughout the week, and at an individual level, I encourage you to join me in dedicating time to engage with the work of Aboriginal theologians, poets, activists, historians, and community thinkers available through our Indigenous library knowledges hub: https://divinity.libguides.com/indigenous
Banner image: provided by Naomi Wolfe, for Everlasting Grail launch
Professor James McLaren is the second Vice-Chancllor of the University of Divinity. His major research interests reach across several fields in the study of history, with the primary focus the social, cultural, and political history of the ancient Mediterranean world.
University of Divinity
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