2006 Handbooks

This unit examines the relationship between Aborigines and non-Aborigines in twentieth-century Australia. Of central concern is the formulation of policy by successive governments and how these policies played out in practice. Fundamental to this exploration is the role of ideology - particularly concerning ideas of 'race' and 'otherness' - in underpinning government thinking and motivation.

The unit is thematic in approach; key areas of interest are: protection/assimilation, the role of anthropology, Aboriginal labour, sexuality, colonialism/postcolonialism, land rights, reconciliation and self-determination.

Central, too, are the development and articulation of Aboriginal political organisation and ongoing resistance throughout the twentieth century. Included here is the defence of human rights at the international level. Students who have successfully completed HIST216 will find this a useful, complementary unit.