Not Slaves Not Citizens: The Aboriginal Problem in Western Australia 1898-1954 by Peter Biskup

Book Description

Secondhand. Fair condition. Ex library copy with no external stickers. Stamp on top foredge and imprint page. Front endpage has top right corner clipped and many marks. Significant staining to foredges. Dust jacket has wear to edges and corners and is faded at spine. Enclosed in protective cover. Body text and binding are still in good condition.

An examination of race relations, legislation, and government administration concerning Aboriginal people in Western Australia during the first half of the 20th century.

Peter Biskup picks up the story of Aboriginal Australians since 1897 where Peter Hasluck's Black Australians left off in 1897. Biskup examines in detail the policy and practice of various government departments charged with Aboriginal Administration, the work of philanthropists, the reaction of White Australia and the physical, legal, economic and social situation of Aborigines during the first half of the 20th century, exploding in the process a number of myths and offering fascinating material previously hidden away in official archives.

He notes three major themes in the history of race relations in Western Australia - the rigidity of the underlying assumptions which have moulded European attitudes, the persistence of the notion that Aboriginal administration was administration for, rather than by, Aboriginals and the existence of colour as a hidden premise behind European dealings with Aboriginals. In doing so, Biskup explains the Aboriginal response, or lack of response, to initiatives such as the assimilation policy. (book flap)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers, please note that this book may contain descriptions and/or images of people who have passed away.