Imagined Destinies : Aboriginal Australians and the Doomed Race Theory, 1880–1939

Before the coming of Europeans, Aboriginal communities lived within territories defined by complex ritual cycles of song, dance, symbol and ceremony. Knowledge of these boundaries and frontiers was in the keeping of senior custodians. In traditional communities, this continues to be the situation. Today, white Australians belatedly acknowledge Aboriginal land rights and the special significance of sacred sites. This makes an understanding of the boundaries vital to the achievement of basic land and sea rights for Aboriginal people. Unfortunately, over much of the continent, knowledge of boundaries has been lost or is in danger of being lost. In this work two political geographers explore the nature of Aboriginal boundaries and their contemporary implications. In four detailed case studies they challenge many of the assumptions which have underpinned the involvement of white advisers. The result is a timely study which raises important questions about an issue of national significance. Frontmatter Preface (page ix) Acknowledgments (page xiii) Conversions (page xiv) Prologue: The Eclipse of Antipodean Enlightenment (page 1) 1 The Creation and Annihilation of Primitive Man (page 19) 2 Protection and Preservation (page 60) 3 Anthropology Renovated, Optimism Revived and Problems Renewed (page 100) 4 Civilisation by Blood (page 142) 5 Progress for All (page 181) 6 New Solutions, Old Assumptions (page 224) Abbreviations (page 261) Notes (page 262) Bibliography (page 288) Index (page 307) Australians once believed that the Aboriginals were doomed to extinction. This study explores the origins and the gradual demise of the "doomed race" theory, seeking to show that white perceptions of Australia's indigenous people were shaped by Enlightenment, Darwinian and other European concepts.