INDG11013 Intro Abor & Island Hist

This course offers a broad overview of the history of interaction between Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, and the wider Australian community from 1788 to the present. It begins by posing questions about what constitutes indigenous history, how should it be written, and by whom. It then surveys pre-colonial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies, examining among other things western theories and indigenous perceptions of origins, social organisation, social values, kinship, and material culture. It goes on to describe and analyse 'first contact', and conflict on the colonial frontier, before embarking on a critical appraisal of government 'native' policy. The course examines issues such as the 1960s Equal Pay cases, Land Rights and the 'stolen generations', in their historical context, and traces the emergence of a vigorous indigenous political culture.