Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of the politics of race relations in the United States and Australia. The author examines the concepts of race including racial superiority and racial equality in order to give the reader a clear understanding of the issue. An overview of Native American history in the United States and Aboriginal history in Australia is given, and includes many of the government policies, and laws that were created to deal with the respective populations. The problems that resulted from these past policies, and their affect on the current environment is also discussed. The author draws some comparisons between the two countries and looks at how there are still many unresolved issues today surrounding the issue of race relations in both countries.
From the Paper "Racial distinctions are one of the on-going elements of human societies; like the poor, they may be always with one. However, an essential point to make for the arguments laid forth in this paper is the fact that "although 'race" is continually with us as an organizing concept, what the term refers to ? that is, the origins and basis of 'racial? differences ? has not remained constant? (Outlaw, in Goldberg, 1990, pp. 61-2). Race is a shifting category, changing over time, with different populations variously grouped together or divided into separate groups. This shifting quality of racial identity can be seen in recent re-conceptualizations of aboriginal identity in Australia, re-conceptualizations that came a generation before in the United States. Both American Indians and Aboriginal peoples have over the past half-century begun to redefine themselves and to be redefined by official forces in U.S. and Australian society. While most Americans are in general familiar with the general history of the first peoples of the New World, the story of the Aborigines is less familiar to us and so may perhaps be usefully summarized here."
Abstract This paper relates that the Aboriginals of Australia are central to defining anthropology and to our understanding of what anthropology can say about modern man. The paper goes on to discuss how Aboriginal religion affects every aspect of Aboriginal society and how Aboriginal paintings are a expression of their religion. Lastly, the paper relates that the very survival of indigenous Aboriginal culture in Australia is a source of concern for many people for a wide variety of reasons.
From the Paper "Aboriginal paintings are expressions of aboriginal religion, of the Dreamtime, the recollection of the collective common story of these peoples. One of the remarkable features of this art is that virtually every aboriginal artist adheres to the same customs and conventions. This reflects that fact that art to aboriginals is not something that individuals do. It is a reflection of their common culture. While many individual artists may have different dreams and visions, the expression of their culture is so tightly bound to a common outlook and attitude that the commonality of the artwork is often more striking than the individuality (Price-Williams & Gaines). "
Abstract This paper discusses how indigenous people, particularly the Aboriginal people in Australia, were adversely affected by nation-building activities. The paper gives a short historical and social background of the indigenous people of Australia and explains how policies such as the Child Removal Policy and thy Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 were often traumatic for the Aboriginals and often resulted in adverse social outcomes. The paper also discusses what is done today for the cause of reconciliation with the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Outline:
Introduction
Historical and Social Background
Indigenous Australians and the Impact of British settlement (1788)
"Protection" and Segregation of Aboriginal People in the 19th Century
Stolen Generation
Emergence of the Child Removal Policy and Policy in Practice
Consequences and Effects of the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869
Reparation
Public Awareness
Acknowledgement and Apology
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Perhaps as no other time in history, people around the world are reexamining how their countries can into existence and what types of actions were taken to achieve nationhood. In many cases, these reexaminations of the past have required a stark analysis of how indigenous people were adversely affected by these nation-building activities and what can be done to day to make things right. This process has taken place around the world in places such as the United States in their efforts to resolve a collective national guilt over slavery and the Indian Removal Act, as well as in Canada for their treatment of indigenous people. Likewise, Australia is attempting to resolve its own collective national guilt over its notorious treatment of Aboriginal peoples throughout the country over the past 220 years, but not everyone is of a like mind concerning how best to resolve these longstanding issues."
Abstract This paper examines the Aborigines of Australia who are said to have arrived on the continent over 50,000 years ago, blending into the already existent population and thus creating perhaps the most physically diverse population in the world. This paper details the differences in conceptions of land ownership between the Australian Aborigines and European colonists. The writer of this paper describes how the Aborigines had developed their own society, culture and rules for land ownership which were inexcusably overlooked by the European invaders. When Europe began to encroach upon the territories of the Aborigines, the latter group simply adapted resourcefully and made new claims. This paper explores the various countries and nations that laid claim to Australia, including the Dutch, British and Spain While the Aborigines claimed Australia through ancestral travels, the Dutch and British justified their possession by initial landing rights and the Spanish laid their claim based on religious doctrine. The British extended their claim to the entire continent by 1826 with the stroke of a legislative pen. This writer of this paper describes how the conflict was furthermore exacerbated by the fact that Aborigines and Europeans had differing conceptions of private property.
From the Paper "Although the Aborigines lived according to such ancient beliefs for thousands of years, their fate would soon be doomed according to a very different system of territorial claims formulated 10000 miles away, in Europe. While the Aborigines justifiably had divided Australian lands into their own territories, the newly 'discovered' continent would soon come into a three-way struggle for possession as Britain, Holland, and Spain each claimed Australia separately, none of these claims based on right of ancestors, but on religious, economic, and political rationales. The Spanish and Portuguese, in search of southern trade routes and the legendary Terra Australis, had touched on the continent of Australia."
Abstract This paper provides a brief history of the colonization of Australia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by the Europeans and examines the effect it had on the native Aboriginal people. It looks at how an incident in 1926 when a Aborigine killed an Australian causing the murder of the whole tribe, led the Aboriginal to reconsider their situation and to organize themselves to initiate a movement, a protest against the brutality and discrimination against them. It examines how in the late 1920s and 1930s, the modern movement for the Aboriginal rights began and looks at the governmental policies and changes that resulted ever since.
From the Paper "These organizations made in the 1930s demanded that Native population must be saved and that the government should implement policies which would guarantee the safety and protection of the Native people and their lands. The government of Australia took some steps to provide some sort of relief to the Aboriginal population, the government created more reserves, but these had strict control of the government. The Europeans settled in Australia had always considered the Aborigines as inferior beings with primitive culture and life style. It was believed that the population of Aborigines would soon die out but this was challenged by the mixed race children which started to spring up in Aboriginal settlements. The Native people understood that in order to gain complete freedom and end of racial oppression they have to fight for the rights of the Native people [Miller, 1985]."
Abstract This paper discusses the legal battles fought over the concept of "terra nullius" in Australia. The paper explains this term to relate to territory that does not belong to any state - 'no mans land'. The paper explores the discriminatory rulings against the Aboriginal people of Australia and contends that a new constitution is needed. The paper claims that the present constitution was formulated to meet the needs of the invading English and should be replaced with an Australian constitution, which meets the needs of all races now living in this country.
From the Paper "Australia's coastline is nearly 22,800 miles long. Australia is completely surrounded by water, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The Coral Sea is near Tasmania. The lowest point in Australia is Lake Eyre and that is 39 feet below sea level. The highest point in Australia is Mount Kosciunsko and that is 7,310 feet above sea level. Australia is the oldest continent and the lowest continent with only 6 percent of it is above 2,000 feet. Most of the continent has no mountains. The largest lake is Lake Eyre at 3,700 square miles. This lake has barely any fresh water in it. If you fly over it in a low flying airplane you would see lots of Detail. The Ayers Rocks are a wonderful sight when the sun sets.1"
Abstract This paper looks at a particular case set in Australia and dealing with an Australian Aboriginal. It describes the problem, and offers some suggestions as to what can be done for the client, and discusses the use of anti-oppressive theory in this case.
Tags: anti-oppressive theory, social work, Australia
Abstract This paper discusses the history of human rights' violations against Aborigines in Australia. It describes the history of the European invasion of Australia and the attempts by government to address discrimination against Aborgines. The paper concludes that the Australian government's refusal to address human rights on even a basic level has kept the country at a basic level of discrimination that has not been acceptable in the Western world for decades.
From the Paper "It is therefore no wonder that the perception of today's Australia, from the viewpoint of Indigenous people, is that little has changed since they received the right to vote. Discrimination is still perpetrated in terms of both actions and words, with semantics being a significant element in its battle against providing indigenous people with their rightful place in Australian society. Indeed, this is substantiated by a number of authors, including John Cokley (2002), who focuses on the experiences of Karen Walters, the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner. According to Walters, not only the government, but the Australian society is also discriminatory against indigenous people in the country."
Abstract The indigenous people of Australia have inhabited the land for over 40,000 years making Australia's indigenous people one of the oldest cultures in the world. It was through 200 years of colonization that indigenous Australian's experienced the decimation and eradication of their people and culture through the process of assimilation. This paper looks at how Australia as a nation is taking responsibility for the injustices that indigenous people have injured with the development of reconciliation. It examines how the citizens of Australia are coming together working towards breaking down the barriers, which have segregated and alienated Indigenous people from society. It also examines how all Australians are being encouraged to be part of the solution rather than the problem to reunite differences through acceptance and acknowledgement and education.
From the Paper "Reconciliation in Australia is about welcoming, acknowledging and understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 'Reconciliation is about the merging of two versions of the past, bringing together two perspectives of one history' (Grattan, M 2000 p.8). It's through the process of understanding that Australians learn about the Indigenous peoples interpretation of Australia through their culture for example the beauty behind the Dreamtime that explains how the spirit ancestors who roamed the earth to create the landforms, which are the centenals of our existence. There is a wealth of knowledge and thousands of years of proven environmental and ecological diversity and harmony, which Non-indigenous Australian's could acknowledge, respect and learn. Reconciliation can be the gateway with which all Australians benefit."
This paper interprets the term terra nullius as the acquisition of land which belongs to no one and examines how Britain claimed ownership of Australia.
Abstract The writer of this paper defines terra nullius as a legal acquisition of land and delves into its significant impact on Australia. It is under this particular definition of legal land acquisition that Britain claimed ownership of Australia. This paper discusses in historic detail how terra nullius affected many aspects of Australian society both in negative and positive ways.
From the Paper "What needs to be realized is that this original land claim was based on a violation of international law. The land claimed by the British would not fall under the concept of terra nullius because aboriginal tribes were in possession of the land. The land did not "belong to no one" and there were ownership claims to the territory albeit based on heritage rather than British law. The natives of the land were pushed off of ancestral lands at the cost of lives and lifestyle. Therefore, British colonization and later Australian sovereign rule is based entirely upon false claims and violations of recognized international law."
Tags:aborigine, uk, britain, australia, land, law, continent, population, society, history
This paper debates the necessity that Australia implement a Bill of Rights because the existing system is ill-equipped to meet the needs and demands of a modern democratic society.
Abstract This paper explains that many experts believe the Australian constitutional system, which is based on the colonial English administrative model, is too limited and confusing; therefore, the American Bill of Rights system, which would list the basic rights of an individual and would force the government to treat the individual within the limits set by this system, is now preferred. The author points out that opponents to the enactment of a Bill of Rights in Australia have vociferously asserted that the federal parliament has the power to enact laws, which amounts to provisions envisaged in a formal Bill of Rights; however, past instances have shown that the commitment of the lawmakers in Australia is not fully sympathetic to the cause of the underprivileged. The paper relates that a formal Bill of Rights would lighten the load on the judiciary and give it a framework by which important cases relating to human rights could be decided because the courts are not always in a position to protect basic rights, as they themselves operate under many restrictions.
From the Paper "It is interesting to note that the founding fathers of the constitution of Australia openly rejected the proposal for a bill of rights. Since the Australian constitution was based on the British and the American system, it was only natural that a proposal for inducting a bill of rights was made. However, the proposal was rejected outright because the people who drafted the constitution of Australia felt that such a move would put the government into a great disadvantage. They felt that the provisions of the bill of rights would prevent them from invoking laws against the aboriginals and the Chinese who were discriminated against in this country. Hence, it is quite evident that the bill of rights was rejected as a legal option out of the fear of the loss of influence of the government. That the bill of rights was prevented from gaining entry into the executive branches of the constitution proves that the white dominated majority wanted to maintain their dominance over the natives as well as people of foreign origin. This is an unfortunate example of the total lack of commitment by a legal framework that should have ideally considered all citizens equally."
Abstract This paper analyzes and evaluates the foreign policies of Australia, a major member of the international community. The paper forms part of the overall effort by research analysts under the National Interests and Foreign Policies group in advising member countries of the international community on how a new international system is developing. It covers Australia's foreign policy in the last ten years, its projected direction in the next five years, and the reactions of other major member countries and the international community to its foreign policy.
From the Paper "Australia is the smallest continent in the world, isolated from the other continents and has a wide variety of landscapes. It was founded by the British in 1788 and first named it as Sydney. Its original inhabitants, called the Aborigines, were only a few hundred thousands before large groups of Europeans began arriving and settling there, particularly after the discovery of gold in the mid-19th century. After two centuries of discrimination and expropriation, the Aborigines were reduced as few as 60,000. Today, 99% of Australia's population is European or Asian, while the descendants of the indigenous Australians must contend with high unemployment rates, imprisonment and drug abuse charges."
Abstract This paper discusses how the concepts of race and ethnicity perpetuate inequality in Australian society. The paper presents a brief history of race relations in Australia. The paper contends that race and ethnicity have long been at the core of inequality in Australian society. The paper explains that for many decades, race and ethnicity have been used to exclude certain Australians from mainstream society.
Outline
Introduction
Race, Ethnicity and Inequality in Australia Literature Review
Conclusion
From the Paper "Like many other nations, Australia was colonized by white settlers, who forcibly removed Aboriginal people from the lands they inhabited for centuries. In Australia, colonization brought the slaughter of millions of Aboriginal people. According to a book entitled, Race, Colour and Identity In Australia and New Zealand, the remnants of colonization have brought about many years of racial hostilities and tension in Australia. The book asserts that on the postcolonial era many have conceded that there is a need for reconciliation I Australia. The book asserts that such reconciliation involves "coming to terms with a history and the continuing legacy of oppression, dispossession, discrimination, forced assimilation, of attempted genocide (Docker & Fischer)." "
Abstract Netolicky and Harrison look at the factors that contribute to the students? feelings of alienation in the classroom. Combining their research with knowledge about cultural influences on indigenous students, they present a program for at-risk students. This paper presents the study carried out on Aboriginal students and analyzes the program developed by the authors.
From the Paper "Netolicky and Harrison's work involves the basic principles of refining curriculum to cultural backgrounds; teaching negotiation strategies regarding curriculum to students; responding positively when students request changes in curriculum; intervening sooner rather than later when students become disengaged or apathetic to the curriculum; and making use of support educational services as needed. Most of those changes are at least as much cultural as they are related to academics."
Abstract This paper discusses the phenomenon that Aborigines have much lower health care standards than other Australians and examines the multiple social causes for this situation. These includes squalid living conditions, lack of education and awareness, fear of the authorities and general belief in their own systems of health care.
From the Paper "Aborigines make up less than one percent of the total population in Australia. On every index, Aborigines fare worse than other Australians. Most Aboriginal families face health problems due to a lack of health care. They are at disadvantage in health standards, life expectancy, and infant mortality. Health risks and lack of proper health care place Aboriginal children at extreme risk for many diseases."
