Comparing the policy of Aboriginal assimilation : Australia, Canada, and New Zealand / Andrew Armitage.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Armitage, Andrew.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indigenous peoples--Canada--Government relations.

Indigenous peoples.

Indians of North America--Canada--Government relations.

Indians of North America.

Aboriginal Australians--Government relations.

Aboriginal Australians.

Māori (New Zealand people)--Government relations.

Māori (New Zealand people).

Assimilation (Sociology).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Vancouver : UBC Press, 1995.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Aboriginal people of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand became minorities in their own countries in the nineteenth century. The expanding British Empire had its own vision for the future of these peoples, which was expressed in 1837 by the Select Committee on Aborigines of the House of Commons. It was a vision of the steps necessary for them to become civilized, Christian, and citizens -- in a word, assimilated. This book provides the first systematic and comparative treatment of the social policy of assimilation that was followed in these three countries. The recommendations of the 1837 committee were broadly followed by each of the three countries, but there were major differences in the means that were used. Australia began with a denial of the Aboriginal presence, Canada began establishing a register of all 'status' Indians, and New Zealand began by giving all Maori British citizenship. The policy of assimilation is traced through five principal phases: a period of initial contact when the power relationships necessary to carry out the policy were established; a period in which the policy was passive and in which the aboriginal people were expected to die out or merge with the immigrant populations; a period of aggressive policy in which specific social policies were introduced to suppress Aboriginal institutions; a period of integration in which it was thought that the policy could be achieved through disregarding the aboriginal existence; and the present period in which the policy is being reversed as Aboriginal people re-establish control of their own social policy. As well as providing comprehensive and comparative data on the conduct of the policy of assimilation, the book provides a series of accounts of the reasons given for the policy in each period. These lead to an analysis of the origins of the policy within the

immigrant societies of the British Commonwealth and of the reasons for its persistence. In the end, the policy of assimilation is shown to be primarily an expression of the racist and colonial nature of the immigrant societies. Today the Aboriginal societies are reasserting themselves, and there are some grounds for hope that a plural form of social policy can be brought into effect which accommodates the need to respect differences between the Aboriginal and immigrant societies.

Contents:

Cover

Contents

Maps and Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Australia: The General Structure of Aboriginal Policy

3 Australia: Aboriginal Peoples and Child Welfare Policy

4 Canada: The General Structure of Canadian Indian Policy

5 Canada: First Nations Family and Child Welfare Policy

6 New Zealand: The General Structure of Maori Policy

7 New Zealand: Maori People and Child Welfare Policy

8 Similarities and Differences among Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

9 Understanding the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613131522

9780774853064

0774853069

9781283131520

1283131528

OCLC:

180704185