Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation
Author(s): Andrew Armitage
Synopsis: 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 version for the future of these peoples. They were to become civilized, Christian, and citizens – in a word, assimilated.
Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation not only provides comprehensive and comparative data on the conduct of assimilative policy but also examines its origins and rationale. In the end, the policy is shown to be primarily an expression of the racist and colonial nature of the immigrant societies. Today, as aboriginal societies reassert themselves, there are grounds for hope that a plural social policy can be developed to accommodate the differences between aboriginal and immigrant societies.
ISBN: 0-7748-0459-9