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Civilising Process In Australia

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The ‘civilising process’, as theorised by Norbert Elias (1939), entails the social and political practices in a society that construct and define the act of civility. The Civilizing Process sought to explain how Europeans came to imagine themselves as ‘civilised’, in comparison to their more barbaric medieval ancestors (Elias 1939). Elias (1939) went on to suggest that ‘civilisation’ is established through a particular ‘habitus’ and is largely defined by Western colonisation’s perception of being superior and ‘civil’ in an attempt to control violence (Van Krieken 2000:90). However, civilising controls such as paternalistic governance and legal conditions that are an extension of the ‘civilising process’ possibly challenge and delegitimize ‘civilisation’ itself, and instead redistributes violence enabling the ‘decivilising process’ (Van Krieken 2000:249). I will examine the Stolen Generation in Australia in light …show more content…

Aboriginality in the 1900s was widely viewed as a socially primitive culture, whose behaviour was considered barbaric and therefore did not fit in with the values of ‘white Australia’ and ideals of the West about civility (Van Krieken 2000:247; Australian Human Rights Commission 1997). This resulted in the introduction of the NSW Aborigines Protection Board 1883 and the Aboriginal Protection Amending Act 1915 (NSW) that meant Australian government authorities had full control to attain legal guardianship of all Indigenous and half-caste children, to be ‘merged’ into the non-Indigenous population (Australian Human Rights Commission And Equal Opportunity Commission 1997). Conceptions by the State and church about civilisation warranted the intervention

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The fact that Australia was considered as a global nation, which was ‘open to multiple international cultural, political and economic influences (pp.222), was very contentious. Sheridan makes it clear that Asia involvement has shaped Australia, acknowledging the positive and necessary changes in areas including culture, economy, education, defence and more. Knight indicates that Australia was encouraged to begin the desire for economic gain and civilisation. He states ‘Australia thus inherited from Britain a European country, its sense of cultural identity and its feeling of superiority towards Asia and Asians’(pp.223). This demonstrates that Australia views towards Asia were constantly changing leading to an increase in problems examples including smuggling and entering legally from other states.

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Here, the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 (VIC) was made to establish an inclusive scheme of control over the lives of First Australians (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2014). New South Wales’ equivalent to this was the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 (NSW) which was to provide protection and care of Aboriginal People but rather legislated for the control of their lives. The policies of assimilation directly related to and relied on segregation and protectionism policies. This policy reflected the views of all governmental bodies of Australia, in that they thought it necessary that Aboriginal people were to eventually exercise the equivalent method of living as non-Indigenous Australians and to live as members of a sole community appreciating the same rights and freedoms, accept the same responsibilities, observing similar duties and be predisposed to the same loyalties, hopes and

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This foundation determined the themes that underpin political, social and economic policies Australia’s experience of whiteness historically comes from colonisation, Federation and White Australia policy. Hage argues that White Australia policy was has not been fully abolished and never became obsolete I argue that whiteness was created and built as a foundation for Australia as a successful nation, by the inclusion of White Australia Policy in the nation’s Constitution of 101, and it solidly and securely exited until the mid 1970s. multiculturalism in europe and australia PM Curtin corroborates with Arthur Calwell’s theory of populate or perish to introduce the mass migration Corroborates with Pauline Hanson in her Maiden Speech exemplifying

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In 1901 the six British colonies of Australia came together to form the Commonwealth of Australia. This federation was the result of intercolonial discussion, referendums and political debate with a range of different issues . However given the country’s history surrounding Asia and Pacific workers and the conflicts due to their presence, it was agreed that the new nation of Australia would be ‘white’ only. Despite Indigenous Australians and Chinese who were already in residence, colonialists aspired to keep the heritage and culture of Australia British and as a result there would be no home for non-European in Australia . After Australia was federated on January 1st 1901 the government passed the Immigration Restriction Bill which became known

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Western colonisation has had a devastating affect on the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people. This is evident throughout the generations. Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people struggle with contemporary impacts of western cultures, largely in the Northern Territory. These impacts brought in by predominately white societies, have literally poisoned the persons who chooses to indulge. Since western society, illnesses and the death rate has increased within Aboriginal communities.

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Hope bluntly describes the vast lands as being long gone and are infested with colonisers but Lawson claims that it is God-given and rightfully belongs to Australians (white Australians or colonisers). In Australia, it says the cities are filled with “second-hand Europeans [who] pullulate” Australia, which suggests they are uprooting this new-world-country’s resources as a domain of punishment for European convicts. In contrast to this, Lawson argues that Australia is theirs to keep as it is “the Land that belongs to you.” Using high modality, he instils an idea of anti-authoritarianism which was a key part of the romantic period where people would reject the conventional ideas of society and instead embrace idealism and individualism through creative

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Abstract Being an aborigine in a white dominated society is a complicated identity. Australia, one of the white governed nations, also owns many aboriginal tribes. They lived harmonious lives in the early period. But European colonization has made a profound effect on the lives of Aboriginals in Australia, which led to the total demolition of their native culture, identity and history. As a result the new generation Aboriginals have lost their Aboriginal heritage and have been accepted neither by Aboriginals nor by whites.

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One Australian minority group that has been effected drastically is that of Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians are the traditional custodians of the land and have living in Australia for over 40,000 years. Since the arrival of white settlers in the late 18th century, their culture has been subject to a high degree scrutiny. Using the Australian ethnocentrism scale, it has been concluded that white Australians held negative attitudes towards Indigenous Australians (Beswick, Hills 1972). A popular negative attitude that can be viewed in today’s society is that

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The Assimilation Policy failed its aim of improving the lives of Indigenous Australians by placing them into white society. This was because white society did not accept Indigenous people as equals, even after indigenous people’s efforts to live like white society. The Assimilation Policy was a huge contributor to the Stolen Generations, this was because the Australian government made it a law to take Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander descent children and move them into white society. Children taken from their parents were taught to reject their Indigenous heritage, and made to adopt white culture. Their names were changed, and they were forbidden to speak their traditional language.

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A large majority of Australians have been presented with a version of Australian history that has minimised and ignored important events regarding Aboriginal people that include many violent and painful deaths that until recently have been hidden quietly. History is extremely important in forming cultural identity which in turn leads to an increased sense of security and belonging. Therefore a need for shared history is required in Australia for recognising the history of both Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people (Gore, 2008). When studying the history of Australia it is important to recognise that it is a shared history. The shared history of Australia acknowledges that the history of Australia began long before the British started to

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