Identifying the Process
The removal of ‘Half-Caste’ Children from Aboriginal Mothers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11963653 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Suzanne Parry (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Aboriginal History Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0314-8769 • E-ISSN: 1837-9389 |
| Publisher | ANU Press (PUBLISHER • AU) |
| DOI | 10.22459/ah.19.2011.08 |
| OpenAlex | W2266417215 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 7 |
In searching for clues as to why white public servants, missionaries and others believed they had the right, and not only the right but the duty, to remove children of mixed Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal descent from their Aboriginal mothers during the middle decades of the twentieth century, it is easy to be beguiled into accepting the justification as it was articulated by contemporary society. One would then accept that so called 'Half-caste' children were institutionalised, or fostered into white families, because contemporary belief has it that their white 'blood' fitted them for a life better than that available in Aboriginal camps. This is essentially as it was explained at the time and such a rationale allowed the 'removalists', mostly white male missionaries, police officers and patrol officers, to face the task with resolution and a sense of duty. This rationale also allowed the wider society to support the actions of the removalists as being guided by high moral principles and generosity to the less fortunate. Folklore heightened the moral necessity of removing the children as it perpetuated the myth that light skinned children would be killed if left with their Aboriginal families.1 While one might accept these explanations at face value they fail to explain the relationship of the individual with the beliefs articulated and fail to explain the generation of the beliefs themselves. Why was it that there was such wide support for removalist policies; indeed, why the assumption that the belief on which the policy was based was an indisputable truth? One is left with the feeling that there is much more to it than contemporary explanations would lead us to believe
Caste · Political science · Process (computing · Project commissioning · Publishing · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Computer Science · Engineering · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Social and Cultural Dynamics
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| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2001 - 2023 (23) |
| Highly cited | No |