'This study examines the origins and early development of organised Aboriginal political activism of the twentieth century. The importance of the study has two aspects; it reveals a significant but missing chapter in the history of this continent and it is fundamental in understanding the flaws in the imperial metaphor of historical discourse. The historical evaluation of the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association contained in this thesis is of critical importance to the revision of Australian Aboriginal history. Within that construct, it is intended to critique the nature of history. Why and how is it constructed? History in the Western sense is fundamentally about power and control. The research process of this study will examine the constructed Aboriginal place in history. Throughout the course of this study the methods used for the research process will be under continual review. The questions will be raised: Is there a tangible Aboriginal research methodology? If so, what are the guidelines in such an approach?'
Source: Thesis synopsis.
Epigraph: ' The Aboriginal nation, as a nation of the spirit ... a nation without land or hope, a nation of underprivilege, [sic] has existed, probably, from about a generation after Captain Cook landed Occasionally you meet one of its patriots, one of those people, who, whatever their intermediate likes and loyalties, can be seen to cast their ultimate sympathy, the core of their feelings with this Aboriginal nation. .. one does not meet many Aboriginal patriots because it takes a special kind of vision to be one. And it takes courage.
(Kevin Gilbert, Because a White Man'll Never Do It. p.193.)