Cirrus@Austlit

'Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence (1996) is the story of three young Aboriginal girls, sisters Molly and Daisy and their cousin Gracie, taken from their parents by government authorities in 1931, to live far from their home at the harsh Moore River Native Settlement. Written originally by Doris Pilkington Garimara, it was adapted as a film under the title Rabbit-Proof Fence, directed by Philip Noyce (2002). The children were part of what is now known as the stolen generations and their story remains profoundly relevant to the lives of a great many Aboriginal children and their families. While there has been significant critical response to the text both itself and in the context of its adaptation, specifically in the realm of Australian Cultural Studies, it is pertinent and necessary to consider also the social context of the story. This is coming from the perspective of Aboriginal human rights and social justice.' (Introduction)

'The Australian common law’s recognition of native title by the High Court in the Mabo case of 1992 signalled a ‘retreat of injustice’ from which no turning back seemed possible. This recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights as the first peoples of this land contrasts sharply with the history of the common law which was marked instead by a blatant infringement of human rights: the colonial parliaments and legislatures effected many discriminatory laws aimed at the ‘natives’, laws that were shaped by official policies such as segregation and assimilation. These laws would appear abhorrent in Australian life today: laws that prohibited the intermarriage and association between Aboriginal and white or Asian, laws that permitted the theft or removal of children from their mothers, laws that allowed for the ‘indenturing’ or slavery of men, women and children to the burgeoning pastoral and pearling industries.

'This paper surveys the developments following the 1992 recognition of native title by the common law, and also highlights the importance of Indigenous people’s fundamental claims to justice: sovereignty, self-determination and treaty.' (Introduction)

'Mission Girls is a very well researched and in-depth history of the lives of Aboriginal women on Catholic missions in the Kimberley between 1900 and 1950. The book looks at important issues such as the establishment of the missions, the treatment of the women by the missionaries who worked cooperatively with the state Aboriginal Affairs Department, the separation of Aboriginal children from their families and culture, and the evangelisation of particularly the Kimberley women.'  (Introduction)