When did civilisation begin in Australia? Who has the right to lay claim to
this land! How have such claims been made - and how have they shaped the society
we live in today? In this provocative and groundbreaking take on history, David
Day tackles these and other questions central to our understanding on
Australia's past, its present and its future.
Placing the struggles between Aboriginals groups and European settlers in a
broader context, 'Claiming a Continent' explores notions of possession,
dispossession and proprietorship; debates which continue to spilt the nation. In
this updated and revised edition, Day also examines contemporary issues - the
Republic referendum, East Timor, John Howard and the Reconciliation process -
and their continuing repercussions.
'Claiming a Continent' is an award winning book, that is for anyone
interested in discovering for themselves the real story of Australia.
Contents:
1. 'Every tribe has its own district': Aboriginal Arrival and Society pre-1788
2. 'A pure state of Nature': The European Discovery of Australia 1500s-1770
3. 'A land seen for the first time': Claiming and Naming Australia 1788-1829
4. 'They must always consider us as enemies': Confronting the Traditional Owners
1788-1792
5. 'The cultivation and improvement of waste lands': The Pastoral Invasion
1788-1840
6. 'They clear the land of a detested incubus': Dealing with the Aborigines
1792-1835
7. 'They understand the system of reprisals': Continuing the Conquest of the
Aborigines 1835-1900
8. 'Buried in a countless throng of Chinamen': The Effects of the Gold Rushes
1851-1860
9. 'Into the bosom of unknown lands': Exploring the Interior 1813-1875
10. 'A home in the vast wilderness': The Intensification of Settlement 1860-1900
11. 'The time for union is come': The Push for Federation 1851-1901
12. 'Until the last coloured man has disappeared': The Creation of White
Australia 1901-1914
13. 'Now we know what nations know': The Blooding of the Nation 1914-1918
14. 'On the threshold of achievement': Building Up British Australia 1919-1929
15. 'Our claim to be allowed to remain a White Australia': The Worried Years
1930-1939
16. 'A citadel for the British-speaking race': The coming of War 1939-1942
17. 'The Battle of Australia': War in the Pacific 1942-1945
18. 'The flag of White Australia will not be lowered': The Post-War Peopling of
Australia 1945-1950
19. 'Thrusting their red spear-points towards Australia': Developing the
Interior 1950-1960
20. 'There is a continent awaiting our conquest': A Land of Plenty 1960-1972
21. The natural and desirable future': The Coming of Multiculturalism 1972-1988
22. 'The end of the great lie': A Tentative Embrace of Aboriginal Australia
1988-1996
23. 'Australia can do anything': A Nation Adrift 1996-2001
Bibliography
Index
