Aboriginal Australians: First Nations of an Ancient Continent (New Horizons) - Softcover

Stephen Muecke; Adam Shoemaker

Softcover

ISBN 10: 050030114X ISBN 13: 9780500301142

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

A vibrantly illustrated social and cultural history of the Aboriginal Australians, from their origins to the present

Here is a lively, vibrantly illustrated social and cultural history of the Aboriginal Australians, from their origins to the present day. The book explores the spiritual beliefs and Dreamings of the Indigenous people, their complex social structures and relationship with the land, and their struggle to survive the trials of colonization and forced assimilation. It also looks in depth at their massive cultural renaissance over the past four decades, with comprehensive coverage of the way in which Aboriginal art and literature have become flagships for Australian culture.

About this title

About the Authors

Stephen Muecke is Professor of Ethnography at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He studied linguistics and semiotics, completing his PhD on storytelling techniques among Aboriginal people in Broome, Western Australia.

Professor Adam Shoemaker is one of Australia's leading researchers in the area of Indigenous literature and culture.

From the Back Cover

In the 18th century, as European colonization proceeded apace, one continent remained to be discovered, the mythical Terra Australis incognita. This, the largest island-continent, had been inhabited for over 60,000 years by the Aborigines, who were described by the first explorers as the 'miserablest people in the world'. This perception was the beginning of a deep and long-lasting misapprehension, which the authors resoundingly dispel in this lively social and cultural history. They explore how the aborigines actually came to be in Australia, their extraordinary rituals and 'Dreamings', and the importance of 'kin' to their social structures. A chapter is devoted to the aborigines' often atrocious treatment at the hands of white settlers, and the pervasive racial prejudice that remained enshrined in the Australian constitution until 1967. The final section deals with the massive indigenous cultural renaissance over the past four decades, and discusses how Aboriginal art - be it Central Desert acrylic art, batik, contemporary urban painting, sculpture or traditional bark painting - has become a flagship for Australian culture.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 050030114X
• ISBN 13: 9780500301142
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128