Regulating the race: aboriginal children in private European homes in colonial Australia

Shirleene Robinson*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    11 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article focuses on the incorporation of Aboriginal children into European families on a private basis in the colonial era. While state-based missions and reserves were central sites where Aboriginal children were placed, other Aboriginal children were privately placed with European families during the colonial era. This article explores the shifting reasons for this practice. It finds that Aboriginal children who entered European families away from the control of the state came under the control of Europeans through a variety of ways. Initially, Aboriginal child removals were conducted during the course of violent frontier conflict or involved children who had been impacted by introduced European diseases. Smaller numbers of Indigenous children were taken as objects of curiosity. As the nineteenth century progressed, however, it became increasingly common for settlers to take Indigenous children for labour purposes. The article argues that the white middle-class family was positioned as a site for "civilising" children, where the moral regulation of childhood was conducted. This article adds a new dimension to colonial understandings about the role and structure of the family. It also expands understandings about Indigenous child removal in Australia's past.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)302-315
    Number of pages14
    JournalJournal of Australian Studies
    Volume37
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2013

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Regulating the race: aboriginal children in private European homes in colonial Australia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this