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The aboriginal people
of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand became minorities in their own countries
in the nineteenth century. The expanding British Empire had its own vision for
the future of these peoples. They were to become civilized, Christian, and
citizens - in a word, assimilated. Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation provides the first systematic and comparative treatment of the social policy of assimilation followed in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Australia began by denying the aboriginal presence, Canada by registering all 'status' Indians, and New Zealand by giving all Maori British citizenship. Children received particular attention under the policy of assimilation, as there has always been a special interest in shaping the next generation. The missionaries, teachers, and social workers who carried out this work were motivated by the desire to save the unfortunate, but in the process children were required to leave their families, communities, language, and culture behind. |
| The policy of
assimilation is traced through five principal phases. During initial contact,
power relationships were established. In the second period, policy was passive
and aboriginal people were expected to die out or merge with the immigrant
populations. A period of aggressive policy then introduced specific social
policies to suppress aboriginal institutions. During the fourth period,
aboriginal existence was disregarded in an attempt at integration. Finally, in
the present period, policy is being reversed to accommodate the demands of
aboriginal people to determine the welfare of their children themselves.
Changes in social policy in each country to meet these expectations are
described and compared. Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation not only provides comprehensive and comparative data on the conduct of assimilative policy but also examines its origins and rationale. In the end, the policy is shown to be primarily an expression of the racist and colonial nature of the immigrant societies. Today, as aboriginal societies reassert themselves, there are grounds for hope that a plural social policy can be developed to accommodate the differences between aboriginal and immigrant societies. Andrew Armitage is an associate professor and the director of the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria. He is the author of Social Welfare in Canada (1987) and a contributing author to Rethinking Child Welfare in Canada (1993) |
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