Consent, marriage and colonialism: Indigenous Australian women and colonizer marriages
Date
2005
Authors
McGrath, Ann
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Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press
Abstract
In 1901, the year of Australian federation, the newly
constituted State of Queensland restricted marriage
between Indigenous women and non-Indigenous men.
These amendments to the Aboriginal Protection Act
legislation of 1897 criminalized the informal marital
arrangements that criss-crossed Queensland's cultural
and colonizing boundaries. The stated aims of the policy
were to "protect" Indigenous women from sexual
exploitation and to prevent the birth of "half-castes" or
mixed descent children. Yet, as established or de facto
marital relationships were considered a greater affront to
the colonial/national project than casual sex, police only
arrested those who "cohabited" with and openly
acknowledged their Indigenous partners
Description
Keywords
Colonialism, Marriage, Indigenous Australian Women, Colonizer Marriages, Aboriginal Protection Act legislation of 1897
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Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History
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Journal article
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