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Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous People in British Settler Colonies, 1830-1910
This book focuses on the ways in which the British settler colonies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa treated indigenous peoples in relation to political rights, commencing with the imperial policies of the 1830s and ending with the national political settlements in place by 1910. Drawing on a wide range of sources, its comparative approach provides an insight into the historical foundations of present-day controversies in these settler societies.
Hardcover
Published November 8, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 5, 2022
I had to read this for a graduate class on British Imperialism and overall I’m glad I did (I know a LOT more about disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples in British settler colonies), but I couldn’t say I enjoyed the process of reading it. This might be more of a general critique on all academic texts, but I don’t know why it has to be so HARD.
For example, a large part of this book was about the disenfranchisement of Indigenous groups based on education (to be able to vote, non-White people had to pass education tests), but this book was written in a way that made it completely inaccessible to anyone NOT highly educated and able to read at a post-grad level. Am I the only one seeing the irony in that?
This book is important - it has information and claims that MATTER, but it doesn’t really do anyone any good when only a small number of the population is able to access it (by access I mean read and understand it as well as purchase it because it’s expensive!).
That’s my take. Interesting information, super useful when studying not only British imperialism but the Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand of today BUT it was unnecessarily painful to read. Disappointing.
For example, a large part of this book was about the disenfranchisement of Indigenous groups based on education (to be able to vote, non-White people had to pass education tests), but this book was written in a way that made it completely inaccessible to anyone NOT highly educated and able to read at a post-grad level. Am I the only one seeing the irony in that?
This book is important - it has information and claims that MATTER, but it doesn’t really do anyone any good when only a small number of the population is able to access it (by access I mean read and understand it as well as purchase it because it’s expensive!).
That’s my take. Interesting information, super useful when studying not only British imperialism but the Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand of today BUT it was unnecessarily painful to read. Disappointing.
March 6, 2026
”In all colonies of settlement, the primary aim of the settlers was to get possession of the land by dispossessing the Indigenous peoples,”
I’ll be honest, I skim read most of this because the stuff about colonies that aren’t Australia isn’t very relevant to be. It did leave a lot for me to consider regarding how voting legislation impacted Aboriginal people during the colonial period, and it was interesting to see how Australia did some things differently to other colonies like New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
I’ll be honest, I skim read most of this because the stuff about colonies that aren’t Australia isn’t very relevant to be. It did leave a lot for me to consider regarding how voting legislation impacted Aboriginal people during the colonial period, and it was interesting to see how Australia did some things differently to other colonies like New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews