Thesis
"Never really heard of it": A study of the impact on identity of the Queensland Certificate of Exemption for Aboriginal People
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Bachelor of Social Science (Honours), University of the Sunshine Coast
2006
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00321
Abstract
Since colonisation, Australia's Aboriginal people have been subjected to ongoing government legislative and controls, in the name of 'care and protection'. In 1897, under the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act, the Queensland Government devised a policy whereby certain 'half-caste' Aboriginal people could apply for a 'Certificate of Exemption'. The 'Certificate' was available to a 'privileged few' who could prove that they were able to manage their own affairs and able to find suitable employment in the wider community. In order to be eligible for exemption and to be considered no longer 'under the Act', a person had to, in effect, sever all ties with their Aboriginal kin, culture and traditions. This thesis investigates the impact of this system of exemption on those who gained a 'Certificate of Exemption' and on their descendants. A small sample of six such individuals have been interviewed about their 'sense of identity and self'. Data has also been obtained from extensive searches of official government records, papers and correspondence along with scholarly writings and literary accounts 'lived experiences'. The resulting material has been analysed and interpreted, using the theories and concepts of French philosopher, Michel Foucault. It is hoped that the findings of this research will serve to educate the wider community, giving it a better understanding of the impact past legislation has had on the 'exempted' Aboriginal people of Queensland and their descendants.
Details
- Title
- "Never really heard of it": A study of the impact on identity of the Queensland Certificate of Exemption for Aboriginal People
- Authors
- Judith Wickes
- Contributors
- Lucinda Aberdeen (Supervisor)
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Degree awarded
- Bachelor of Social Science (Honours)
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00321
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Indigenous Services - Legacy; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449736802621
- Output Type
- Thesis
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