AustLit

'The paper examines the presence of Aboriginal art, its contact with colonial and federation Australian art to prove that silencing of this art from the official identity narrative and art histories also served elimination of Aboriginal people from national and identity discourse. It posits then that the recently observed acceptance and popularity as well as incorporation of Aboriginal art into the national Australian art and art histories of Australian art may be interpreted as a sign of indigenizing state nationalism and multicultural national identity of Australia in compliance with the definition of identity according to Anthony B. Smith.' (Publication abstract)

'In December 2002, The Fabrication of Aboriginal History, Volume One by Keith Windschuttle was published. It argued that violence between whites and Aborigines in colonial Tasmania had been vastly exaggerated and sought to rewrite one of the most troubling parts of Australian history. The book soon attracted widespread coverage, including both high praise and heated criticism.'

'Until now, Windschuttle's arguments have not been comprehensively examined. Whitewash collects some of Australia's leading writers on Aboriginal history to do just this. The result provides not only a demolition of Windschuttle's revisionism but also a vivid and illuminating history of one of the most famous and tragic episodes in the history of the British Empire - the dispossession of the Tasmanian Aborigines.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'The responsibility attached to the writing of Indigenous Australians’ histories is immense: no other history has the potential to impact on the present and the future and excite contention and debate to such a high degree. For myself, I approach the task with some misgiving as the fallout can be resounding – my research interest,Indigenous family history with the reality of mixed race marriages and liaisons, is a potential minefield ... ' (Introduction)