Aboriginal Sovereignty: Reflections on Race State & Nation

by Henry Reynolds

Aboriginal Sovereignty is a provocative study of the relations between indigenous Australians and mainstream society. It presents a bold new interpretation of Aboriginal political development. It challenges us to consider that the Mabo decision is not the boundary at which the recognition of indigenous rights must cease.
Aboriginal Sovereignty confronts the question of whether Aboriginal society exercised a form of sovereignty before 1788, whether the 'tribes' were actually small 'nations'. It considers legal interpretations of what happened when the Britons arrived. It looks at customary law and then considers current political and constitutional discussion, in Australia and overseas.
What are the lessons from North America? Can there be self-determination for the 'nations within' a nation state?

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Henry Reynolds is currently an ARC Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania at Launceston. He was for many years at James Cook University in Townsville. He is the author of many well-known books including The Other Side of the Frontier, Law of the Land, Fate of a Free People and Why Weren’t We Told?

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars