PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ...
PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ... PDF (Whole Thesis) - USQ ePrints - University of Southern ...
textbooks published in the early to mid 1970s are notable for the absence of any discussion of Indigenous Australians, either in an historical or contemporary context. This is despite political gains made by and for Indigenous Australians in the late 1960s. Two history textbooks used extensively in Queensland secondary schools, Australia in the modern world (Andrews, 1974) and H.R. Cowie’s (1975) Frankfurt to Fra Mauro: A thematic history of the modern world contain no mention of Indigenous Australians, despite both books having a focus on Australian history. In the case of Andrews’ book, the entire content is Australian history, and although less of a focus in Cowie’s book, three of the 42 chapters nevertheless are primarily concerned with Australia. A third textbook Foundations (Hendy et al., 1976), also used extensively in Queensland secondary schools, contains only two fleeting references to Indigenous Australians, both in a negative way and included within the topic of bushrangers. This is despite the book covering Australian historical and contemporary issues. The first reference reads: ‘Food and water were difficult to find and the Aborigines were hostile…The Australian bush and hostile Aborigines had kept the bolters close to the coast’ (Hendy et al., 1976, p. 119). A “bolter” was a convict who had escaped from incarceration. The second and final reference to Indigenous Australians includes a short paragraph linked with a version of the Ned Kelly bushranger saga and reads: Even with the help of the ‘black trackers’, the mounted police had a hard time of it when looking for bushrangers. The black trackers were Aborigines. Mostly from Queensland, they could track the bushrangers when there seemed to be no trail. Hated and feared by the bushrangers, Ned Kelly called them ‘the black-devils’. Public support, help and information could have made the trackers’ work easier. (Hendy et al., 1976, p. 127, emphasis added) This second reference includes information about Indigenous Australians being of worth to non-Indigenous Australians only when they perform services, such as trackers to stop illegal activities. Identification or lack of identification of Indigenous representations in textbooks is not intended to be used as a criterion for judging the value of any textbook or to critique its effectiveness, worthiness or otherwise as a high quality text used in schools. This would not be a fair analysis, as the textbooks were constructed to reflect the syllabus of the time and to ensure that the students were learning material they would be tested on, through for example, externally based exams and, later in the era, school based examinations. This would also not be a valid form of research, as the textbooks were not written with this imposed criterion in mind. Instead, what this analysis does is identify what Indigenous representations there are in 202
textbooks and the particular discourses surrounding the content. So, for example some exemplary textbooks, written by widely respected educators, such as H.R. Cowie do not contain any Indigenous representations, and although this is made explicit in this analysis, it is not used as a measuring stick of the value of the text as a whole. Finally, although there was an opportunity for substantial syllabus change in 1964 from the 1952 Social Studies Syllabus, the syllabus did not undergo any significant changes. As a result, the government supplied textbooks did not change. However, support materials in the later years of the era were updated, a seemingly conscious effort to provide some update to the curriculum without a complete restructure or overhaul. So, responsiveness to current events for primary school students can be tracked from the 1970s. Although current events and issues of the day were not explicitly taught, the underpinning sentiments of wider participation in public affairs of Indigenous Australians start being seen in textbooks. Curriculum support materials, not published but endorsed by the Department of Education, Social Studies for the 70s (produced by renowned educational publishers, William Brooks) was a series encompassing three types of books for each primary school grade, including student workbooks, student project sheets, and teachers’ handbooks. They were designed to complement and build on, in order to make more contemporary, the Social Studies for Queensland schools textbook series. It is worthwhile to point out however, that some served only to reinforce what was already in the textbooks, see for example Source 6.3. 203
- Page 166 and 167: 5.2.3 Key textbooks and related sch
- Page 168 and 169: Mariners of England a poem written
- Page 170 and 171: Source 5.3. Chapter II: The Britons
- Page 172 and 173: the largest for British heritages,
- Page 174 and 175: stands for the country itself and t
- Page 176 and 177: Source 5.4. The Flag of the Empire
- Page 178 and 179: Australasia appears in a number of
- Page 180 and 181: demands. But if they spoke with a u
- Page 182 and 183: 5.8.1 Discourses of legitimizing th
- Page 184 and 185: practical example: Australia’s pa
- Page 186 and 187: Although often mediated through the
- Page 188 and 189: which were, at the time, very emoti
- Page 190 and 191: Source 5.6. Front cover of Anzac Da
- Page 192 and 193: 5.9 Intersections of British Herita
- Page 194 and 195: Australia contains further signific
- Page 196 and 197: Source 5.7. Extract from Preface to
- Page 198 and 199: Furthermore, the use of primary sou
- Page 200 and 201: “…playing fast and loose with t
- Page 202 and 203: Australia experienced a growing str
- Page 204 and 205: Separate State responsibility has l
- Page 206 and 207: The two examples above, although br
- Page 208 and 209: It was in the 1952 syllabus that th
- Page 210 and 211: (b) Australian Aborigines. (Departm
- Page 212 and 213: However, due to the wide distributi
- Page 214 and 215: matter in a fresh and interesting w
- Page 218 and 219: Source 6.3. A sample project sheet
- Page 220 and 221: narratives of so-named British expl
- Page 222 and 223: This image, like many of the narrat
- Page 224 and 225: killed by Indigenous Australians; E
- Page 226 and 227: possibly unintended message that th
- Page 228 and 229: Source 6.10. “Natives” extract
- Page 230 and 231: Source 6.11. “King was saved” e
- Page 232 and 233: Indigenous Australians is linked wi
- Page 234 and 235: one Indigenous person. There is a v
- Page 236 and 237: Source 6.15. Batman Treaty and Gove
- Page 238 and 239: Indigenous Australian interactions
- Page 240 and 241: Source 6.18. “Jacky’s Sad Story
- Page 242 and 243: Australians in history narratives.
- Page 244 and 245: comments that bring together the va
- Page 246 and 247: 6.5 Category 2: Frontier Conflicts
- Page 248 and 249: 6.5.2 Discourses of eye-witness acc
- Page 250 and 251: places where the natives were treat
- Page 252 and 253: Source 6.24. Frontier Conflicts ext
- Page 254 and 255: 6.6 Category 3: Tasmanian Indigenou
- Page 256 and 257: emoval of the captured aboriginals
- Page 258 and 259: Some emotion is attributed to this
- Page 260 and 261: 6.6.4 Discourses of criminality. Vi
- Page 262 and 263: in Source 6.28, they are both male,
- Page 264 and 265: emerging respect for different know
textbooks and the particular discourses surrounding the content. So, for example some<br />
exemplary textbooks, written by widely respected educators, such as H.R. Cowie do not<br />
contain any Indigenous representations, and although this is made explicit in this analysis, it<br />
is not used as a measuring stick <strong>of</strong> the value <strong>of</strong> the text as a whole.<br />
Finally, although there was an opportunity for substantial syllabus change in 1964 from the<br />
1952 Social Studies Syllabus, the syllabus did not undergo any significant changes. As a<br />
result, the government supplied textbooks did not change. However, support materials in the<br />
later years <strong>of</strong> the era were updated, a seemingly conscious effort to provide some update to<br />
the curriculum without a complete restructure or overhaul. So, responsiveness to current<br />
events for primary school students can be tracked from the 1970s. Although current events<br />
and issues <strong>of</strong> the day were not explicitly taught, the underpinning sentiments <strong>of</strong> wider<br />
participation in public affairs <strong>of</strong> Indigenous Australians start being seen in textbooks.<br />
Curriculum support materials, not published but endorsed by the Department <strong>of</strong> Education,<br />
Social Studies for the 70s (produced by renowned educational publishers, William Brooks)<br />
was a series encompassing three types <strong>of</strong> books for each primary school grade, including<br />
student workbooks, student project sheets, and teachers’ handbooks. They were designed to<br />
complement and build on, in order to make more contemporary, the Social Studies for<br />
Queensland schools textbook series. It is worthwhile to point out however, that some served<br />
only to reinforce what was already in the textbooks, see for example Source 6.3.<br />
203
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