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Source 7.10. “Settlement in Australia” extract from Spanning Time (Power et al., 1985, pp. 176-177) 308

7.4.2 Discourses of Indigenous Australians as savages/primitive. Viewing Indigenous Australians as savage or primitive is highlighted in Source 7.11 in an extract from Spanning Time about Dampier, a Dutch explorer from the 1600s. Source 7.11. Extract about William Dampier from Spanning Time (Power et al., 1985, p. 179) By not mediating the summary of a primary source quote in Source 7.11, students are not provided with an understanding of Dampier’s statement within its historical context. Nor is this perspective problematised or critiqued. Instead, students are provided exposure to this statement as though it is ‘true’ and unproblematic. The disconnected use of this primary source quote is also included in Primary Social Studies sourcebook year 5 (Department of Education, 1988a). Despite the significant role this sourcebook plays in acknowledging and promoting Indigenous Australian histories, primary source documents are still used, unmediated, in a way that reinforces discourses that view Indigenous Australians as ‘savage’ or ‘primitive’. See, for example, Source 7.12, two extracts from a Teacher information sheet in Primary Social Studies sourcebook year 5. 309

Source 7.10. “Settlement in Australia” extract from Spanning Time (Power et al., 1985, pp.<br />

176-177)<br />

308

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