Indigenous peoples, the British Empire, and self-government for the Australian colonies

This project investigates the process and consequences of Britain s granting self-government to the Australian colonies, in so far as Indigenous peoples and policies were concerned. Against conventional wisdom, it explores the hypothesis that the Indigenous question is crucial to the concession and operations of self-government. It investigates why, in light of concerns over the treatment of Indigenous peoples, Britain granted self-government to the Australian colonies when it did, and analyses the continuities and discontinuities between imperial and colonial rule. By combining political and Indigenous history, it develops new insights into the interactions between settlers, Indigenous peoples, missionaries, and imperial authorities.