This paper tries to reconstruct the history of European Settlers coming to Australia in order to build up a new existence on foreign ground. The overall aim is to establish an understanding of the concept of terra nullius that labeled Australia literally into a no man’s land and thereby justified and enabled its annexation by the inrushing convicts, settlers, entrepreneurs and adventurers.
Within colonial discourse a colony was founded on the acquisition of land by occupation or settlement of a terra nullius. Although the presence of the Indigenous peoples was acknowledged, they were considered to be primitive and uncivilised. According to the colonial power without any visible political system the Indigenous peoples had no sovereignty over the land and no laws that would assert their land rights. Driven by the empowerment of terra nullius the newcomers claimed land as their own, mapped and named it.
With these insights the focus of this paper will shift to the historical novel The Secret River by Kate Grenville in order to follow the protagonist William Thornhill’s efforts to build up a new existence for his family in Australia and to present how the settlers’ motivations and methods of claiming and possessing of land were implemented. The dispossession of the Indigenous peoples of Australia was legally recognised through the Mabo judgement in 1992 that overturned the terra nullius fiction and acknowledged that Indigenous peoples had lived in Australia for thousands of years and enjoyed rights to their land according to their own laws and customs.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Key Concepts: Terra Nullius and Cartography
3. Settler Colony Australia
3.1. The History of the Settlers and the Beginnings of Settlements
3.2. Frontier Conflicts: European Settlers and their Expectations towards the Land and the Indigenous Peoples
3.3. Establishing White Hegemony at all Costs
4. Australia’s Unsettled History: The Secret River by Kate Grenville and its Implications for the “History Wars”
4.1. The History of Australia in The Secret River
4.2. The Concept of Terra Nullius through the Imperial Gaze and its Implementation by the Settlers
4.3. Land Acquisition: The Principle Of “First Come, First Serve” and William Thornhill’s Dream and Annexation of Land
4.4. The Indigenous View of Land and Land Ownership according to the Settlers
5. The Mabo Case and its Implications: Terra Nullius, a Fiction of Colonial Discourse
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines how the colonial doctrine of terra nullius, which labeled Australia as "no man's land," facilitated the violent dispossession of the Indigenous peoples. By analyzing Kate Grenville's historical novel The Secret River, the research investigates the intersection of colonial history, settler identity, and the "history wars," while exploring how fiction can serve as a medium for processing historical guilt and questioning official historiography.
- Theoretical analysis of the concepts of terra nullius and colonial cartography.
- Examination of the socio-historical conditions of the Australian settler colony.
- Critical exploration of Grenville’s The Secret River as a "Sorry Novel" within the context of the Australian "history wars."
- Analysis of the Mabo judgment as a landmark event in debunking the terra nullius fiction.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2. The Concept of Terra Nullius through the Imperial Gaze and its Implementation by the Settlers
‘Before Cook and After Cook’ refers to an ironic dating system devised by Aboriginal Australians. […] Before Cook (BC) denotes the millennia when Aboriginal nations flourished undisturbed on the Australian continent. After Cook (AC) is the last disastrous 200-odd years, a tiny speck on the face of the continent’s long history, but a period in which white invaders almost managed to destroy the identity of the indigenous owners. (Hunter 487)
Based on Hunter’s statement concerning the perceptions of the First Australians’ about the history of Australia that they have divided in a similar way to the Christian chronology as before and after, this chapter aims to construct the historical and political foundations of the concept of terra nullius within the colonial enterprise as well as the mentality of Europeans concerning property as a means of happiness in life.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the core concept of terra nullius and introduces the paper's aim to analyze its representation in Kate Grenville's The Secret River within the context of Australian historiography.
2. The Key Concepts: Terra Nullius and Cartography: This section explores how early mapping and Roman legal principles constructed the "paper empire" that justified European territorial expansion.
3. Settler Colony Australia: This chapter details the establishment of the Australian penal colony, the motivations of the settlers, and the violent frontier conflicts resulting from the imposition of white hegemony.
4. Australia’s Unsettled History: The Secret River by Kate Grenville and its Implications for the “History Wars”: This section addresses the controversy surrounding historical fiction in Australia and analyzes how Grenville’s novel confronts the nation's suppressed history.
5. The Mabo Case and its Implications: Terra Nullius, a Fiction of Colonial Discourse: This chapter discusses the 1992 Mabo judgment, which legally debunked the terra nullius doctrine and recognized the ongoing rights of Indigenous peoples.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the discussion, affirming that while the Mabo case debunked the legal fiction of terra nullius, the colonial legacy of dispossession remains a central, unsettled concern in contemporary Australian identity.
Keywords
Terra nullius, Australia, The Secret River, Kate Grenville, colonialism, settler colony, Mabo case, history wars, indigenous peoples, cartography, dispossession, land rights, settler identity, historiography, reconciliation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on explaining the colonial doctrine of terra nullius and how it is portrayed in Kate Grenville's novel, The Secret River.
What are the central thematic areas covered in the work?
The work covers colonial land acquisition, the history of settler Australia, the Mabo judgment, and the historiographical debates known as the "history wars."
What is the main objective or research question of this study?
The primary objective is to trace how the legal framework of terra nullius enabled the dispossession of Indigenous Australians and to analyze the role of literature in addressing historical trauma and national memory.
Which scientific methodology does the author use?
The author employs a qualitative, literature-based approach, analyzing historical texts, legal case studies, and literary theory to investigate the intersection of colonial discourse and fiction.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines the history of settler colonies, the theoretical concepts behind European land annexation, the specific case study of The Secret River, and the legal implications of the Mabo case.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include terra nullius, settler colonialism, Mabo case, The Secret River, indigenous dispossession, and historical memory.
How does the author characterize the "history wars"?
The "history wars" are described as a conflict between conservative and revisionist views of Australian history, specifically regarding the treatment of First Australians and the role of novelists in interpreting historical events.
What significance does the novel The Secret River hold for the author's argument?
The novel is used as a primary example of a "Sorry Novel," illustrating how fiction can provide a space for empathy and reconcile the settler perspective with the violent reality of colonization.
What specific role does the Mabo case play in the research?
The Mabo case is presented as the critical legal turning point that debunked the fiction of terra nullius and forced a revision of Australia's national historiography.
- Citation du texte
- Meral Engin (Auteur), 2017, From Terra Nullius to Mabo. The Appropriation of Land in Kate Grenville's Historical Novel "The Secret River", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/438933
