125
Many of the younger anthropologists were questioning,
in conversation, the ethical basis of the assimilation
policy, and some were asserting that a policy change
was needed ... I asked the authors to write something
relevant to ’assimilation' and its implications for
Aborigines (Reay, 1964: xv).
While Reay's own interests were anthropological the collection
of articles reflected a distinct change of emphasis. The late
sixties and early seventies were to see a burgeoning of research
interest in the social sciences, where a number of people turned their
attention to the 'worlds' of Aborigines. That contribution will
be examined in Chapter XI.
9.7 Summary
Identification and naming as constructs of the dominant society
defining Aborigines to suit the purpose of the white world, carried
with them a definition of a 'world' of meanings with which
Aborigines interacted, and a set of expectations about behaviour
which they were expected to produce.
Thomas' well known doctrine on the real consequences
of social definition was presumably intended, and
has generally been understood as intending, to say
that once a 'reality' has been defined, people will
act as if it were indeed so. To this important
proposition must be added an understanding of the
realizing (that is, reality-producing) potency of
social definition (Berger, in Cosin, 1971:99).
Negative definitions of identity and negative attributes proposed
by white society for Aborigines, and imposed on the latter,
created for Aborigines a negative universe of meaning for
establishing identity. " 4^
Constantly changing worlds of meaning provided a context for
identity-diffusion with the attendant suffering contained in
Vera Lovelock’s cry: "Aborigines - they're very confused people";
"We've been thrown into confusion for 200 years" (in Tatz, ed.,
1975:65,70).