1 - Benevolent Empire?

Summary

INTRODUCTION

In various sites of the former British Empire, relationships between British settlers and indigenous peoples of the early nineteenth century are being re-examined in the light of current political projects. In Britain itself, Niall Ferguson's recently published and televised survey challenges established accounts of imperial exactions and suppressions. It portrays the Empire as a force for the progressive, orderly modernisation of the globe. Far from feeling apologetic about their empire, Ferguson and his conservative supporters want Britons to celebrate its achievements with pride.

In Australia, the Bicentenary celebrations in 1988 had prompted both historians and Aboriginal peoples' representatives to argue for the inclusion of the mass murder of Aborigines in the nation's official histories. A right-wing backlash ensued. Keith Windschuttle has been the most prolific and uncompromising participant in the ongoing “History Wars.” He has accused Australia's professional historians of “fabricating” histories of colonial brutality against Aboriginal people to fit in with their supposed left wing bias (Windschuttle, Fabrication; Macintyre and Clark; Manne). Windschuttle has consistently sought to scale down estimates of the violent Aboriginal death toll during the early nineteenth century, to exonerate British settlers of blame for the deaths occurred, and to accuse nineteenth century humanitarians of inventing separatist policies that have failed Aboriginal and white Australians ever since (see Windschuttle, “The Myths of Frontier Massacres” Parts 1–3).