Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation
Abstract The theory that the rapid depopulation of Indigenous people post-colonisation was largely caused by European introduced or exotic disease to which Indigenous people had no immunity resonates through most narratives of the early years of colonisation....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland
2009-07-01
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| Series: | The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| Online Access: | https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/549 |
| _version_ | 1797963429443534848 |
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| author | Greg Blyton |
| author_facet | Greg Blyton |
| author_sort | Greg Blyton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract
The theory that the rapid depopulation of Indigenous
people post-colonisation was largely caused by European
introduced or exotic disease to which Indigenous people had
no immunity resonates through most narratives of the early
years of colonisation. The question of whether this
narrative is based on sound medical evidence or is better
placed in the realm of myth is the subject of this paper.
Here I contend, that introduced disease is little more than
a convenient explanation of the rapid depopulation of
Indigenous people in south eastern New South Wales during
the nineteenth century, and one that allows the illusion of
colonial ethnography to perpetuate a widespread belief that
introduced diseases and immunity were the unfortunate, but
unavoidable cause of most Indigenous population decline.
But what is the evidence that these disease theories found
in Australian history are anything more than Eurocentric
constructions? An Indigenous approach to the topic, as
undertaken in this paper, raises questions that are as yet
without answers and which challenge conventional
theoretical explanations.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T01:29:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60a16e79c33248bbb5edb74db930eac3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2049-7784 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T01:29:15Z |
| publishDate | 2009-07-01 |
| publisher | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-60a16e79c33248bbb5edb74db930eac32023-01-03T10:03:12ZengAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of QueenslandThe Australian Journal of Indigenous Education2049-77842009-07-0138S110.1375/S1326011100000788Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous DepopulationGreg Blyton0University of NewcastleAbstract The theory that the rapid depopulation of Indigenous people post-colonisation was largely caused by European introduced or exotic disease to which Indigenous people had no immunity resonates through most narratives of the early years of colonisation. The question of whether this narrative is based on sound medical evidence or is better placed in the realm of myth is the subject of this paper. Here I contend, that introduced disease is little more than a convenient explanation of the rapid depopulation of Indigenous people in south eastern New South Wales during the nineteenth century, and one that allows the illusion of colonial ethnography to perpetuate a widespread belief that introduced diseases and immunity were the unfortunate, but unavoidable cause of most Indigenous population decline. But what is the evidence that these disease theories found in Australian history are anything more than Eurocentric constructions? An Indigenous approach to the topic, as undertaken in this paper, raises questions that are as yet without answers and which challenge conventional theoretical explanations. https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/549 |
| spellingShingle | Greg Blyton Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| title | Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation |
| title_full | Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation |
| title_fullStr | Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation |
| title_short | Seeds of Myth: Exotic Disease Theory and Deconstructing the Australian Narrative of Indigenous Depopulation |
| title_sort | seeds of myth exotic disease theory and deconstructing the australian narrative of indigenous depopulation |
| url | https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/549 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gregblyton seedsofmythexoticdiseasetheoryanddeconstructingtheaustraliannarrativeofindigenousdepopulation |