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dc.contributor.authorBuchan, Bruce
dc.contributor.editorRoberta Julian, Reannan Rottier, Rob White
dc.date.accessioned2018-02-13T07:38:47Z
dc.date.available2018-02-13T07:38:47Z
dc.date.issued2005
dc.date.modified2009-11-04T06:18:45Z
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/2454
dc.description.abstractThere is perhaps no more frequently cited concept in modern thought to have excited so little historical investigation as 'society'. Conventionally, scholars trace the origins of modern understandings of 'society' to Enlightenment philosophers for whom 'society' referred to the realm of essentially unforced though heavily regulated interaction between autonomous individuals. On this reading, the concept of 'society' imbibes both the repressive connotations of regimes of self-discipline, and the liberating potential of unforced interaction. I will argue in this paper however, that such a reading misses the colonial history of the concept, which shows a darker side to the concept and its history. By focusing on early British colonization in Australia, it will be argued that colonial efforts to govern the Indigenous inhabitants by 'civilising' them, were premised on the view that the British were 'fitting' the Indigenous peoples of Australia for 'society'. The colonial history of the concept thus reveals that early European notions of society were premised on 'civilization'. Civilisation was the process which ensured that individuals could be made capable of 'society', and thus society itself could only be understood as an artifact of regulation, government and control. Key Words: Society, Indigenous people, civilization, colonial, government.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherTASA. The Sociological Association of Australia
dc.publisher.placeHobart, Tasmania
dc.publisher.urihttps://tasa.org.au/tasa-conference/past-tasa-conferences/2005-tasa-conference/
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofconferencenameTASA 2005 Conference
dc.relation.ispartofconferencetitleTASA 2005 Conference Proceedings
dc.relation.ispartofdatefrom2005-12-05
dc.relation.ispartofdateto2005-12-08
dc.relation.ispartoflocationHobart
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode370101
dc.titleSociety: A Colonial History of the Concept
dc.typeConference output
dc.type.descriptionE1 - Conferences
dc.type.codeE - Conference Publications
dc.description.versionVersion of Record (VoR)
gro.facultyArts, Education & Law Group, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences
gro.rights.copyright© The Author(s) 2005. The attached file is reproduced here with permission of the copyright owner(s) for your personal use only. No further distribution permitted. For information about this conference please refer to TASA website or contact the author(s).
gro.date.issued2005
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorBuchan, Bruce A.


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