Imagining assimilation

Abstract

This article is a preliminary study of the imaginings of white Australians about assimilation. The formation of these imaginings is explored by examining representations at a particular time in our history, how they were constructed by governments to appeal to the Australian public, and how they were refracted in the public domain. The article is driven by the urgent need to clarify our understanding of the Australian experience of assimilation and, in particular, to explain the tenacious grip that this vision of nationhood still has on the minds of many Australians.