Australia in the World-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Is the term Genocide's appropriate for the events Reynolds describes? What do you think of Governor Arthur's intentions? Answer: In the beginning of the chapter Reynolds clarifies the fact that the mass murders committed by the English colonialists in Tasmania are nothing but genocide. He uses the references of Leo Kuper, Raphael Lemkin and many of the other great writers to showcase the real historical incidences which happened with the aboriginals as genocide. Reynolds also mentions DC Watt who stated in his book that the systematic racial elimination can be named as nothing else but genocide and hence, the incidences of Tasmania are a systematic genocide by the British colonialists. However later in the text Reynolds clarifies the fact that the incidents in Tasmania have been seen through a certain perspective. It is a fact that the colony was heavily damaged by the guerrilla warfare and there was no other way except to get rid of the aboriginals. Reynolds emphasises on the holistic view of genocide and explains another side of the incidents in Tasmania. In the next section of the text the author talks about one of the historical Governor of Tasmania, George Arthur. Arthur was an out and out evangelist. He was completely against the British colonial policy and wanted peacefully integrate the aboriginals with the settlers. His real intention was a direct conflict to the interest of the British hierarchy and hence, when violence broke out in Tasmania between aboriginals the settlers, he was forced take action against them. There was a direct conflict between the aboriginal resistance and the British settlers in the 1826. He declared six standard policies including the protection of the aboriginals to avoid the conflict between these two forces. However, he was forced to take the action against them as there was no other way. As several of the settlers were killed since the resistance of the aboriginals, the Governor of Tasmania was bound to take steps. The Governor united the settlers to make them independent from the attacks of the ab originals. However, he always believed that an internal settlement is possible. The author displays the fact that Arthur was a great leader to the settlers and took important steps to save the community from violence. The aboriginals were a casualty for the western settlers in Tasmania. It was almost impossible for the settlers to build a cordial relationship with the aboriginals. This is the reason why even a peaceful Governor like Arthur was forced to violent measures against them. Reference Laidlaw, Z., Lester, A. (Eds.). (2015).Indigenous communities and settler colonialism: land holding, loss and survival in an interconnected world. Springer.