Contested Ground: Australian Aborigines under the British Crown

provides a comprehensive and up to date account of the processes and experiences which shaped the lives of Aboriginal Australians from 1788 to the present. It integrates eye-witness accounts, oral histories and historical research to present the first colony-by-colony, state by state history of Aboriginal-white relations. tells a story of dispossession and denial but it is also a positive account, revealing the persistent struggles of Aboriginal communities for a better future. Clearly written and generously illustrated, this book demonstrates why Australian Aboriginal history, like the very land itself, remains contested ground. - Paul Behrendt.