Assimilation

Assimilation:- the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society.


Contact with Europeans, from bloody 19th-century “pacification by force” to the urban assimilation of the present day, radically altered Aboriginal culture.


In the mid-1950’s, the general government policy emphasised an absorption process called assimilation. The word assimilation has been interpreted in various ways, but in practice it usually meant training Aborigines to enable them to take their place within the wider Australian system. It emphasised equality with other Australians, with the same range of choices, freedom of action, and responsibilities.
In practice, the assimilation policy meant rapid and radical change and the disappearance of most aspects of traditional life. To prevent this loss, the assimilation aim was officially modified in 1965 to allow greater emphasis on traditional Aboriginal culture. For a time, this ...