Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellywere envisioned as the missing link to the pre-historic past; lesser humans wholived a static culture, and who were child like, unpredictable, immoral, and Godless.As such they were considered less than human, not requiring the sameconsiderations as ‘civilized’ British subjects (Ashcroft 2001a; Eckermann et al.2006; Said 1993).Europeans developed their identity by comparing themselves to how they perceived‘other’ races, cultures, religions, and geographical environments and economicssystems to be. They determined that what they did was normal, and that all otherraces were in a state of aspiring to become like them. Although there was somedebate about this dominant ideology, the influence of those who disagreed had aminimal effect (Ashcroft 2001b; Said 1993).Alongside capitalism and Western ideology, literacy and formal education becamelinked with intelligence, particularly when print material enabled literature tobecome more widely available (Ashcroft 2001b; Said 1993). Those who were‘educated’ took the role of the instructing, monitoring and correcting of those whowere not. Around the same time, the concept of ‘the child’ also emerged inEuropean thinking. Children were illiterate and therefore considered to beunknowing and uneducated; having the potential for good yet being inherently evil(Ashcroft 2001b). Locke (1693) theorised that children at birth had a mind that waslike a blank slate, and it was the responsibility of parents and schoolmasters toensure that appropriate literacy, education, reason, self-control and shame werewritten onto the mind to ensure a ‘civilised adult’ emerged. This followed thepuritan belief that ‘though his body be small, yet he hath a [wrongdoing] heart, andit is altogether inclined to evil’ (Ashcroft 2001a, p. 39).In comparison, Rousseau envisioned the unformed child as possessing capacitiesfor candour, understanding, curiosity and spontaneity which must be preserved orrediscovered. While there were obvious tensions and contradictions between thesetwo viewpoints, together they formed the justification for the need for educationand civilising processes for children by paternalistic and authoritative figures. Classalso impacted on how children were treated by adults, with upper class childrenwell cared for and lower class children often placed in slavery (Ashcroft 2001a).32