A Critique of Larrissa Behrendt's views on Aboriginal history.

Larissa has written a book 'home' where she explores the experience of a 'stolen generation child' who goes 'home' to Wallgett. The evil character in the book, but no coincidence of course is named "Mr Howard"....
She reflects on how aboriginal people have a different view of history to their white fellow Australians.

Behrendt pursued substantial study at Harvard Law school and after this moved into
working on Gender Equality for First nation women in Canada.

This is  the point where an important question should be raised. "How" is she approaching the idea of gender equality among Inuit and other first nation women ?  Is she framing this in terms of the national life of Canada.. ie the secular western social framework and seeking equality for FN women in 'that' society ? or.. is she seeking to impose a socialist/western concept of 'gender equality' onto first nation women and possibly extinguish their real culture? The arrogance of such an approach would be the height of cultural imperialism and intrusion, the very thing she whines about in her novel 'Home'.

Not only does the approach neglect the diversity of cultures among FN groups, by seeking to impose some kind of socialist 'Gender' regime on them, it is overtly presumptive in the extreme and deifies socialist ideas of gender equality and applies them to cultures which have their own traditions and values regarding the roles of males and females.

Notice what FN people said at a 'RoundTable' for Aboriginal women run by the Canadian government.

Throughout the meeting, the women picked up on inappropriate language. For one, they did not like the over-emphasis on gender equality, because it omits Aboriginal peoples’ own traditions
and values (1)

Well blow me down and strike me lucky!  The aboriginal women actually pick up on the socialist framework that the likes of Behrendt are trying to impose on them in the name of 'equality'.



The bottom line in all of this, is that in my humble opinion, those involved in the 'white' Aboriginal industry are more likely to have a marxist ideology than a truly indigenous cultural outlook. How can a Harvard Law school graduate identify with the hunter gatherer and associated spirituality of the ancestral Aborigine? Well such a person might 'identify' in one abstract, sentimental sense, but in the real world ?  It's ludicrous.

Which of course leads to their true political agenda. I'll leave the reader to figure that one out.. work calls.



1. http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/SW21-147-2000E.pdf