Contested Ground : Australian Aborigines Under the British Crown

Contested Ground 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. Contested Ground 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.

'Both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians have a lot to learn about each other before reconciliation between the two peoples can be realised. This book will go a long way towards achieving that end.' - Paul Behrendt.

Ann McGrath led the History Project of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and is currently Director of the Centre for Community History at the University of New South Wales.

Contributors include Paul Behrendt, Peggy Brock, Richard Broome, Heather Goodall, Dawn May, Maykutenner (Vicki Matson-Green), Peter Read, Henry Reynolds and Sandy Toussaint.