Island chains : carceral islands and the colonisation of Australia, 1824-1903
This thesis is about the transportation of European, Indigenous and non-white immigrant convicts to islands off the coast of Australia. It argues that carceral islands were defined not by isolation but by connection. They were part of local, colonial and imperial networks through which people, goods and ideas travelled. Through these connections, carceral islands played a key role in the colonisation of the vast Australian mainland. They acted as sites to remove those who resisted conquest or disrupted settler economies and then convict labour was re-utilised to benefit the colonial project. Using prison records and colonial office correspondence as its primary source material, it shows that islands were systematically used within the Australian convict system to isolate and extract labour from convicts. The study turns on three case studies â Melville Island (Yermalnear) in the Northern Territory, Rottnest Island (Wadjemup) in Western Australia and Cockatoo Island (Wa-rea-mah) in New South Wales â to demonstrate that carceral islands were vital for the success of colonisation. The first two chapters focus on how officials and magistrates âimaginedâ these islands as secure, bounded ânatural prisonsâ,
Roscoe, Katherine Ann
Island chains : carceral islands and the colonisation of Australia, 1824-1903. This thesis is about the transportation of European, Indigenous and non-white immigrant convicts to islands off the coast of Australia. It argues that carceral islands were defined not by isolation but by connection. They were part of local, colonial and imperial networks through which people, goods and ideas travelled. Through these connections, carceral islands played a key role in the colonisation of the vast Australian mainland. They acted as sites to remove those who resisted conquest or disrupted settler economies and then convict labour was re-utilised to benefit the colonial project. Using prison records and colonial office correspondence as its primary source material, it shows that islands were systematically used within the Australian convict system to isolate and extract labour from convicts. The study turns on three case studies â Melville Island (Yermalnear) in the Northern Territory, Rottnest Island (Wadjemup) in Western Australia and Cockatoo Island (Wa-rea-mah) in New South Wales â to demonstrate that carceral islands were vital for the success of colonisation. The first two chapters focus on how officials and magistrates âimaginedâ these islands as secure, bounded ânatural prisonsâ,
island chain island colonisation australia transportation european indigenous non_white immigrant convict islands coast australia argues island define isolation connection part local colonial imperial network people good idea travel connection island play_key_role colonisation vast australian mainland act site remove resist conquest disrupt settler economy convict labour utilised benefit colonial project using prison record colonial_office correspondence primary_source_material show island systematically use within australian convict system isolate extract labour convict study turn three_case_study island northern territory island western australia island rea new south_wales island vital success colonisation first_two focus official magistrate imagine island secure bound natural prison