Terra Nullius: A Journey Through No One's Land
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- Create Date：2021-06-06 09:53:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sven Lindqvist
- ISBN：1847085210
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Summary
In 'Terra Nullius'， Sven Lindqvist travels 7000 miles through Australia， lyrically describing its landscape， flora and fauna， while telling the history of the country， and revealing the shocking treatment of its Aboriginal peoples。
Reviews
joseph
，
takes the same form as exterminate all the brutes， a travelogue backed up by a heft of historical research， but ends on a positive note， emphasising the growth of organised resistance by australia's - and the rest of the world's - indigenous peoples。 i learnt a great deal from this book。 it's heavy on detail but written elegantly and accessibly。 lindqvist is really adept at summarising and interrogating the key， and sometimes overlooked， historical sources and introducing historiographical debat takes the same form as exterminate all the brutes， a travelogue backed up by a heft of historical research， but ends on a positive note， emphasising the growth of organised resistance by australia's - and the rest of the world's - indigenous peoples。 i learnt a great deal from this book。 it's heavy on detail but written elegantly and accessibly。 lindqvist is really adept at summarising and interrogating the key， and sometimes overlooked， historical sources and introducing historiographical debates。 he covers so many deeply sad stories。 the chapters on the moore river native settlement are really staying with me because what happened there seems to mirror what happened in the kamloops residential school in british columbia， where a mass grave of indigenous children was recently discovered。 rip， down with settler colonialism。 。。。more
Dominik Golob
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710
Jeff Johnston
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Terra Nullius。 A term that allowed European settlers to ignore the territoral rights of the first nations people。 To commit intentional genocide by murder， alcohol and disease。 To commit atrocities that leave you bewildered and seething to the core。The scary part is the Australian general public's ignorance to these facts。 I guess when you have the 'leader' of the country publicly announcing that Australia was not involved in slavery， then where to from there？Well it seems pretty simple。 Books s Terra Nullius。 A term that allowed European settlers to ignore the territoral rights of the first nations people。 To commit intentional genocide by murder， alcohol and disease。 To commit atrocities that leave you bewildered and seething to the core。The scary part is the Australian general public's ignorance to these facts。 I guess when you have the 'leader' of the country publicly announcing that Australia was not involved in slavery， then where to from there？Well it seems pretty simple。 Books such as these should be mandatory to our schools curriculum。 To teach our children the whole backstory of Australia's history。 To allow them the opportunity to acknowledge， apologise and take responsibility for past wrongs。 To allow them to include the First Nations people voice in the Constitution。 To allow them to join hand in hand and stand as proud Australians。 。。。more
Jeremy Randall
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He leaves the last chapter epic。 After building an amazing modern country like Australia on the backs of genocide， attempted genocide and destruction of culture and property and history， how does one heal those wounds as the perpetrators are all largely dead and those directly perpetrated against， too， are dead or old。 But then he circles back using examples from Natives in America and his own Land Sweden。 American Natives were given land because it was useless， until gold was found and then it He leaves the last chapter epic。 After building an amazing modern country like Australia on the backs of genocide， attempted genocide and destruction of culture and property and history， how does one heal those wounds as the perpetrators are all largely dead and those directly perpetrated against， too， are dead or old。 But then he circles back using examples from Natives in America and his own Land Sweden。 American Natives were given land because it was useless， until gold was found and then it was taken off them。 Similar in Australia so this sets up a relationship between people group and government and the minds of those governed outside of that people group。 Then the bigger narrative of - how does one financially or morally pay back these wrongs。 African Americans asking for billions of dollars in compensation。。。 who pays that？ and what would that money go to。 and who， other than a largely white elite， still profits from these wrongs。。。 other than everyone？ But then go further， what is wealth， what is the "better way" Lindqvist speaks of art and how the black people of Australia used art and song and poetry as both spiritual back bone， historical memory and maps。 how they would get places and where they would get the things they need。 I love my GPS， but what of communal beauty on the back of a GPS in shared song？ The whites thought putting clothes on black children and teaching them in schools was the best way。 But this cut the black children off from knowing the land， knowing their communities， knowing their history。 I loved this book。 It was uncomfortable to read but， good。 。。。more
Geoff Regan
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Not a pleasant read， if you have any empathy。 Really makes you question your lace in the world， and your affect on the world。 Very sad， and for a book that doesn't scream out in rage， it really makes you angry。 Not a pleasant read， if you have any empathy。 Really makes you question your lace in the world， and your affect on the world。 Very sad， and for a book that doesn't scream out in rage， it really makes you angry。 。。。more
Keen
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“A history of mass killing， land theft， rape， kidnapping and other outrages。”Australia is a part of the world with a long and established culture of racism， xenophobia and intolerance。 Since white man first conquered the land it has been a haven for extremism and hatred。 Like their big racist cousin， the USA， people of colour are overwhelmingly more likely to be harassed， arrested or murdered by police forces， and of course the offending officers are granted the same immunity and impunity afterw “A history of mass killing， land theft， rape， kidnapping and other outrages。”Australia is a part of the world with a long and established culture of racism， xenophobia and intolerance。 Since white man first conquered the land it has been a haven for extremism and hatred。 Like their big racist cousin， the USA， people of colour are overwhelmingly more likely to be harassed， arrested or murdered by police forces， and of course the offending officers are granted the same immunity and impunity afterwards as they get in the US。 You know the drill – unarmed black man dies in police custody， police lie and cover up， it sometimes goes a little further， but the end result is police get away with it， （repeat to fade）。Lindqvist is on fine form here as he delves deep into the dark history of the world’s smallest continent and finds a catalogue of horrific events supported and enforced by a culture of hate and ignorance。 One of the many things I learned about in here was the story of the black boy divers in and around Broome， who were taken away from their families as young as 6 years old。 Most didn’t last two years as divers， and those who survived were often lame or invalids。 If they ran away the police would return them back to their owners。 There were many cases of them being tortured or left to die on the beach when the bends rendered them useless。 Police would also kidnap children off the street and sell them onto white owners elsewhere throughout the country。One of the more unforgiving moves by government was the implementation of The Migration Act of 1958， this allowed every foreigner without a visa to be interned。 A total of 3，000 immigrants came to Australia from Vietnam， Cambodia， China， Iraq and Afghanistan between 1989 and 1997。 2，300 were refused entry after their interment。 There were times when these places descended into concentration camps after men， women and children shut away for years， kept ignorant of their legal rights and deprived of contact with the outside world。 At one stage this resulted in around 500 refugees breaking out。 The Australians responded with barbed wire fences， water cannons and armed guards and a ban on visitors。 Asylum seekers also set fire to a camp， which came after a series of hunger strikes， suicides and attempted suicides。“As late as 1958， the police of Western Australia were defending use of neck irons by claiming the natives preferred them。”One of the more disturbing recollections in this book concerns the treatment of native women who were infected with syphilis and other venereal diseases from white men。 Black women were punished and sent to prison camps and consigned to years of slave labour under the tropical heat。 Many died of experimental treatments。 In some cases they were marched hundreds of kilometres and transported on ships to the so called “Islands of the Dead” of Bernier and Dorre。 Elsewhere we learn about Aborigines being removed from their land to make way for white farms， various mines and the nuclear weapon testing programme。 Apparently today more than 19 kg of Plutonium remains in the sands of Australia。 The UK government made a law to absolve itself of further responsibility， but this was later challenged。 Lindqvist touches on various massacres of various Aboriginal tribes over centuries and we also learn of the grim events which took place at Moore River Native Settlement north of Perth， where at one stage there was only one teacher was teaching over 100 pupils of different ages。 On a lighter and more positive note we get to learn about the progress and development of the Aboriginal art movement， which enjoyed a major breakthrough during the The Bardon Men era which soon grew into a wider desert artists’ movement， as it became commercialised and commodified and sold to a wider audience throughout the world。 We also see the small victories for Aboriginal rights which have been achieved through the decades， but these are sometimes curbed by a series of zealous， right wing governments and people like John Howard who believes Australians have a right to forget what their country did to the Aborigines for centuries and added， “I didn’t believe genocide had taken place， and I still don’t。”。So this is another hugely absorbing piece of work from Lindqvist， his approach has occasional shades of Paul Theroux and even A。A。Gill， and aside from the random moments when he chooses to share his night time dreams， this is a fascinating and sometimes grim journey into some of Australia’s darkest secrets。 。。。more
Ben Edwards
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A really engaging introduction to relations between the First Peoples of Australia and white settlers。 Presented as a travelogue that keeps the pace up but the subject-matter expansive。
Henri
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Superb。 I enjoyed it better than 'Exterminate the Brutes' of the same author。 If you can ever really 'enjoy' the book about a genocide of sort。 Lindqvist really knows how to tug at a nerve。 Highly recommended。 Superb。 I enjoyed it better than 'Exterminate the Brutes' of the same author。 If you can ever really 'enjoy' the book about a genocide of sort。 Lindqvist really knows how to tug at a nerve。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Chris F
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Part history， part travel logue this is a moving account of what has been done to the aboriginal peoples of Australia。
Joanna
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„Terra Nullius” to w części reportaż podróżniczy， czytałam go będąc we wschodniej części Australii i dzięki Lindqvistowi zobaczyłam inny kraj i to nie tylko w sensie geograficznym。 W „Terra nullius” dziennikarz opowiada przede wszystkim o tym jak europejscy osadnicy zagarniali ziemię Aborygenów podpierając się autorytetem Darwina， któremu przypisywano twierdzenie， że wytępienie pierwotnej ludności tzw。 narodów barbarzyńskich， za naturalny element procesu ewolucji。 A pozbywając się pierwotnych mi „Terra Nullius” to w części reportaż podróżniczy， czytałam go będąc we wschodniej części Australii i dzięki Lindqvistowi zobaczyłam inny kraj i to nie tylko w sensie geograficznym。 W „Terra nullius” dziennikarz opowiada przede wszystkim o tym jak europejscy osadnicy zagarniali ziemię Aborygenów podpierając się autorytetem Darwina， któremu przypisywano twierdzenie， że wytępienie pierwotnej ludności tzw。 narodów barbarzyńskich， za naturalny element procesu ewolucji。 A pozbywając się pierwotnych mieszkańców stwarzano ziemię niczyją， do której， zgodnie z doktryną „terra nullius”， nabywali prawa biali osadnicy。 Lindqvist pokazuje， że traktowanie Aborygenów jako rasy niższej było powszechne w XIX wieku i na początku wieku XX nie tylko wśród niewykształconych kolonizatorów， ale i wśród autorytetow świata naukowego jak Durkheim czy Freud czy świata literackiego i szerzej sztuki。 W reportażu znajdziemy też pozytywne odstępstwa od tego podejścia， wśród nich przykład Bronisława Malinowskiego， ale przede wszystkim powszechnie nieznanych osób dzięki zaangażowaniu których finalnie udało się odmienić postrzeganie Aborygenów。 Bardzo ciekawie i wyczerpująco opisana jest też rola sztuki w procesie zwracania Aborygenom ludzkiej twarzy。 Wiele w tym reportażu przykładów niewyobrażalnego okrucieństwa jak odbieranie matkom dzieci， seksualne wykorzystywanie， zmuszanie do niewolniczej pracy， a wszystko to opisane niepoprawnym politycznie językiem białych oprawców， co wzmacnia odbiór brutalnego przekazu tego reportażu。 I zostawia z pytaniem o współodpowiedzialność dzisiejszych mieszkańców Australii za wciąż nienaprawione i nienaprawialne krzywdy wyrządzone temu narodowi。 。。。more
Mariusz Slowikowski
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Trzeba czytać。 Może kiedyś zrobię tę trasę。
Kim Zinkowski
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A。 My first Lindqvist。 Charlie has this now。。。
Rebecca
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A travel writing that digs deep into sensitive issues concerning the Australian Aboriginal rights。 Lindqist threw us a very throught-provoking question of whether the guilt concenring inhuman treatments towards the Aborigines is inherited and collective。 His journey into the no-man's land （terra nullius）， was a mental， as much as it was a physical one， into this question。 In the end， he gave us his answer， which is still up for a debate in my opinion。 A travel writing that digs deep into sensitive issues concerning the Australian Aboriginal rights。 Lindqist threw us a very throught-provoking question of whether the guilt concenring inhuman treatments towards the Aborigines is inherited and collective。 His journey into the no-man's land （terra nullius）， was a mental， as much as it was a physical one， into this question。 In the end， he gave us his answer， which is still up for a debate in my opinion。 。。。more
Ingram
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Fascinating and important book to read。 It helps to go someway to understand the horrible crimes perpetrated against Indigenous Australians but also the impact that flawed ethnographic studies of Aboriginal communities impacted key theories of human development that placed indigenous culture/history at the lowest point。
Tomasz
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Opowieść o Aborygenach。 O próbie ich wyniszczenia przez władze Australii （wpierw kolonialne potem rodzime）。 O odbieraniu ziemi i prawa do istnienia。 O odbieranych dzieciach， które wychowywane w przytułkach przypominających obozy pracy。 O tym， jak można wpierw odebrać prawo do życia na swojej ziemi， potem miano człowieka， a na koniec jeszcze zrobić próby jądrowa na rodzimych i świętych ziemiach （bo czemu by nie）。 I wreszcie opowieść o odzyskaniu godności， walce o prawa i powrocie poprzez sztukę。
Kathy Leland
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An excellent book， beautifully written and very thought-provoking -- Lindqvist's examination of white Australia's historical prejudice and truly horrific genocidal treatment of the native Aboriginal peoples made for disturbing and sometimes shocking reading。 His prose is （somehow） measured and objective but also searingly evocative and visceral。 The author consistently focuses on the integral connection between the Australian landscape itself and the tribes who were its caretakers for tens of th An excellent book， beautifully written and very thought-provoking -- Lindqvist's examination of white Australia's historical prejudice and truly horrific genocidal treatment of the native Aboriginal peoples made for disturbing and sometimes shocking reading。 His prose is （somehow） measured and objective but also searingly evocative and visceral。 The author consistently focuses on the integral connection between the Australian landscape itself and the tribes who were its caretakers for tens of thousands of years。 Lindqvist's "outsider" status （he is Swedish） and his exploration of how Western advancement so often leads to genocide provides a unique and interesting perspective。 Although American racism is not the focus here， it's impossible to ignore the similarities between the two nations， impossible not to make comparisons and ask questions。 。。。more
Rhiannon
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I can't recommend this book highly enough。 I can't recommend this book highly enough。 。。。more
Kimbofo
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Proving that my reading tastes are wide-ranging， this non-fiction book explores my interest in racism against Aboriginal Australians。 First published in Sweden in 2005， it charts the history of black and white relations in Australia from the first point of contact in the 18th century to the current day。The author， Sven Lindqvist， an accomplished essayist and journalist， seems to have made a name for himself writing about cultural genocide （he has written similar books about black and white relat Proving that my reading tastes are wide-ranging， this non-fiction book explores my interest in racism against Aboriginal Australians。 First published in Sweden in 2005， it charts the history of black and white relations in Australia from the first point of contact in the 18th century to the current day。The author， Sven Lindqvist， an accomplished essayist and journalist， seems to have made a name for himself writing about cultural genocide （he has written similar books about black and white relations in Africa）， and much of what he covers here makes for uncomfortable reading。 Yet sometimes his passion （and fury） gets a little overwrought， and detracts from the important message at the book’s heart。But on the whole， I found this an eye-opening read。 Part entertaining travelogue， part searing polemic， it’s certainly one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read all year。 。。。more
Carla Luis
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For some time I hesitated reading this book。 From time to time yes I do miss Australia。。。 and I didn't want start reading something that would remind me of， probably， the worst side of it。 However， so far， it's been the contrary， this book has given me the will of going back again and visit the deep places I haven't had the chance to。 Still on page 30 but really enjoying。 "I have to go back！" it's my thought all the time。。。 For some time I hesitated reading this book。 From time to time yes I do miss Australia。。。 and I didn't want start reading something that would remind me of， probably， the worst side of it。 However， so far， it's been the contrary， this book has given me the will of going back again and visit the deep places I haven't had the chance to。 Still on page 30 but really enjoying。 "I have to go back！" it's my thought all the time。。。 。。。more
Sarah Walsh
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'Everyone said， Jangga meenya bomunggur - the smell of the white man is killing us'。 Carrying the weight of white ancestors who purposefully in their dumb aim tried， and failed dismally to genocide a land's natives， is further annoying when the modern-day white clan who still act out superior， deny Academic research， evidencing Aboriginals' brutal happenings。 It was only the other day， a white man who in questioning an Aboriginal activist， accusing her people of taking benefits， and uncertain wh 'Everyone said， Jangga meenya bomunggur - the smell of the white man is killing us'。 Carrying the weight of white ancestors who purposefully in their dumb aim tried， and failed dismally to genocide a land's natives， is further annoying when the modern-day white clan who still act out superior， deny Academic research， evidencing Aboriginals' brutal happenings。 It was only the other day， a white man who in questioning an Aboriginal activist， accusing her people of taking benefits， and uncertain why Western modern culture hasn't been embraced by them。 O RLY。 I guess robbing land， introducing alcohol， STDs， rape， murder， stealing children， bombing， forcing a flawed economic model only suited for austerity， all the while expecting the economically oppressed to mind Ps and Qs isn't enough to embrace Dumb。 'We gave them everything' is a yell I'm reminded from a white Australian man， intimating of parents who *give everything* to their children yet deny them of foundational love， force generational suffering， emotional abuse， fear and not forgetting though to mind your Ps and Qs。The West is seriously flawed。 Admit it， and read this book。 。。。more
Euridice Lale Brown
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For the aborigenal people of Australia places are at the heart of their system of belief。 Lindqvist adopts in his book a similar perspective linking the telling of anedoctedes， historical facts and literary references to the places he visits during his journey。The book deals with an important theme that is unfortunately still little known and it arises some difficult questions。 However although I find the contents quite interesting I didn't like the narrative style。 For the aborigenal people of Australia places are at the heart of their system of belief。 Lindqvist adopts in his book a similar perspective linking the telling of anedoctedes， historical facts and literary references to the places he visits during his journey。The book deals with an important theme that is unfortunately still little known and it arises some difficult questions。 However although I find the contents quite interesting I didn't like the narrative style。 。。。more
Grady Ormsby
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Terra Nullius by Sven Lindqvist （translated from Swedish by Sarah Death） is at once a modern-day travelogue， a history of the nascent science of anthropology， the story of aboriginal displacement in Australia， a geographic and geologic survey of the continent and a deeply felt moral polemic on savagery， contrition and moral debt。 There are two questions that echo throughout the book。 The first is the one classically posed by Charles Darwin: what is it that makes us into human beings？ Is it our s Terra Nullius by Sven Lindqvist （translated from Swedish by Sarah Death） is at once a modern-day travelogue， a history of the nascent science of anthropology， the story of aboriginal displacement in Australia， a geographic and geologic survey of the continent and a deeply felt moral polemic on savagery， contrition and moral debt。 There are two questions that echo throughout the book。 The first is the one classically posed by Charles Darwin: what is it that makes us into human beings？ Is it our speed， strength and cunning？ Perhaps it’s our social skills， our sometimes reluctant tendency to cooperate and offer mutual help。 More darkly， is it the ability to exterminate each other？ The second question is that of moral debt。 “When the misdeeds of the past are brought to light， when the perpetrators and their heirs confess and ask forgiveness， when we do penance， and mend our ways and pay the price-then the crime has a new setting and a new significance。 No longer the inescapable extinction of a people， but its ability to survive and ultimately to have the justice of its claim acknowledged。” If one has in any way directly or indirectly benefitted from the misdeeds of one’s forebears， is responsibility then part of one’s moral inheritance？ 。。。more
Erica
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Nice travelogue outlining an all too often overlooked history。
Veganpike
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This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the experience of colonization on any continent， but most especially every single white resident of or visitor to Autralia。 It is devastating yet imminently readable。 The author uses dry wit with expert care， and I think this makes it possible to continue learning about things that no one really WANTS to know。 It's hard to say I "enjoyed" it because the stories he tells are not "enjoyable"， but I didn't want to put it down。 This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the experience of colonization on any continent， but most especially every single white resident of or visitor to Autralia。 It is devastating yet imminently readable。 The author uses dry wit with expert care， and I think this makes it possible to continue learning about things that no one really WANTS to know。 It's hard to say I "enjoyed" it because the stories he tells are not "enjoyable"， but I didn't want to put it down。 。。。more
John Benson
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Sven Lindqvist has written an unconventional travel book for Australia as he travels around Australia visiting key locations in the Australian governments interactions with its aboriginal population。 One gets a feel for the landscape， but the book is a harsh indictment on how Aborigines were treated by successive Australian governments and whites who worked with the people。 The book is extremely powerful。
C。R。 Miller
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Depressing and enlightening， a travel book with history as its guide。 At first I struggled with what I assumed to be a narrow focus on the mistreatment and atrocities suffered by Aborigines at the hands of the white settlers and Australian government。 But as Lindqvist folded in more about the history of clumsy attempts to incorporate superficial knowledge of Aborigines into early theories of human cultural development， the book became grounded in a larger historical and intellectual context。 But Depressing and enlightening， a travel book with history as its guide。 At first I struggled with what I assumed to be a narrow focus on the mistreatment and atrocities suffered by Aborigines at the hands of the white settlers and Australian government。 But as Lindqvist folded in more about the history of clumsy attempts to incorporate superficial knowledge of Aborigines into early theories of human cultural development， the book became grounded in a larger historical and intellectual context。 But it was his endeavors to explain the Aboriginal worldview and spiritual life and connection to the earth that I found most fascinating and which provided a focal point for all of the historical critiques （and even tied in his at times resonant description of the temporal elements of his travels -- the landscape， weather， and light）。 This is the second book by Lindqvist that I've read， and they both come across with a very strong point of view and style of exposition that can be distracting or off-putting。 But in the end I find myself impressed and satisfied at the depth of his research and analysis。 The contemporary travelogue element of Terra Nullius brings additional depth and seasoning to what is otherwise a history book。 Recommended。 。。。more
Piotr
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（3，5 gwiazdki） Słabsza książka niż poprzednio czytana。 Może dlatego， że w "Wytępić całe to bydło" odniesieniem był literatura。 Nie mam bladego pojęcia o sztuce australijskich Aborygenów， to o czym SL pisze pod koniec książki muszę przyjąć na wiarę （albo zagonić Google'a）。 Ale i ta książka jest po prostu wstrząsająca。 Głównie przez to， że tak wiele z opisywanych historii działo się już za mojego życia！ Ledwo 30 - 40 lat temu！Na dobrą sprawę to chciałbym - ze wstydu - zdrapać swoją własną białą sk （3，5 gwiazdki） Słabsza książka niż poprzednio czytana。 Może dlatego， że w "Wytępić całe to bydło" odniesieniem był literatura。 Nie mam bladego pojęcia o sztuce australijskich Aborygenów， to o czym SL pisze pod koniec książki muszę przyjąć na wiarę （albo zagonić Google'a）。 Ale i ta książka jest po prostu wstrząsająca。 Głównie przez to， że tak wiele z opisywanych historii działo się już za mojego życia！ Ledwo 30 - 40 lat temu！Na dobrą sprawę to chciałbym - ze wstydu - zdrapać swoją własną białą skórę。Pół gwiazdki za tych kilka znakomitych zdań o "warsztacie" naukowym Freuda - przepyszne！ 。。。more
Katja Vehlow
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I'm a sucker for travel books。 I have never been to Australia， and have seen Australia only through my father's photographs。 I encountered Australia for the first time in another travel book， Bruce Chadwin's mesmerizing "Songlines，" that I read several times。 Lindqvist travels through Australia， and thanks to the maps I can almost follow along。 He lets me see the landscapes， blistering， dusty， and， more importantly， pries loose the stories hidden under the surface。 Stories of oppression， genocid I'm a sucker for travel books。 I have never been to Australia， and have seen Australia only through my father's photographs。 I encountered Australia for the first time in another travel book， Bruce Chadwin's mesmerizing "Songlines，" that I read several times。 Lindqvist travels through Australia， and thanks to the maps I can almost follow along。 He lets me see the landscapes， blistering， dusty， and， more importantly， pries loose the stories hidden under the surface。 Stories of oppression， genocide， whole-sale murder of many Aborigene nations。 All this is accompanied with thoughtful， but brief discussions of how nations and individuals might or should face their own responsibilties。 If we live in a country and benefit from its riches， do are we not obliged to accept its past， including less palatable aspects of this past？ I read the book in one day， but I would have loved to hear more about these questions。 After all， few of us today live in places that can claim a history that is free of oppression。 。。。more
Jenny
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Terra Nullius är en viktig bok med ett skrämmande innehåll。 Författaren Sven Lindqvist reser runt i Australiens västra del， från Moorundie upp till Darwin och vidare längst med kusten till Ceduna， för att beskriva hur och varför landet är som det är i dag。 Han delar upp boken i fyra olika avseenden för att på så sätt kunna diskutera den numera förkastade begreppet terra nullius。 Boken tar formen av en resedagbok som beskriver de städer och byar han reser till， boken är även en slags tolkning av Terra Nullius är en viktig bok med ett skrämmande innehåll。 Författaren Sven Lindqvist reser runt i Australiens västra del， från Moorundie upp till Darwin och vidare längst med kusten till Ceduna， för att beskriva hur och varför landet är som det är i dag。 Han delar upp boken i fyra olika avseenden för att på så sätt kunna diskutera den numera förkastade begreppet terra nullius。 Boken tar formen av en resedagbok som beskriver de städer och byar han reser till， boken är även en slags tolkning av de drömmar han år under resan， boken är också ett personreportage om olika upptäcktsresande och forskare som alla skrev om Australien men boken är framförallt en skildring av de vitas syn på urinvånarna och de folkmord som begåtts sedan 1800-talet。 Jag blir förfärad av det jag läser om de vitas invasion av Australien， trots att inget av det Lindqvist skriver om är nytt för mig， men det är nog omöjligt att inte bli berörd hur många gånger jag än läser om det。 Lindqvists huvudfråga， enligt min uppfattning， handlar om ånger och om man kan ångra andras brott。 Kan jag som nu levande människa ångra de brott som andra svenskar begick under andra världskriget？ Lindqvist menar att ju större kollektivet blir， desto mer tunnas det personliga ansvaret ut。Statsskulden vandrar vidare från generation till generation。 Likaså nationalförmögenheten， som är många gånger större än statsskulden。 Bara genom att födas svensk var jag född rik。 [。。。] Och när jag tagit emot fördelarna med att vara svensk， hur skulle jag då kunna säga nej till nackdelarna？ [。。。] Det var mitt eget lands fega eftergiftspolitik jag hade att tacka för att jag aldrig blivit bombad eller skjuten eller ens behövt gå och lägga mig hungrig。 Gammelmoran hade ju rätt。 Jag hade varit med och delat rovet。 Alltså måste jag vara med och ta ansvaret。 Det skrämmande med Australiens historia är nog att utrotningen av aboriginerna pågick under en sådan lång tid utan hinder。 Ofta vill människor gärna tro att allt det där hemska， oavsett vad det gäller， hände för länge sedan。 Det hände då och absolut inte nu。 Men det är inte sant om Australien。 Det hände faktiskt i modern historia ändå in på 1980-talet。 Det var aldrig någon som brydde sig tillräckligt eller förmådde sig att straffa de vita för deras brott。 Givetvis fanns det modiga människor som arbetade för aboriginernas sak men de tystades alltid ner på ett eller annat sätt。 Det var egentligen först på 1990-talet som förföljelserna stoppades och Australiens vita befolkning började ta sitt ansvar och inledde en försoningsprocess med urbefolkningen i Australien。Terra Nullius är en jätteintressant och nödvändig bok。 Jag insåg ganska tidigt att jag däremot hade helt fel utgåva av boken。 Den är i alldeles för dålig kvalitet med svartvita bilder。 Jag skulle vilja se hur den är som inbunden。 Jag tror att det bidrog lite till takten jag läste boken。 Men det är bara småsaker egentligen。 Något av betydligt större vikt är att boken var för påskyndad。 Lindqvist ville berätta så mycket om Australien historia på så få sidor att det ibland upplevdes som stressande och raskt。 Boken hade gott och väl kunnat vara dubbelt så lång utan problem。 。。。more
Isabelle
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