Cleansing the Colony

Overview

Everyone knows Australia was once a penal colony, but few realize that New Zealand prisoners were sent there. During the mid-nineteenth century at least 110 people were transported from New Zealand to serve time as convict laborers in the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). Even more were sentenced by colonial judges to the harsh punishment of transportation, but somehow managed to avoid being sent across the Tasman Sea. In examining the remarkable experiences of unremarkable people, this fascinating book provides insights into the lives of people at the time.

Reviews

"Harman has done a service for anthropology by sifting through the documentation and history of indigenous convicts from the early British Empire, finding links between three distant settings that were unified by colonial experience and by the commonality of Australian prisons. Her book shines light on yet one more dark episode in the Western subjugation of native peoples and use of legal systems in extra-legal or illegal ways to achieve that subjugation. In Australia at least, the harmful effects are still acutely felt." —Jack David Eller for Anthropology Review on Aboriginal Convicts, reviewed 2 Aug 2013

Author Biography

Kristyn Harman is a New Zealander living in Australia. She is the author of Aboriginal Convicts, which won the Australian Historical Association's Kay Daniels Award for convict history in 2014. Kristyn studied history at Massey University and undertook doctoral research at the University of Tasmania where she now lectures in the School of Humanities.