JOURNAL ARTICLE

On Noongar Boodjah: George Vancouver’s Colonial Fictions.

  • Published In: Eighteenth Century Fiction, 2024, v. 36, n. 1. P. 133 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Fong, Ryan D. 3 of 3

Abstract

This article critically examines Captain George Vancouver's 1791 landing on Noongar Boodjah—the southwestern coast of Australia—highlighting how his account perpetuates colonial fictions that erase Indigenous presence and sovereignty. Vancouver's failure to recognize the Noongar people's deep connection to the land, including their seasonal movements and cultural practices, exemplifies settler colonial logics of possession and "terra nullius." The essay situates Vancouver's narrative within broader settler colonial frameworks, emphasizing the need for self-reflexive scholarship that centers Indigenous knowledge and fosters reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities. It calls for a re-evaluation of eighteenth-century studies to acknowledge Indigenous brilliance and resist reproducing colonial erasures embedded in historical archives.

Additional Information

  • Source:Eighteenth Century Fiction. 2024/01, Vol. 36, Issue 1, p133
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Language and Linguistics
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0840-6286
  • DOI:10.3138/ecf.36.1.133
  • Accession Number:174168930
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