The Politics of Suffering: Indigenous Australia and the End of the Liberal Consensus

by Peter Sutton

Overview

'Incandescent, emotional, tragic and challenging' - Marcia Langton

In this groundbreaking book, Peter Sutton asks why, after three decades of liberal thinking, has the suffering and grief in so many Aboriginal communities become worse?
The picture Sutton presents is tragic. He marshals shocking evidence against the failures of the past, and argues provocatively that three decades of liberal consensus on Aboriginal issues has collapsed.
Sutton is a leading Australian anthropologist who has lived and worked closely with Aboriginal communities. He combines clear-eyed, original observation with deep emotional engagement. The Politics of Suffering cuts through the cant and offers fresh insight and hope for a new era in Indigenous politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780522858716
Publisher:	Melbourne University Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition, Second edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Peter Sutton is an anthropologist and linguist who has worked with Aboriginal people since 1969. He speaks three Cape York languages and as an expert on Aboriginal land ownership has assisted with fifty land rights cases. He has authored or edited twelve books, including Native Title in Australia: an Ethnographic Perspective, regarded as the most authoritative work in its field. He is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum, and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Table of Contents

Forewords Marcia Langton Inga Clendinnen vii

Introduction xi

1 After Consensus 14

2 Rage and Its Reasons 42

3 The Trouble with Culture 53

4 Violence, Ancient and Modern 87

5 Bodies Politic 115

6 Customs Not in Common 144

7 Unusual Couples 263

8 On Feeling Reconciled 194

Afterword 216

Acknowledgements 220

Notes 224

Bibliography 248

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

"Incandescent, emotional, tragic and challenging."  —Marcia Langton, Foundation Chair in Australian Indigenous Studies, University of Melbourne



"In the often-tortuous terrain of indigenous politics, Peter Sutton is a myth-buster. Through personal observation, forensic rigor and an anthropologist's eye, he questions the foundations on which 40 years of public policy, often imposed with bipartisan goodwill, has been constructed."  —Russell Skelton, contributor, Age



"I expect that this book will become the yardstick by which most recent critiques of indigenous affairs policy and what comes out on the subject over the next decade will be judged."  —Christopher Pearson, contributor, Weekend Australian

From the Publisher

In the often-tortuous terrain of indigenous politics, Peter Sutton is a myth-buster. Through personal observation, forensic rigour and an anthropologist's eye, he questions the foundations on which 40 years of public policy, often imposed with bipartisan goodwill, has been constructed.

The Age