Women, Rites and Sites: Aboriginal Women's Cultural Knowledge Book

This collection of essays sets out to challenge a number of widespread preconceptions about Aboriginal society and its interaction with the wider non-Aboriginal society of Australia. It builds on recent scholarship which has drastically modified the view of Aboriginal women promoted by 19th and earlier 20th century reports describing them as drudges and slaves. It accords the cultural role of Aboriginal women the power and authority it clearly possesses and uncovers a hitherto largely hidden world. "Women, rites and sites" is a worthy successor to the highly successful "Daughters of the Dreaming". Like that book, it uncovers a fascinating, but hitherto largely hidden, world -- the world of Aboriginal women, struggling to preserve a culture caught between two profoundly different cultures. "Peggy Brock is Historian with the Aboriginal Heritage Branch of the South Australian Department of Environment & Planning, which commissioned the reports on which the book is based.". This book is intended for students and researchers in anthropolgy, Aboriginal studies and women's studies.Read More