Jim Crow downunder? African American encounters with White Australia, 1942-1945

TL;DR: The authors found that for many black Americans, Australians' apparent open-mindedness and racial views of white Britons and others with whom African Americans came into contact during the war cast light on an aspect of American-Australian relations that has hitherto received scant scholarly attention and reveals something about the African American experience.

Abstract: Between 1941 and 1945, as the U.S. military machine sent millions of Americans--and American culture--around the world, several thousand African Americans spent time in Australia. Armed with little knowledge of Australian racial values and practices, black Americans encoutered a nation whose long-standing commitment to the principle of "White Australia" appeared to rest comfortably with the segregative policies commonly associated with the American South. Nonetheless, while African Americans

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors sketch out those connections, asking what kinds of social formation this "Black Pacific" has represented, and argue that though affecting a relatively small number of people in places that are generally remote from western metropoles, nevertheless, this story of transcultural identification is crucial to understanding the trajectory of racialization as a component of modernity.

Abstract: Music has been critical to the alliances and affiliations that have connected black-identified artists and activists from North America and the Caribbean with indigenous artists and activists from Australia and Papua New Guinea since as late as the end of the 19th century. This article sketches out those connections, asking what kinds of social formation this ‘Black Pacific’ has represented. Following Howard Winant, I argue that though affecting a relatively small number of people in places that are generally remote from western metropoles, nevertheless, this story of transcultural identification is crucial to understanding the trajectory of racialization as a component of modernity.1

TL;DR: A Brief History of Australia as discussed by the authors explores Australia's relationship to the British Crown, national security and education policy, the role of sport and environmental issues, Aboriginal rights, women's history, and gay rights.

Abstract: A comprehensive introduction to Australia--from the time of Aboriginal settlement through the modern day. Taking a largely Chronological approach, A Brief History of Australia looks at social, cultural, economic, and political trends in the country's long history, shedding light on its unique and complex identity. Beginning with the peopling of the continent about 60,000 years ago, the volume examines the early history and culture of the Aboriginals. It continues with the first documented sighting of the landmass by a European in the 17th century, followed by a discussion of the colonial period in the 18th and 19th centuries. From the Federation of 1901 to the Liberal government of John Howard (1998 to 2007) and the Labor government of John Rudd (2007--present), this new book explores Australia's relationship to the British Crown, national security and education policy, the role of sport and environmental issues, Aboriginal rights, women's history, and gay rights. Coverage includes: Aboriginal history; European exploration and early settlement; The gold rush and establishing self-rule; Federation and identity formation; Changes under the Labor Party; The immigration of cultures from around the world; Political tension from battling parties; An uncharted future, including the possibility of severing political ties with England.

TL;DR: The famous black war correspondent Vincent Tubbs reported in the Baltimore Afro-American, 25 March 1944: ‘I know of 10 cases in which our boys have married Australian girls.

Abstract: Stationed at General Douglas MacArthur’s Australian headquarters, the famous black war correspondent Vincent Tubbs reported in the Baltimore Afro-American, 25 March 1944: ‘I know of 10 cases in which our boys have married Australian girls. In eight instances the girls are of mixed blood. In the other two, they are so called “pure Australian girls”’, adding, ‘They have real concern as to how they will get their wives home on one of Uncle Sam’s ships’.1

TL;DR: Sheffield and Riseman as mentioned in this paper examined the Second World War experiences of Indigenous people in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and paid particular attention to the policies in place before, during and after the war, highlighting the ways that Indigenous people negotiated their own roles within the war effort.

Abstract: During the Second World War, Indigenous people in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada mobilised en masse to support the war effort, despite withstanding centuries of colonialism. Their roles ranged from ordinary soldiers fighting on distant shores, to soldiers capturing Japanese prisoners on their own territory, to women working in munitions plants on the home front. R. Scott Sheffield and Noah Riseman examine Indigenous experiences of the Second World War across these four settler societies. Informed by theories of settler colonialism, martial race theory and military sociology, they show how Indigenous people and their communities both shaped and were shaped by the Second World War. Particular attention is paid to the policies in place before, during and after the war, highlighting the ways that Indigenous people negotiated their own roles within the war effort at home and abroad.

TL;DR: The black American press was extremely critical of "White Australia" as mentioned in this paper and used the phrase "white Australia" to refer both to the famed or notorious Australian immigration laws and to prevailing race relations in labor management.

Abstract: African American newspapers frequently ran reports and stories about Indigenous Australians and Australia's racial governance between 1919 and 1948, except for the years during World War II when thousands of African American servicemen were stationed in Australia The black American press was extremely critical of “White Australia” African American newspaper writers used the phrase “White Australia” to refer both to the famed or notorious Australian immigration laws and to prevailing race relations in labor management When they reported on Indigenous Australians, they took careful note of conditions that were akin to American slavery and its aftermath and remarked upon the similar regimes of racial governance As far as the black American press was concerned, Indigenous Australians were one of the many nodes that comprised a worldwide alliance of colonized people; black internationalism included them, too From 1942 to 1944, however, the press placed that alliance on hold Newspapers instead focused on the surprisingly benign treatment they said black American troops received from white Australians As it became clear that the Allies were likely to triumph, black American newspapers returned to criticism of “White Australia” and to an abstract bond with Aboriginal Australians, as they pressed forward with claims to universal human rights and with agitation to end all colonization as part of the worldwide return to peace

TL;DR: This paper explored the war effort of Aboriginal and Islander Australians during the Second World War, and the reasons their contribution has gone unrecognised for so long. But despite suspicion and prejudice they earned a place within the digger legend.

Abstract: This important book explores the war effort of Aboriginal and Islander Australians during the Second World War, and the reasons their contribution has gone unrecognised for so long. For the very first time, here is a comprehensive account of the work of black Australians during the years when their country faced the Japanese threat. Despite suspicion and prejudice they earned a place within the digger legend. Dr Bob Hall has unearthed previously unscrutinised records in Commonwealth and State archives, and travelled throughout Australia interviewing Aboriginal, Islander and white Australians.

TL;DR: Morehouse as mentioned in this paper provides a glimpse into the mostly unknown story of two African American combat divisions as they experienced military service during World War II, including segregation in the military and racial attitudes in army facilities stateside and abroad.

Abstract: The voices throughout this book offer a glimpse into the mostly unknown story of two African American combat divisions as they experienced military service during World War II. The soldiers of the 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions speak of segregation in the military and racial attitudes in army facilities stateside and abroad. Derived from several years of research by historian Maggi M. Morehouse, the historical account is built around personal interviews and correspondence with participants, National Archive research, as well as military archive materials, all augmented with historical and recent photographs.