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Myall Creek and the psychology of mass murder
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Myall Creek and the psychology of mass murder

M. Sturma
Journal of Australian Studies, Vol.9(16), pp.62-70
1985
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Abstract

The Myall Creek massacre of 1838 is one of the most emotive symbols of European-Aboriginal relations in Australian colonial history. It symbolizes the conflict of the actions of those on the frontier with the ideals espoused by humanitarians and colonial authority. The massacre also raises issues which are not so much symbolic as symptomatic of racial attitudes and indeed human violence. Historians, it seems to me, have adequately explained the nature of racist attitudes, but are still struggling with precisely why and how a mass murder took place. How did the Myall Creek murders come to be capable of committing inhuman acts?

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