The colonial practice of rationing goods to Aboriginal people has been neglected in the study of Australian frontiers. This book argues that much of the colonial experience in Central Australia can be understood by seeing rationing as a fundamental, though flexible, instrument of colonial government. Rationing was the material basis for a variety of colonial ventures: scientific, evangelical, pastoral and the post-war program of 'assimilation'. Combining history and anthropology in a cultural study of rationing, this book develops a new narrative of the colonisation of Central Australia. Two arguments underpin this story: that the colonists were puzzled by the motives of the Indigenous recipients; and that they were highly inventive in the meanings and moral foundations they ascribed to the rationing relationship. This study goes to the heart of contemporary reflections on the nature of Indigenous 'citizenship'.

‘… innovative and meticulously researched … this is a challenging study in historical anthropology’.

Source: The Australian

‘… offers some invaluable insights … With the rise of the One Nation Party in Australia, this thoughtful analysis of colonial history is timely.’

Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘An engaging book, and well worth reading.’

Source: Journal of Sociology

‘ … a good, well-researched and cogently argued study of Aboriginal policy in central Australia … It sparkles with intelligent insights.’

Henry Reynolds Source: Australian Journal of Political Science