2018/07/03 by Margaret Allen · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Australian History and Society #Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/14490854.2018.1485505
openalex publication_date 2018/07/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
In researching little-known aspects of Australian political history, this article explores the ways in which Indians living in Australia during the period of immigration restriction used their status as British subjects to argue for greater rights in relation to the colonial, state and Australian federal governments. Australian Indians were politically informed and active, sharing a common consciousness of their rights. Extending earlier work on resident Indian protests against the Immigration Restriction Act, the article demonstrates their engagement with a transnational movement of resistance against discriminatory racial legislation. In their campaigns they enlisted the assistance of the Indian National Congress and other bodies outside Australia.