Mail*Link(r) SMTP Aborignial slave building?
The building was studied by a Ph D student at the University of Western
Australia Louise Bavin although whether as part of her thesis or part of a
project for the National Trust I dont know. I visited the site with her when
the project was starting.
As far as I am aware there was no slavery in Australia although the conditions
of various laborers such as convicts, and South Sea islanders used on the
Queensland cane fields must have come very close to slavery.
The circular form of prison was of course the Panoptigon favoured by Jermey
Bentham (who opposed the settlement of Australia as a convict prison in favour
of the panoptigon) and discussed by Foucalt in Discipline and Punishment but
is seems unclear whether the Roundhouse was a true panoptigon or just a round
building.
Iain Stuart
University of Sydney