Being in the Colonies

In this unique, provocative and wide-ranging work, author Rohan Price explores the colonial experience of Western Australia, Tasmania, and Singapore with reference to four concepts: Being, Legality, Convenience, and Fate. At its heart are case studies of violence between white settlers and local Indigenous populations in Western Australia and Tasmania, and the Japanese invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. Within each of these case studies, Price focuses on acts of violence to determine the level and extent of Being, Legality, Convenience, and Fate. Across these experiences, Price finds that the resistance offered by many inhabitants to their colonial overlords creates disturbing challenges for both philosophy and history. Being in the Colonies adopts an inter- and multidisciplinary approach, encompassing philosophy, history, and law, and making extensive use of oral testimony. It applies a revealing ontological claim that competitive struggle, violence and resistance yield a form of Being that is temporary, relative and always hard-won.