This is the first historical study of indigenous Australian masculinity. Using the reactions of eighteenth-century western explorers to Aboriginal men, Konishi argues that these encounters were not as negative as has been thought. Instead, a wide range of contemporary sources from colonial explorers is used to present a more nuanced view. Ideas about human difference, nature, 'savagery', sexuality, language and conflict are analysed and assessed. By examining the response to the Aboriginal body within these contexts, Konishi makes a significant contribution to the study of eighteenth-century European thought.