A Cautious Silence is the first exploration of modern Australian social anthropology to examine the forces that helped shaped its formation. The book reveals the struggle that took place in establishing and consolidating anthropology as an academic discipline in Australia. Anthropologists had to demonstrate that their discipline was the predominant interpreter of Indigenous life, leading them to being called upon in assisting the government with the control, development, and advancement of Australia's Indigenous peoples. The book also shows how present organizational structures along with their social and political contexts will assist in the formulation of anthropology's future role in Australia, considering anthropology's importance as a past definer of Indigenous people.