Born of Conflict video now available on Youtube
The video documentary, Born of Conflict: Children of the Pacific War is a major outcome of a Marsden-funded project, the Mothers’ Darlings Project, led by Judy Bennett and Angela Wanhalla (History) that investigates the lives of children born of US servicemen and indigenous women of New Zealand and the Pacific during World War Two. The documentary, a shorter version of which played on Maori TV this year as part of their ANZAC Day programming, looks at three case studies from the research. It also features Judy and Angela, both members of the Centre for Research on Colonial Culture, along with Louise Mataia (graduate of Otago and researcher on the Mothers’ Darlings Project).
US servicemen and locals, Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
The video was produced by Steven Talley, Peggy Holter and Judy Bennett, with funding support from University of Otago. Click here for free viewing.
Click here for more information on the work of the Mothers’ Darlings Project.
“A World History of Bluff”
Dr Michael Stevens.
Last year CROCC member, Dr Michael Stevens won a Fast Start Marsden Award to research how the Southland port of Bluff connected with the rest of the world, and how this impacted on the town (and vice-versa), in particular the local Kāi Tahu people. As the Royal Society stated, “As a “Bluffie” of Kai Tahu descent, Dr Stevens is ideally placed to carry out a research project that is meaningful to both academics and the local inhabitants.” In order to share his on-going research, Michael has created a new website “A World History of Bluff” with an associated Facebook Page.
New Biography on Richard Seddon
Richard Seddon was a colossal figure in New Zealand politics up to his death in 1906. His Liberal Party was New Zealand’s first modern political party; his government introduced old age pensions and votes for women, as well as an industrial conciliation and arbitration system. Seddon was able, for much of his time as Prime Minister, to gain the support from a wide range of the political spectrum, at the same time that the rest of the world marvelled at the country’s “socialist” experiments.
It has been almost 60 years since an authoritative biography of Seddon has appeared, R.M. Burdon’s King Dick. Until now! CROCC member, Professor Tom Brooking’s latest book Richard Seddon: King of God’s Own has just been published by Penguin Books, and gives us fresh insights into “the Life and Times of New Zealand’s Longest-serving Prime Minister”. Congratulations, Tom.
Dr Angela Wanhalla wins Ernest Scott Prize
At the Australian Historical Association conference in Brisbane last night, 
CROCC member Dr Angela Wanhalla was awarded the Ernest Scott Prize for History. This prize is awarded annually to the book judged to be the most distinguished contribution to the History of Australia or New Zealand or to the history of colonization published in the previous year.
Matters of the Heart: A History of Interracial Marriage in New Zealand was published by Auckland University Press.
As the judges commented “Angela Wanhalla’s ground breaking history of interracial relationships in New Zealand across two hundred years utilises not only the usual range of church and state records but also personal papers, family and local histories to track the lives of couples whose relationship was sustained over a period of time. While Maori women left little trace for the historian, Wanhalla uses analysis of images, particularly photography, to overcome some of the gaps and silences in the record. She takes a broad view of coupling which incorporates common law relationships, Maori ceremonies and Christian marriages sanctioned by the State and also takes account of various debates and legislative action in relation to marriage over time.
“Wanhalla draws on the recent work by anthropologists and historians such as Ann Laura Stoler to explore the history of emotion and sentiment as central to these encounters. She historicises the specific context in which these are expressed and how they changed over time in relation to the society and demographics. She notes that interracial relationships in New Zealand have often been used as evidence of ‘gentle colonialism’ but while her study of intimacy makes an important contribution to overturning simplistic paradigms of race relations on the frontier and beyond, Wanhalla still emphasises the framework of gendered and racial power struggles within which these relationships operated.”
Congratulations to Angela for her ongoing success!
W.H. Oliver Lecture at Palmerston North
Our Centre Director, Professor Tony Ballantyne, will be giving the W.H. Oliver Lecture for 2014. This event is held annually at Massey University, Palmerston North in honour of the eminent New Zealand historian, Professor Bill Oliver. Click here for further details of this public lecture.
Successful symposium on Indigenous Textual Cultures
Isabel Hofmeyr
The Centre was pleased to hold the Indigenous Textual Cultures symposium this week, an event that attracted a number of scholars from around the world interested in the history of indigenous peoples’ engagement with texts, and textual culture. Mark Brunton, Research Manager Māori gave a mihi whakatau (welcome) to open the event, which was held at the wonderful Hocken Collections, one of New Zealand’s premier research libraries and archives. A full hour was assigned for each presentation, allowing for depth of discussion within a focused event.
Keith Thor Carlson
Bruno Saura
Focusing on the content…
Presenters from left: Michael Reilly (Otago); Isabel Hofmeyr (Witswaterand); Tony Ballantyne (Otago); Keith Thor Carlson (Saskatchewan); Ārini Loader (VUW); ; Anna Johnston (Tasmania); Laura Rademaker (ANU); Bruno Saura (Polynésie Française); Emma Hunter (Cambridge); Lachy Paterson (Otago). Absent: Noelani Arista (Hawai’i)
See programme for full details and abstracts.
Laura Rademaker responding to a question from Tony Ballantyne.
Although there are of course specific differences in how indigenous peoples of various localities and time periods engaged with literacy and texts, the symposium was extremely valuable in generating conversation, and a publication is planned from research presented. We would like to thank the locals who came along to listen, as well as several from the North Island. In particular we would like to thank Julie Gough for the amazing poster image, and the Hocken Collections for all their support.
CRoCC member shortlisted for prestigious book prize
Congratulations to Angela Wanhalla, member of CRoCC and the University of Otago’s History Department, for the shortlisting of her recent book, Matters of the Heart: A History of Interracial Marriage in New Zealand, for the Ernest Scott Prize for History for 2014. This prize, given annually to the book judged to be the most distinguished contribution to the history of Australia or New Zealand or to the history of colonization, will be awarded at the upcoming Australian Historical Association Conference in Brisbane in July. Angela’s book was published by Auckland University Press.
Indigenous Textual Cultures Symposium
Tēnā rā koutou.
On 30 June and 1 July the Indigenous Textual Cultures Symposium will be held in the Seminar Room at the Hocken Collections. The Centre is excited to host this event, with leading academics from South Africa, North America, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific presenting research looking at how indigenous peoples interacted with literacy and texts during the colonial period.
Check out the programme and the presenters’ Abstracts.
All interested staff, students and members of the public are most welcome to attend. There is no fee for attendance but please RSVP to lachy.paterson@otago.ac.nz so that we have some idea about numbers for catering.
Poster, featuring work of Tasmanian Aboriginal artist and historian, Julie Gough.
“Objects book” progress
Manuscript ready for sending to Conal.
In February 2013 CROCC held its inaugural conference on “colonial objects”. This was a successful event attracting academics, librarians, archivists, heritage professionals, and others. It was always our intention to publish a collection of essays coming out of the conference presentations. The editors, Annabel Cooper, Lachy Paterson and Angela Wanhalla still have some loose ends to tie up (ably assisted by their RA, Katie Cooper) but are happy to report that our draft is almost ready. It has now been sent to Conal McCarthy at VUW to read and add a final reflective essay. Then it will be off to Otago University Press to perform their magic. Expect it in the bookshops in 2015. A big thank you to all involved.
New Zealand’s Victorians Uncool?
The New Zealand Herald has just published its list of the “Coolest 50 Kiwis Ever“. The paper admits that its list is subjective. It has a reasonable percentage of women and Māori but, like many of these kinds of lists, individuals from the present and near present predominate, and coolness is seen to fade as time passes. What is quite incredible is that it appears that no one cool flourished in the nineteenth century. This is of course the “coolest Kiwis ever”, and New Zealanders in the nineteenth century probably didn’t consider themselves as “kiwi”, or think that “coolness” related to anything other than temperature. Yes, New Zealand’s population was much fewer in the nineteenth century, but surely there were one or two individuals in the colonial period who were well known, widely admired, and who captured the public imagination (while still retaining the classic New Zealand humility) or perhaps even a few gay blades and gals whose ascetic stood out from the crowd.
