, Research Paper
Far away, but not long agoParadise Reforged: A History of the New Zealandersby James Belich608pp, PenguinSome snapshots from New Zealand in 2002: public disapproval as Prime Minister Helen Clark welcomes the Queen to Government House wearing trousers; high popularity ratings for a transsexual small-town MP; front-page coverage when a Guardian travel writer declares the country “boring”; heated debate over the plight of asylum-seekers in Australia; 24/7 attention to The Lord of the Rings.The national character seems at once conservative, cosmopolitan, parochial, and intensely proud. How New Zealanders became a conflicted race is one of the main explorations of James Belich’s comprehensive and exhilarating history: his concern is the underexamined people of the often-visited place.Belich has both the broad sweep and the salty detail that bring a thesis to life, and the ability to conjure vivid portraits of the most interesting historical players. At its best his writing delivers a real emotional charge. His books have provided significant reinterpretations of New Zealand history; Paradise Reforged and its predecessor companion, Making Peoples, comprise the largest history of the nation by one author.”New Zealand history makes the ‘wild west’ look like an old people’s tea party,” Belich has said, and Paradise Reforged backs up this claim, observing that the nation’s development is notable for its speed, not length. In image-laden, energetic prose, this history delves wholeheartedly into the lives of its subjects, investigating religion, class, diet, popular culture, technology and all aspects of the social nuances that forge cultural self-perception.Belich’s central thesis is that, rather than undergoing a steadily progressive independence from Britain, New Zealand entered a “recolonial” phase in the 1880s, with the launching of refrigerated cargo ships bearing, by 1941, 500,000 tonnes of meat and dairy products to England: it operated as a long-distance market town for London, and emotional as well as financial ties to Britain were tightened for nearly a century.Recolonisation brought both benefits and appalling costs. The country sent nearly a fifth of its male population more than 10,000 miles to the first world war, a much larger percentage than any other colony. Wartime memoirists such as Vera Brittain and Robert Graves describe no particular appreciation of this by the British themselves, and are if anything patronising about the colonial effort, but New Zealand did establish a reputation as the most loyal and dutiful of dominions.Many dates have been suggested for the onset of national independence, the adolescent culture’s “21st birthday”. This book makes a near-irrefutable case for 1973, when Britain joined the EEC and the New Zealand export industry was left out in the cold. It was a forced independence, one that the populace reacted to with confusion. Belich suggests that the extreme shift to free-market policies introduced by the 1984 Labour government was partly due to this economic rejection.The 1985 terrorist bombing of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, engineered by the French government and condemned by neither Britain nor the United States, was another landmark contributor to separation from former allies; it strengthened the country’s anti-nuclear position and ecological awareness. And all through the 1980s, battles over sporting links with South Africa forced New Zealanders to look hard at their identity and priorities. Race relations have generally been perceived as harmonious. The survival and resurgence of Maori culture, under adverse conditions, is one of the most exciting strands of this history.Belich makes a passionate case for the need to understand recolonisation and the implications of decolonisation. “No one likes snapshots of one sitting on Mother’s knee being shown at one’s 21st birthday, especially if the snaps were taken at age 19.” If New Zealanders are to confront previously unexplored realities of the past 150 years, and approach the future accepting the positive outcomes of this history – transnationalism, cultural hybridity – without the collective amnesia that perpetuates a national identity crisis, this is the book to show them the way.· Emily Perkins’s most recent novel is The New Girl (Picador)
Другие работы по теме:
Goals Essay Research Paper A goal is
Goals Essay, Research Paper A goal is an achievement you want to accomplish. Many people have goals for certain reasons. There are many different kinds of goals such as short-term and long-term. Having goals are very important to some people because it gives them a sense of self-confidence.
Editha Essay Research Paper DO YOU HAVE
Editha Essay, Research Paper DO YOU HAVE TIME? I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do. I had to hurry and get to work For bills would soon be due. So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
Advice Essay Research Paper A piece of
Advice Essay, Research Paper A piece of advice that I often receive is “as long as you do your best.” This refers to success in everything from school to careers. I believe that this is good advice because
Mambo Number 5 Essay Research Paper Lyrics
Mambo Number 5 Essay, Research Paper Lyrics Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mambo number five. One, two, three, four, five, everybody in the car so come on let’s ride….. To the liquor store around
Writing A Poem Essay Research Paper Writing
Writing A Poem Essay, Research Paper Writing a Poem It is beyond reason; there is no motive, no explanation Why it is, I do not know because there is cause, no clarification.
Anti Abortion Pill Essay Research Paper I
Anti Abortion Pill Essay, Research Paper I wish I would have said something about abortion and the new pill that came out. I wish that that pill would have never came out and I wish that none of the abortion methods ever came about. I believe no one in this world has the right to take the life of another human being no matter how old they are.
Lemurs Essay Research Paper Lemurs meaning ghosts
Lemurs Essay, Research Paper Lemurs, meaning ghosts, are primates that are found only on the island of Madagascar. They can weigh up too eight pounds. Their tails can be up to 25 inches long. And can live up to 15 years. There are 40 different species of lemurs. They are all different in ways. Some are nocturnal, while others hunt during the day.
Mongouls Essay Research Paper MongolsMongols have a
Mongouls Essay, Research Paper Mongols Mongols have a long history of being animal herders that roamed the lands. The reason for this is because the land they lived on was because water was a hard source to come upon. Many plants that grew on their land were not enough for the tribes to live on. This would not be the case for too long though.
Poem Destiny Essay Research Paper Sometimes I
Poem: Destiny Essay, Research Paper Sometimes I wonder if life is just meant to be If we have not a choice in the matter, or we really are free I walked down the street on one fine day
The Big City Essay Research Paper It
The Big City Essay, Research Paper It was a curiosity we had had for a long time and had tried planning it for a long time and kept putting it off because we had the bad feeling that we get in a lot of trouble for doing something that we were not supposed to do. We waited for the perfect time for when we get our curiosity out of our system and also bring back a couple of stories.
Hair Trends Essay Research Paper Different hairstyles
Hair Trends Essay, Research Paper Different hairstyles have been around since the beginning of time. In the past four decades hairstyles have changed dramatically. Hair has gone from classy to simple to wild and now to chic. Hair styles are a way to express yourself without words. From the ?60s to 2001 hair has made big changes and it is going to keep changing as long as there are stars in the world.
ROTC Entrence Essay Essay Research Paper entrance
ROTC Entrence Essay Essay, Research Paper entrance essay For almost as long as I cn remember, I have been interested in th military. Influenced by such movies as “Patton”, and by my dad’s interest in military history, my
Computer Essay Research Paper Computer is useful
Computer Essay, Research Paper Computer is useful for finding the information. As long as the Internet is installed in the computer, the people can be able to what they want to find. Of course, they have to waste the time for doing. Acquiring the information, they feel that it is valuable. Renctly years, the number of people is increased by using computer.
Long Term Analysis Essay Research Paper Analysis
Long Term Analysis Essay, Research Paper Analysis by a Long Term Creditor The interest a long term creditor is currently receiving is 5.6%. A long term creditor could receive as much as 22.7% working somewhere else in the same industry. So, currently the industrial average is giving 17.1% more interest than workingat Cameco Corporation, which is quite a big difference.
Hamlet Essay Research Paper ally funny man
Hamlet Essay, Research Paper ally funny man. Hamlet: why are you throwing up another skull. It could be a skull of a lawyer. So who grave is this man. Clown: It?s all mine.
1010 Exchange Essay Research Paper The competition
10-10 Exchange Essay, Research Paper The competition for your long distance phone-calling dollar is fierce and getting fiercer. A relatively recent innovation is 10-10 numbers. Long distance telephone providers are heavy into TV and direct mail advertising. If you pick and choose which 10-10 service you use, keeping in mind when and where you call, you can reap some savings, particularly with in-state daytime calls.
Baby
’s Essay, Research Paper I expected after hearing all about this baby for this to be very interesting, and depending on what baby I got I would make my conclusions on what I expected for that night. I let my friend choose which hand the normal card was in. I think I will just pick for myself next time. Because then he chose the cranky baby and I was in for a long night.
The Importance Of Budgeting And Long Range
Financial Goals Essay, Research Paper The Importance of Budgeting and Long Range Financial Goals Me, being a financial independent have experienced first hand how important it is to keep a financial plan. Using a financial plan I have elevated my savings abilities a long way. Knowing where each dollar is being spent helps the spender to manage each dollar in an uplifting way.
William Faulkners
“As I Lay Dying” Essay, Research Paper The main purpose for most of William Faulkner?s novel, As I Lay Dying, is to bury their beloved mother and wife, Addie Bundren, in a town called Jefferson, which is a very long and strenuous trip for them to make. The statement death shapes life perfectly describes this chain of events.
Sea Lion Essay Research Paper The Sea
Sea Lion Essay, Research Paper The Sea Lion is found in the West Coast of North America and the Galapagos Islands. The name of the sea lion is the California Sea Lion or the Zaluphus Californianus. The phylum is the
Long Kiss Goodnight Essay Research Paper Ryan
Long Kiss Goodnight Essay, Research Paper Ryan Fitzgerald English 101 Movie Review Long Kiss Goodnight I give the film Long Kiss Goodnight a four out of five stars. The movie had high energy, high speed, and was a high-spirited thriller. Geena Davis plays a good schoolteacher, had a great daughter, great guy, and a good life, except for her amnesia.
Faked Smile Essay Research Paper I sat
Faked Smile Essay, Research Paper I sat on the cliff facing the sea, Mixed emotions accompanied me, Did I say or do anything wrong, That broke the bond that could have last long.
Personal Experience Essay Research Paper A piece
Personal Experience Essay, Research Paper A piece of advice that I often receive is “as long as you do your best.”This refers to success in everything from school to careers. I believethat this is good advice because it tells me that they trust my judgmentand will respect my decisions, even if they are the wrong ones.
Cheating Essay Research Paper CheatingI believe that
Cheating Essay, Research Paper Cheating I believe that cheating is a terrible thing to do and will hurt you in the long run. When you cheat on a homework assignment, quiz, or test, you are only cheating yourself. You should be honorable enough to take a bad grade and admit that you don’t know everything.
Computers Essay Research Paper Why We StartedInternet
Computers! Essay, Research Paper Why We Started Internet Mental Health is a free encyclopedia of mental health information. It was designed by a Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Long, and programmed by his colleague, Brian Chow.
Our 12 Year Hell Essay Research Paper
12 long years we go through this Hell, The Man just takes us down. Then we have 4 more years, and The Man just takes us down. We slave over over our desks day after day,
Functions Of Memory Essay Research Paper THE
Functions Of Memory Essay, Research Paper THE FUNCTIONS OF MEMORY Memory is the ability to remember past events, images, ideas, or previously learned information or skills. Memory is also the storage system that allows a person to retain and retrieve previously learned information.
English Essay Research Paper She stood there
English Essay, Research Paper She stood there, staring in disbelief at her reflection. Could the person looking back at her from the mirror really be herself? She ran her fingers through her long dark
THings Fall Apart Essay Research Paper No
THings Fall Apart Essay, Research Paper ?No Government Could Long Subsist without the Compliance of the People? Government now days if you look at it is run by the people. Senators and House of Reps. play off what people want to get elected, then after they get into office some get right to work, while others go into offices and procrastinate.
After Apple Picking Essay Research Paper The
After Apple Picking Essay, Research Paper The speaker uses the word “sleep” six times in the poem. This repetition, along with additional words that connote sleeping or resting, comes to suggest the presence of death. The speaker has endured a long hard life, and his routine activity, no matter how fulfilling it must have been at first and throughout, has agonized him and brought exhaustion to his soul.