Post-Colonialism and the Reinterpretation of New Zealand’s Colonial Narrative: The Wairua Massacre

Authors

Keywords:

Post-colonialism, Colonial History, New Zealand Wars,

Abstract

Post-colonialism has provided the means by which contemporary historians can challenge the previously held notions of national history and folklore. Using the specific example of the Wairua Affray, an early violent confrontation between settlers and Maori in New Zealand, this paper demonstrates how post-colonialism enriches and provides a more accurate, balanced and nuanced comprehension of past events. The creation of a new collective understanding of the past contributes to improving race relations between different peoples and the lands they inhabit.

References

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Duara, Prasentjit, ‘Postcolonial History’, in A Companion to Western Historical Thought, ed. by Lloyd Kramer and Sarah Maza (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), pp. 417-431.

Holt, Edgar, The Strangest War: The Story of the Maori Wars 1860-1872 (London: Putnam and Company, 1962).

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Reed, A.H., The Story of New Zealand, 2nd edn (Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1946).

Shrimpton, A.W., ‘The Crown Colony Period (1840-1853)’, in Maori and Pakeha: A History of New Zealand, ed. by A.W. Shrimpton and

Alan E. Mulgan (Auckland: Whitcombe and Tombs, c.1921), pp. 83-169.

Wright, Matthew, Two Peoples, One Land: The New Zealand Wars (Auckland: Reed Publishing, 2006.

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Published

2013-10-31

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Section

International and Comparative Studies