Colonialism in comparison: Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

The unit will examine the lives of indigenous people in the Pacific region and their experiences of colonisation. You will gain an appreciation of the diversity of indigenous cultures in the Pacific region and the different forms of colonisation that were pursued in a various Pacific places, and by different types of imperial or colonial agents. It will examine the different responses of indigenous peoples to imperial and colonial encounters, and strategies of engagement and resistance pursued by indigenous populations in light of their own cultural, social and political structures. In addition, you will consider the role of the Pacific in the construction of academic knowledge in variety of disciplines, including history, anthropology, and racial thought.