| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 108.2

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 108.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Oceania and the Pacific Islands

James Belich. Paradise Reforged: A History of the New Zealanders; From the 1880s to the Year 2000. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. 2001. Pp. 606. $40.00.

James Belich's book is the companion to the first volume of his history of New Zealand, Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century (2001). Like its predecessor, it has already occasioned a flurry of local comment. Unlike the relatively slim previous national histories of New Zealand, Belich has produced two extensive works that not only stand testament to his energy and interdisciplinary skills but also support the contention that his subject demands a broader canvas than one might first imagine. As Belich avers, the histories of settler societies like New Zealand are short on temporal span but long on dynamic change. The result is a heady mix of elements reflecting the fusion of metropolitan, indigenous, and settler forces, set against the changing backdrop of imperial, regional, and global realignments that added new ingredients into the blend. 1

Few economic, political, and sociocultural stones are left unturned. Using a thematic approach that synthesizes often disparate material, Belich deftly switches from ethnicity to gender, class to generation, and religion to policy. The author delves into the undergrowth of popular culture as well as traversing the more familiar landmarks of prominent events and actors that used to epitomize such accounts. His prose matches the pace and profusion of the analysis. Belich delights in neologisms, irreverent turns of phrase and provocative, racy asides. This will, I suspect, captivate many readers and irk more than a few. The vivid portraiture, humor, and passion of much of the writing add to a story that seldom flags, despite the length of exposition. But the style may deflect from what deserves to be seen as an original, scholarly revision of our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand. . . .

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