Historical background of the colonisation and accession to independence of Western Samoa and study of the development of government and political structures of the country - refers in particular to the period from 1830 to 1962, and covers the role of UK, the role of Germany, the role of USA, the role of New Zealand, political leadership, public administration, government policy, sociological aspects, cultural factors, tradition, etc. References.

There is a tradition of “participant history” among historians of the Pacific Islands, unafraid to show their hands on issues of public importance and risking controversy to make their voices heard. This book explores the theme of the participant historian by delving into the lives of J.C. Beaglehole, J.W. Davidson, Richard Gilson, Harry Maude and Brij V. Lal. They lived at the interface of scholarship and practical engagement in such capacities as constitutional advisers, defenders of civil liberties, or upholders of the principles of academic freedom. As well as writing history, they “made” history, and their excursions beyond the ivory tower informed their scholarship. Doug Munro’s sympathetic engagement with these five historians is likewise informed by his own long-term involvement with the sub-discipline of Pacific History.

Texts and Contexts is concerned with the development of Pacific Islands history as a specialization in its own right. Specifically, this volume examines the foundational texts that pioneered and consolidated the new subdiscipline and served as the building blocks and stepping stone for further developments in the field. Thirty-five texts, all of which represent defining points in the development of Pacific Islands historiography, are examined. Much more than retrospective appraisals of the foundational texts, the individual chapters consider a text or complimentary texts within the context of the time of writing and gauge what ongoing influence they exerted. In some cases they suggest how a particular text has been superseded by subsequent work that breaks new conceptual ground in the ongoing process of revisionism. Contributors: Chris Ballard on Gavin Souter; Ivan Brady on Greg Dening; I. C. Campbell on Norma McArthur; Bronwen Douglas and Doug Munro on H. E. Maude and Dorothy Shineberg; Michael Goldsmith on Marshall Sahlins; David Hanlon on Francis X. Hezel; K. R. Howe on Andrew Sharp and David Lewis; Brij V.Lal on K. L. Gillion and Peter Corris; Hugh Laracy on Niel Gunson and Ta‘unga; Lamont Lindstrom on Peter Worsley and Peter Lawrence; Doug Munro on Douglas L. Oliver, R. P. Gilson, J. W. Davidson, and K. R. Howe; Vincent O’Malley on Keith Sinclair and Alan Ward; Jon Osorio on Ralph Kuykendall and Gavan Daws; Tom Ryan on Bernard Smith; Jane Samson on W. P. Morrell and Deryck Scarr; Francis West on Francis West and Gavan Daws; Glyndwr Williams on O. H. K. Spate.

Much literature on non-Western traditions celebrates the renaissance of indigenous cultures. Others have been more critical of this renaissance, especially with respect to its political implications. This study analyses the assertion of 'tradition' by indigenous elites, looking especially at the way it is used to differentiate 'the West' from the 'non-West'. This is important to contemporary discussion about the validity of democracy outside the West and problems concerning universalism and relativism. The discussion of Fiji focuses on constitutional development and the traditionalist emphasis on chiefly legitimacy. The rise of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Tonga is considered against the background of a conservative political order that has so far resisted pressure for reform. The move to universal suffrage in Western Samoa is seen not as a rejection of traditional ways in favour of democratic norms, but as a means of preserving important aspects of traditional culture.

The South Seas, as this region used to be called, conjured up images of adventure, belles and savages, romance and fabulous fortunes, but the long voyages of discovery and exploration of the vast Pacific Ocean were really an exercise in amazing logistics, navigation, hard grit, shipwreck and pure luck. The motivations were scientific and geographic, but at the same time nationalistic and materialistic. A series on global exploration and discovery would not be complete without this book by Quanchi and Robson. It is ambitious and informative and includes the familiar names of Laperouse, Bougainville, Cook and Dampier, as well as the intriguing stories of the Bounty Mutiny, scurvy, and the mysterious Northwest Passage, Terra Australis Ignotia and Davis Land. There are entries on first contacts, ships, navigational instruments, mapping, and botany. The scene is carefully set in the introduction, the chronology spans several centuries, and the extensive bibliography offers a guide to further reading. There are more than just dry facts in this book. It has a whiff of salt air, the clash of empires, cross-cultural beach encounters and personal adventure.

The Pacific’s ‘Indigenous times’ are not just smaller sections of larger histories, but dimensions of their own. Histories of our Pacific world are richly rendered in these essays by Damon Salesa. From the first Indigenous civilisations that flourished in Oceania to the colonial encounters of the nineteenth century, and on to the complex contemporary relationships between New Zealand and the Pacific, Salesa offers new perspectives on this vast ocean – its people, its cultures, its pasts and its future. Spanning a wide range of topics, from race and migration to Pacific studies and empire, these essays demonstrate Salesa’s remarkable scholarship. Bridging the gap between academic disciplines and cultural traditions, Salesa locates Pacific peoples always at the centre of their stories. An Indigenous Ocean is a pivotal contribution to understanding the history and culture of Oceania.

"John Williams was not the first London Missionary Society missionary to Polynesia, but his passion to conquer the whole Pacific region, and resolute belief that he knew better than the Directors in London how this vision might be achieved marked him out as an ambitious and aggressive man. Samoa, the setting of thses journals, was the last island group where Williams' personally introduced the gospel before he was murdered at Eromanga... Of the several journals kept by Williams during his pan-Polynesian travels, the two relating to his visits to Samoa in 1830 and 1832 are the most comprehensive and illuminating. In the course of both journeys Williams also visited Tonga, and provided graphic eye-witness accounts of contemporary Tongan and European life..."--Book jacket.

DIVA groundbreaking interdisciplinary collection that rethinks the connection between the intimate and United States colonial and postcolonial histories./div