Colonialism Development and Independence: The Case of the Melanesian Islands in the South Pacific

by H. C. Brookfield

Overview

This 1972 book takes Western Pacific island territories as a case study in the behavioural understanding of colonialism. It is argued that colonialism has many forms, and is not ended with the lowering of the metropolitan flag. It represents a conflict of systems, as worldwide forces impinge on local systems and seek to bring them into an essentially dependent relationship with metropolitan centres. The drive for independence is seen as the opposition to these forces, beginning with resistance to invasion, continuing through efforts to adapt the innovations and manage their impact, and going on to modern forms of political and economic nationalism. The book is based on field work and documentary research extending more than ten years; the emphasis on field evidence is unusual in a book of this nature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521143882
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/20/2010
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

List of figures; Preface; Note on conventions; 1. On colonialism and development; 2. Colonial beginnings; 3 Diffusion and establishment; 4. High noon: Melanesia in a white man's world; 5. Tremors from faraway convulsions - 1905–1920; 6. The ills of mercantilism; 7. Hard times and new beginnings; 8. Trauma - 1940–1946; 9. The Hasluck period and the new colonialism; 10. The advance toward political independence; 11. The deepening commercial colonization of Melanesia; 12. The face of pluralism in Melanesia; 13. Melanesian reaction; 14. A view of the Third World; 15. Perils and prospects; Epilogue: toward an understanding of colonialism; Statistical appendix; List of references; Index.