Unravelling Imperial Knots: Teaching New Zealand History Contrapuntally

I use Edward Said’s (in: Culture and imperialism, Vintage, 1993) theory, that nations ‘are narrations: who owned land, could settle, plan its future, are all stories of imperialism. The history teacher could not only consider ‘what to read’, but also ‘how to read’ taking account of the processes of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Zealand journal of educational studies 2022-06, Vol.57 (1), p.69-86
Main Author: Stuart, Margaret
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Education
Foreign Countries
Foreign Policy
History Instruction
Local History
Role of Education
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:I use Edward Said’s (in: Culture and imperialism, Vintage, 1993) theory, that nations ‘are narrations: who owned land, could settle, plan its future, are all stories of imperialism. The history teacher could not only consider ‘what to read’, but also ‘how to read’ taking account of the processes of imperialism; of the macro-history of world systems and micro-history of individuals within these. I examine Said’s theory in the context of New Zealand history, looking at four interconnected aspects: expropriation of land, trading in goods, appropriation of botanical knowledge, and the place of education in telling the story of the nation. I suggest that using this as a model, teachers can seek out local stories, ensuring several perspectives are heeded and linked to the bigger narratives of the colonial past and present.
ISSN:0028-8276
2199-4714
DOI:10.1007/s40841-021-00235-y