Unsettling settler colonialism: Debates over climate and colonization in New Guinea, 1875-1914

Though the suitability of the tropics for European colonization and especially settlement had been a long-standing issue, it was particularly hotly debated from the mid-nineteenth century until at least the turn of the nineteenth century, when the imperatives of expanding imperial ventures placed th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethnic and racial studies 2005-03, Vol.28 (2), p.304-330
Main Author: Eves, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate
Climate Change
Colonialism
Colonization
Cultures and civilizations
degeneration
Ethnicity
General studies
Health Problems
History
New Guinea
Nineteenth Century
Papua New Guinea
Race
Race relations
settler colonialism
Settlers
Sociology
Tropical Regions
tropics
Twentieth Century
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Summary:Though the suitability of the tropics for European colonization and especially settlement had been a long-standing issue, it was particularly hotly debated from the mid-nineteenth century until at least the turn of the nineteenth century, when the imperatives of expanding imperial ventures placed the issue firmly on the agenda. This article explores debates over climate and colonization in the context of New Guinea, where it was widely believed that the tropical environment was enervating and ultimately detrimental to Europeans who attempted to live there. Such beliefs led some commentators to question whether it would ever become the "home of the white man" that some of the advocates of colonization had suggested.
ISSN:0141-9870
1466-4356
DOI:10.1080/01419870420000315861