Viewpoints on the Veldt: The Attitudes and Opinions of New Zealand Soldiers during the South African War, 1899-1902

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dc.contributor.advisorRichards, Raymond
dc.contributor.advisorWeston, Rowland
dc.contributor.authorNicholson, Blair
dc.date.accessioned2012-07-16T00:23:31Z
dc.date.available2012-07-16T00:23:31Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.date.updated2012-03-16T02:02:13Z
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this study was to take a critical look at the attitudes and beliefs of New Zealander who served in the South African War, 1899-1902, through a close and critical reading of letters, diaries and reminiscences written by over 60 soldiers during and after the conflict. This was intended to correct social myths and historical distortions revolving around the soldiers and their experiences in South Africa, and to reveal the diversity of attitudes expressed by historical actors rather than continuing to see attitudes in generalised and popular terms. The thesis is structured thematically, with the first chapter analysing attitudes to writing, followed by two chapters concerning attitudes to people - the Others encountered while at war and themselves and their own identity - while chapter four investigates attitudes about the war itself, their motivations, and the duties required of them. The results revealed that the attitudes of the New Zealanders cannot be generalised to the degree attempted by many scholarly works and that, in most cases, dissenting opinions are displayed regarding the topics analysed. The implication of this thesis is that research into the historical past is made richer by taking a microhistorical approach, and by acknowledging contradictory and competing beliefs and individual thoughts, rather than propagating unproblematised social myths.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationNicholson, B. (2012). Viewpoints on the Veldt: The Attitudes and Opinions of New Zealand Soldiers during the South African War, 1899-1902 (Thesis, Master of Arts (MA)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/6510en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/6510
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Waikato
dc.rightsAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
dc.subjectSouth African War
dc.subjectNew Zealand Military
dc.subjectMilitary History
dc.subjectPersonal Documents
dc.titleViewpoints on the Veldt: The Attitudes and Opinions of New Zealand Soldiers during the South African War, 1899-1902en
dc.typeThesisen_NZ
pubs.place-of-publicationHamilton, New Zealanden_NZ
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Waikato
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)
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