Reflections on a region: New Zealand geographers and the study of Pacific peoples with special reference to the period 1945–1970
Citation
Export citationBedford, R. (2011). Reflections on a region: New Zealand geographers and the study of Pacific peoples with special reference to the period 1945–1970. New Zealand Geographer, 67(2), 126-138.
Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/5641
Abstract
Since the late 1940s, the Pacific islands have had a special place in teaching and research in New Zealand's university geography departments. This paper recalls some dimensions of a ‘golden age’ in the study of Pacific peoples by New Zealand geographers between 1945 and 1970. Attention is focused on the ‘Cumberland’ school of regional geography and some of the debates this generated in the 1960s. The paper concludes with a plea for the revitalisation of Pacific regional geography, especially in the light of the very different challenges that are confronting the islands in the 21st century.