Book Description
An outstanding and ambitious contribution to New Zealand and imperial history... Barnes’ analysis of the dynamic relationship between colony and metropolis is compelling and sophisticated... A thoughtful reconsideration of a cultural past New Zealanders have often disowned . . . - History Australia, Vol 12, 1, 2015 A major contribution to scholarship that should remain a touchstone for years to come. Its success is both a testament to the potential of an expertly executed doctoral study and evidence of a significant emerging voice in Australasian cultural history. - Australian Historical Studies, 44, 2, 2013 An ambitious book, tackling large questions across two hemispheres and a long century. Felicity Barnes pulls it off. - Journal of NZ Studies, June 2014 Antipodean soldiers and writers, meat carcasses and moa, British films and Kiwi tourists: over the last 150 years, all of these people, things and ideas have gone back and forth from New Zealand to London to help define, and redefine, the relationship between this country and the colonial centre. In New Zealand’s London, expanded from an award-winning PhD thesis from the University of Auckland, Felicity Barnes explores ‘a colony and its metropolis’ from Wakefield to The Wombles. By focusing on particular themes - from agricultural marketing to expatriate writers - Barnes develops a larger story about colonial and national identity. New Zealand’s London is already being hailed as a landmark work of historical writing on the development of our culture.
