The Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict by James Belich

In The Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict James Belich shows that the legend of New Zealand race relations is not only flawed, it is inaccurate. He notes that typical stories "emphasize inevitability, minimize the importance of conflict and the Maori success in it, and present a pattern of nineteenth century race relations which is like a simple slope -- short, straight, and for the Maori downwards." Belich goes on to present a strong argument that this perspective is wrong and to show how Victorian attitudes toward race have distorted the way military and social historians have viewed the Maori-British wars. Winner of the prestigious Trevor Reese Memorial Prize, The Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict is a meticulous reassessment of one of the great racial wars of the nineteenth century, the conflict between the Maori and the British in New Zealand. Belich's insights are extremely relevant to work in North American history and to the growing body of literature surrounding the struggles of indigenous people as they have fought against European domination.