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The People Trade: Pacific Island Laborers and New Caledonia, 1865-1930 (review)

The People Trade: Pacific Island Laborers and New Caledonia, 1865-1930 (review) book reviews least during the next decade. It is to be recommended as first reading to all those wishing to acquire a sound knowledge of the pre-European his tory of the peoples of Oceania. arly, and meticulous narrative but not given to sweeping theoretical analysis or accusatory condemnation of past actors. Shineberg still overwhelmingly presents a grim and damning assessment of the labor trade and the exploitation of workers in colonial society. She is careful not to apportion blame to any nationality. Here is a glimpse of how nineteenth-century practices foreshadowed the presentday transnationalization of shipping in the Pacific. Unscrupulous shipping and labor operators evaded national legal jurisdiction by flying foreign flags. The labor trade was transnational and flourished during a period of national rivalry between Britain and France. Although several examples of worker "agency" can be found throughout the book, Shineberg's focus tends to be on the constraints workers faced, and in great detail she discusses the disparities between state regulation and employer rule, evidenced with both brute violence and the alarming extent to which workers were cheated of their wages. Before reading chapter 12, titled "Perpetual Theft," I assumed the content would be about worker theft http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Contemporary Pacific University of Hawai'I Press

The People Trade: Pacific Island Laborers and New Caledonia, 1865-1930 (review)

Leckie, Jacqueline.
The Contemporary Pacific , Volume 14 (1) – Jan 1, 2002
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Publisher
University of Hawai'I Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 University of Hawai'i Press.
ISSN
1527-9464
Publisher site
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Abstract

book reviews least during the next decade. It is to be recommended as first reading to all those wishing to acquire a sound knowledge of the pre-European his tory of the peoples of Oceania. arly, and meticulous narrative but not given to sweeping theoretical analysis or accusatory condemnation of past actors. Shineberg still overwhelmingly presents a grim and damning assessment of the labor trade and the exploitation of workers in colonial society. She is careful not to apportion blame to any nationality. Here is a glimpse of how nineteenth-century practices foreshadowed the presentday transnationalization of shipping in the Pacific. Unscrupulous shipping and labor operators evaded national legal jurisdiction by flying foreign flags. The labor trade was transnational and flourished during a period of national rivalry between Britain and France. Although several examples of worker "agency" can be found throughout the book, Shineberg's focus tends to be on the constraints workers faced, and in great detail she discusses the disparities between state regulation and employer rule, evidenced with both brute violence and the alarming extent to which workers were cheated of their wages. Before reading chapter 12, titled "Perpetual Theft," I assumed the content would be about worker theft

Journal

The Contemporary Pacific – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Jan 1, 2002

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