Risky Shores

“In sparkling, seamless prose, Risky Shores offers fresh insights into the cultural encounters between the British and the Melanesians.” —Dane Kennedy, author of Decolonization Why did the so-called “Cannibal Isles” of the Western Pacific fascinate Europeans for so long? Spanning three centuries—from Captain James Cook’s death on a Hawaiian beach in 1779 to the end of World War II in 1945—this book considers the category of “the savage” in the context of British Empire in the Western Pacific, reassessing the conduct of Islanders and the English-speaking strangers who encountered them. Sensationalized depictions of Melanesian “savages” as cannibals and headhunters created a unifying sense of Britishness during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These exotic people inhabited the edges of empire—and precisely because they did, Britons who never had and never would leave the home islands could imagine their nation’s imperial reach. George Behlmer argues that Britain’s early visitors to the Pacific—mainly cartographers and missionaries—wielded the notion of savagery to justify their own interests. But savage talk was not simply a way to objectify and marginalize native populations: it would later serve also to emphasize the fragility of indigenous cultures. Behlmer by turns considers cannibalism, headhunting, missionary activity, the labor trade, and Westerners’ preoccupation with the perceived “primitiveness” of indigenous cultures, arguing that British representations of savagery were not merely straightforward expressions of colonial power, but also belied home-grown fears of social disorder. “A wonderful book: beautifully researched, compellingly written, and vitally important to debates about race relations and agency in the Pacific world . . . The result is an intellectual feast.” —Jane Samson, author of Race and Redemption

Why did the so-called "Cannibal Isles" of the Western Pacific fascinate Europeans for so long? Spanning three centuries--from Captain James Cook's death on a Hawaiian beach in 1779 to the end of World War II in 1945--this book considers the category of "the savage" in the context of British Empire in the Western Pacific, reassessing the conduct of Islanders and the English-speaking strangers who encountered them. Sensationalized depictions of Melanesian "savages" as cannibals and headhunters created a unifying sense of Britishness during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These exotic people inhabited the edges of empire--and precisely because they did, Britons who never had and never would leave the home islands could imagine their nation's imperial reach. George Behlmer argues that Britain's early visitors to the Pacific--mainly cartographers and missionaries--wielded the notion of savagery to justify their own interests. But savage talk was not simply a way to objectify and marginalize native populations: it would later serve also to emphasize the fragility of indigenous cultures. Behlmer by turns considers cannibalism, headhunting, missionary activity, the labor trade, and Westerners' preoccupation with the perceived "primitiveness" of indigenous cultures, arguing that British representations of savagery were not merely straightforward expressions of colonial power, but also belied home-grown fears of social disorder.

The interaction between land and sea is controlled by a number of processes that are in general driven by the equilibrium between environmental forcing components (e.g. hydrodynamic - waves, currents, surges), atmospheric (e.g. winds) and terrestrial (e.g. catchment land cover) and sediment dynamics. In the context of the Anthropocene epoch, the equilibrium in many coastal regions is now often altered by the influence of human activities. Successive human activities globally influence (indirectly) these forcing components, helping magnify the negative impact of extreme meteorological events and sea level rise. Directly, human activity can also influence a number of processes at a local scale within and between the catchment, the sea and the coast. For example, misplaced engineered infrastructure inside these naturally dynamic environments can accentuate disequilibrium, destabilizing shores and deltas. Development in catchments can promote rapid runoff, inducing sometimes-dramatic effects on downstream urbanized areas, the socio-economy as well as on coastal resources and ecosystems. This Research Topic aims to assemble research and review papers that focus on the dynamics of shores and deltas in peril under present conditions as well as in the future context of sea-level rise, climate change and adaptation strategies under various scenarios.

The pioneering first edition of this guidebook was the first dedicated entirely to Somaliland, and this second edition, fully updated and with a foreword by Simon Reeve, continues Bradt's groundbreaking tradition of publishing highly specialist guides to newly emerging destinations. Significantly, this new edition also covers Addis Ababa and eastern Ethiopia - the main gateway into Somaliland. Also included is a detailed historical and archaeological background to a region whose wealth of rock art, ancient burial sites, ruined cities and historical ports stretches back 5,000 years and has links with ancient Egypt and Axum as well as the more recent Ottoman and British empires. Comprehensive birdwatching and wildlife sections include details of where to look for of the region's endemic and near-endemic birds and mammals, while the guide also contains the only proper maps available for the capital Hargeisa and other large towns such as Burao, Berbera and Borama, compiled from scratch using GPS. Somaliland ranks among the world's most obscure and uncharted travel destinations. It comprises the former colony of British Somaliland, which merged with its Italian namesake to form the Somali Republic upon attaining independence in 1960, but unilaterally seceded from the rest of war-torn Somalia in 1991. Now a peaceful and fully functional self-governing democracy, Somaliland still awaits official recognition by the UN AU and most other such organisations more than quarter of a century later. Yet despite its obscurity, this ancient and largely arid land has much to offer the truly intrepid traveller, and the low-key, low-rise capital Hargeisa Is easily reached by air or overland from neighbouring Ethiopia. With this unique guide, discover Las Geel, the most alluring rock art site on the Horn of Africa; the charmingly decayed Ottoman port of Berbera, which provides access to some splendid beaches and offshore reefs; the spectacular Daallo Escarpment, swathed in fragrant evergreen forests that support several endemic bird species; and the abandoned city of Maduna, the most impressive of several mediaeval Islamic ruins dotted around the arid interior.

When Abigail Mitchell is a little girl her father, John, inherits a large estate in Cornwall, and moves his family from their comfortable living in Whitby to the rugged Cornish coast. John soon incurs the wrath of their neighbours, the Gainsfords, a powerful old Cornish family, but as Abigail blossoms into a young lady she finds herself attracted to the eldest son, Luke Gainsford. She agrees to marry him in spite of his rakish reputation and her father's objections to the match. Abigail soon learns she should have heeded her father's warning when she uncovers Luke's secret life

Written by Africa expert Philip Briggs and specializing in wildlife-viewing opportunities, this well-established guide has the latest information on overland and balloon safaris and all the national parks. The main attractions of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, lakes Victoria and Tanganyika, and other prime regions for travelers are all covered in depth, with details of the big cats, numerous species of antelope,and other wildlife that can be expected to be seen on safari. How to get the most out of photography equipment, combating danger from hippos, crocodiles, and snakes, malaria prevention, personal safety, and recommended local tour operators are included. Interaction with the natives is an enriching and memorable part of a visit, so the section on observing local etiquette and background on Tanzania's group dynamics provide an understanding of the country. Advice for travelers on a range of topics--climbing Kilimanjaro, spice island excursions, ecological tips, and visiting rock paintings--make this guide a valuable companion.

In this, the eighteenth title in Duke University Press's Living With the Shore series, the authors present a "user's guide" to the coastal zone of Puerto Rico. Presenting a geological appraisal of the history, dynamics, and hazards of the island's coastline, Living With the Puerto Rico Shore is the first in the series to examine a tropical region and the first to examine an area outside the continental United States. The book provides detailed descriptions of the entire shoreline, noting the specific coastal hazards of each coastal reach. These hazards include coastal erosion, storm surge flooding, and potential damage from earthquakes. Where high-density development or significant roads and utilities are particularly at risk, these are also noted. The effects that sand mining, seawalls, jetties, and other attempts at coastal engineering have had on the island are examined. Finally, the authors discuss historical and legal aspects of coastal planning in Puerto Rico, presenting guidelines for selecting building sites. Of interest to all concerned with protecting our shores and beaches and useful to the coastal planner and manager, Living With the Puerto Rico Shore contains an extensive bibliography and a list of agencies involved in coastal issues.

In Islands of Truth, Daniel Clayton examines a series of encounters with the Native peoples and territory of Vancouver Island in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although he focuses on a particular region and period, Clayton also meditates on how representations of land and people, and studies of the past, serve and shape specific interests, and how the dawn of Native-Western contact in this part of the world might be studied 200 years later, in the light of ongoing struggles between Natives and non-Natives over land and cultural status. Between the 1770s and 1850s, the Native people of Vancouver Island were engaged by three sets of forces that were of general importance in the history of Western overseas expansion: the West's scientific exploration of the world in the Age of Enlightenment; capitalist practices of exchange; and the geopolitics of nation-state rivalry. Islands of Truth discusses these developments, the geographies they worked through, and the stories about land, identity, and empire stemming from this period that have shaped understanding of British Columbia's past and present. Clayton questions premises underlying much of present B.C. historical writing, arguing that international literature offers more fruitful ways of framing local historical experiences. Islands of Truth is a timely, provocative, and vital contribution to post-colonial studies.