Future Directions for the Study of Migration and Ethnicity in New Zealand: Comparative, Transnational and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Records of Insanity

Abstract

In his 1990 publication on Irish migration to New Zealand, historian Don Akenson recommended various approaches available for the study of ethnic history, such as demographic analysis, institutional history, community studies and biographical sketches. He also identified particular themes for investigating the Irish in New Zealand, including women, religion, sectarianism, community studies and intermarriage with Maori. Such topics could equally be applied to other ethnic groups. Intriguingly, Akenson failed to propose comparative investigation of diverse migrant groups as a research agenda. Indeed, with a few exceptions, the extant historiography of migration and ethnicity in New Zealand is notable for its focus on one national or ethnic group, with little comparative engagement, either nationally or internationally. As such, there exist individual works relating to the Scots, the Irish, the Chinese, and Indians, among others. Individual articles in edited collections containing contributions about various ethnicities are also predominantly confined to one group rather than the pursuit of comparison.