Interracial Intimacy: New Zealand Histories

A Symposium to be held at the University of Otago, 18-20 June 2009

Interracial intimacy has been the subject of extensive historical research by historians of colonialism in Canada, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. New Zealand’s history of interracial intimacy, as well as the diverse manner in which such relationships emerged, is now coming to light. The purpose of this symposium is to foster further work in this field, by focusing on New Zealand histories and experiences of interracial intimacy from contact until the 1960s across a broad range of ethnic communities and peoples. Submissions are invited from those who take a multi-disciplinary perspective, as are proposals that take a broad view of interracial intimacy to include friendship and other affective ties. Proposals that deal with the following themes are also strongly encouraged:

Transnational and comparative perspectives
The visual, particularly family photograph albums, art and film Literary representations
Categories of ‘race’ and ‘whiteness’
Mixed descent peoples, families and communities
Interracial intimacy and the rule of law
M?ori encounters with Asia and the Pacific
The sexual economy of cross-cultural encounters

An abstract of 250 words, a brief biographical statement, and a 1-page CV should be sent to Angela Wanhalla, Department of History, University of Otago (angela.wanhalla@otago.ac.nz) by October 1st 2008.

Angela Wanhalla, Department of History, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
Email: angela.wanhalla@otago.ac.nz