How European imagination constructed the Pacific as an ideological landscape
In short: This talk explores how the Pacific was shaped by European perspectives between 1870 and 1970. It examines the shift from emotive colonial narratives to 'scientific' racial definitions that defined Australian identity.
Drawing on art historian Bernard Smith, the presentation argues that the Pacific is less a physical reality and more an ideological construction of the European mind. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, intense exploration transformed how the region was perceived by Western powers.
The discussion focuses on the century following Australian colonization, where colonists defined their own identities through racial distinctions against their neighbors. It highlights a tension between Enlightenment ideals of common humanity and powerful narratives of difference that were both 'scientific' and emotive in nature.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Scholar Talk: Reimagining the Pacific, 1870 to 1970
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