New book: Making Mala: Malaita in Solomon Islands, 1870s–1930s by Clive Moore
Clive Moore’s new book Making Mala: Malaita in Solomon Islands, 1870s-1930s is now available through ANU Press. There is a free digital down load, or paper copies cost $68. Its long, over 500 pages, with many photos and maps, and a substantial index.
http://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/pacific-series/making-mala
Malaita is one of the major islands in the Solomons Archipelago and has the largest population in the Solomon Islands nation. Its people have an undeserved reputation for conservatism and aggression.Making Mala argues that in essence Malaitans are no different from other Solomon Islanders, and that their dominance, both in numbers and their place in the modern nation, can be explained through their recent history.
A grounding theme of the book is its argument that, far than being conservative, Malaitan religions and cultures have always been adaptable and have proved remarkably flexible in accommodating change. This has been the secret of Malaitan success.
Malaitans rocked the foundations of the British protectorate during the protonationalist Maasina Rule movement in the 1940s and the early 1950s, have heavily engaged in internal migration, particularly to urban areas, and were central to the ‘Tension Years’ between 1998 and 2003. Making Mala reassesses Malaita’s history, demolishes undeserved tropes and uses historical and cultural analyses to explain Malaitans’ place in the Solomon Islands nation today.
Authored by: Clive Moore
ISBN (print): 9781760460976 ISBN (online): 9781760460983
Publication date: April 2017 Imprint: ANU Press DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.22459/MM.04.2017 Series: Pacific Series
Emeritus Professor Clive Moore, FAHA, Cross of Solomon Islands
Moore Historical Consultancy
Member, Professional Historians Association (Qld)
Co-Convener UQ Solomon Islands Partnership
Convener, Solomon Islands Information Network
Author, Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia, 1893-1978
http://www.solomonencyclopaedia.net/
Author, Making Maka: Malaita in Solomon Islands, 1870s-1930s
http://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/pacific-series/making-mala