James Christopher Belich (born 1956) is a New Zealand
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
, known for his work on the
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
and on
New Zealand history
The history of New Zealand (Aotearoa) dates back to between 1320 and 1350 CE, when the main settlement period started, after it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. Like other Pacific cultures, Mā ...
more generally. One of his major works on the 19th-century clash between
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
and
Pākehā
Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Z ...
, the
revisionist study ''The New Zealand Wars'' (1986), was also published in an American edition and adapted into a television series and DVD.
Since 2013 Belich has been the
Beit Professor of Imperial and Commonwealth History and the Director of th
Oxford Centre for Global Historyat the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
Background
Of
Croatian descent, he was born in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
in 1956, the son of Sir
Jim Belich
Sir James Belich (25 July 1927 – 13 September 2015) was a New Zealand local politician. He was the mayor of Wellington from 1986 to 1992.
Biography Early life and career
Belich was born on 25 July 1927, of Croat descent, in Awanui, Nort ...
, who later became
Mayor of Wellington
The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the City of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representat ...
. He attended
Onslow College
Onslow College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It had a student population in 2020 of 1250 students. The current principal is Sheena Millar.
History
Onslow College opened i ...
.
He gained an M.A. in history at
Victoria University before being awarded a
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
in 1978 and travelling to
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to complete his
D.Phil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
at
Nuffield College
Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...
.
Academic career
He lectured at
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well kn ...
for several years before moving to the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. In 2007 he was appointed Professor of History at the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies at Victoria University.
''
The New Zealand Wars'' (1986) was based on his DPhil thesis, and won the international
Trevor Reese Memorial Prize. It was later turned into a major documentary series for
Television New Zealand
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solo ...
. It was controversial for the startling claim that northern Maori invented trench warfare.
''I Shall Not Die':
Titokowaru's War'' (1990), based on his MA thesis, was also highly praised, winning the Adam Award for New Zealand literature.
Belich has written a two-volume work ''A History of the New Zealanders'', consisting of ''Making Peoples'' (1996) and ''Paradise Reforged'' (2001).
In the
2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Belich was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...
, for service to historic research.
He expanded his area of research to colonial societies in general and the place of settler colonialism in world history with ''Replenishing the earth'' (2009). The book was the choice of
Maya Jasanoff
Maya R. Jasanoff is an American academic. She serves as Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University, where she focuses on the history of Britain and the British Empire.
Early life
Jasanoff grew up in Ithaca, New York and comes from a ...
in a list of the 11 best scholarly books of the 2010s by ''
The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to re ...
.''
In 2011 Belich was appointed
Beit Professor of Commonwealth History at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.
Awards and honours
*2011
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government. Each ...
Works
* ''Titokowaru's War and Its Place in New Zealand's History''. MA Thesis.
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well kn ...
, 1979.
[}]
* ''New Zealand Wars 1845–1870: An Analysis of Their History and Interpretation''. 1982. PhD Thesis.
Nuffield College
Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...
/
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
* ''I Shall Not Die: Tītokowaru’s war, New Zealand, 1868-9''. Bridget Williams Books, 1993.
* ''Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century''. Penguin, 2007.
* ''The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict''. Auckland University Press, 1986.
* ''Paradise Reforged: A History of the New Zealanders from the 1880s to the Year 2000''. University of Hawai’i Press, 2001.
* ''Replenishing the Earth: The Settler revolution and the rise of the Anglo-world, 1783–1939''. Oxford University Press, 2009.
* ''The Prospect of Global History''. co-edited with John Darwin, Margret Frenz and Chris Wickham. Oxford University Press, 2016. ISBN 9780198732259
* ''The World the Plague Made: The Black Death and the Rise of Europe''. Princeton University Press, 2022. ISBN 9780691215662
See also
*
New Zealand literature
*
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
*
New Zealand history
The history of New Zealand (Aotearoa) dates back to between 1320 and 1350 CE, when the main settlement period started, after it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. Like other Pacific cultures, Mā ...
References
External links
Victoria University of Wellington Stout Research Centre page
University of Auckland website
University of Auckland personal page
on the
New Zealand Book Council
Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the New Zealand Book Council) is a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand.
History
It was established in 1972 as a response to UNESCO's ...
website
Staff page at Oxford University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belich, James
1956 births
Living people
New Zealand Rhodes Scholars
20th-century New Zealand historians
New Zealand people of Croatian descent
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
University of Auckland faculty
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford
People educated at Onslow College
Beit Professors of Commonwealth History
Victoria University of Wellington faculty
21st-century New Zealand historians