While University of Otago distinguished chair in history Prof Tony Ballantyne affectionately refers to his book about Captain James Cook as his first published ‘‘Cook book’’, Captain Cook and the Unsettled Afterlives of Empire contains serious ingredients which show the explorer has been a controversial figure since the day he died.
‘‘Today, his name evokes not only exploration and scientific endeavour, but also the violence of first encounters and the enduring legacies of colonisation.
‘‘What the book shows is that from almost the moment he died, there’s been these ongoing debates around his intentions, around the consequences of his voyages, and around his meaning — he’s actually always been a contested figure.
‘‘People have very strong opinions about Captain Cook, so I’m sure there’s going to be a range of responses to the book.’’
An array of competing assessments of Capt Cook, produced by historians and scientists, missionaries and iwi leaders, journalists and politicians, artists and activists, showed how debates about the man reflected radically different perspectives on empire and colonisation, and how these discussions contributed to visions of New Zealand’s history and national identity.
Prof Ballantyne said the book explored those debates, and showed how they were connected to the ways in which people in New Zealand thought about themselves, the way it shaped our nation’s history, and the ways people thought about the future.
Even today, the naming of one of the Cook Strait ferries after Capt Cook had raised the ire of many New Zealanders, he said.
‘‘I think after reading my book, people will certainly understand why there will be questions about naming something after Cook.
‘‘It’s a part of a long sequence of arguments about how Cook should be remembered — whether he was a great hero, or whether he was at the cutting edge of impact.
‘‘It just shows that there will be these kinds of debates about how we should remember Cook, what is the best way to think about him, and how those debates have rumbled on since the end of the 18th century.’’
The book will be officially launched at the Hutton Theatre, Tūhura Otago Museum, at 5.30pm on August 5.
