Hey, my name's Ryan. I'm a University History Student who needs to direct my creative energy outside of the academcy. Univesity offers me the chance to spend substantial periods of time researching and writing on topics of Aotearoa/New Zealand history, however the insular and at times irrelevant nature of historical inquiry as practiced within the University makes me question the value of my efforts.
So, this blog is being set up in the hope that I can offer the products of my academic pursuits in an accesible, and hopefully interesting way to a wider audience.
My key interests in the history of Aotearoa/New Zealand, is what I have termed here, Radical History. By radical I do not mean oppsotion to the status quo for the sake of it. But instances, events and actions from the past that have challenged the power structures of the state and private capital in the search for personal dignity, justice and liberty. Radical, sometimes used as an insult to dismiss the more hopeful among us, to me is a valuable term to describe a wide range of individuals and groups from today and in the past, who seek fundamental change to the economic and political systems that maintain a status quo that subjugates the majority of the world's population.
I would love to use this site as a means to collect radical historical inquries into Aotearoa/New Zealand's past; promote discussions in regards to these events, movement and actions; and highlight the liberating power of historical inquiry. As Albert Wendt once wrote; 'We are what we remember; society is what we remember'. So, if we can also remember, and I paraphrase Howard Zinn here, the moments in our nation's past when people have acted magnificently, rather than purely the solid years of warfare, disgraceful poltiical actvity, sexism, racism and so on, perhaps we can create a society informed by the former, and not destined to perpetuate the latter.
If you're interested in helping with this project please get in touch. I will be updating this site soon with some articles and essays.
