Pursuing Respect in the Cannibal Isles

Full of colorful and detailed stories, this study reveals the personal motivations that propelled 19th-century American expansions in the Pacific world. It is an excellent supplement to existing scholarship.

* Choice *

Shoemaker is a master at microhistory. Delving into ship logs, captains' journals, merchant reports, and consul papers, Shoemaker recreates the voyages and passengers embarking to Fiji in the mid-nineteenth century.

* Diplomatic History *

In her fascinating new book, Nancy Shoemaker reveals [how]Americans' activities on Fiji had the cumulative effect of extending the global reach of American capitalism and cultural imperialism.

* The New England Quarterly *

Pursuing Respect in the Cannibal Isles is meticulously researched: Shoemaker makes use of a truly impressive array of sources ranging from diaries and letters to ships' logbooks, official Customs Service Records, consul records, and merchant reports. The book is also masterfully written. Shoemaker takes a close, microhistorical approach to the study of her subjects, conveying in nuanced detail their individual histories, ambitions, and trajectories.

* Journal of the Early Republic *

Why, in the first half of the nineteenth century, did successive Americans undertake an arduous journey to Fiji, reputedly populated by 'cannibals'? Nancy Shoemaker compellingly argues that to answer this question, historians must foreground individuals' pursuit of 'respect.' Focusing on three New Englanders, Shoemaker weaves an intricate narrative demonstrating how the pursuit of respect drove often seismic changes, replete with detail about individual lives, Pacific commerce, and Fijian politics.

* American Nineteenth Century History *

In addition to being an exceptional scholar of Native American history, Nancy Shoemaker is among the most ingenious historians of nineteenth-century Americans' engagement with the world. Her scholarship is characterized by scrupulous research and incisive conceptual frameworks that not only enliven her own work but also promise to enrich the scholarship of others. This superb book builds upon her most recent contributions to this endeavor.

* Journal of American History *

[A] welcome study offering an intimate, personality-driven lens on the US in the Pacific and provides new layers and nuance to a period of significant upheaval in Fiji's 19th-century history.

* The Journal of Pacific History *