Re-Membering Australasia: A Repressed Memory

Throughout the nineteenth century, the term Australasia embraced all the British dependencies in the South Pacific. Federation brought six of these dependencies together, but disrupted the wider Australasia by excluding New Zealand, British New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. The consequent national histories and historiographies sought to ignore or deny the regional context; but economic, political and cultural links persisted and evolved. This regional nexus has no name (Australasia having been debased), but it is very real for most of its member states and societies. Now Australians are reluctant to acknowledge the only regional club which accepts us as members; but chronic crises in many parts of the region demand our reconsideration.