Serendipity : Experience of Pacific Historians

The second generation of Pacific historians, who began theircareers in the 1970s and 1980s, is gradually fading from theacademic scene. They have made fundamental contributions tothe field of Pacific history, enduring in their impact, and theidentity of the discipline is now firmly established. This volume isnot so much about their individual research but, rather, theirimprobable journeys into Pacific history - why and how theycame to it in the first place. Almost without exception, they didnot choose Pacific history but rather stumbled into the fieldthrough serendipity. They came from forays into African, Indian,East Asian, French, British imperial, and other fields, and wereenticed into Pacific history through chance or the efforts of kindlymentors. All this is evident in the values and understandings theybring to the subject. The one commonality that binds them is alove of the islands that have been the center of their lifetimework.