Possessing The Pacific: Land, Settlers, And Ind... Apr 2026

Many "treaties" were used as tools to legitimize land theft under the guise of fair trade.

The book examines how Westerners ranked different Indigenous groups, often granting more "property rights" to those they deemed more civilized. Possessing the Pacific: Land, Settlers, and Ind...

Possessing the Pacific: Land, Settlers, and Indigenous People from Australia to Alaska explores how 19th-century British and American settlers transformed the Pacific world. Historian Stuart Banner argues that colonial possession was not just a military feat but a legal and ideological one. Core Themes Many "treaties" were used as tools to legitimize