Mysteries and Dreams: the French in Oceania

For a long time the francophone islands of Oceania suffered from a kind of benign and not-so-benign neglect on the part of academia, partly due to language difficulties. Yet the problems and issues in this part of the Pacific are rather similar to the challenges faced by the English-speaking regions of the Ocean. Of great weight are the careful studies of the interplay between the French and the aboriginal populations, which show a nuanced picture of long-standing relationships and suggest workable solutions to deep-seated problems. Beginning with the "Introduction" and embracing the many contributions organized in an elucidating manner, this book fascinates by both scope and style.

"Mysteries and Dreams: The French in Oceania" thus answers important needs. The various chapters are a pleasure to read. I highly recommend the publication of this work.

Prof. Niklaus Schweizer

Professor of German

Department of Languages and Literatures of Europe and the Americas

University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i

“Mysteries and Dreams: The French in Oceania” presents an evocative collection of critical re-readings of French engagements with Indigenous Oceania from the 18th century to the present, situating French presence within dynamic, contested fields of cultural production, identity negotiation and political resistance. Drawing together historical, literary and visual cultural analyses, this volume scrutinizes longstanding and emergent narratives of domination, resistance and mutual imagining across the specter of the “encounter.” Organized into three sections—early French explorations and missions, Francophone literary engagements, and Indigenous and artistic responses—the volume foregrounds the agency of Oceanian peoples while attending closely to the layered and ambivalent French imaginaries of the region, the titular mysteries and dreams. Essays illuminate overlooked figures and under-examined texts, offering reappraisals of how colonial dreams, missionary ambitions, literary inventions and Indigenous assertions have intersected across centuries. Of particular note is the volume’s commitment to bridging the often-divided Anglophone and Francophone Pacifics, providing Anglophone readers with critical points of entry into Francophone contexts that may highlight significant differences across the region. In doing so, “Mysteries and Dreams” not only enhances scholarship on French Oceania, but also contributes to broader debates regarding representation, decolonization, and the shifting terrain of postcolonial relations and scholarship in and across Oceania.

Prof. Alexander Mawyer

Director, Center for Pacific Islands Studies

Acting Chair, Department of Pacific Islands Studies

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i