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Natives and Exotics: World War II and Environment in the Southern Pacific Paperback – Illustrated, July 15, 2009

by Judith A. Bennett (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
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Ambitious in its scope and scale, this environmental history of World War II ranges over rear bases and operational fronts from Bora Bora to New Guinea, providing a lucid analysis of resource exploitation, entangled wartime politics, and human perceptions of the vast Oceanic environment. Although the war’s physical impact proved significant and oftentimes enduring, this study shows that the tropical environment offered its own challenges: Unfamiliar tides left landing craft stranded; unseen microbes carrying endemic diseases disabled thousands of troops. Weather, terrain, plants, animals―all played an active role as enemy or ally.



At the heart of Natives and Exotics is the author’s analysis of the changing visions and perceptions of the environment, not only among the millions of combatants, but also among the Islands’ peoples and their colonial administrations in wartime and beyond. Judith Bennett reveals how prewar notions of a paradisiacal Pacific set up millions of Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, and Japanese for grave disappointment when they encountered the reality. She shows that objects usually considered distinct from environmental concerns (souvenirs, cemeteries, war memorials) warrant further examination as the emotional quintessence of events in a particular place. Among native people, wartime experiences and resource utilization induced a shift in environmental perceptions just as the postwar colonial agenda demanded increased diversification of the resource base. Bennett’s ability to reappraise such human perceptions and productions with an environmental lens is one of the unique qualities of this study.



Impeccably researched, Natives and Exotics is essential reading for those interested in environmental history, Pacific studies, and a different kind of war story that has surprising relevance for today’s concerns with global warming.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    476 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Hawaii Press
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.9 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0824833503
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0824833503
  8. See all details
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About the Author

Judith A. Bennett is professor emerita of Pacific history at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Hawaii Press; Illustrated edition (July 15, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 476 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0824833503
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0824833503
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

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Judith A. Bennett

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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

lyndonbrecht
5.0 out of 5 stars Tropical paradise environments impacted by war. This book needs more readers.
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2015
This is a work of environmental history, not a battle history. It covers the islands from Fiji west to Australia, and north to Papua New Guinea and the Solomons. It is largely about the huge impact American forces and culture (and copious supply) had on the locals, sometimes overwhelming local island cultures.

She notes that islanders acquired agency in the war--a term now frequently used to mean that the locals were able to take some power over the conditions of their lives. Americans hired laborers and more often than not treated them better and paid them much better than pre-war colonial masters. But they also became soldiers, coast watchers, carry wounded; and she notes they rediscovered some of the self-confidence of independent people.

The environmental effects are varied. A good many whales were killed by pilots testing their bombing skills. A lot of ammo was simply dumped after the war,(and the piles of junk left behind were huge, to say nothing about wreckage of war--nearly 50 major ships sunk off Guadalcanal. In 1997 the Primer Minister of the Solomons asked for help in getting rid of 111 ships and 1,450 fighters on the bottom on "Iron Bottom Sound." Munitions are on board and toxic impact is unknown. Among the things she discusses is the American penchant for souvenirs--including collecting Japanese skulls, and the book has an interesting photograph of that practice. Among other things, it's thought that the devastating brown tree snake infestation in Guam is an artifact of US air transport among the islands.

There's more in the book, and it is a must read if you are interested in environment impacted by war.
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Todd
4.0 out of 5 stars Unique look at the Pacific War
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2010
I've read many volumes covering the various aspects of combat during those dark days of the 1930s and 1940s. From veteran's memoirs and in-depth histories of particular operations or battles to broad coverage of the entire conflict, most of these tomes cover the combat and heroics of front line troops. A few might mention the rear echelon soldiers, sailors and airmen, but most look at these troops with derision (with nicknames unprintable here). A few cover these troops well, like David Colley's The Road to Victory : the Untold Story of World War II's Red Ball Express.

Judith A. Bennett's Natives and Exotics: World War II and Environment in the Southern Pacific is unique because it is one of the first books to cover the great environmental impact of having over 2 million men and women -- Japanese, Dutch, Australian, and American -- invade the hostile environment of the Southern Pacific. Although tales of combat are mentioned, most of the book deals with the rear areas and the troops that provided medical care, supplies, and food to the frontline soldiers and Marines.

Most casual readers of World War II history know that the Pacific theater was a difficult place to wage war, but most probably didn't know how difficult it was just to survive on some of those islands. Incessant rain, disease, poor sanitation practices, and lack of food/diversity of diet were some of the major environmental factors affecting both sides -- and all of that happened before combat even started!

Bennett tells of the infamous fighting on the Kokoda Trail, between Australian (and later U.S.) and Japanese troops. The Japanese military was still unstoppable at this point - the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, and Singapore had fallen and now Australia itself was threatened. The Japanese military decided to land on the northern coast of New Guinea, near the villages of Buna and Gona. Their objective was to take Port Moresby, on the southern coast, via a "road" through the treacherous Owen Stanley Mountains. Their beachhead was located near malarial swamps, so by the time the Japanese troops met the Australian forces, they were in the throes of malaria. Moving their bivouacs out of these swamps, and using better anti-malarial practices might have had a huge impact on the Japanese troops' performance. The Aussies were using better anti-malarial practices (basically getting rid of mosquito larvae, defoliating, issuing insect repellent, and so on) and thus were able to fight at almost full strength. However, when American forces joined the Australians late in the campaign, they disregarded the successful anti-malarial practices (more than likely, supplies were low of bug repellent and defoliants) and suffered greatly from a large outbreak of malaria, impairing their performance. Not surprisingly, U.S. forces made a habit of disregarding local or Allied expertise in fighting in the environs of the South Pacific.

With every soldier or Marine, food was of utmost importance -- even if only for keeping morale high. Shipping the food across the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean was costly. Refrigeration was in high demand for blood plasma, so food supplies were often canned or dehydrated. Both combatants turned to local gardens and native farming to help give their troops some variety in the mess halls and in the field. For the Japanese on isolated outposts late in the war (after their naval link to the home islands was cut), this local gardening was all they had. Bennett does an excellent job discussing the different types of crops and methods used, as well as incorporating natives and their practices into farming.

Fishing proved to be an important food source for both sides, and they would even use explosives (when they could be spared) to blast the fish to the surface. Australian forces set up fish processing stations using local Melanesian labor and allowing the islanders to design their own workstations. Americans took a different tack. They supplied their support troops with fishing gear designed to work in the cold waters of New England. The tackle was too heavy to use near the coral reefs that permeate the South Pacific, so few fish were caught without modifying the gear. Once fish was caught and ready to be processed, American forces set up elaborate processing stations for local labor to utilize, with tables and benches. The islanders had been fishing for many generations using their own methods. They preferred to clean and process fish sitting on the ground, cross-legged. Needless to say, satisfactory changes were made and the islanders began processing record amounts of fish for hospitals and outposts.

Bennett includes pictures, charts, maps, and ample graphs. The book is heavily footnoted and has a substantial bibliography. Not exactly for the casual history reader, the book is a good read and breaks new ground in an important field of study.
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