"What is it we are going to remember?”: comparing New Zealand's centennial narratives of World War One : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

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dc.confidentialEmbargo : No
dc.contributor.advisorLittlewood, David
dc.contributor.authorMcLean, Jessica Anne
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-11T02:06:03Z
dc.date.available2025-04-11T02:06:03Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractThe centenary of World War One (WWI) was a significant cultural event in New Zealand. During the period 2014-2019, a great deal of material was produced that aimed to ‘remember’ the war and the New Zealanders who were involved. The centenary of the landing at Gallipoli in April 2015 was by far the most dominant event of the period, and with it came familiar national and cultural identity narratives about the Anzac diggers and the birth of modern New Zealand. This thesis interrogates these and other narratives of the commemorations and assesses whether mythic cultural understandings of WWI were challenged by the centennial historiographies, or whether the period reinforced established beliefs about New Zealand’s war experience. Five narrative themes are investigated: the New Zealand soldier, mateship and relationships, depictions of suffering and sacrifice, the creation of personal connections, and the depictions of Māori and women. This thesis examines these themes across two bodies of material: the ‘print histories’ and the ‘non-poppy material’.
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/72758
dc.publisherMassey University
dc.rights© The Author
dc.subjectWWI commemoration, Anzac historiography
dc.subject.anzsrc430320 New Zealand history
dc.title"What is it we are going to remember?”: comparing New Zealand's centennial narratives of World War One : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
thesis.degree.disciplineHistory
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-abridgedMs McLean analysed Aotearoa New Zealand’s First World War centenary commemorations. She found that ‘official’ publications challenged misconceptions that were reinforced by texts in popular culture. However, these popular culture sources demonstrated the engagement potential of different mediums, and showed that historians need to invite more varied voices and utilise the potential benefits of fiction and film.
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-longMs McLean’s thesis interrogated narratives of the First World War centennial commemorations in Aotearoa New Zealand for the first time, assessing whether mythic cultural understandings of WWI were challenged or if the period reinforced established beliefs. The thesis analysed two bodies of work: the ‘official’ centennial publications, and texts from popular culture. Ms McLean found that the ‘official’ material challenged popular misconceptions while the pop culture texts often reinforced familiar narratives, but pop culture’s varied mediums could create wider audience engagement, demonstrating a need for historians to invite more varied voices and utilise the potential benefits of fiction and film.
thesis.description.name-pronounciationJessica McLean JESSICA MC-LAIN
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