Focusing on the vibrant artistic scene in Rarotonga, the book delves into the interplay between tourism, galleries, and local artists, providing insights from the art community. Katherine Giuffre paints a nuanced portrait of this dynamic environment, highlighting themes of creativity, globalization, and ethnicity. It serves as a valuable resource for anthropologists and scholars interested in the complexities of cultural expression in the South Pacific.
"A cultural revolution in England, France, and the United States beginning during the time of the industrial and political revolutions helped usher in modernity. This cultural revolution worked alongside the better documented political and economic revolutions to usher in the modern era of continuous revolution. Focusing on the period between 1847 and 1937, the book examines in depth six of the cultural "battles" that were key parts of this revolution: the novels of the BronteáI p8 s sisters, the paintings of the Impressionists, the poetry of Emily Dickinson, The Ballets Russes production of Le Sacre du printemps, James Joyce's Ulysses, and Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Using contemporaneous reviews in the press as well as other historical material, we can see that these now-canonical works provoked outrage at the time of their release because they addressed critical points of social upheaval and transformation in ways that engaged broad audiences with subversive messages. This framework allows us to understand and navigate the cultural debates that play such an important role in 21st century politics"--