Turning Tide

The Author: Niklaus R. Schweizer was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He studied English, German, and colonial history at the University of Zurich and received his Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Davis. Since 1970 he has taught at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa as a professor of German concentrating on the rich field of the European presence in the Pacific and the German contributions to Hawai’i. He is a director on the board of The Friends of ’Iolani Palace, serves as the president of The Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band, is on the board of ’Ahahui Ka’iulani and is active in a number of additional community organizations. In addition to several European languages he speaks Hawaiian and Tahitian.

Contents: Exploration and colonization - Colliding cultures - Pre-contact Hawai'i - Calvinism and the missionaries - Capitalism and Hawai'i - Social Darwinism - Military parity - Diplomatic parity - The overthrow of the monarchy - Searching for sovereignty - The new Pacific.

"'Turning Tide' is an important contribution to the conversation about 'Kanaka Maoli' nationalism, nationality, sovereignty, and self-determination for several reasons. Schweizer employs an effective methodology and is first-rate as a researcher. His background and expertise in the field of European languages and literature gives the work a unique perspective. Finally, his unabashed affection for things Hawaiian contributes most to his role as a bridge between peoples and their sometimes adversarial ideas." (Kanalu G. Terry Young, The Contemporary Pacific)

«‘Turning Tide’ is an important contribution to the conversation about ‘Kanaka Maoli’ nationalism, nationality, sovereignty, and self-determination for several reasons. Schweizer employs an effective methodology and is first-rate as a researcher. His background and expertise in the field of European languages and literature gives the work a unique perspective. Finally, his unabashed affection for things Hawaiian contributes most to his role as a bridge between peoples and their sometimes adversarial ideas.» (Kanalu G. Terry Young, The Contemporary Pacific)