Home and Homecoming in Māori and Pacific Literature: 1966 - 2004

This thesis addresses the depiction of home and homecoming in a selection of short stories and novels by Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera and Albert Wendt, arguing that home and homecoming have emerged as key tropes in Māori literature from its earliest beginnings. This thesis builds on the argument that the Second World War brought about a significant change in the living conditions of Māori in New Zealand within just one generation, with many Māori moving away from traditional life to live in towns and cities. Many Māori experienced a profound loss of home and of their traditional community. I argue that this spurred a nostalgia for home and community that had to be written back into existence; the development of Māori literature, modernity, and the concept of home are closely interlinked.
The term ‘home’ and its different facets and meanings in postcolonial literature have been partially explored by scholars such as Susheila Nasta and Rosemary George. However, little attention has to date been paid to the critical motif of homecoming and return migration. This thesis aims to address this gap in criticism by focusing on the moment of homecoming in selected short stories and novels. The overarching question this thesis poses is whether for the protagonists in these short stories and novels, a homecoming is possible, or whether it proves ultimately beyond reach. If this is the case, what follows then? A redefinition of one’s idea of home, and consequently, one’s identity? Or an acceptance that there is no going back? That in order to define a new sense of home one must create it anew.
By forming a close reading of these short stories and novels against their historical context, and exploring how historical, political and cultural change at the time interlink with them, my thesis explores how the examination of the concepts of home and homecoming can contribute to our wider understanding of Māori and Pacific literature.