Dirt Filth and Decay in a New World Arcadia - Essay Example

? Dirt: Filth and Decay Dirt: Filth and Decay: A Review Methodology and Approach It has always intrigued the scholars and post-industrialists alike to research as well as write about modernity. The modern cities especially have held a significant effect, which has evolved the social and cultural histories over time. The book Dirt: Filth and Decay in a New World Arcadia, by Pamela Woods contributes to the literary shelf of the same topic. Wood’s book focuses on the evolving history of dirt. The author’s usage of the word dirt as an allegory is the main construct of the entire book. The book is a distinctive exploration of culture in the early nineteenth century when the colonial settlement took place in New Zealand. It also presents a well-drawn picture of scholarly and enlightening history of sanitation and public health awareness in the early Dunedin, New Zealand. The way the book is written and constructed, it pulls the threads of the discourse analysis, cultural theory, as well as anthropology. The author uses a research methodology that answers certain questions like what does dirt symbolizes or points to, in what ways the colonial settlers parleyed their negative impact, and how did the dirt positively contributed to the city’s development. Moreover, the author highlights the cultural eventuality of dirt that inspired its changeability in the colonial settlements. She provides a narrative on the regulatory practices that added to the dirt and describes the incidences by using a metonym for the polluted city. Wood’s coherently expresses the implications of her knowledge of history and its snowball effect on the current thinking of town planning. She quite impressively draws a collection of primary sources that without doubt produce a substantial addition to the literature of history of Dunedin. Undeniably, the book is a historical record of a relationship of dirt and the city. Nevertheless, Dirt clearly qualifies for the work of cultural studies and the historical work presented in the book is only to support the theoretical framework of the book (Woods, 2005). Moreover, the book sheds light upon the subject in nine chapters that are built upon splendidly captioned modern photographs, drawings, and cartoons. Wood’s weaves the history of colonial settlers and the impact they had on the Dunedin, New Zealand’s largest city. She has discussed that the issues in the times of colonial setters in the city of New Zealand were more than the limitation of public health, prowling perils of immorality and town planning. Furthermore, she explores the vital role played by the hospitals and doctors alike, along with authorities who joined in the cause to protect the public from disease and decay. Thus, in order to do so she skims through topics like mud and swamps, toilets, sewerages, abattoirs and cemeteries with emphasis upon pollution and decomposed1. Wood’s, with awareness has put her case study in a wider context, by making comparisons with other cities of New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, she has managed to evaluate the impact the British has left upon the cities thinking that they have brought a positive change with the aid of colonizing the cities. Therefore, the book covers all the points in order to justify the topic the writer has used a multi pronged approach and has showed the intricate linkage between the colonial concept and the dirt, filth and disease it brought with itself2. Dunedin’s dream withered in to poor planning, unhygienic sanitation, formless roads and the piled up waste, the crux of the statement is that the impact of importation of cultural practices soon discoloured the dream of modernity of early New Zealanders. The surfacing of the city brought with it correlations between human and dirt, matter and culture. Dirt was an unalterable part of the new community, which formed and grew in the presence of disease, decay, and pollution. From the 1790 onwards, the European settlement was intermittent who lived in the scattered settlements throughout the country; however, in 1840, a number of Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, relinquishing the governance to Britain, which opened the new colony for European settlers3. European settlement had an intense impact on Maori life, customs, traditions, and language. Their arrival meant the loss of cultural practices along with the traditional value system. Moreover, Europeans brought with them endemic diseases such as influenza that spread among the Maori population swiftly, since they were not immune to such diseases. The population that was estimated to 85,000 in the mid 1700s fell to 40,000 as the death toll increased with such diseases4. Furthermore, the work produced by the author stands credible for the fact that she is a nurse historian. Thus, the book gives a well-referenced look into the colonial New Zealand, which pedestals on the PhD thesis work undertaken by the author. The text is rich in form and staunchly sticks to the topic with the help of original photographs with quotations acquired from the unique documents. Furthermore, the book presents relevant case studies in the chapters of the book, along with the incidents where the health workers contributed their efforts to curb the growing public health issues by spreading awareness. Thus, the theme of the book portrays the formation of a municipal rejoinder to the city waste is analogous to the maturation of Dunedin as a modern city5. Although the book is dramatically descriptive and holds the reader’s attention, however, more comparisons of other cities in new Zealand and more detailed contrasts of the transiting sanitation in the Europe would have enhanced the account altogether. If the readers want to gain knowledge out of the book, it needs to be read with order books available, that presents the history of public health and initial efforts by the health workers that contributed to the healthcare of New Zealand6. The description of dirt is finely explained and well linked to the cultural practices however, the judgment she gives is refutable, it can be argued that the shift in culture was a shift in attitude and not how she thinks it to be. Nonetheless, what remains unclear in the book is use of the word Swamp. The intrinsic value of the idea of using the word is not clearly explained and it becomes difficult at one point in the book to understand its linkage, thus, it confuses the reader since the implications in the book are not obvious. Similarly, decay and rubbish and its relation with the history of Dunedin is unclear as well as the topics are supported with implications. The book does not pay much attention to the post-colonial era in the city, somehow the book blames the British solely for the entire deal and ignores the other non-British immigrants who came and brought dirt with themselves along with disorder7. Nonetheless, the book presents an enlightening account of the historic background that holds the attention of the reader well enough. The book is a well-written account along with the metaphoric approach to the topic. The narrative is strictly a treat for those who believe in research work other than just reading one book and forming judgments and conclusions. It may also be of interest to those who like to explore the evolving cultures and has a flavour for historic incidents that left great impact on the cultures. The explorers of cultural history and its transition to modern day developments may also be intrigued with the book. The author has managed to present a book that only entails the history of New Zealand and colonial settlers but it also unfolds the invisible or not easily pointed out setbacks that the colonies provided. However, it is of importance to point out that the book surfaces more questions rather providing answers to the topic presented in the book. List of References Hider, P., 2006. Dirt Filth and Decay in a New World Arcadia. Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 119. New Zealand Guide, 2005. New Zealand History. [Online] Available at http://www.fourcorners.co.nz/new-zealand/new-zealand-history/ [Accessed 18 October 2012]. Woods, P., 2005. Dirt: filth and decay in a new world arcadia. Auckland: Auckland University Press. Read More