Overview

The author also examines the modern history of the island, and its colonization and annexation by Chile. He relates the peaceful but insistent civil rights movement in 1964-65 whereby the Rapanui people were granted citizenship and could move freely about their island again for the first time in 70 years. Today, the population has increased, as has tourism of the island - from 2,000 visitors in 1991 to 20,000 in 2001 - which continues to be managed by the Rapanui themselves. Foreign interest in Easter Island has never been so keen, for the majestic archaeological endowments of the island is still one of Earth's most impressive. This book is a much-needed history of this little-known but remarkable island.

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9781861892454

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Reviews

Fischer''s fluent narrative reveals how smallness, isolation, and a fragile environment have shaped the history of this tiny community. . . . Its strength lies equally in the author''s sensitive micro-study approach and its subject matter. Above all, it deserves a wide readership because Easter Island still presents a global warning about the imperative of environmental sustainability. -- Philippa Mein Smith American Historical Review (04/01/2006)

Author Information

Steven Roger Fischer is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of Glyph-breaker (1997), A History of Language (Reaktion, 1999), A History of Writing (Reaktion, 2001) and A History of Reading (Reaktion, 2003).

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