Story: Social sciences

A. S. Thomson's 'True proofs of civilisation', 1859

These charts from A. S. Thomson's 1859 book The story of New Zealand show what Thomson saw as Māori progress over the years from 1770 to 1859. Thomson's use of charts illustrates an early attempt to systematise observations of Māori society, and can be seen as a forerunner of modern social-science studies.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Arthur S. Thomson, The story of New Zealand: past and present – savage and civilised. London: John Murray, 1859, pp. 294–296

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How to cite this page:

Peter Clayworth, 'Social sciences - Forerunners of the social sciences', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/45757/a-s-thomsons-true-proofs-of-civilisation-1859 (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Peter Clayworth, published 22 Oct 2014, updated 1 Jun 2015