Colonizing Hawai'I

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The book explores the impact of colonial law on family, sexuality, and community during the colonizing process, particularly in Hawai'i. It highlights how indigenous Hawaiian law was replaced by Anglo-American law, driven by capitalism, Christianity, and imperialism. This legal transformation introduced new court systems and disciplinary practices, significantly altering marriage dynamics, work patterns, and sexual behaviors among the indigenous population, illustrating the law's role in the broader civilizing agenda of the nineteenth century.