Historical colonial literature and New Caledonia, 18531945 or how a settlement colony generates hagiographic writings

New Caledonia's exploration and settlement produced a wide array of historical essays both within and without the colony. Which vision(s) did these essays provide of the emerging New Caledonian society? Does the dichotomy between conditions of life in New Caledonia and the vision provided thereof result from the historical approaches adopted or the topics being discussed? While these essays reveal a keen interest for New Caledonia's original inhabitants, they also reflect a quest for colonial legitimacy and justification in their othering of New Caledonia's native populations as primitive and uncivilized.