Beyond Wartime Loyalty and Collaboration: The Legacy of George Bogese

Historians of Solomon Islands in the Second World War often approach the legacy of George Bogese through the lens of wartime loyalty and collaboration. Closer consideration of the rubric of loyalty/disloyalty and collaboration allows for more nuanced understandings of colonizer–colonized relationships and the power dynamics at play in Solomon Islander decisions towards interacting with the opposing forces during the war. Evaluating Solomon Islander involvement in the war through the colonial frame of loyalty and collaboration diverts attention from the richness of biographies, accomplishments, and their relevance in the making of colonial and post-colonial states. This is particularly evident in the case of Solomon Islander, George Bogese. Hugh Laracy’s suggestion that future Solomon Islanders might find Bogese to be a source of national pride inspires this article, which finds grounds to celebrate the legacy of Bogese and to find a place for his story in the national historical consciousness of Solomon Islands.