The methodists of Selwyn County: the 'society of classes' in a 'classless' society 1860-1913

Abstract

This thesis examines the social history of Methodists in Selwyn County between 1860 and 1913. It seeks to place these Methodists in their wider social, economic, and political context. The main aim is to explore evidence for the metamorphosis of New Zealand society, which developed from the pioneering phase to become a modern class-based society centred on the nuclear family. In this transformation, the role of Methodism in building rural community, providing social cohesion, enhancing social mobility, and making middle class rural society, along with a missed opportunity to seek social justice, early in the twentieth century, will be detailed. The intersection of Methodist religious values and colonial ideology and the Methodist contribution to rural conservatism will also be covered. What did Methodism contain that contributed both to the development of a modern New Zealand society and reduced its role in the life of this nation?