This course focuses on the histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. We will study the ancient formation of whenua (land), shorelines, and volcanoes; learn about early and ongoing Māori relationships to the land, water, and each other; consider the many competing forces that have shaped the land into "Auckland city", spanning vast urban, suburban, and rural territory; and pay close attention to both architectural and human histories of this place.
Throughout the course, we will think in depth about the way that historians understand "time" and "desire". Tāmaki Makaurau has a long history as site of community-building, Māori and Pacific art, activism, and literary production, queer family-building, rich migrant histories, experimental music and theatre, local and international sports events, and politics. As we develop an understanding of these histories, we will trace the ways that the desires of state, community, people, land, and water, have rubbed up against each other, sometimes in ways that produce conflicts, and other times in ways that produce new synergies. We will also pay special attention to the ways that the past is present in the modern day environment of Tāmaki Makaurau.