This course follows on from Māori 130, examining in greater depth Māori resistance, innovation, and cultural expression from the contact period through to contemporary times, with a particular focus on He Whakaputanga 1835 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840.
The course will prioritise mātauranga, tikanga and kaupapa Māori as the tools best suited to understanding the Māori world, while branching outwards to embrace Indigenous experiences in other settler nations as well as the identities and perspectives of students. The course will offer a critical perspective on colonial representations of Māori realities, and will cast an equally critical eye on colonial constructs embedded in our culture.
Instead of lengthy narrative lectures the material will be delivered in a modular form: sections of theory, research and media organised around a theme will be presented as a starting point for discussion and reflection by the class. The class will employ whanaungatanga (the building of close relationships), a critical praxis (theory and action) and creative expression as strategies for positive agency and allyship.
The course will cover a range of themes that may include but will not be limited to:
- A nuanced exploration of the context that led to the signing of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- A tour of colonial sites, statues and memorials in the Auckland CBD
- The Land Wars
- The University of Auckland as a site of racism and resistance
- Māori politics from the paepae to parliament
- Māori activism and social movements
- Decolonizing gender and sexuality
- The Waitangi Tribunal and treaty claims [un]settlements
- Māori self-determination
- Indigenous issues around the world