Being Maori in the City

"Natacha Gagne is a gifted writer who has conducted excellent fieldwork and data assembly for this book. She provides a valuable corpus of knowledge by which to test and compare Maori and indigenous urban-life circumstances cross-culturally and cross-generationally. As such, Being Maori in the City could become a pivotal publication on which much needed future scholarship can develop." -- Paul Tapsell, Professor and Chair of Maori Studies, University of Otago "Being Maori in the City is a serious advance in state-of-the-art research, re-invigorating New Zealand anthropology as it explores the realities of urban life for Maori today. Combining the intimacy of long-term participatory research with the relative objectivity of an informed, well-trained anthropologist, Natacha Gagne proves that this classic anthropological approach is the discipline at its best. Her book makes an important contribution both to Maori studies and to urban anthropology in New Zealand, adding significantly to an area that has been little explored in social anthropology." -- Eleanor Rimoldi, Senior Lecturer, Social Anthropology Programme, Massey University "In this informative book, Natacha Gagne uses the framework of 'universes of meaning' to understand the wide and diverse sets of urban-based Maori relationship dynamics. This method captures and contextualizes the different situations of identity-dynamics quite effectively, and it will make this book of interest to those in a wide range of academic disciplines." -- Lynette Carter, Programme Co-ordinator, Indigenous Development, and Senior Lecturer, University of Otago

Grounded in an ethnography of everyday life in the city of Auckland, Being Māori in the City is an investigation of what being Maori means today.

Indigenous peoples around the world have been involved in struggles for decolonization, self-determination, and recognition of their rights, and the Māori of Aotearoa-New Zealand are no exception. Now that nearly 85% of the Māori population have their main place of residence in urban centres, cities have become important sites of affirmation and struggle. Grounded in an ethnography of everyday life in the city of Auckland, Being Maori in the City is an investigation of what being Māori means today.

One of the first ethnographic studies of Māori urbanization since the 1970s, this book is based on almost two years of fieldwork, living with Māori families, and more than 250 hours of interviews. In contrast with studies that have focused on indigenous elites and official groups and organizations, Being Māori in the City shines a light on the lives of ordinary individuals and families. Using this approach, Natacha Gagné adroitly underlines how indigenous ways of being are maintained and even strengthened through change and openness to the larger society.