Multiple identifications and the dialogical self: urban Maori youngsters and the cultural renaissance
Author: vanMeijl, Toon
Source: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Volume 12, Number 4, December 2006 , pp. 917-933(17)
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
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Abstract:
The renaissance of Maori culture and tradition has played a significant role in the political campaigns of New Zealand's indigenous population over the past few decades. At the same time, however, it has brought to light that many Maori youngsters are unable to construct a cultural identity in terms of the discourses of culture and tradition that dominate the political arena. This article analyses the experience of urban Maori youngsters in ceremonial settings (marae) by examining the question of how they mediate different representations of their cultural identity within the self. It demonstrates that many young Maori people are engaged in a psychological dialogue between, on the one hand, the classic model for a Maori identity that prescribes them to embrace traditional culture and, on the other hand, their personal identification as outcasts in daily practices of New Zealand society.Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2006.00370.x
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