'New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations'
Discover ‘New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations’—now also published as an eBook.
Overview
The various peoples who have come to call New Zealand home have long histories of their own, but as a modern nation New Zealand is young. New Zealanders have seen war, at home and abroad; they have also sought peace, domestically and internationally.
Whether New Zealanders will ever arrive at agreement on a singular definition of their national identity, what is clear is that the process of identity-making here is dynamic.
We cannot focus on national or cultural identity to the exclusion of economic and social inequalities. There is need for:
- developing a greater understanding and protection of indigenous rights as an essential component of a wider diversity
- the integration of migrants and refugees, alongside the preservation of their own cultures
- recognition of cultural diversity as only part of the overall picture.
Nevertheless, issues of identity are clearly part of the stuff of current public debate, reflecting an anxiety about how groups other than those we belong to ourselves are affecting our own place in New Zealand and in the world.
We may well have a vision of an inclusive national identity, but its realisation will depend on how we choose to treat each other both individually and collectively. Respect for the value or mana of each person and group in our society - respect for our diversity - is also the formula for a common and inclusive national identity.
About the book
In 'New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations', fifteen writers with diverse personal and scholarly backgrounds come together in this collection to examine issues of identity, viewing it as both a departing point and end destination for the various peoples who have come to call New Zealand "home."
The essays reflect the diversity of thinking about identity across the social sciences, as well as common themes that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Their explorations of the process of identity-making underscore the historical roots, dynamism, and plurality of ideas of national identity in New Zealand, offering a view not only of what has been but also what might be on the horizon.
Read separately, the essays are windows into the diversity of thinking about identity that New Zealand has inspired across the social sciences. Read together, they reflect common themes and a deep understanding of identity that transcends disciplinary boundaries, and act as a testament to the sincere desire of social scientists to engage in an open dialogue and inform public debate.
Contributing authors
- Teresia Teaiwa
- David Pearson
- Tracey McIntosh
- Tim McCreanor
- James H. Liu
- Giselle Byrnes
- H.B. Levine
- Kelly Barclay
- Arvind Zodgekar
- Colleen Ward and En-Yi Lin
- Manying Ip and David Pang
- Belinda Borell
- Sean Mallon
- David Capie and Gerald McGhie
- Paul Morris
- Wong Liu Shueg
- Joris de Bres
Purchase the book
You can purchase the a copy of 'New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations' ebook here: