Tackling Māori Masculinity: A Colonial Genealogy of Savagery and Sport Research Completed
Title
Tackling Māori Masculinity: A Colonial Genealogy of Savagery and Sport
Lead Author
Hokowhitu, Brendan
Organisation(s)
Te Tumu School of Māori, Pacific & Indigenous Studies, University of Otago
Publication Year
2004
Publisher
The University of Waikato
Contacts
Unknown
Abstract
The primary aim of this paper, then, is to deconstruct one of the dominant discourses surrounding Mäori men—a discourse that was constructed to limit, homogenize, and reproduce an acceptable and imagined Mäori masculinity, and that has also gained hegemonic consent from many täne. I outline and focus on those historical racist notions of Mäori masculine physicality that have developed into a contemporary portrayal— the natural Mäori sportsman. To problematize this construction it is necessary to examine the racially based traits, such as physicality, imposed on täne in the precolonial and early colonial periods, and the role New Zealand State education has played in perpetuating this construction. I describe sport as a site of “positive” racism that acts as a contemporary conduit to channel täne into the physical realm.
Keywords:
Maori
How to access
Areas of Focus
Population Groups
Topics
Views
1181
Added
October 2, 2012