Flexible identities: Narratives of Māori Italians in New Zealand
Flexible identities: Narratives of Māori Italians in New Zealand
Category: Article
| Title | Flexible identities: Narratives of Māori Italians in New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Author | Adalgisa Giorgio and Carla Houkamau |
| Year | 2019 |
| Publication | New Zealand Journal of Psychology, Volume 48, Issue 2, 2019, pp. 27-40 |
| Pages | 14 pages |
| Language | English |
| Format | Academic paper |
| Geographic reference | New Zealand |
| Time reference | 2013 |
| Online resource | YES (PDF) |
| Topic | Mix identities, Sciascia family, Descendants of Italians in New Zealand, Māori Identity, Māori-Italian Identity, Hybridity, Social Identity Theory, Interactionism. |
Abstract:
Ethnicity is a key variable in social science research and is often assumed to be a stable construct.
Yet, for more and more individuals in New Zealand’s diversified society, ethnicity is flexible and
individuals may choose to change and adapt their ethnic identities contingent on social contexts.
Using material from narrative interviews with 44 Māori Italians conducted in New Zealand in 2013,
this paper explores the relevance of the social identity theoretical approach for understanding the
construction of mixed ethnic identities. Employing an interactionist conceptualisation of identity
expression, our findings disclose four thematic patterns by which participants assert positive mixed
ethnic identities that allow them to align with desirable notions of what it means to be Māori, Italian,
and Māori Italian and to differentiate themselves from what they perceive as the less positive aspects of the dominant New Zealand culture.
The fieldwork underlying this article was conducted in 2013 by Dr Adalgisa Giorgio, an Associate Professor at The University of Bath, originally from Italy. The article was co-authored by Dr Adalgisa Giorgio and Dr Carla Houkamau, an Associate Professor of The University of Auckland, of Ngāti Porou Kahungānu/Ngati Kere and Ngāti Porou/Te Whānau o Tuwhakairiora descent and herself a Māori-Italian (a descendant of Nicola Sciascia and Riria McGregor).
Adalgisa Giorgio was a keynote speaker at the 2019 ACIS Conference at the Victoria University of Wellington. Details about the author and her presentation can be found here.
