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New Zealand Culture and the Environment: A Shared Future
HECUA and colleagues in New Zealand have developed an interdisciplinary program devoted to the interconnections of society and the environment in New Zealand. The program will be first offered in the fall semester 2012 (September - December), having received approval from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The program will examine ... read more
HECUA and colleagues in New Zealand have developed an interdisciplinary program devoted to the interconnections of society and the environment in New Zealand. The program will be first offered in the fall semester 2012 (September - December), having received approval from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The program will examine how social and environmental factors are shaping political and ecological dimensions of identity and culture, and how New Zealanders from many different backgrounds are envisioning and creating a shared future in Aotearoa New Zealand, the "Land of the Long White Cloud."
In the early part of the semester, discussions of history and culture with European, indigenous Mori, and Pacifica leaders will establish the complex bases of New Zealand's identity and nationhood: its bicultural foundation and diverse multicultural population, the rich ecological setting, national commitments to peace and sustainability, and the challenges posed by globalization. Students will then learn about New Zealand's ecological history, the challenges of its "clean and green" national brand, and the sustainability frameworks that have been developed both by European and Mori New Zealanders.
To understand the distinctive features of Mori cultural life and the contributions of Mori knowledge systems to environmental management and to governance, the program explores the history of colonization, the Treaty of Waitangi and Treaty Settlement truth and reconciliation processes, and the Mori renaissance. The program also explores the concept of indigeneity itself, seeking to understand how the Mori experience parallels or stands apart from indigenous experiences and movements elsewhere.
Finally, students examine the tensions inherent in New Zealand's evolving national identity and its pursuit of cultural pluralism. Though New Zealand offers an acknowledged model for environmental sustainability, its economic prosperity still largely depends on a biological base, with income from international tourism and the export of resources extracted through large-scale fishing, forestry, and agriculture, industries that place enormous pressure on the natural environment. While the country has achieved some success in weaving together Mori and European aspirations, immigration is bringing an array of new cultures and aspirations into the dialogue, and New Zealanders are now facing anew the challenges of working toward a national goal of cultural diversity -- "embracing a world in which many worlds co-exist." Less
