Staff highlight: Dr Arama Rata
Introducing Dr Arama Rata, Taranaki, Nō Ngāruahine me Ngāti Maniapoto, Lecturer in Māori Studies.
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Introducing Dr Arama Rata, Taranaki, Nō Ngāruahine me Ngāti Maniapoto, Lecturer in Māori Studies.
"When will we, as New Zealanders, look ourselves in the mirror, recognise our every scar and truthfully say we are proud of what we see?"
Arama joined the academic staff at Te Kawa a Māui in 2013, where she specialises in indigenous psychology and Māori identities. She recently received a Victoria research establishment grant to study the effects of the New Zealand Colonial Wars on contemporary identities and inter-group relations. This research focuses on the sesquicentennial commemorations of major battles of the New Zealand Colonial Wars, to determine whether revisiting these events promotes psychological healing following historical trauma and/or reconciliation following inter-group conflict.
"Despite the significance of the New Zealand Colonial Wars, they seem to have been all but erased from our collective memories. Against this backdrop of national amnesia, current generations are tasked with remembering and attempting to heal our colonial histories."
Arama completed her PhD in Psychology, which focused on Māori identity development in state secondary schools, at Victoria in 2012. She currently teaches courses on Māori culture and society, and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Read more about Dr Rata’s research, teaching and publications.