“I feel very humbled,” says Dr Arkilic, senior lecturer in the Political Science and International Relations Programme at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Dr Arkilic follows the footsteps of her colleagues. “I feel like I’m building on the legacy of some amazing women in my programme who received this award in the past.”
Dr Arkilic’s interest in Islam in the West began when she went to the Netherlands as an exchange student in her early 20s and interacted with the local Muslim communities there.
By the time Dr Arkilic had come to Aotearoa after her studies in Türkiye, Europe, and the USA, she saw the growing number of Pākehā converting to Islam and became interested in comparing their experiences to those of Māori converts, noticing gaps in academic literature.
Her fieldwork, funded by the $360,000 Marsden Fast Start Grant she received in 2023 as well as a Faculty Strategic Research Grant, has taken her to mosques and marae across the country where she conducted interviews and focus groups with Māori and Pākehā Muslim converts about their experiences.
“At a time when funding for humanities and social sciences is under pressure, receiving this recognition gives me endorsement that this research matters in today’s Aotearoa. It's important similar funding and support continues for other researchers as well,” says Dr Arkilic.
“You have these lightbulb moments and get so inspired. You might not have a question on the interview list, but spontaneous conversation goes towards a new direction or major concept that you'd never thought about.”
A major collaborator in this project has been Noeleen van de Lisdonk, a Māori Muslim and well-known community leader, who’s been the project’s cultural adviser.
“She encouraged me to look deeper into women converts, who often face unique and intersectional struggles and experience discrimination and marginalisation.”
“Women who convert to Islam, especially Māori women, struggle much more than men because they have visible identity markers. If a woman is wearing a headscarf, you know she is a Muslim.”
Dr Arkilic’s highlight of the project was a three-day hui organised with Noeleen—the first-of-its-kind where Māori converts from across the country gathered to discuss what it means to be a Māori Muslim.
“There are so many interesting discussions around how Māori Muslims navigate their multiple identities and belonging, and it was a great opportunity for me to see how Islam and Te Ao Māori are transforming each other and creating this hybrid identity.”
An observation highlighted by this work has been the differences in motivations between Māori and Pākehā Muslim converts.
Dr Arkilic found that while many Pākehā converts are motivated by spiritual searching or lifestyle changes, Māori conversions often carry a political dimension—seen as a form of resistance to colonialism, capitalism, and individualisation.
She draws parallels with African-American Muslims in the USA, and is in the process of editing a special issue on similar dynamics among Indigenous communities in Australia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
“Why are Indigenous people choosing to convert to Islam increasingly?” asks Dr Arkilic.
“We want to look at both unique local factors specific to Aotearoa, but also say something bigger about the broader trend of Islamic conversion, Indigenous conversion to Islam, religious transformation, and struggles of citizenship, identity, and belonging.”
Another highlight of this project was discussing her findings with ABC Radio National of Australia, which signaled to her interest in her research beyond Aotearoa.
Dr Arkilic is also currently leading a project about new challenges and opportunities in Europe, focused on public engagement and student mentorship, funded by a grant from the European Commission.
She’s also recently been part of an interdisciplinary team that published a study in the New Zealand Journal of Psychology that seeks to understand the longitudinal attitudes and values of Muslims in Aotearoa.
Dr Arkilic is currently working on her second monograph, based on the years of fieldwork she’s conducted with Māori and non Māori Muslim converts. This follows her first monograph on Muslim diasporas in Europe.
Looking ahead, Dr Arkilic is interested in exploring academic knowledge production in the Global South, and gaps between the Global North and the Global South.
Inspired by her experiences in Aotearoa and collaborations with Indigenous scholars and community leaders, she’s increasingly focused on questions of epistemic injustice, visa hierarchies, and barriers to academic mobility.
Dr Arkilic remains committed to her work and life in Wellington.
“I'm happy here, despite this temporary gloomy phase that the city is going through, it’s a global thing. I’m not pessimistic, as an international scholar and a working mother, I feel really supported by my family, the University, and mentors in my programme and beyond.”