‘Canaries in the coal mine’: the reframing of biculturalism and non-Māori participation in Māori language learning

摘要

Māori language education policy documents reflect an underlying ambivalence about the desired outcomes for non-Māori learners participating in ‘as-a-subject’ Māori language learning. The view of the Māori language as a national language may be in the process of being replaced by a view that identifies the language primarily as a cultural taonga (treasured possession) belonging to those of Māori ethnicity in the interests of an emergent elite. This is a process that characterises the ‘reframing of biculturalism’. Language, as a communally shared good, serves an important boundary marking function and can be employed as a demarcating feature of identity. Viewed in this way, the Māori language contributes to strengthening a Māori ethnic identity, which in turn secures access to group rights. These group rights were established when Māori tribes were reconstituted as economic corporations or neotribes in political partnership with the government in the 1980s. The increasing exclusion of non-Māori from the Māori language may result in their rejection of biculturalism.View full textDownload full textKeywordsbiculturalism, Māori language education, ethnic identityRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2011.616345