Indigenous peoples around the world have been involved in struggles for decolonization, self-determination, and recognition of their rights, and the Māori of Aotearoa-New Zealand are no exception. Now that nearly 85% of the Māori population have their main place of residence in urban centres, cities have become important sites of affirmation and struggle. Grounded in an ethnography of everyday life in the city of Auckland, Being Maori in the City is an investigation of what being Māori means today.

One of the first ethnographic studies of Māori urbanization since the 1970s, this book is based on almost two years of fieldwork, living with Māori families, and more than 250 hours of interviews. In contrast with studies that have focused on indigenous elites and official groups and organizations, Being Māori in the City shines a light on the lives of ordinary individuals and families. Using this approach, Natacha Gagné adroitly underlines how indigenous ways of being are maintained and even strengthened through change and openness to the larger society.

Natacha Gagné is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Université Laval.

Natacha Gagné's profile page

‘Natacha Gagné adeptly weaves together ethnographic analysis, historical context, and social anthropology to craft a book whose structure and organization uniquely mirrors the heteroglossia, complexity, and multilayered experiences of the Maori.’

TAJA: The Australian Journal of Anthropology, vol 25:01:2014

‘Being Maori in the City is a helpful book, a modern anthropology to aid academic understanding of modern Maori lives and circumstances in Auckland. It is an effective addition to the current literature that contemplates Maori identities and urban Maori lives.’

The Journal of Pacific History vol 49:02:2014

‘Natacha Gagné has produced a thorough and well-theorized piece of work that will serve as a useful introduction to anyone interested in the identities and politics of Indigenous people living in an urban setting.’

Aboriginal Policy Studies vol 4:01:2015

‘Gagné presents a classic anthropological study of participant observation and ethnography… Being Maori in the City is an important book that adds richness to the relatively sparse literature on urban Maori.’

Sites New Series vol 10:01:2013

‘This earnest work provides reader with an up-close and personal account of some of the everyday experiences of Maori city dwellers… Anthropologically, the work is useful to any socio-scientific research being carried out on minority people living in urban centres.’

The Contemporary Pacific vol 27:01:2015

‘Gagne makes a compelling argument regarding the importance of an anthropology concerned with ordinary, superficially apoliticized indigenous city people.’

Journal of Pacific Affairs, vol 87:03:2014

‘This is a very solid and satisfying urban anthropological work…Highly recommended’

CHOICE Magazine; vol 50:11:2013