“FILLING UP THE OTHER KETE”: AMBIVALENCE, CRITICAL MEMORY, AND THE RESILIENCE OF OLDER MĀORI JEWISH WOMEN

Authors

Hadas Ore, University of Auckland

Abstract

This article is part of the first study on the memories that Māori Jews share growing up and living in contemporary Aotearoa/New Zealand as well as the effect of their memories on their well-being and success in life. The study was conducted through open-ended in-depth interviews during 2016–2017. Examining more closely how six older women negotiate power and constitute indigenous agency, the analysis in this article looks into the particular way they employ their critical memory in order to overcome their ambivalence toward tertiary education. In my analysis, I apply the recent development in the theory of nostalgia with empirical studies on Māori women, Māori women in tertiary education, and Māori well-being. I demonstrate that these women negotiate kinship relations between up to four generations as they take on tertiary education, which is articulated by their metaphor of “filling up the other kete” (the basket of knowledge). I argue that this metaphor epitomizes how these women embed their memories in Māori practices, including learning Te Reo Māori (the language), to overcome their ambivalence toward tertiary education and ameliorate well-being. Their ambivalence contributes to their political awareness and to navigating between Māori, Pākehā, and Jewish knowledges as they become resilient role models for the next generation.

Recommended Citation

Ore, Hadas (2020) "“FILLING UP THE OTHER KETE”: AMBIVALENCE, CRITICAL MEMORY, AND THE RESILIENCE OF OLDER MĀORI JEWISH WOMEN," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 43: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol43/iss1/3