Reviews

Towards A Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand by Arcia Tecun, Lana Lopesi, Anisha Sankar

serendipitysbooks's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

 Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa is a collection of 15 essays written by academics, activists and writers. It explores the issue of race and how to talk about it in this country. It take a broad approach - while the Maori-Pakeha dichotomy is in some ways central to Aotearoa’s history and identity, the reality is more complex. Where and how do Asians, Africans, Black Americans, and Pasifika peoples fit given they may experience racism but also perpetrate it? How do notions of race, ethnicity and culture play out and to what extent do these terms help or hinder? What about the history of colonisation, current forces of globalisation and capitalism and the interplay between them and issues of race?This was a thought provoking read, often fairly dense going in places, with many essays being theoretical, abstract and intellectual - a bit too much for me at times. I found it best to read in a slow but steady fashion, one essay every day or two, with plenty of thinking time in between. Having a buddy to read and discuss with would be another great way of reading this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Racism