Abstract:
In New Zealand, descendants of colonial settlers are described as European New Zealander, or Pākehā. As with all ethnic groups, there is no ‘one’ story of being and becoming Pākehā. Rather, many Pākehā have a mixed ancestry that complicates any attempt to create a ‘fixed’ ethnic identity, often defaulting instead to a national identity. This work intends to disrupt the notion of homogeneity. Employing Derrida’s methodology of ‘hauntology’ I explore stories of migration and generational change to speak with the ghost/s that haunt Pākehā identity. Through a critical arts-based autoethnography I connect the personal story to wider historical, social and political factors. Drawing on postcolonial theory, and theories of entanglement, I highlight the fluid dynamic process of Pākehā identity construction, revealing strategies of erasure, politics of assimilation and the mixedness of contemporary Pākehā.
