Explaining Māori atheism in Aotearoa New Zealand
Principal Investigator
Dr. Masoumeh (Sara) Rahmani
School of Social and Cultural Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Co-Investigator
Professor Peter Adds
Te Kawa a Māui - School of Māori Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Co-Investigator
Dr. Geoff Troughton
School of Social and Cultural Studies- Religious Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Start and end dates: 1 November 2022 – 30 June 2024
Award: £70,895
Indigenous experiences represent one of the most neglected yet critically productive sites for exploration within the fast-emerging field of atheism and nonreligion. Recent cross-cultural research demonstrates that atheism — like the broader nonreligion construct — incorporates a wide range of self-understandings, views, and commitments. Inclusion of Indigenous perspectives extends our understanding of this diversity, adding essential insights for the development of a rich and comprehensive causal understanding of atheism.
Between 2006 and 2018, the percentage of Māori (Indigenous New Zealanders) identifying with “no religion” on the national census increased from 36.5% to 53.5%. This change coincided with a substantial decline in Māori affiliating with Christianity and traditional Māori religion. Despite these dramatic shifts, we know little about Māori atheism, or indeed the individual, sociocultural, and historical processes contributing to Māori deconversion.
The aim of this project is to offer a well-evidenced causal account of why and how some Māori became or remain atheists. We will conduct in-depth interviews with Māori a/theist to identify key causal factors of atheism at the individual and societal levels. Given the complicated post-colonial and bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand, our analysis will also pay a close attention to the intersectionality between the history of colonisation, Christianisation, Māori cultural revitalisation policies, and the impact of online social media on the emergence of Māori atheism.
