Master's in Sustainability Faculty Publishes Article on Indigenous Urban Geographies

Serge Marek, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography and M.A. in Sustainability (MASUST) faculty member, recently published an article titled "Indigenous Urban Geographies of Empowerment: Māori Urban Geographies of Whakamanatanga" (article link). The paper is an offshoot of his Ph.D. research and explores ways that Māōri were adapting the city to their cultural ways of life and world views. 

Marek incorporates his Aotearoa/New Zealand field-work experiences (2001, 2007, 2008, 2015, and 2018) into his teaching of research methods in the MASUST program. When asked about surprises encountered in his research, he responded, "I expected to research and write about Māori urban geographies of resistance, but instead was drawn into a world where Māori were moving beyond resistance and into a context of empowerment."

Contact professor Marek (smarek@hpu.edu) to learn more about his research and Adam Burke, Ph.D., (aburke@hpu.edu) for info on HPU's M.A. in Sustainability program.

Professor Marek is pictured (right) on his July 2018 field-work trip in Rotorua with a Māori master carver (tohunga whakairo).