Dissertation
Aotearoa New Zealand Māori Gang Member Perspectives on Life in the Community of the Fist
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00826
Abstract
Gangs in New Zealand (NZ) operate as non-normative, highly secretive, subcultural groups that resist cultural hegemony, favouring their own practices and ideologies. The need for greater exploration into the lived experience of subcultures has shaped contemporary uses of subcultural theory and is highly relevant to gang research in countries such as NZ. A call for more research into understanding NZ gangs has been raised by government service organisations and academics. Currently NZ has one of the highest gang member per capita populations in the world with an overrepresentation of Māori, yet there is limited research in this field. Unlike the urban youth gangs of the USA, New Zealand’s Māori gangs, such as Black Power and Mongrel Mob, tend to be intergenerational, older, and distributed throughout rural areas. In the absence of localised research, NZ’s responses to gangs relies on research of urban youth gangs from the USA to inform policy aimed at gang suppression. This study responds to an identified need for better understanding of the lived experiences of gang subcultures, and the call for more localised research into NZ gangs.
Using subcultural theory as a theoretical framework, and drawing upon a constructivist epistemology, this study used a phenomenological methodology to investigate the lived experiences of gang members and gang community members in a rural NZ gang community. Semi-structured interviews, observations and intentional conversations were conducted over a one-year period. Phenomenological data analysis was used to identity themes and categories that are presented in four findings chapters in this thesis. In this PhD study, phenomenological research has yielded deeper understandings of the perceptions of Māori gang members and gang connected adults about life in the Community of the Fist.
Details
- Title
- Aotearoa New Zealand Māori Gang Member Perspectives on Life in the Community of the Fist
- Authors
- Haley Whitfield - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Contributors
- Alison Willis (Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre - LegacyHarriot Beazley (Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sustainability Research Cluster
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00826
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991001798702621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
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