Unsettling Extremism is a podcast by He Whenua Taurikura, Aotearoa's Independent Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. ...
Exploring Big Questions Through Fiction with Tina Makereti
On this episode of Unsettling Extremism, we explore how literature can inform our understanding of white supremacy and extremism. I spoke with Dr. Tina Makereti, an award-winning writer who teaches creative writing at Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka at the International Insitute of Modern Letters. Learn more about Tina's book The Mires, here. https://ultimopress.com.au/products/the-miresReferences:Clark, B. (2023). Fear: The must-read gripping new book about New Zealand's hostile underworld of extremists. HarperCollins New Zealand.Ebner, J. (2021). Going dark: The secret social lives of extremists. Bloomsbury Publishing.Lavin, T. (2020). Culture warlords: My journey into the dark web of white supremacy. Legacy Lit. Marsh, S. T. (2024, December 9). Arts don’t just decorate knowledge, they deepen it. Newsroom https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/12/09/arts-dont-just-decorate-knowledge-they-deepen-it/Tecun, A., Lopesi, L., & Sankar, A. (Eds.). (2022). Towards a Grammar of Race: In Aotearoa New Zealand. Bridget Williams Books.
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49:58
Fear with Byron Clark
Today our guest Byron Clark, an independent researcher and author on New Zealand’s far-right extremist movements. His book, Fear, helps us shows some of the ideological underpinnings of influencers and groups in the lead-up to the Occupation of Parliament in 2022. Byron uses his insight as a Pakeha man, the target demographic of these far-right groups, to help us, understand, untangle, and confront the ideologies and theories that support these movements. I have a lot of respect fo Byron, not just as a researcher, but as a human because he is far from a keyboard warrior, he has paid a personal price for his research. By speaking out he has become the target of intimidation, harassment, and threats from the very groups he studies. And yet, he continues to speak up and speak out. Resources Fear: New Zealand's Hostile Underworld of Extremists by Byron Clarkhttps://www.harpercollins.co.nz/9781775542308/fear/Byron's Newsletter, Feijoa Dispatch, is a collection of his work and writing. https://www.feijoadispatch.nz/Histories of Hate: The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand, Edited by Matthew Cunningham, Marinus La Rooij and Paul Spoonley The definition of the Great Replacement Theory was in the chapter Identitarianism and the Alt-Right: A New Phase of Alt-Right Politics in Aotearoa New Zealand, by Paul Spoonley and Paul Morris, pg. 308.
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53:23
The Radical Right and Populism in Aotearoa with Paul Spoonley
In this episode our guest is Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley. He is a highly regarded sociologist with expertise in the areas of demography, immigration, diversity, and political and ideological extremism. You might already know Paul because he is regularly asked to comment on social issues in the media. In our interview, we discussed the evolution of the radical right in New Zealand, the rise of populism and his ideas on how we can improve social cohesion. Here are some resources Paul talked about in the episode:Edelman Trust Barometerhttps://www.edelman.com/trust/2023/trust-barometerHistories of Hate Matthew Cunningham, Marinus La Rooij and Paul Spoonley (eds)https://www.otago.ac.nz/press/books/histories-of-hateNga Tangata Oho Mairangihttps://communityresearch.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/formidable/8/Southland-Region-Report-Final-with-Logo-RRN-5-2017-1.pdfHochschild, A. R. (2018). Strangers in their own land: Anger and mourning on the American right. The New Press.Populism - A Global Advisor Survey 2024 (NZ Edition)https://www.ipsos.com/en-nz/populism-global-advisor-survey-2024-nz-edition
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53:32
Always Seeking the Light with Joanna Kidman
In this episode I spoke with Joanna Kidman, Professor of Māori Education at Victoria University of Wellington and Director of He Whenua Taurikura. She has a long and esteemed career as a sociologist researching the impact of the impact of institutional and systemic racism on Māori communities, including her Marsden-funded project looking at the impact of the New Zealand Wars on Māori communities and our society as a whole. Joanna was recently selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for distinction in her research and leadership in her field. Our conversation ranged from her background, to the ways her research looks at the fractures in society, to what she has learned about peace. Joanna brings her sociological training and Māori worldviews to the area of extremism and counterterrorism research. If you would like to learn more about Joanna's research, check out the following resources: https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/joanna-kidman-standing-for-peace-in-an-angry-world/https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/fragments-from-a-contested-past
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57:22
Disrupting Colonial Peace with Mahdis Azarmandi
In this episode of Unsettling Extremism I spoke with Dr. Mahdis Azarmandi, Senior Lecturer the School of Educational studies and Leadership at the University of Canterbury. Beyond her work in education, she also has expertise in Political science and Peace and Conflict Studies. We talked about the construction of the concept of peace, different forms of violence, and how terms like terrorism and extremism can be problematic.If you would like to read some of Mahdis's work, some selected works are below: Azarmandi, M. (2018). The racial silence within peace studies. Peace Review, 30(1), 69-77. Azarmandi, M. (2021). Freedom from discrimination: on the coloniality of positive peace. In The Palgrave handbook of positive peace (pp. 611-621). Singapore: Springer Singapore.Azarmandi, M. (2023). Disturbing a Discipline: Towards Pluriversal Peace and Conflict Studies. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 1-15.Aikman, P. J., & Azarmandi, M. (2023). Koro and the Statue: Disrupting Colonial Amnesia and White Settler Sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand. In The Palgrave Handbook on Rethinking Colonial Commemorations (pp. 33-51). Cham: Springer International Publishing.Here is a list of of some of the scholars/works Mahdis discussed in this episode:Debbie Bargallie https://experts.griffith.edu.au/19242-debbie-bargallie/publicationsMartin Luther King Jr. https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.htmlAlana Lentin https://www.alanalentin.net/books/racism-book/Nelson Maldonado -Torres https://caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/docs/Maldonado-Torres_Outline_Ten_Theses-10.23.16.pdfCharles Mills https://books.google.co.nz/books/about/The_Racial_Contract.html?id=LPbBdyxGNhQC&redir_esc=y
Unsettling Extremism is a podcast by He Whenua Taurikura, Aotearoa's Independent Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. In this podcast we will be having critical conversations with experts who look at extremism, hate, mis and disinformation, conspiracy theories as well as our social connectedness all through a uniquely Aotearoa lens. Each episode I'll interview a different expert who will discuss their research contextualise the present moment explain the impact of extremism and disinformation, and let us know what we all can do about it.
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