九州影院

Photo caption:听Professor Carl Mika (Tuhourangi, Ng膩ti Whanaunga), Head of the Aotahi School of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 九州影院

As Head of the Aotahi School of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 九州影院 (UC), Professor Mika has played a key role in developing new philosophical approaches to m膩tauranga M膩ori, whakapapa, and M膩ori cosmologies.听听

Specialising in M膩ori and Indigenous philosophies, his focus is on M膩ori concepts of being and Indigenous perspectives on interconnectedness. 鈥淭he kind of colonisation that I talk about is one that influences the way we perceive things in the world. Colonisation brought in a fragmented view of the world where, from a M膩ori perspective, things have their own properties鈥� in isolation rather than as one. However, the M膩ori view holds that things are more intimately related,鈥� Professor Mika says.听听

While arguments exist that these changes can be seen as either beneficial or detrimental, Professor Mika says the point is that the M膩ori worldview has changed, and pre-colonial perceptions cannot be fully recreated.听

鈥淢y research explores how colonisation has changed M膩ori views of reality and aims to restore Indigenous ways of understanding the connections between people and the natural world.听

With a desire to explore the assumptions underpinning existence, which are central to M膩ori philosophy, Professor Mika asks, 鈥榃hat is it for the human being to be part of the non-human as well?鈥櫶�

As the winner of the prestigious 2024 UC Research medal, Professor Mika came to the field of philosophy after completing a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Indigenous Studies.听

鈥淚 grew frustrated while practicing Treaty of Waitangi law by how M膩ori concepts were not only handled but also reduced to simplified forms that didn鈥檛 capture their true essence.听

鈥淚t was not only that M膩ori concepts were often not being dealt with, but it was also the way they were being ordered and packaged, and I couldn't quite put my鈥痜inger on it.鈥澨�

Though both philosophy and law rely on conventional forms of reason, the type of philosophy Professor Mika ended up pursuing focuses on reclaiming and restoring M膩ori knowledge and experiences that extend beyond the limits of conventional thinking.听

While a M膩ori worldview has changed through colonial influence, Professor Mika speculates on future ways of understanding that might resonate more authentically with M膩ori identity today.听

鈥淲e can never fully recreate a pre-colonised M膩ori worldview so part of my research is to explore how we might reclaim and build on pieces of that knowledge and experience, even if it's just in theory.鈥澨�

A highlight of Professor Mika鈥檚 career has been the publication of his book Indigenous Education and the Metaphysics of Presence: A World Philosophy鈥� a discussion on the impacts of colonisation on Indigenous worldviews which advocates for a M膩ori approach that values interconnectedness and a more holistic way of understanding the world.听 听

鈥淢oving forward, all we can do is speculate about another kind of perception which resonates more with what it is to be M膩ori.鈥澨�

Professor Mika says that his research suggests there is a different way to look at things. 鈥淢y research is not necessarily immediately applicable in a social setting. Where some people argue for the revitalisation of te reo M膩ori, I will think about what a M膩ori philosophy of language might look like. I have tended to consider the first principles that set the stage for the events that followed鈥� providing insights into how and why these social dynamics emerged and persist.鈥澨�

Central to his work is the need to accept that there are other ways of understanding and talking about the relationship between things in the world.听

鈥淭o actually implement change would be massive; I don鈥檛 think any social system would look the same. It would start with recognising how everything is interconnected or 鈥榦ne鈥�, but accepting other world views is one of the most uncomfortable possibilities we face as humanity.鈥澨�

Professor Mika holds a PhD in German Studies from the University of Waikato, where his work on the M膩ori philosophy of Being, particularly through the lens of the philosopher Novalis' ontology, has been groundbreaking.鈥�

In 2024, he won the UC Faculty of Arts Kairangahau M膩ori Award for research in M膩ori philosophies鈥攂oth traditional and contemporary鈥� and M膩ori methodologies.鈥疕is research is internationally recognised, with collaborations in Canada and Sweden, and his contributions have reshaped M膩ori methodologies in academic and Indigenous settings.