معرفی
Garrick Cooper is an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury's Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies within the Faculty of Arts, a position he has held since January 2009. His office is located in Te Ao Marama 157, and he can be reached at garrick.cooper@canterbury.ac.nz or by phone at +6433692088.
Dr. Cooper's research centers on practices of 'decoloniality' in Aotearoa (New Zealand), with particular focus on understanding how coloniality reproduces and sustains itself to maintain dominant societal interests. His work employs Maori epistemologies to critique dominant narratives about Maori people and create pathways forward that transcend binaries like Europeans and natives, Maori and Pakeha, and oppressor and oppressed. His research spans Decolonial Theory, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Race Studies, and Postcolonial Philosophy.
Analysis of Dr. Cooper's recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory toward developing frameworks for decolonial praxis in Aotearoa. His work increasingly focuses on applying Maori philosophical concepts to contemporary issues of race, education, and governance. He has made significant contributions to understanding whiteness in New Zealand, developing grammars of race specific to the Aotearoa context, and exploring Maori leadership models. His scholarship bridges theoretical political philosophy with practical applications for decolonizing institutions, particularly in education.
- Advises graduate students on Maori contemporary art, indigenous leadership, Māori oral traditions, and science education for Maori students
- Provides expert testimony to governmental committees on colonial history education
- Serves as advisor for Te Ipukarea (National Māori Language Institute) since 2009
- Writes public commentary on racism, Ihumātao protests, and refugee treatment as connected to colonial legacies
