Māori atheism: a decolonising project?

Abstract

New Zealand census data points to a pattern of religious change – a growing sector of the Māori community are disaffiliating from Christianity at roughly the same rate as the ‘no religion’ category is expanding. Drawing on 16 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Māori who do not believe in god(s), we explore the contours of atheism and how it is experienced and articulated in their specific cultural location. Our analysis shows that Māori atheism is plural and often politically charged. Religion is commonly viewed as a colonial tool for the oppression of Māori people/culture, against which atheism stands as a decolonising project. Aside from this, the participants’ operationalisation of intellectual doubt and other moral criticisms, including religious hypocrisy, religious exclusivism and religious bigotry, were found to be consistent with the narratives of atheists elsewhere.

Keywords

• Māori
• atheism
• leaving religion
• Indigenous
• religion and coloniality
• narrative analysis