Social identity and the perception of history: cultural representations ofAotetroa/New Zealand

The context of intergroup relations in Aotearoa/New Zealand was investigate d using perceptions of history by Maori (Polynesian-descended) and Pakeha ( European-descended) samples from university and the general public. There w as strong consensus that the Treaty of Waitangi was the most important even t in New Zealand's history, but only Maori, the subordinate ethnic group, s howed in-group favouritism in their judgements regarding the Treaty. Pakeha , the dominant group, showed outgroup favouritism, and distanced themselves front past injustices using linguistic strategies. Maori students showed i nterest in their ethnic origins (ontogeny), rating the distant past and Pol ynesian history higher, and free-recalling more events prior to European ar rival than other groups; Maori in the general population shared a more simi lar perception of history to Pakeha. Both in-group favouritism and ontogeny were found in sentence-completion choices. Historical perceptions were str ongly related to positions on current political issues. Results are related to social identity theory, social representations theory, and social domin ance theory. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.