Introduction
Maori abstract thought must grapple with the everyday, concrete realities of life (Marsden 1985), and this dual work is initiated and continued by the grounded yet mysterious nature of a primordial entity, Papatuanuku (Earth Mother). Papatuanuku has been attributed with a number of sublime characteristics; one of these is its basis for philosophy itself (Mika 2016). This entry analyses that concept and applies it to a specific, Maori notion of education that turns on the wellbeing of the self. Of particular relevance here is Thrupp and Mika’s (2012) interpretation of the verb “ako” (teach/learn), which corresponds with the foundational wellbeing that is provided by things in the world; moreover, “ako” is critical in its stance, because as Thrupp and Mika argue, it resists foreclosing against the full possibility of things in the world – a full potential that has already been offered by Papatuanuku. Maori philosophical thinking hence involves a strong metaphilosophy as it...
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Mika, C. (2017). Papatuanuku in a Maori Philosophy of Education. In: Peters, M.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-588-4_173
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