The Treaty & Me - Unsettled Bliss - it's OK to be uncomfortable
Wed, 23 Jul
|ONEONESIX
In the first of four dates in the Treaty & Me series for 2025, Dr Elizabeth Cook explores the notion of Unsettled Bliss, and why it's OK to be uncomfortable.
Time & Location
23 Jul 2025, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
ONEONESIX, 116A Bank Street, Whangārei 0110, New Zealand
About the event
“We perform our banal everyday activities of whiteness as normal and natural, so normal, that they are considered the universal, common sense, rational way to be for EVERYBODY!”
In this talk, based on her book, Unsettled Bliss: Whiteness in Aotearoa, Dr Elizabeth Cook explores how (often unconscious) racism operates in our everyday actions within whānau, workplaces, institutions and organisations. She speaks to the 1835 Declaration of Independence onwards, addressing white settler occupation to the present day, its impact on indigenous land and the people of this place, ngā iwi Māori, and the continuing consequences.
“The aim is to be woke, not asleep or dead,” says Dr Cook. “Knowledge is liberation, along with action to change the cruelties.”
If you are interested in deepening your understanding of social issues, wealth disparity, and political structures, this talk is for you.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr Elizabeth Ann Cook is a writer, thinker, and…