Belinda Borell
Ngāti Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, Whakatōhea
Dr Belinda Borell is a Māori researcher with a particular interest in rangatahi Māori and White privilege. She completed her Master’s thesis Living in the City Ain’t So Bad: Cultural Diversity of South Auckland Rangatahi. Belinda has worked as an impact evaluator for community action projects on youth, alcohol and drugs and is developing into research management. Belinda completed her PhD at Massey University.
Poverty discourses and racial justice
Societal knowledge of poverty is often shaped by what we hear from politicians, what we read in the news and what we see on TV. These depictions tend to show particular groups as the ‘face of the poor’ with little recourse to proportional accuracy. This skew of representation increases stigmatisation of the poor, making punitive attitudes towards them more likely and precluding effective interventions that may address the causes of poverty. Māori often bear the brunt of this racialisation, deepening the negative impacts on individuals and whānau. In this ‘fireside chat’ Dr Rose Black hosts a conversation with Dr Belinda Borell and Dr Sue Bradford, considering the dangers posed by racist tropes in discourses around poverty and inviting an exploration of the inherent complexities and ambiguities surrounding the issue.
