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Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.470206 Cultural studies of nation and region

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    Stitching stories, singing roots : Pashtun cultural revival in diaspora : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2025) Ahmad, Maimoona Fawad
    Pashto, the second most spoken language in Pakistan and the national language of Afghanistan, is an essential marker of Pashtun identity. However, in the Pashtun diaspora, particularly in Aotearoa New Zealand, cultural and linguistic disconnection is increasingly evident among the second generation. This research responds to the concerns of cultural erosion by integrating Pashto calligraphy and tappay (folk poetry) on embroidered velvet fabric by fusing traditional embroidery techniques with digital fabrication methods such as laser engraving. In doing so, this study seeks to create a contemporary platform for Pashtun cultural expression. Central to this research is Pukhtunwali, the informal Pashtun code of conduct that governs social and moral values. Pukhtunwali encompasses principles such as bravery, love, spirituality, nationalism, hospitality, resilience, and women’s empowerment, making it a significant framework for cultural identity. During two workshops conducted as part of this project, 43 tappay and 9 Pukhtunwali codes were shared with eight participants. From these, 23 tappay were identified as most reflective of the code of Pukhtunwali. The workshops were designed to create an immersive cultural experience, featuring Pashto music in the background and the serving of traditional food, fostering a sense of community and cultural nostalgia. Through two interactive Pashtun community workshops in Palmerston North, this project engages the Pashtun diaspora in cultural dialogue, gathering insights into their perceptions of identity, language, and heritage. The workshops explored stylized Pashto calligraphy and embroidery techniques as a means of cultural preservation. These community workshops were inspired by the concept of relational aesthetics suggested by Bourriaud and also by the work of Māori designer Dr. Johnson Witehira, a New Zealand artist, whose work is considered as pioneering in preserving Māori language. Thus, based on the concept of relational aesthetics and the work of Dr. Witehira, this research positions design as an active tool for cultural reclamation. This study updates traditional artistic practices using modern design methods. It helps explore how diaspora identity, cultural traditions, and indigenous art can stay relevant in the contemporary world. This thesis not only highlights the significance of Pashto calligraphy and tappay but also demonstrates how art and design can bridge generational and cultural divides, fostering a renewed sense of belonging within the Pashtun community in New Zealand.
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    The nation imagined : a critical study of nationhood and identity through the cover art of Indian speculative literature : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-11-26) Krishnamurthy, Nikite
    Over the past decade (2013–2023), India, the largest democracy in the world, has experienced a pronounced rise in religious nationalism, marked by its entrenchment in mainstream media, visual culture, and political rhetoric. This thesis examines the role of popular visual culture in shaping ideas of nationhood by focusing on the book cover art of Indian Speculative and Fantasy Fiction (ISFF). It argues that ISFF genre art functions as a visual discourse that not only mirrors but actively constructs and contests dominant narratives of Indian identity. Drawing upon Jacques Rancière’s aesthetics of politics and Roland Barthes’ semiotics, this study demonstrates how ISFF book covers encode visual themes—such as hyper-masculine portrayals of Hindu warrior-heroes, mythological iconography, and saffronised aesthetics—that reinforce nationalist myths of a unified, Hindu-centric “imagined community”. Through detailed visual analysis, the thesis reveals the ideological significance of these representations, exposing how they contribute to exclusionary conceptions of Indianness while simultaneously providing a platform to challenge hegemonic narratives. Specifically, it identifies tensions between religious nationalism, caste hierarchies, and the commodification of mythology in India’s contemporary political landscape. By situating these visual motifs within India’s broader visual and political history, the research highlights their capacity to naturalise historical revisionism and propagate militant masculinities tied to Hindu nationalist ideologies. This thesis makes an original contribution to the interdisciplinary study of visual culture and politics by elucidating how genre-specific visual discourse in ISFF reflects, mediates, and complicates contemporary identity politics in India. It offers a critical lens through which to understand how popular culture operates as an ideological apparatus that negotiates complex socio-political narratives within a globalising and increasingly polarised society.
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    Sing out, feel, and then be the force of change! The important role of protest songs from Calle 13, Residente and iLe in Latin American protest movements during the 21st century = ¡Canta, siente, sé el cambio! El rol importante de las canciones de protesta de Calle 13, Residente e iLe en la protesta latinoamericana durante el siglo XXI : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements in the pursuit of the degree of Master of Arts in Spanish, Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
    (Massey University, 2024) Port, Aengus
    Art, and specifically music, has long been an essential tool in personal self-expression across a range of topics that evoke deep human connection and emotion. Whether it be an artistic expression about love, passion, desire, sadness, grief, loss, anger or the like, music has an ability to bring out the emotive side of people when it comes to affairs that stir the heart. This can be taken in a romantic sense, but also in a sense of what sets people on fire on a daily basis; patriotism to their homeland, politics (for or against policy or style of governance) etc. When the public is frustrated by something, naturally they wish to voice their opposition and dissent to the authorities in the clearest way possible, and song has been a time-honoured way of vocalising the desire for the necessary change happen for the greater public good. In the modern context, music in Latin America has been employed to support political opposition and dissent for many years, most notably by way of the Nueva Canción movement sin the second half of the 20th century. This subject, along with legends of the genre such as Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa and Violeta Parra, fascinated me whilst I was undertaking my initial journey into the Spanish language, culture and heritage of Spanish-speaking countries. Also, the more current context within Latin America, specifically in Puerto Rico, fascinated me. Thus, this analytical study of various examples of protest song being used as a prime tool for political expression and change from the noted Puerto Rican band Calle 13, along with their ex members Residente and iLe, is a fusion of these two interests and an attempt to expand the field of study around the Nueva Canción movement, so as to see whether this movement of music and song still exists in the current 21st century context and then, if so, whether the way this music is composed and delivered changed in time. The inclusion of examples of academic criticism around this subject within the analysis, for example The Woman in Music (Marianne Kielian-Gilbert, 2000), Performative Acts and Gender Construction (Judith Butler, 1988) and “Performance Interventions” and Gestos Descoloniales (M.A. Sánchez Cabrera, 2016), help to contribute something new into this area of study. This critique is going to create a point of reference and define the context behind the profiled songs. This study is intended to be an investigation into whether the Nueva Canción has changed or whether it has remained the same, albeit different, in the intervening period since its inception and recognition as a powerful subgenre of Latin music.