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    Hei whenua ora : hapū and iwi approaches for reinstating valued ecosystems within cultural landscape : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies, at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa/New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2007) Smith, Susan Margaret
    The thesis focussed on whānau and hapū and how as a Māori community, they came together to exercise kaitiakitanga (active guardianship) over their fragmented ecosystems within agricultural and cultural landscapes. The research centred on key areas within an ancestral coastline remaining predominately in tribal tenure, between the Waiwiri Stream and Waikawa River in the south-west coastal region of Horowhenua, North Island. The region was once an extensive coastal forest, a series of dune lakes,lagoons and dune wetlands within a larger tribal region under the guardianship of hapū Ngāti Te Rangitāwhia, Te Mateawa, Ngāti Manu and Ngāti Kapumanawawhiti ki Kuku who affiliate to the iwi, Ngāti Tūkorehe. The research investigated intricate and complex environmental problems, assessed the extent of ecological decline in particular areas, and considered how well kaitiaki (as caretakers of the natural environment and their cultural landscapes) were dealing with the impact of fragmented systems with associated effects on their human condition. The methodological considerations aimed to achieve ecological and cultural restoration goals in a whole-of-person, whole-of-system context. What emerged from the action research process (grounded in a kaupapa and tikanga Māori epistemology of knowledge development supported by cross-indigenous perspective and international standards for ecological and human wellbeing) suggests that the restoration of fragmented ecological systems is interdependently related to the healing of a community, and reconnection with their natural and cultural landscape. Certain aspects of collaborative scientific endeavour documented water engineering activities that accelerated ecosystem decline. Such approaches to knowledge development also collated hydrological data on water quality and assessed remaining indigenous biodiversity for the extent of decline in the region. Narratives of place, within a braided cultural landscape concept underpinned a knowing of place and peoples' place within it as informed by both resident Māori and non-Māori recollections of encounter and change within lands and peoples. The visual and documentary component as complimentary research methods or catalysts for action, also detailed the projects. The combined expertise, knowledge and methods supported the commitment this thesis has, as a locally generated, iwi and hapū led research and practically orientated endeavour. It drew heavily on Māori concepts, local experiences and aspirations for environmental rehabilitation, with key case studies for rivers, coastlines, wetlands, with strategies for interrelated archaeological areas of significance. The approaches articulated new ways of doing things for remaining natural areas within a revered Māori cultural landscape. The thesis determined that iwi and hapū with long standing relationships with their natural environment are able to determine and effect significant ecological improvements, where sustainability of both the environment and people, can be enhanced. This is achieved through planned actions, shared vision, co-intelligence and co-management strategies. Active kaitiakitanga can therefore compliment developments while recognising economic and cultural imperatives - all for the sake of future tribal generations and the wider community.
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    Ko te whare whakamana : Māori language revitalisation : a thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2001) Christensen, Ian
    Efforts to revitalise the Māori language began in earnest with the establishment in 1981 of the first Kōhanga Reo (Māori language pre-school). Since this time, the growth of Māori medium education has been significant, and has also been complemented with language intitiatives in broadcasting and the public sector, including government departments. Some iwi (tribes), most notably Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga have also implemented long term strategic plans to secure the health of the language within the tribe. Theories of language revitalisation, however, highlight the importance of reestablishing the inter-generational transmission of the language within homes, something which until recently has received little attention with regard to Māori language. This thesis backgrounds the position of the Māori language, its linguistic, social, political and economic context for development into the third millenium, and presents a framework for its maintenance and revitalisation. The framework arises from data collected from 1577 participants in the Te Hoe Nuku Roa Baseline Study of Māori households, and interviews conducted with a sub-sample of participants who had identified as having either medium or high fluency in the language. The framework is based on the principles of Mana Māori (Māori control and responsibility), Mana Tangata (personal empowerment), and Tūhonotanga (interconnectedness). The various agents for Māori language revitalisation are identified in the framework, and it is argued that while each agent should focus on revitalisation activities most appropriate to themselves, it is important that activity is linked in some tangible way to the strengthening of Māori language in Māori homes.
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    Der Soziokriminalroman : ein neues Genre oder ein soziologisches Experiment? : eine Untersuchung des Soziokriminalromans anhand der Werke der schwedischen Autoren, Maj Sjöwall und Per Wahlöö, und des deutschen Autors, -ky : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2001) Brönnimann, Jürg
    This thesis describes the emergence of the socio-crime-novel (Soziokriminalroman) in Germany in the late 1960s. The purpose of the textually based research is to determine what changes were made by the Swedish authors, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, precursors of the German socio-crime-novel, and by -ky, father of the German Soziokrimi, to the structure of the traditional detective-story, and to evaluate the validity of the claim of the socio-crime-novel writers, that they had created a new genre, which could not be adequately judged by the traditional aesthetically based criteria, and therefore necessitated a re-definition of literary values. Crime fiction has had a long tradition in Anglo-Saxon countries and has formed an integral part of literary criticism. In Germany, on the other hand, the popularity the genre enjoyed among the general public was not reflected in the scant attention given it by German literary critics. A change in attitude, or rather in cultural values, was brought about in the late sixties, mainly due to the student uprising and the influence of left-wing theorists, who accused the critics of elitism. It is generally accepted that the Swedish authors, Sjöwall/Wahlöö were the forerunners of the German socio-crime-novel P. Nusser, "Kritik des neuen deutschen Kriminalromans", in: K. Ermert, W. Gast (Hrsg.), Der neue deutsche Kriminalroman. Beiträge zur Darstellung, Interpretation und Kritik eines populären Genres, Rehburg-Loccum 1985, S. 20. "An dem von Sjöwall/Wahlöö erreichten gedanklichen und künstlerischen Niveau müssen sich deutsche Autoren, die diesen Aspekt betonen, messen lassen." G. Waldmann, " Der Kriminalroman als Gefahr und kritisches Potential", in: ebd., S, 61. "Zum Beispiel Maj Sjöwall/Per Wahlöö oder auch Leonardo Sciascia haben solche kritischen Romane vorgelegt. Und der neue deutsche Kriminalroman, wie er heute u.a. durch Thomas Andresen, Fred Breinersdorfer, Richard Hey, -ky, Michael Molsner, Irene Rodrian, Lydia Tews, Friedhelm Werremeier vertreten ist, ist gerade diejenige Literatursparte, die [...] gesellschaftliche und gesellschaftskritische Absichten verfolgt." A close analysis of their ten-volume cycle, which covered the period from 1965 to 1975, revealed that the influence was restricted to the transformation of the crime-novel into a vehicle for social criticism. The fundamental difference lay in the dominance of Marxist philosophy, both in the critical content and in the structural form of the cycle. Their cycle follows Marx's concept of the dialectical progression of history, whereby the change from a capitalist society to a communist society is allegedly pre-determined. Sjöwall/Wahlöö examine the Swedish society and show their readers how the well-being of the general population is being increasingly undermined by the destructive effects of capitalism. Throughout the cycle they gradually increase their stinging attacks on the Swedish government, whom they hold responsible for the deterioration of society and consequent increase in crime. By the tenth novel crime is all-embracing. Sjöwall/Wahlöö show the State in total disarray, on the verge of collapse. They end their cycle with the word Marx, implying that the time has come in the dialectic process for the emergence of the communist social order. -ky, alias Horst Bosetzky, sociologist and self-proclaimed father of the socio-crime-novel in Germany, 2 "Ich gelte ja als Erfinder und Begründer des Soziokrimis." -ky, Interview mit -ky, Anhang dieser Arbeit. differs markedly from Sjöwall/Wahlöö both in the structure of his novels and in the philosophy reflected in his social criticism. Within the modified framework of the traditional detective-story, -ky creates two models, one of a small, rural town (Bramme) and one of Berlin, together representative of Germany's political and social landscape. The models provide the basic structure, within which -ky presents his sociological case-studies of German society. Bramme, a fictitious town, represents the clearly defined social order of a typical small town in Germany, where a conservative, fascist and authoritarian mentality, resistant to change, prevails. Berlin, on the other hand, is a unique phenomenon in post-war Germany, mainly due to its exceptional political status and geographical location before unification, and as such a focal point for political, social and cultural tensions. The progressive elements are constantly undermined and disrupted by what -ky describes as the fascist mentality, fostered by a megalomaniacal criminal and his henchmen, which prevents positive interaction between the diverse groups that make up the society as a whole. In his crime novels, -ky exposes a German society, driven by power-hungry, materialistic self-interest and dominated by a rampant form of capitalism, that threatens to overpower the democratic principles of the State. Whereas Sjöwall/Wahlöö's social analysis led to the conclusion, that a communist overthrow of the State - the source of all evil - was the only inevitable answer, -ky's work is an appeal to each and every individual in German society to support the democratic principles of the State and to assume the responsibilities of a democratic citizen towards society as a whole and towards all fellow-citizens. -ky's socio-crime-novels show that serious social analysis can be combined effectively with the elements of entertainment and suspense of the traditional detective-story, and that the "new" genre is a viable literary form to reflect and inform society. From the sociological point of view, which emphasises the reception of literature rather than the aesthetic quality in the present-day environment, the authors of the socio-crime-novel argue that the traditional literary criteria used to evaluate popular literature are not sufficiently differentiated to do justice to the new genre and need to be modified accordingly.
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    Older people and ageing in the fiction of Thomas Hardy : a thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of English and Media Studies, Division of Humanities, Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2009) Sainsbury, Dick
    In recent years interest in literary gerontology, the study of older people and ageing in literary works, has grown. Interest has focussed on whether old people are portrayed negatively or positively in writing and the other arts, and whether the study of old people in literary works can help gerontologists in their understanding of ageing. The present thesis explores the issues of older people and ageing in the fiction of Thomas Hardy concentrating particularly on four novels: Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders and Two on a Tower, although reference is made to other works. The working hypothesis is that ‘Older people and ageing play a central and hitherto undersestimated role in the vital themes considered in Hardy’s fiction’. Hardy was chosen because very little has been written about the subject in his work and because he is such a shrewd observer of character and a perceptive social critic. I conclude that older people and ageing do play a substantial part in the Hardy fiction canon. The major themes are: a close consideration of social issues expressed through the words and actions of older people; the significance of psychological adaptations to ageing in his characters; the investigation of relationships between people of disparate ages; and the use of the symbolism of antiquity represented in buildings, institutions, archaeology and nature to amplify the changes brought about by modernity. The subject is worthy of further and more detailed study.
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    Enchanting books, redeeming fetishism : theory and practice in relation to the life of books : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Barnard, Henry George
    This thesis is a study of books which seeks to understand them and their place in our life world not in terms of their role as a medium of communication but as enchanted and sacred objects which are active agents in that life world. I show how they work as totemic operators or caste marks (by the way they act to distinguish groups of people), enshrined objects (by the ways in which they are literally handled) and ritual instruments (by the way they act as the focus of the new ritual practices of book reading groups). The thesis seeks, simultaneously, to advance a theory of culture which allows us to take a more generous approach to animism and fetishism and it also advances new methodologies for doing ethnographic research in our own life world. To achieve this it draws on and extends the work of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, the work of the anthropologist Tim Ingold and the philosopher Susan Oyama. The thesis argues that anthropology, in relation to the "Western" (in New Zealand "Pakeha") life world, should practice forms of re-enchanting synthesis rather than the reductive, disenchanting forms of analysis characteristic of some anthropological work. The study is based on data collected in a large community survey, on interviews with members of book reading groups, and on ethnographic materials "given" by the world we live in. The location of the field research is a provincial city in New Zealand but materials from further afield in the "Western" world are drawn on as well.
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    Language learning strategies in independent language learning: an overview.
    (Multilingual Matters, 2008) White CJ
    The notions of independence, autonomy, and control in learning experiences have come to play an increasingly important role in language education. A number of principles underpin independent language learning – optimising or extending learner choice, focusing on the needs of individual learners, not the interests of a teacher or an institution, and the diffusion of decision-making to learners. Independent language learning (ILL) reflects a move towards more learner-centred approaches viewing learners as individuals with needs and rights, who can develop and exercise responsibility for their learning. An important outgrowth of this perspective has been the range of means developed to raise learners’ awareness and knowledge of themselves, their learning needs and preferences, their beliefs and motivation and the strategies they use to develop target language (TL) competence. In this chapter I begin with an overview of the concept of independent language learning, and of the particular contribution of language learning strategies to this domain. I argue that a fundamental challenge of independent language learning is for learners to develop the ability to engage with, interact with, and derive benefit from learning environments which are not directly mediated by a teacher. Drawing on learner conceptualisations of distance language learning I argue that learners develop this ability largely by constructing a personally meaningful interface with the learning context, and that strategies play a key role in this regard. In the latter half of the chapter I focus on a series of landmark studies, identifying how they illuminate important aspects of independent language learning, extend our understanding of strategies and strategy development, and provide insights into how students use strategies within independent learning contexts. The following three sections provide historical and theoretical background, while the two main sections in the remainder of the chapter provide a state of the art overview of language learning strategies in ILL.
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    The theory and practice of technology in materials development and task design
    (Cambridge University Press, 2010) Reinders H; White CJ
    Technology nowadays plays a prominent role in the development of language learning materials, both as a tool in support of their creation and as a means of delivering content. Increasingly, technology is also used to support the individual’s language learning process and to extend language learning opportunities outside the classroom. The development of materials is still largely a practitioner-led practice, not always clearly informed by theories of learning (Chapelle 2001). In this chapter we aim to firstly identify the distinctive features of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) materials versus traditional non-CALL materials, and how these features affect their development. Theoretical principles for task design in CALL are reviewed followed by examples of current practice in CALL materials development discussed from a practical, pedagogical, and a theoretical perspective. We conclude by identifying a number of issues that are likely to affect future developments in this area.
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    Innovation and identity in distance language learning and teaching
    (Multilingual Matters, 2007) White, Cynthia
    Innovation in distance language learning and teaching has largely focused on developments in technology and the increased opportunities they provide for negotiation and control of learning experiences, for participating in collaborative learning environments and the development of interactive competence in the target language. Much less attention has been paid to pedagogical innovation and still less to how congruence develops between particular pedagogical approaches, various technologies and the skills, practices, actions and identities of language learners and teachers. In this article I explore the process of innovation in distance language teaching from the point of view of key participants in the process, the teachers, and the ways in which their identities are disrupted and challenged as they enter new distance teaching environments. Innovative approaches to distance language teaching are analysed for the insights they provide into the sites of conflict and struggle experienced by teachers, experiences which have a major impact on their selves as distance teachers and on the course of innovation. To conclude I argue that attention to issues of identity can deepen our understanding of innovation, of the tensions that are played out in the experiences and responses of teachers, and of the ways they accept or resist the identity shifts required of them.
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    Distance learning of foreign languages
    (Cambridge University Press, 2006) White C
    This article provides a critical overview of the field of distance language learning, challenging the way in which the field is often narrowly conceptualised as the development of technology-mediated language learning opportunities. Early sections focus on issues of concept and definition and both theoretical and pedagogical perspectives on the field. Emphasis is placed on evident shifts from a concern with structural and organisational issues to a focus on transactional issues associated with teaching/learning opportunities within emerging paradigms for distance language learning. The next section reviews choices and challenges in incorporating technology into distance language learning environments, foregrounding decisions about technology made in particular sociocultural contexts, the contribution of ‘low-end’ technologies and research directions in developing new learning spaces and in using online technologies. The investigation of learner contributions to distance language learning is an important avenue of enquiry in the field, given the preoccupation with technology and virtual learning environments, and this is the subject of section six. The two final sections identify future research directions and provide a series of conclusions about research and practice in distance language learning as technology-mediated interactions increasingly come to influence the way we think about the processes of language learning and teaching.