A Late 20th Century Auckland Perspective on Samoan Sexuality/Gender
Melani ANAE and Julie PARK
University of Auckland
This paper is based on the just completed, HRC-funded research
project, The roles and responsibilities of some Samoan men in
reproduction. This paper focuses on a comparison between older
(over 40) and younger men and women living in Auckland (17 to 40).
Risk enters the frame through the sensitivity of the topic, which
incurs risk for the community and the researchers, and through the
multiple risks embedded in the expression of sexuality.
Reclaiming Respect: Women and Social Mobility
Robyn ANDREWS
Massey University
This paper is based on research into the experience of downward
social mobility of middle-class Pakeha New Zealand women following
the breakdown of their marriages. The idea of respect informs some
recent ethnography which explores issues of class. I use this idea
to frame my discussion of the way in which my research participants
experienced changes both in their self-respect and the respect accorded
them by their social world. Whilst their self-respect was exposed
and became vulnerable because of a loss of their social roles and
economic and social capital, they nevertheless were able to build
up further capital later in life through such things as further
education and finding jobs. This assisted them in reclaiming the
respect of others.
The Hip-Hop Nation: Community, Authenticity and the Construction
of Tradition
Richard BETTS
University of Waikato
"Hip-hop Nation" is a phrase often employed to identify the community
of people involved in the key elements of hip-hop culture: rap music,
graffiti and breakdancing. However, not all people who engage in
these practices are considered part of the "imagined community"
that is the Hip-hop Nation. I suggest that there is an ever-shifting
set of criteria that affords individuals the right to engage in
hip-hop's central elements and, moreover, to do so authentically.
I briefly examine four of the most common criteria: "blackness",
"non-whiteness", socio-economic status and displacement. I conclude
by observing that the Hip-hop Nation forms what is often an internally
competitive, even hostile community. While there have been attempts
by academics, popular media and hip-hop practitioners to explain
this as part of a continuing history, with origins reaching back
perhaps hundreds of years, I submit that such attempts are examples
of the construction of tradition.
Research at Risk: Institutional Ethics Committees and Anthropology
of Death and Dying
Matthias CHUA
Massey University
Practising anthropologists in New Zealand would claim that they
adhere to their professional code of ethics. However, doing research
today, it is sometimes not enough to claim that you adhere to the
code and go through the peer ethics evaluation. Increasingly, anthropologists
are required to go through university ethics committees either because
of research funding or because the institution that they want to
conduct their research in requires them to do so.
It would be a mistake to believe that there are no major differences
between the anthropology code of ethics and the ethics as prescribed
by the institutional ethics committees. The former looks mainly
at protecting research participants, while the main interest of
the latter is to be a gate keeper. This paper presents a case study
of my recent experience of having to have the research proposal
for my Honours Thesis cleared by the Massey Human Ethics Committee.
The aims of this paper are to look at (i) the differences between
the two, (ii) the relevancy of the ASAA / NZ professional code to
the Massey University Human Ethics committee, (iii) how a university
ethics committee in its role of gate keeping could jeopardize anthropological
research, particularly in the context of sensitive research, and
(iv) the impact of the ethnicity and nationality of the researcher.
Emphasis will also be placed on how anthropological concepts like
reflexivity may risk the disapproval of the non-anthropological
ethics committees.
The Land Issue in Zimbabwe: What the Anthropologist Knows
Fernanda CLAUDIO
London School of Economics
I would like to present a paper about the theme (or idiom) of land
issues that has subsumed the recent Zimbabwean electoral campaign,
election and its political after-effects, and the role of anthropology
in all this.
The Possibility of Motherhood in Times of Risk
Lyn COLLIE
University of Otago
This paper proceeds from a master's project in progress, which
looks at the continuing significance of motherhood in the life-trajectories
of a specific group of women, and the elements that these women
anticipate will affect the timing of their own motherhood. The data
used for the paper have been taken from a narrative analysis of
ten semi-structured interviews and one focus group, conducted with
tertiary-educated, single, non-mothers in their twenties. The interviews
have required participants to speak about the possibility of their
own motherhood in the context of their pasts, presents and imagined
futures. Participants were also asked to describe their wider understandings
of motherhood, womanhood and reproductive issues. This paper presents
selected aspects of participants' responses concerning the imagined
process of becoming a mother. These are used to illustrate that
participants' imagined timing of motherhood can be understood as
a balance between what they perceive to be the negative outcomes
associated with early and late motherhood and the benefits that
they associate with becoming a mother.
If you would like a copy of Lyn Collie's presented
paper please email her directly. Lyn will happily send a copy provided
interested parties are prepared to acknowledge the paper as a source
if anything is to be cited from it.
Food Scares / Food Knowledges
Ruth FITZGERALD and Hugh CAMPBELL
University of Otago
This paper argues that contemporary consumer concerns over GE food
are not a temporary reaction against such food inspired either by
sensationalist media reporting or by radical but marginalised social
activist groups. Instead, an examination of similar situations in
history reveals that such anxiety surrounding the introduction of
a new food technology is quite a familiar response in Western society.
We go on to describe similar exclusionary practices towards two
significant types of food technologies from the past - the case
of margarine and also of irradiated food. On this basis we work
towards constructing a profile of what the characteristics of the
"food scare" as a social phenomenon might be and illustrate ongoing
research in this area. In a concluding point we argue that the term
food knowledges may be a more appropriate title to use in describing
these incidents of food anxieties and scares.
Can the State and the Nation Survive in Solomon Islands?
Ian FRAZER
University of Otago
The post-independence history of the state and the nation in Solomon
Islands shows a series of crucial accommodations devised to deal
with ethnic diversity and uneven development. Some were inscribed
in the Constitution, others were introduced subsequently or grew
out of more informal arrangements and understandings. During this
period, national and provincial politicians varied in the extent
to which they strengthened or weakened these accommodations, or
attempted to change them altogether. Since 1998, the escalation
of armed conflict at the geographical and political centre of the
country has put most previous accommodations on hold until the militias
involved in this conflict, and their political supporters, are brought
under control by the state. While this process continues, and there
is uncertainty about the concessions required for a return to peace,
the future of the state and the nation hang in the balance.
Beginners Guide to Hip Hop
Lorena GIBSON and Victoria MAY-JAKOBS
Massey University
and D'CYPHER
The culture of hip hop is one of the fastest growing musical genres
in the world, and it has gained a firm, if somewhat underground,
hold in Aotearoa. This performance-based presentation will explore
exactly what hip hop is from the perspective of those involved in
the scene (namely Palmerston North hip hop crew D'Cypher), and this
format continues the anthropological dialogue of the legitimacy
of the representation of 'the other'. Following a brief performance
by D'Cypher, Lorena, Victoria, and DJ Fu will present their "Dictionary
of Hip Hop for Beginners (or How To Become a Hip Hop Head in Five
Minutes or Less)". This Dictionary highlights exactly how important
language is to culture, and is an example of how collaborative research
can not only be beneficial to both researcher and participant, but
can also be presented as 'accessible academia'.
'Risk Culture', Cultures at Risk, and Risky Concepts
Michael GOLDSMITH
University of Waikato
[This hastily written paper replaced Peter Howland's, which was
withdrawn at the last minute. It draws on work in progress on several
fronts.]
In my introduction, I alluded to the fact that anthropology, through
the writings of Mary Douglas and others, has contributed to the
current upsurge of interest in theorising risk. But, in comparison
to the work of Ulrich Beck, Douglas's analyses have perpetuated
a static and reified sense of the concept of culture. In the second
part of this paper, I explored this deficiency further through the
risk-related and anthropologically influenced notion of 'cultural
safety' as it has been applied in an increasing number of New Zealand
institutional contexts. Finally, another concept which is risky---but
redeemable---is Tariana Turia's controversially labelled syndrome,
'post-colonial traumatic stress disorder'. While defending Mrs Turia's
use of the term 'holocaust' to refer to European colonisation of
New Zealand, I maintain that some of her argument rests on a similarly
essentialist view of Maori and Pakeha cultures as that which underpins
much of the 'cultural safety' movement.
Bougainville: A Time of Uncertainty
Rachael HINTON
University of Waikato
In the middle of this year, during an exploratory visit to Siuai,
South-West Bougainville, four local people and I were confronted
by a situation of risk involving a man who was intoxicated and wielding
a weapon. It was a confusing and uncertain moment: occasionally
the man appeared helpful, at other times threatening. However, not
only did this incident give me an insight into the lived experiences
of a group of Bougainvilleans, and especially women, it also raised
a number of other issues for reflection.
Would the Real Undagi Please Stand Up? On the Social Location
of Balinese Architectural Knowledge
Graeme MACRAE
Massey University, Albany
Architecture is one of the more visible signs of the tenacity of
tradition in Bali, a consistent source of pride to locals, delight
to visitors and profit to tourism operators. While there is a substantial
literature on the other arts in Bali, that on traditional architecture
is surprisingly sparse. This literature, both English and Indonesian,
popular and scholarly, tends also to recycle, often less than critically,
a few well-worn themes, mostly to do with orientation, form and
proportions.
This paper seeks to shift the discussion to the process
of design/construction and the system of knowledge which informs
this process. In particular it focuses on the role of classical
texts and design specialists, especially the undagi, often
translated as "traditional architect". It argues that Balinese architectural
knowledge is not in fact centralised in texts or any one person,
but is dispersed and embodied in the interrelated practices of a
range of people who work together in various local combinations.
Pesticides, Pollution and Illness: Fact or Fiction?
Ted NINNES
University of Waikato
This paper considers the competing claims over the dangers to health
from consuming food containing pesticide residues. One of the parameters
underlying this debate is scientific investigation. The claim that
pesticide residues in food are detrimental to our health, and the
denial of this claim, are based to a large degree on scientific
evidence.
This paper looks at one paradigmatic example of each of these opposed
claims. Ames and Gold (1997) argue that the claim that pesticides
can damage our health is based on five misconceptions. Watt (1994)
claims that pesticides are poisoning our food and causing large
increases in the rate of cancer in NZ. In evaluating these claims
it is argued that the 'scientific' approach currently used to support
these claims does in some cases show a propensity to consider only
those facts that support their claim and ignoring those facts that
do not. This has major significance in that policy decisions as
to the regulation of pesticides in our environment are based on
such claims.
Construction, Representation and the Politics of Being 'Local'
in Hawai'i
Yumiko OLLIVER
Massey University
The original aim of my fieldwork in Hawai'i was to explore the
maintenance of 'ethnicity' in women who were third generation (Sansei)
Americans of Japanese Ancestry(AJA). However shortly after I began
my research in the field, I began to realise that the experience
of 'ethnicity' was not necessarily limited to any one culture, and
learnt that identity in Hawai'i was related to the concept of being
'local'. 'Local' has a multitude of meanings, primarily relating
to the shared immigrant history of the different ethnic groups that
arrived in Hawai'i during the late 1800s. However, the continuation
of local identity reflects other forces and issues relating to identity
on the islands. This paper outlines the historical foundations for
the development of 'local' identity and 'multiculturalism' in Hawai'i
and, drawing on interviews conducted with Sansei women, explores
contemporary experiences, interpretations and the politics of being
'local' from AJA women's perspective.
Rethinking Maori - Pakeha Relations
Elizabeth RATA
Auckland College of Education
The purpose of this paper is to challenge assumptions about the
way we understand ethnic and cultural relations in New Zealand and
to propose for a model of interdependence between Maori and Pakeha.
The paper includes a critique of culturalism, a discussion of the
concepts of ethnicity, race and class, and an examination of the
effects of the political and economic context on the positional
relation between groups of Maori and Pakeha.
Risk Management: Reinventing Anthropology Again
Eleanor RIMOLDI
Massey University, Albany
and
Max RIMOLDI
Auckland University
In the 1970s, Dell Hymes' collection of essays Reinventing Anthropology
challenged social anthropologists to address serious issues of ethics
and practice. Informed by such debates, my generation of graduate
students could not go into the field without serious concerns as
to the morality of the discipline itself. I returned to the field
this year, after a gap of several decades - a period of absence
during which Max and I published our ethnography of the Hahalis
Welfare Society, and a period which also saw Bougainville torn apart
by a war which developed out of their desire to break away from
Papua New Guinea. What I have experienced on my return to the field
has reversed my perception of anthropology's moral unease. I no
longer see the source of this potential unease in the relations
between self and other, but rather between self and self-same. In
the context of our universities and departments ('self-same') I
feel at risk as an anthropologist. In the other context - on Bougainville
- there was affirmation of the discipline and the contribution made,
and being made, through my (and Max's) research and publication.
It is thirty years since Dell Hymes' collection of essays was published.
It is time to ask ourselves once again - what is the state of the
discipline - and in Dell Hymes' words: "How much of anthropology
is as it is today because of a genuine need for anthropology, how
much because of the requirements of institutions in which anthropology
finds itself?"
Managing Risks Surrounding Genetically Engineered Food in New
Zealand
Tee ROGERS-HAYDEN
University of Waikato
The management of risks surrounding genetically engineered (GE)
food is an area of intense contemporary interest in New Zealand.
These concerns will be highlighted further over the coming year
as the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification takes place. The
ramifications of the choices made regarding GE risk management will
be far reaching as they will have health related, cultural, spiritual,
social, economic and political impacts. The magnitude of the potential
impacts of GE risks is characteristic of technological risks in
this period, which Ulrich Beck describes as a period of 'second
modernity'.
There are a number of key features of Beck's Risk Society thesis
that can be applied to the risk management of GE food. Beck states
that risk management systems of industrialisation are unable to
cope with the new globe threatening uncertainties. Moreover, risks
become individualized and people are increasingly left to assess
risks based on their own risk bibliographies. It becomes apparent
that the very regulatory agencies in place to manage risk normalise
threats and thus condone their continuation - they practice 'organized
irresponsibility'.
The application of Beck's thesis to GE food risk management can
enable us to see the GE food labeling, currently being introduced
by the Australian New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), as transferring
risk management from the regulatory agencies onto the consumers.
This risk transference relies on the flawed neo-liberal economic
assumption of 'consumer choice' on which GE food labeling is based:
adequacy of labels to inform consumers; consumer perfect product
knowledge; and equal ability to choose not to consume the products.
Applying Beck's thesis also enables the proposition of an alternative
risk management system to cope with GE food risks. I propose the
implementation of the precautionary principle. Just us the application
of Beck's thesis to GE food risk would led to the rejection of the
labeling system of GE food, so too would the application of the
precautionary principle. This is because as a risk management philosophy
the precautionary principle relies on taking precaution to avoid
harm from occurring rather than managing risks once they have eventuated.
Re-imagining Malta's Neolithic Temples: Contesting Interpretations
and Agendas
Kathryn ROUNTREE
Massey University, Albany
Built a millennium before Egypt's pyramids and 1500 years before
Stonehenge, Malta's neolithic temples have been hailed by archaeologists
as "the most impressive monuments of European prehistory" and the
"earliest free-standing monuments of stone in the world". Based
on recent fieldwork in Malta, this paper explores the different
ways in which Malta's neolithic temples have been interpreted, contested
and appropriated by different local and foreign groups: those working
in the tourist industry, archaeologists, artists, intellectuals
and Maltese nationalists, and women belonging to the Goddess spirituality
movement who have been making pilgrimages to Malta's temples for
the past decade and a half. All interpretations of Malta's past,
whether competing or colluding, can be seen to be governed by the
particular social, political, religious or economic agendas of their
creators, and are inevitably differently empowered.
The Photographic Practice of Tourists at the Taj Mahal
Mandy RUDGE
Tourist photographic practice is shaped by a number of factors
including the discourses that surround photography and institutions
that use photography. Little suggests that these factors impact
on a 'hermeneutic circuit', in which tourists see images of their
destination in advertising brochures, and then attempt to duplicate
them with their own cameras. As this research shows, while many
tourists try to complete this circuit, not all do so successfully.
This paper outlines this practice and what currently threatens it.
The Risk of Intimate Relationships: Fathers and Teenage Sons
Bjarne VANDESKOG
University of Bergen
In this paper I will argue that relationships between fathers and
teenage sons pose severe existential risks for both parties. Based
on participant observation of fathers and sons in their homes, as
well as interviews with adult men, I will argue that fathers and
sons are continuously negotiating their boundaries towards each
other, trying to find a balance between distance and closeness.
Their relationship is a continuous process of guarding against being
invaded on the one hand, and reaching out and involving themselves
in the other person on the other hand. In this process both parties
are continually facing the risks of being swamped or abandoned.
In either case their sense of (masculine) self-identity is at stake.
Hip Hop and Rap Music in Aotearoa: Risk, Wreckage, or Resistance?
Kirsten ZEMKE-WHITE
University of Auckland
American originated Hip Hop culture and its musical manifestation,
rap music, are particularly popular among Maori and Pacific youth
in Aotearoa, purchased and absorbed in large quantities and spawning
avid and long-standing local renderings. This presentation analyses
the implications of this musi-cultural phenomenon, looking at whether
it represents possibly the erosion of indigenous endeavours and
the continued homogenisation of American-based mass and popular
cultural forms. I introduce ethnomusicological theories of syncretism,
hybridisation, appropriation and globalisation, which attempt to
explain and explore the complex interchanges of contemporary musical
forms and their implication for local cultures and identities. I
discuss the possible social harms and risks of rap music, which
include prevalent references to and encouragement of violence, murder,
misogyny, and nihilism. Finally, I submit that rap music and hip
hop cultural appropriation in Aotearoa has recognised the intrinsic
properties of rap as "black cultural address" and "a voice back
at the machine". Rap and hip hop are used by Maori and Pacific youth
to express something that is immanently local, musically, culturally
and politically, but which also reveals larger intra-ethnic class
and historical alliances. Despite rap's possibilities for risk,
it manifests in Aotearoa as resistance, restitution and renewal.
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