Arts Scholars

Koi te hinengaro, koi te arero, koi te mahi!
Sharp of mind, tongue, and work!

Keep up with the latest discussions and thoughts from our Arts Scholars whānau

Like what we do? Find out more.

Art in a Time of Conflict and Capitalism

Covid-19 and the isolation which has resulted from this global shock has provided the majority of us with unprecedented amounts of free time. Curiously, despite not being an 'artistic person' this period of conflict has resulted in me feeling somewhat guilty for not...

War and Conflict’s Influence Upon Societal Reform

Change is an inevitable part of human existence, a fundamental component of our history that has so often been bolstered and revolutionised by war and conflict. Like change, conflict and by extension, war, are seemingly inevitable to our existence, events and ideas...

Perhaps food is the ultimate weapon?

Anyone see a preoccupation here? I think I need to do some of my own research on these lines. But in the meantime: From Nelson's apple to beef wellington: how war changes the way we eat. Zoe Williams, The Guardian 27 February 2020

An infrastructure of feeling

War and conflict are too impactful to be forgotten, even if they aren’t talked about and burrow down into the subconscious. In my memory project, I looked at this idea in relation to my family’s experience of World War Two and explored the consequences of silencing...

Conflicts in the Media

I always wondered how conflicts were shown in the media overseas. This is because I used to watch the news and think about why we only got to see a certain perspective of the conflict. It usually is seen to make your own country look really good or make them look like...

How could we know if a fish is happy?

"One day, Zhuangzi was crossing a bridge with Huizi over a river. Zhuangzi said, “ The fish are swimming happily.” Immediately Huizi countered this with: “ You are not a fish, how can you tell when a fish is a happy?” “You are not me, How do you know that I can’t tell...

2,4,6,8 who do we appreciate? Apparently, not us

So far in Arts Scholars we have discussed many power imbalances in research, be it the western gaze on indigenous cultures, socio-economic bias when viewing underprivileged groups, or the control of the researcher over the researched. However, it was only after...

Diving deep

During Victoria Munn and Erin Griffey's research seminar, they discussed beauty in the likes of Renaissance paintings, reflecting the ever-growing importance of beauty within our society. Their work highlighted the importance of researchers developing a comprehensive...

The Misconception of Maori Christanity

Week 3’s lecture changed my perception of Maori Christianity. There was the question of whether Maori could be Christian and remain loyal to their identity? I am interested in the relationship between religion and conflict and how it shapes political thought.  

Christian philosophy had a significant influence on Maori political thinking during the New Zealand Land Wars. It formed the backbone of their nationhood, as imperialist ideals were reshaped into the first form of Maori nationalism. Previous generations of tribal politics dissolved as the image of a universal moral community became a component of their nationhood and identity as a single, unified race. The King movement saw the abandonment of tribal division as it was a call to unity, backed by New Testament teachings that Maori society could be advanced in terms of equality. 

Age is but a number

"[It] is not that 18-year olds are old enough to fight - it is because they are smart enough to vote." In Frost's lecture on the Youth Voting Rights Movement in America, this quote summarises Nixon's argument for lowering the voting age to 18-years old. As Frost...

Translation is Positional

Translation is a simple process, right? Take a word in one language, change it into the other language, repeat for the whole text. A tried and true method, except... obviously not, please don't translate things like that. Not even a closely related language, like...

read more
The World of Fantasy

The World of Fantasy

*content warning* mentions of sexual assault   After Brooke and Hela mentioned Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games during their (amazing!) presentations, it got me rethinking some of the books that I loved growing up, and the increasingly problematic aspects of...

read more

Like a Peacock

It's been a long year. The world has changed in so many ways in only a few months, yet things are still oddly the same. Time has blurred. Things that have happened only a week ago feel like old hat. Movements have progressed rapidly, and at the same time achieved...

read more

Tissues, please.

What does it mean to “weep in the archives”? For me, it means connecting emotionally with the history that is - or isn’t - documented. It means expressing empathy with a community or a person separated from you by a vast expanse of time. It means recognising that...

read more
Rogue One: A Non-Skywalker Story

Rogue One: A Non-Skywalker Story

The first time I watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it was as a casual moviegoer along for the ride. I sat there just soaking in the action and cast chemistry and left little space for thinking about theme or cinematography. Four years and one video essay later,...

read more

Personal Histories

Personal experiences are a vital part of history. My memory project – interviewing my Grandmother about her memories of war – raised some interesting questions for me about different perspectives and memories of events. I have done a few research projects and...

read more
An infrastructure of feeling

An infrastructure of feeling

War and conflict are too impactful to be forgotten, even if they aren’t talked about and burrow down into the subconscious. In my memory project, I looked at this idea in relation to my family’s experience of World War Two and explored the consequences of silencing...

read more