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.

A Conceptual Analysis of Conflict

The eighth paperback Collins English dictionary defines conflict as: [An] opposition between ideas or interests. A struggle or battle. To be incompatible. The Latin root word of conflict is ‘confligere’, or ‘to combat’. While the Latin and second definition interest...

Navigating Confidentially When Gathering Information

Dr. Stephen Winters' lecture on monetary redress was very thought-provoking, and in particular, the strains monetary redress programs face in protecting their applicants' privacy. Dr. Winters highlighted the difficulty of contacting applicants, let alone obtaining...

Labels and Positionality

Of all the sessions we had this year, one of the most impactful for me was Dr. Madhavi Manchi's session on research positionality. She answered a lot of the questions that I didn't know had been at the back of my mind since I started my Arts degree, the core of these...

Finding Middle Ground

Reading the article on the Smithsonian’s Enola Gay exhibition and visiting the Auckland War Memorial Museum, there was a clear theme. Both acknowledged the tension between commemoration and scholarship in relation to conflict. This got me thinking about how we often...

The Power of Staying True to Yourself

Reflecting on research panels and back on my own thoughts, I looked in the mirror and wondered… how the heck could I possibly create research that is intellectually stimulating and has a greater impact beyond the benefit of myself? Big philosophical statement I know!...

On Brass Eye, post-truth, and the superiority of Arts Scholars

While the Science Scholars strive for accuracy in their research, we Arts Scholars one-up them by discussing why that accuracy is worth striving for; in arts-speak, we examine the ethical implications of certain discursive structures surrounding the production and...

Kodak’s Little White Lie

‘All visions and stories and narratives come from bias.’ - Marcus Winter What are we as a culture if not a collection of widely understood images and narratives? After Marcus Winter’s lecture on his artistic practise of telling stories with sand, I wanted to...

You and I, We Could Start Something

Wherein I help you cause violence.

Cats: Our Furry Comrades in Arms

Hey all you cool cats and kittens- lets talk about the forgotten fallen of World War I

Trying to find my place in the research space

The Power and Equity in Research Panel made some points that really hit home, for me at least. Jemaima Tiatia-Seath and Daniel Hernandez both talked about being an 'outsider' in your field of research: Tiatia-Seath as a young woman in the Tongan research space...

Auckland Domain

I am interested in the Auckland Domain for several reasons. Personally, it is a place which holds many dear memories for me: Befriending the swans at the pond, visiting the memorial, the museum, Wintergarden, or just going out for drinks at Wintergarden’s Café. Before...

read more
The Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West

After Jeremy Armstrong’s lecture, something that stuck with me was his initial description of Eastern vs. Western war during his recorded lecture. From what I understand, this initial 10 minutes of his talk was a presentation of the ‘stereotypes’ that these terms...

read more

Art’s Appeal to Humanity

Humans, as a species, are a peculiar one at that. A species overly aware of their own mortality and place in the universe, consequently bent upon obsessive overthinking, and because of this we’ve found ways to fabricate our own reality in a harsh world. We’re...

read more
When does the war actually end?

When does the war actually end?

  It is easy to think of war as a past tense. While we aren’t exposed first hand to current situations like war in Afghanistan, we can recognize this horror across media and news updates. Then we can turn the tv off and look away. We don’t need to look any...

read more

The Call for Duty!

When looking at the various depictions of war that we’ve seen thus far – in art, literature, music and even sand -, there is a notable exception: the humble videogame. Ever since rising to prominence in the 1980s, videogames have been seen entertaining millions, but...

read more