title: Girmit, postmemory, and Subramani

authors: Long, Maebh

subjects: Girmit

abstract: The centenary of indenture in Fiji was celebrated with public displays, speeches, parades, and publications. The momentum for critical and creative response grew in tandem with the wave of publications inspired by the end of colonial rule in many Pacific Island countries. This period of increased agency and autonomy was also a time of political uncertainty in Fiji, as questions of the nation’s identity and direction were raised. For many Indo-Fijian writers rootedness in Fiji was voiced through the traumas of indenture, which they invested with mythic valence, and which can be understood as operating as an origin story for Indo-Fijians. Vijay Mishra considered indenture, or girmit, to be a foundational ideology for Indo-Fijian writers, but viewing girmit in terms of false consciousness leads him to read Indo-Fijian anxieties in terms of political blindness and cultural insularity. Building instead on Sudesh Mishra’s elaboration of girmit as non-agreement, and Vijay Mishra’s later revisions of girmit ideology as founded on memories of betrayal, this article argues that girmit can be productively understood through Marianne Hirsh’s work on postmemory. Looking at writings of the centenary, and in particular Subramani’s short stories, this article proposes that the traumas of girmit that haunt writings of the period do so as postmemories.

text: Girmit, postmemory, and Subramani The centenary of indenture in Fiji was celebrated with public displays, speeches, parades, and publications. The momentum for critical and creative response grew in tandem with the wave of publications inspired by the end of colonial rule in many Pacific Island countries. This period of increased agency and autonomy was also a time of political uncertainty in Fiji, as questions of the nation’s identity and direction were raised. For many Indo-Fijian writers rootedness in Fiji was voiced through the traumas of indenture, which they invested with mythic valence, and which can be understood as operating as an origin story for Indo-Fijians. Vijay Mishra considered indenture, or girmit, to be a foundational ideology for Indo-Fijian writers, but viewing girmit in terms of false consciousness leads him to read Indo-Fijian anxieties in terms of political blindness and cultural insularity. Building instead on Sudesh Mishra’s elaboration of girmit as non-agreement, and Vijay Mishra’s later revisions of girmit ideology as founded on memories of betrayal, this article argues that girmit can be productively understood through Marianne Hirsh’s work on postmemory. Looking at writings of the centenary, and in particular Subramani’s short stories, this article proposes that the traumas of girmit that haunt writings of the period do so as postmemories.

year: 2018

title: Does odour complexity alter the influence of intermittent reinforcement on dogs' scent detection performance?

authors: Parker , Chloë

abstract: Scent detection work exists in many fields such as medical research/diagnostics and law enforcement, in which canines have proven success in detecting biological and non-biological scents. Their olfactory capabilities allow them to detect trained odours while ignoring nontrained odours existing in the environment. This study aimed to determine if odour complexity altered the influence of intermittent reinforcement on dogs' scent detection performance. Using an Applied Behaviour Analysis framework, dogs were trained to use a carousel and be exposed to odours varying in complexity. This study used a within-subject, cross-over design where dogs completed one condition before switching to the other condition. The Complex Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of three chemicals and deionised water and nine non-target odours with overlapping target components and deionised water. The Simple Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of one chemical and deionised water and a blank segment that served as the nontarget.  Data was collected using custom-designed software for every session. Potential sequence effects were observed which might have impacted the overall results however, this cannot be confirmed. Longer session times were also observed for the Complex Condition compared to the Simple Condition. This indicates that although a sequence effect may be responsible for some of the results, the increased complexity of odours in the Complex Condition likely impacted dogs’ scent detection performance. It may be helpful for future research ideas to replicate the study with applied targets and try to recruit more dogs.

text: Does odour complexity alter the influence of intermittent reinforcement on dogs' scent detection performance? Scent detection work exists in many fields such as medical research/diagnostics and law enforcement, in which canines have proven success in detecting biological and non-biological scents. Their olfactory capabilities allow them to detect trained odours while ignoring nontrained odours existing in the environment. This study aimed to determine if odour complexity altered the influence of intermittent reinforcement on dogs' scent detection performance. Using an Applied Behaviour Analysis framework, dogs were trained to use a carousel and be exposed to odours varying in complexity. This study used a within-subject, cross-over design where dogs completed one condition before switching to the other condition. The Complex Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of three chemicals and deionised water and nine non-target odours with overlapping target components and deionised water. The Simple Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of one chemical and deionised water and a blank segment that served as the nontarget.  Data was collected using custom-designed software for every session. Potential sequence effects were observed which might have impacted the overall results however, this cannot be confirmed. Longer session times were also observed for the Complex Condition compared to the Simple Condition. This indicates that although a sequence effect may be responsible for some of the results, the increased complexity of odours in the Complex Condition likely impacted dogs’ scent detection performance. It may be helpful for future research ideas to replicate the study with applied targets and try to recruit more dogs.

year: 2025

title: Understanding contemporary Māori demographic fertility patterns and trends in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Rarere, Moana

abstract: This thesis re-examines demographic studies of contemporary Māori fertility patterns and trends. Analysing fertility is a core undertaking in demography, and in studies that include Māori fertility, most have been undertaken by non-Māori demographers who instinctively draw on Western-based frameworks to analyse and interpret these trends.  Consequently, Māori perspectives are virtually invisible.  Incorporating Māori perspectives are needed because despite a convergence of fertility similar to Pākehā, important fertility patterns persist.  Notably, Māori women bear their babies earlier and over a longer period.  Fertility studies of other Indigenous peoples in settler-colonial states share striking similarities.  While demographic and economic factors are important in fertility outcomes, this thesis primarily explores the potential influence of culture, which has received little attention.  Hence, this doctoral study asks: To what extent does culture influence contemporary Māori fertility patterns?

This thesis draws on Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine frameworks, along with the tools of demography, to deploy a mixed methods design of statistical techniques – using secondary data from the 2013 Aotearoa NZ Census and the 1995 New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, and Education Survey – and thematic analysis of interviews with nine Māori women.  While acknowledging the limitations of the analyses, the empirical results suggest that ‘cultural identity’ is an important factor in Māori fertility, and that ‘whakapapa’ and ‘whānau’ are at the heart of fertility decisions.  These findings broadly imply that taken-for-granted demographic theories and analytical practices need to incorporate Indigenous-centred frameworks and perspectives for a better understanding of Indigenous fertility and population change.

text: Understanding contemporary Māori demographic fertility patterns and trends in Aotearoa New Zealand This thesis re-examines demographic studies of contemporary Māori fertility patterns and trends. Analysing fertility is a core undertaking in demography, and in studies that include Māori fertility, most have been undertaken by non-Māori demographers who instinctively draw on Western-based frameworks to analyse and interpret these trends.  Consequently, Māori perspectives are virtually invisible.  Incorporating Māori perspectives are needed because despite a convergence of fertility similar to Pākehā, important fertility patterns persist.  Notably, Māori women bear their babies earlier and over a longer period.  Fertility studies of other Indigenous peoples in settler-colonial states share striking similarities.  While demographic and economic factors are important in fertility outcomes, this thesis primarily explores the potential influence of culture, which has received little attention.  Hence, this doctoral study asks: To what extent does culture influence contemporary Māori fertility patterns?

This thesis draws on Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine frameworks, along with the tools of demography, to deploy a mixed methods design of statistical techniques – using secondary data from the 2013 Aotearoa NZ Census and the 1995 New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, and Education Survey – and thematic analysis of interviews with nine Māori women.  While acknowledging the limitations of the analyses, the empirical results suggest that ‘cultural identity’ is an important factor in Māori fertility, and that ‘whakapapa’ and ‘whānau’ are at the heart of fertility decisions.  These findings broadly imply that taken-for-granted demographic theories and analytical practices need to incorporate Indigenous-centred frameworks and perspectives for a better understanding of Indigenous fertility and population change.

year: 2024