title: "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are (and where you are from)." Food, culture and re-membering in New Zealand: A case study approach.

authors: Graham, Rebekah Sarah

subjects: food-related practices

abstract: This thesis focusses on processes of re-membering and the transmission of culturally patterned food-related practices across generations. Of particular interest is how the preparation, serving and eating of food acts to keep cultural traditions and memories alive. The theoretical framework for this research is informed by social constructionism, with ethnographic and hermeneutic traditions influencing methods used. The domestic space of the home provided a highly relevant research site where everyday food practices were enabled and enacted. Three dual-heritage, multi-generational households took part in a series of emplaced biographical ‘go-along’, ‘eat-along’ and photo-elicitation interviews. These went beyond just conversing and included the use of mapping, participant observation, photo-elicitation and go-along interview techniques, gridding (of photos), and the sharing of meals. The analysis considers each case in turn. The tension between past lives and current lived reality in the Marton household requires both Amy and Paul to construct their identities and sense of self on a daily basis. The shared cultural values of the Barrett household mitigates their differing ethnic heritages and food traditions, contributing towards emotional harmony within the home. The Linton household exemplifies the time scarcity common to many modern-day families. This lack of time directly impacts their everyday food-related practices. This thesis demonstrates that food – and its surrounding practices – acts as a tangible, visceral nexus for abstract concepts such as culture, class, and identity. Food related practices are deeply connected to processes of re-membering, identity construction, a sense of place and social relationships. The case studies in this thesis showcase the fluidity of culture, the hybridic nature of individual and group membership, and the changing nature of familial practices. The key themes of time, tradition, culture and change and further discussed. Essentially, food is interwoven into our everyday practices and embodies who we are and where we are from.

text: "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are (and where you are from)." Food, culture and re-membering in New Zealand: A case study approach. This thesis focusses on processes of re-membering and the transmission of culturally patterned food-related practices across generations. Of particular interest is how the preparation, serving and eating of food acts to keep cultural traditions and memories alive. The theoretical framework for this research is informed by social constructionism, with ethnographic and hermeneutic traditions influencing methods used. The domestic space of the home provided a highly relevant research site where everyday food practices were enabled and enacted. Three dual-heritage, multi-generational households took part in a series of emplaced biographical ‘go-along’, ‘eat-along’ and photo-elicitation interviews. These went beyond just conversing and included the use of mapping, participant observation, photo-elicitation and go-along interview techniques, gridding (of photos), and the sharing of meals. The analysis considers each case in turn. The tension between past lives and current lived reality in the Marton household requires both Amy and Paul to construct their identities and sense of self on a daily basis. The shared cultural values of the Barrett household mitigates their differing ethnic heritages and food traditions, contributing towards emotional harmony within the home. The Linton household exemplifies the time scarcity common to many modern-day families. This lack of time directly impacts their everyday food-related practices. This thesis demonstrates that food – and its surrounding practices – acts as a tangible, visceral nexus for abstract concepts such as culture, class, and identity. Food related practices are deeply connected to processes of re-membering, identity construction, a sense of place and social relationships. The case studies in this thesis showcase the fluidity of culture, the hybridic nature of individual and group membership, and the changing nature of familial practices. The key themes of time, tradition, culture and change and further discussed. Essentially, food is interwoven into our everyday practices and embodies who we are and where we are from.

year: 2013

title: Farmer participation and irrigation performance: A case study of Nam Thach Han irrigation system, Vietnam

authors: Tran, Hanh Loi

subjects: Participation

abstract: This thesis assesses the determinants of farmer participation in irrigation management and the impact of participation on irrigation quality and agricultural production in the Nam Thach Han irrigation system, Vietnam. Many governments have attempted to increase farmer participation in irrigation system management through participatory irrigation management (PIM). This approach aims to reduce government financial burdens, improve the quality of irrigation management, and in turn, enhance agricultural production. However, the results of PIM have been mixed and the factors affecting its success or failure remain a topic of much debate. 
Using survey data from 391 households of 11 agricultural cooperatives (ACs) in the Nam Thach Han irrigation system,  this study examines (i) the factors that influence farmer participation, (ii) the impact of collective action on irrigation quality (sufficiency and timeliness), and (iii) the impact of irrigation quality on rice farming technical efficiency, while controlling for environmental factors. 
Four main findings emerge from this thesis. We find that (i) institutional factors at the AC level such as inclusion in the PIM project, information transparency and democratic decision-making have a positive impact on participation, but sharing second-level canals between ACs reduces participation; (ii) higher participation rates are associated with a higher probability of receiving sufficient and timely irrigation; (iii) plots and households receiving sufficient water are more likely to attain higher levels of technical efficiency and; (iv) use of household-level data can provide approximately unbiased estimates of technical efficiency provided environmental factors are controlled for.
This thesis provides several contributions to the literature. Participative approaches have been widely adopted in Vietnam but this is the first empirical study to use econometric models to examine the determinants of participation and the effect of collective action on irrigation quality. This is achieved using an improved set of participation indices, constructed using principal component analysis. This thesis also provides the first analysis of the effect of sufficient and timely irrigation on rice farming technical efficiency while controlling for plot-specific environmental factors.

text: Farmer participation and irrigation performance: A case study of Nam Thach Han irrigation system, Vietnam This thesis assesses the determinants of farmer participation in irrigation management and the impact of participation on irrigation quality and agricultural production in the Nam Thach Han irrigation system, Vietnam. Many governments have attempted to increase farmer participation in irrigation system management through participatory irrigation management (PIM). This approach aims to reduce government financial burdens, improve the quality of irrigation management, and in turn, enhance agricultural production. However, the results of PIM have been mixed and the factors affecting its success or failure remain a topic of much debate. 
Using survey data from 391 households of 11 agricultural cooperatives (ACs) in the Nam Thach Han irrigation system,  this study examines (i) the factors that influence farmer participation, (ii) the impact of collective action on irrigation quality (sufficiency and timeliness), and (iii) the impact of irrigation quality on rice farming technical efficiency, while controlling for environmental factors. 
Four main findings emerge from this thesis. We find that (i) institutional factors at the AC level such as inclusion in the PIM project, information transparency and democratic decision-making have a positive impact on participation, but sharing second-level canals between ACs reduces participation; (ii) higher participation rates are associated with a higher probability of receiving sufficient and timely irrigation; (iii) plots and households receiving sufficient water are more likely to attain higher levels of technical efficiency and; (iv) use of household-level data can provide approximately unbiased estimates of technical efficiency provided environmental factors are controlled for.
This thesis provides several contributions to the literature. Participative approaches have been widely adopted in Vietnam but this is the first empirical study to use econometric models to examine the determinants of participation and the effect of collective action on irrigation quality. This is achieved using an improved set of participation indices, constructed using principal component analysis. This thesis also provides the first analysis of the effect of sufficient and timely irrigation on rice farming technical efficiency while controlling for plot-specific environmental factors.

year: 2020

title: Restoring Indigneous Law and Justice Traditions

authors: Cook, Michelle Lynn

subjects: Indigenous peoples

abstract: Restoring indigenous people's law and their ability to practice their justice traditions is a fundamental aspect of non-discrimination, decolonization, self-governance, self-determination, and social justice. The critical application and interpretation of indigenous people's law has revolutionary potentiality to transform, confront, and heal multiple forms of oppression such as environmental destruction, patriarchy, and the prison/criminal justice system. The sovereign jurisgenerative (law making) power of indigenous peoples is a site of profound hope for the revitalization of indigenous law and justice traditions restores legal principles and values of sacredness, harmony, balance, and interconnectivity within human relationships and with the natural world. Revitalizing indigenous law is a way to re-construct the self and society while also finding and re-connecting to new/old ways of being human. This thesis focuses on both Navajo and Māori practices and visions of law and justice; the challenges and, successes they have faced and the hopes they have of living by their law. Indigenous peoples, their ways of being, their wisdom, laws, and philosophies, must be respected, protected, and preserved not only because they contribute to humanity's richness and cultural diversity but also because they are living examples of  a more just, dignified, and ecologically sustainable society, which can serve all humanity.

text: Restoring Indigneous Law and Justice Traditions Restoring indigenous people's law and their ability to practice their justice traditions is a fundamental aspect of non-discrimination, decolonization, self-governance, self-determination, and social justice. The critical application and interpretation of indigenous people's law has revolutionary potentiality to transform, confront, and heal multiple forms of oppression such as environmental destruction, patriarchy, and the prison/criminal justice system. The sovereign jurisgenerative (law making) power of indigenous peoples is a site of profound hope for the revitalization of indigenous law and justice traditions restores legal principles and values of sacredness, harmony, balance, and interconnectivity within human relationships and with the natural world. Revitalizing indigenous law is a way to re-construct the self and society while also finding and re-connecting to new/old ways of being human. This thesis focuses on both Navajo and Māori practices and visions of law and justice; the challenges and, successes they have faced and the hopes they have of living by their law. Indigenous peoples, their ways of being, their wisdom, laws, and philosophies, must be respected, protected, and preserved not only because they contribute to humanity's richness and cultural diversity but also because they are living examples of  a more just, dignified, and ecologically sustainable society, which can serve all humanity.

year: 2010