title: Extreme political narratives: A response to Spear’s “Narratives that Divide and Narratives that Bind”

authors: Ulatowski, Joseph W.

subjects: political convictions

abstract: Andrew Spear (2025) provides a useful and sympathetic account of our thoughts about narratives that arise in those with extreme political convictions (Ulatowski and Lumsden 2023). Indeed, his very title: “Narratives that Divide and Narratives that Bind,” gets to the heart of what we are attempting to do with our narrative account of political extremism The narratives that bind are those political narratives that unite the members of a group not only by being held in common but by entering into those individuals’ narrative identities. The narratives that divide are the kind of narratives rooted in a form of rejection of the opposing group in a way that insulates itself from the reasoning that such a group might provide. Those two characteristics of narratives can be two sides of the same coin; the binding among members of the group can rest on the rejection of an opposing group.

text: Extreme political narratives: A response to Spear’s “Narratives that Divide and Narratives that Bind” Andrew Spear (2025) provides a useful and sympathetic account of our thoughts about narratives that arise in those with extreme political convictions (Ulatowski and Lumsden 2023). Indeed, his very title: “Narratives that Divide and Narratives that Bind,” gets to the heart of what we are attempting to do with our narrative account of political extremism The narratives that bind are those political narratives that unite the members of a group not only by being held in common but by entering into those individuals’ narrative identities. The narratives that divide are the kind of narratives rooted in a form of rejection of the opposing group in a way that insulates itself from the reasoning that such a group might provide. Those two characteristics of narratives can be two sides of the same coin; the binding among members of the group can rest on the rejection of an opposing group.

year: 2025

title: Behind the Ink NZ: Tattoos in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Link to a Process of Self-Healing

authors: Membery, Brent

subjects: Tattoos

abstract: This study aimed to examine the reasons why individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand tattoo their bodies and analyse the mechanism by which tattoo acts as a method of coping, self-healing and self-transformation for these individuals. Further this study aimed to investigate how tattoo allows individuals to re-write and transform their meaning of traumatic and/or stressful events into stories of empowerment, strength and survival. While tattoo has been explored for meaning and function in Aotearoa New Zealand, there was seen to be no empirically grounded research looking into how tattoo might serve as a therapeutic tool. 
	The study examined 427 survey respondents and eight interviewees across Aotearoa New Zealand. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 65-years-old and varied across multiple ethnicities. 
	This study combined quantitative and qualitative data collection methods in a two-phase project. Data collection phase one involved 427 participants respond to an online survey. This establised a baseline for cross-comparison of attitudes, backgrounds and life experiences. Data collection phase two involved eight semi-structured interviews to explore individual experiences and uncover the relationship between their tattoos and how it had helped them to cope/heal in some way. To analyse these interviews, thematic analysis was combined with phenomenological analysis.   
	The findings from this study suggest that there are multiple reasons (expression of self, aesthetic aspects, identity, passage of rights, remembrance/tributes and personal healing among others) why individuals chose to engage in the art form of tattooing. Findings also suggest that tattoo, directly relating to the mind/body continuum of stress/trauma can serve as a mechanism to enable individuals to re-script stressful/traumatic events, reinforce identity and self-acceptance, acknowledge past difficulties and turn them into positives and increase inner motivations and positive thinking which was seen to initiate healing and recovery. This suggests that tattoo serves as a powerful mechanism to aid in personal transformation, but also challenge previous meanings associated with the art form of tattoo.

text: Behind the Ink NZ: Tattoos in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Link to a Process of Self-Healing This study aimed to examine the reasons why individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand tattoo their bodies and analyse the mechanism by which tattoo acts as a method of coping, self-healing and self-transformation for these individuals. Further this study aimed to investigate how tattoo allows individuals to re-write and transform their meaning of traumatic and/or stressful events into stories of empowerment, strength and survival. While tattoo has been explored for meaning and function in Aotearoa New Zealand, there was seen to be no empirically grounded research looking into how tattoo might serve as a therapeutic tool. 
	The study examined 427 survey respondents and eight interviewees across Aotearoa New Zealand. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 65-years-old and varied across multiple ethnicities. 
	This study combined quantitative and qualitative data collection methods in a two-phase project. Data collection phase one involved 427 participants respond to an online survey. This establised a baseline for cross-comparison of attitudes, backgrounds and life experiences. Data collection phase two involved eight semi-structured interviews to explore individual experiences and uncover the relationship between their tattoos and how it had helped them to cope/heal in some way. To analyse these interviews, thematic analysis was combined with phenomenological analysis.   
	The findings from this study suggest that there are multiple reasons (expression of self, aesthetic aspects, identity, passage of rights, remembrance/tributes and personal healing among others) why individuals chose to engage in the art form of tattooing. Findings also suggest that tattoo, directly relating to the mind/body continuum of stress/trauma can serve as a mechanism to enable individuals to re-script stressful/traumatic events, reinforce identity and self-acceptance, acknowledge past difficulties and turn them into positives and increase inner motivations and positive thinking which was seen to initiate healing and recovery. This suggests that tattoo serves as a powerful mechanism to aid in personal transformation, but also challenge previous meanings associated with the art form of tattoo.

year: 2015

title: Creating a curriculum for indigenous and community languages: Te reo Māori as an example

authors: Bruce, Ian

subjects: linguistics

abstract: Part 1 of this paper introduces the draft Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages and describes how it was used in the construction of draft New Zealand curriculum guidelines for French and German. Part 2 discusses how the CEFR has been employed in curriculum development in Te Reo Māori at the University of Waikato and suggests that it could also prove useful in relation to curriculum development projects involving indigenous and community languages more generally.

text: Creating a curriculum for indigenous and community languages: Te reo Māori as an example Part 1 of this paper introduces the draft Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages and describes how it was used in the construction of draft New Zealand curriculum guidelines for French and German. Part 2 discusses how the CEFR has been employed in curriculum development in Te Reo Māori at the University of Waikato and suggests that it could also prove useful in relation to curriculum development projects involving indigenous and community languages more generally.

year: 2002