title: Discursive positioning in theory and practice: a case for narrative mediation

authors: Winslade, John

abstract: This is a study of the usefulness of the concept of ‘discursive positioning’ in the practice of mediation and in the analysis of what happens in mediation. Mediation, as typically practised, has developed within the general philosophical framework of modernist thought, exemplified in mediation by the problem-solving method. Several foundational assumptions of the problem-solving method are identified: a) the idea of the mediator as a neutral facilitator; b) the idea of negotiating on the basis of underlying interests or needs rather than polarised positions; c) the idea of a win-win resolution in the form of an agreement. In this study, these foundational concepts are examined first in terms of the critiques that have been raised against them. They are further examined through the lens of postmodern and social constructionist thought and found inadequate in their accounting for the cultural conditions that give rise to people’s interests. A theory of discourse and discursive positioning is outlined which explains how people take up positions in relation to discourse in the process of making an utterance in conversation. Such utterances also implicitly or explicitly call others into position in relations within discourse. The concept of discursive positioning is used in this study as a theoretical tool, a practical tool and a research tool. For the research purpose, Critical Discourse Analysis is adapted to include attention to the negotiation of discursive positions in conversation. This study uses this method of discourse analysis to demonstrate therapeutic change by tracking shifts in discursive positioning. Two transcripts of role-played mediation conversations are examined. One of these is used to demonstrate how a narrative mediator can make use of discursive positioning as a conceptual tool for practice. The second role-play is analysed to show the shifts in discursive positioning negotiated in the course of the conversation. The analysis of conversation through using the concept of discursive positioning as a research tool makes cultural influences visible in discourse in the very moment of their utterance. An approach to mediation that takes discursive power relations into account is then articulated. While a single conversation cannot change a pervasive social discourse, people can, in conversation, re-position themselves within discourse. This kind of analysis avoids constructing people as determined within discourse and supports a conceptualisation of personal agency achieved through discursive positioning. This study demonstrates the effect of using discursive positioning as a conceptual tool in practice through tracking the discursive shifts that take place in mediation. In the process, it establishes claims for narrative mediation as an ethical and effective practice that addresses power relations and cultural influences on relationships. The analysis of discursive positioning makes the effects of this practice visible and enables a theoretically robust account to be given of this practice.

text: Discursive positioning in theory and practice: a case for narrative mediation This is a study of the usefulness of the concept of ‘discursive positioning’ in the practice of mediation and in the analysis of what happens in mediation. Mediation, as typically practised, has developed within the general philosophical framework of modernist thought, exemplified in mediation by the problem-solving method. Several foundational assumptions of the problem-solving method are identified: a) the idea of the mediator as a neutral facilitator; b) the idea of negotiating on the basis of underlying interests or needs rather than polarised positions; c) the idea of a win-win resolution in the form of an agreement. In this study, these foundational concepts are examined first in terms of the critiques that have been raised against them. They are further examined through the lens of postmodern and social constructionist thought and found inadequate in their accounting for the cultural conditions that give rise to people’s interests. A theory of discourse and discursive positioning is outlined which explains how people take up positions in relation to discourse in the process of making an utterance in conversation. Such utterances also implicitly or explicitly call others into position in relations within discourse. The concept of discursive positioning is used in this study as a theoretical tool, a practical tool and a research tool. For the research purpose, Critical Discourse Analysis is adapted to include attention to the negotiation of discursive positions in conversation. This study uses this method of discourse analysis to demonstrate therapeutic change by tracking shifts in discursive positioning. Two transcripts of role-played mediation conversations are examined. One of these is used to demonstrate how a narrative mediator can make use of discursive positioning as a conceptual tool for practice. The second role-play is analysed to show the shifts in discursive positioning negotiated in the course of the conversation. The analysis of conversation through using the concept of discursive positioning as a research tool makes cultural influences visible in discourse in the very moment of their utterance. An approach to mediation that takes discursive power relations into account is then articulated. While a single conversation cannot change a pervasive social discourse, people can, in conversation, re-position themselves within discourse. This kind of analysis avoids constructing people as determined within discourse and supports a conceptualisation of personal agency achieved through discursive positioning. This study demonstrates the effect of using discursive positioning as a conceptual tool in practice through tracking the discursive shifts that take place in mediation. In the process, it establishes claims for narrative mediation as an ethical and effective practice that addresses power relations and cultural influences on relationships. The analysis of discursive positioning makes the effects of this practice visible and enables a theoretically robust account to be given of this practice.

year: 2003

title: Site characterisation of the Hamilton Basin using surface wave methods

authors: Cave, Ashley

abstract: Observed amplification and reverberation of ground motions in the Heathcote Valley during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence highlighted the lack of data on the subsurface velocity structure of sedimentary basins across New Zealand. A similar lack of data applies to the Hamilton Basin, a deep, predominantly alluvial, basin in the Waikato Region. In response, 13 deep shear wave velocity profiles have been measured in this study. Dispersion data obtained through active and passive methods were inverted with fundamental frequencies deduced from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio method and a suite of layering ratios in the absence of detailed geological information. Potential for amplification is inferred from the large impedance contrasts at the soil-basement interface in the developed Vₛ profiles. The fundamental site period is over 5s in the Te Rapa and Gordonton depressions in the northern basin, where basement rock is up to 1400m deep. As basement shallows towards the south, fundamental periods shorten. Complex wave propagation occurs towards the southeastern basin influenced by ignimbrite deposition interspersed within the alluvial sediments of the Tauranga Group. Despite the variation in basement structure, velocities associated with lithology changes tend to be relatively consistent, allowing for the use of a four-unit velocity structure to represent basin deposits. The peat bogs which dominate the surficial landscape have significantly low shear wave velocities (28-38m/s), which presented unique difficulties in near surface velocity resolution. The soft near surface soil deposits across the basin have Vₛ₃₀ values ranging from 166-234m/s and four class E sites have been identified. Based on the new Vₛ profiles, a refined fundamental frequency-depth correlation was developed for the region. The results in this thesis are intended to inform site response analysis and seismic risk assessment.

text: Site characterisation of the Hamilton Basin using surface wave methods Observed amplification and reverberation of ground motions in the Heathcote Valley during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence highlighted the lack of data on the subsurface velocity structure of sedimentary basins across New Zealand. A similar lack of data applies to the Hamilton Basin, a deep, predominantly alluvial, basin in the Waikato Region. In response, 13 deep shear wave velocity profiles have been measured in this study. Dispersion data obtained through active and passive methods were inverted with fundamental frequencies deduced from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio method and a suite of layering ratios in the absence of detailed geological information. Potential for amplification is inferred from the large impedance contrasts at the soil-basement interface in the developed Vₛ profiles. The fundamental site period is over 5s in the Te Rapa and Gordonton depressions in the northern basin, where basement rock is up to 1400m deep. As basement shallows towards the south, fundamental periods shorten. Complex wave propagation occurs towards the southeastern basin influenced by ignimbrite deposition interspersed within the alluvial sediments of the Tauranga Group. Despite the variation in basement structure, velocities associated with lithology changes tend to be relatively consistent, allowing for the use of a four-unit velocity structure to represent basin deposits. The peat bogs which dominate the surficial landscape have significantly low shear wave velocities (28-38m/s), which presented unique difficulties in near surface velocity resolution. The soft near surface soil deposits across the basin have Vₛ₃₀ values ranging from 166-234m/s and four class E sites have been identified. Based on the new Vₛ profiles, a refined fundamental frequency-depth correlation was developed for the region. The results in this thesis are intended to inform site response analysis and seismic risk assessment.

year: 2020

title: Te tātari i te kaupapa

authors: Ka'ai, Tānia M.

abstract: The primary objective of this thesis focuses on the linking of the National Qualifications Framework and standards-based assessment as an emancipatory mechanism for Māori in Kaupapa Māori schooling and the wider Māori community in New Zealand.

Argued from an eclectic theoretical approach incorporating Kaupapa Māori theory, it espouses a position which rejects structural inequalities that perpetuate the subordinate positioning of Māori people through the development of culturally responsive assessment theories and practices in written language for teachers and children in Kura Kaupapa Māori which purport a culturally responsive pedagogy.

The thesis also links curriculum, assessment and pedagogy using Kaupapa Māori theory which provides insights into Māori views of emancipation in education.

text: Te tātari i te kaupapa The primary objective of this thesis focuses on the linking of the National Qualifications Framework and standards-based assessment as an emancipatory mechanism for Māori in Kaupapa Māori schooling and the wider Māori community in New Zealand.

Argued from an eclectic theoretical approach incorporating Kaupapa Māori theory, it espouses a position which rejects structural inequalities that perpetuate the subordinate positioning of Māori people through the development of culturally responsive assessment theories and practices in written language for teachers and children in Kura Kaupapa Māori which purport a culturally responsive pedagogy.

The thesis also links curriculum, assessment and pedagogy using Kaupapa Māori theory which provides insights into Māori views of emancipation in education.

year: 1995