title: Book Review Essay: Reimagining the subject of feminism: Six women artists

authors: Middleton, Sue

abstract: Maria Tamboukou is a Reader in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre of Narrative Research at the University of East London,  UK. A trans-disciplinary feminist writer, Tamboukou is known for imaginative conceptual assemblages in the study of narrative texts. Influenced by Hannah Arendt and Adriana Cavarero, she argues: “narratives foreground the question of Who one is, as differentiated from the Western (male) philosophical tradition that has revolved around the question of What one is” (Tamboukou, 2010a: 13). “Who” one is, however, is never fixed, never stable, always in process – in Deleuzian terms, nomadic. Citing Rosi Braidotti, (Tamboukou 2010a: 84) defines nomadic subjects as always in transition, characterised not by homelessness but by “their ability to create their homes everywhere” in the process of becoming.

text: Book Review Essay: Reimagining the subject of feminism: Six women artists Maria Tamboukou is a Reader in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre of Narrative Research at the University of East London,  UK. A trans-disciplinary feminist writer, Tamboukou is known for imaginative conceptual assemblages in the study of narrative texts. Influenced by Hannah Arendt and Adriana Cavarero, she argues: “narratives foreground the question of Who one is, as differentiated from the Western (male) philosophical tradition that has revolved around the question of What one is” (Tamboukou, 2010a: 13). “Who” one is, however, is never fixed, never stable, always in process – in Deleuzian terms, nomadic. Citing Rosi Braidotti, (Tamboukou 2010a: 84) defines nomadic subjects as always in transition, characterised not by homelessness but by “their ability to create their homes everywhere” in the process of becoming.

year: 2011

title: Effect of video based road commentary training on the hazard perception skills of teenage novice drivers

authors: Williamson, Amy Rose

subjects: Young novice drivers

abstract: Recent evidence in the road safety research literature indicates that skills in hazard perception, visual search and attention may be developing executive functions in young novice drivers before the age of 25 years, contributing to their unintentional risk taking behaviour and subsequent high crash rates. The present research aimed to investigate these skills, whether they are predictive of each other, and whether hazard perception can be improved through road commentary training. Twenty-two young novice drivers and eight experienced drivers were recruited as participants in this study. The experienced drivers performed significantly better than the novice drivers on the hazard detection task that was specifically designed for the study. Their visual search skills were also examined and compared using the Visual Search and Attention Test, with the experienced drivers performing significantly better than the novice drivers. Interestingly, a significant positive correlation was found between the scores of the participants on the hazard detection task and the Visual Search and Attention Test which may indicate that the hazard detection skills can be predicted. The novice driver group who received 12 trials of video based road commentary training significantly improved in their hazard detection skills, suggesting that video based road commentary could be an effective road safety intervention for young novice drivers and if developed into a more comprehensive programme, holds promise for future implementation into the New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System. The results also hold promise for future investigation into the use of the Visual Search and Attention Test as a predictor of hazard perception skills in novice drivers.

text: Effect of video based road commentary training on the hazard perception skills of teenage novice drivers Recent evidence in the road safety research literature indicates that skills in hazard perception, visual search and attention may be developing executive functions in young novice drivers before the age of 25 years, contributing to their unintentional risk taking behaviour and subsequent high crash rates. The present research aimed to investigate these skills, whether they are predictive of each other, and whether hazard perception can be improved through road commentary training. Twenty-two young novice drivers and eight experienced drivers were recruited as participants in this study. The experienced drivers performed significantly better than the novice drivers on the hazard detection task that was specifically designed for the study. Their visual search skills were also examined and compared using the Visual Search and Attention Test, with the experienced drivers performing significantly better than the novice drivers. Interestingly, a significant positive correlation was found between the scores of the participants on the hazard detection task and the Visual Search and Attention Test which may indicate that the hazard detection skills can be predicted. The novice driver group who received 12 trials of video based road commentary training significantly improved in their hazard detection skills, suggesting that video based road commentary could be an effective road safety intervention for young novice drivers and if developed into a more comprehensive programme, holds promise for future implementation into the New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System. The results also hold promise for future investigation into the use of the Visual Search and Attention Test as a predictor of hazard perception skills in novice drivers.

year: 2008

title: Fragmentation and Restoration: Generational Legacies of 21st Century Māori

authors: Malcolm-Buchanan, Vincent Alan

subjects: Maori

abstract: The content of this thesis is premised on a reflexive examination of some historical juxtapositions culminating in critical aspects of being Māori in the twenty first century and how such aspects have informed contemporary indigenous identity. That is, the continuing acknowledgement and exponential public recognition of critical concepts which inextricably link indigenous and civic identity. 

The theoretical sources for this research are, in the main, derived from anthropological and religious studies, particularly on the significance of mythologies and oral histories, as well as from the oral theorising of elders in Aotearoa New Zealand. A very significant contribution from one such elder, a senior Māori woman academic, has been included in the form of the transcript of an interview. She herself had collected the views of a number of elders on myth, creating a rare and valuable resource.  In the interview she married her reflections on these with her own experiences and her cogent analyses. 

From the outset, it was necessary to be discerning so as to ensure the thesis workload was manageable and realistic.  For this reason the selected critical aspects that have been used to frame this research are (1) a developing Western validation (that is, acknowledgement and respect) of Māori, Māori culture and their mythology; (2) oral history (genealogy) and traditions that have remained constant despite the influences of modernity; and (3) notions of fluidity, negotiation and pragmatism regarding kinship legacies and cultural heritage. The thesis is comprised of six chapters starting from a subjective narrative leading through increasingly objective discourses that culminate in a conclusion which supports a belief that modern Māori require a balancing of critical aspects of cultural heritage, with a broad understanding of the world of the 'other', in order to realise and develop their contemporary indigenous identity.

Ultimately, indigenous ideologies, practices and knowledge recorded and examined in the world of academia today, become potential resources for tomorrow. The intention of this research is to aggregate and discuss intrinsic aspects of the Māori past as well as developing aspects of the present, in order to better understand the significance of the future, and to add to the growing corpus of indigenous worldviews.

text: Fragmentation and Restoration: Generational Legacies of 21st Century Māori The content of this thesis is premised on a reflexive examination of some historical juxtapositions culminating in critical aspects of being Māori in the twenty first century and how such aspects have informed contemporary indigenous identity. That is, the continuing acknowledgement and exponential public recognition of critical concepts which inextricably link indigenous and civic identity. 

The theoretical sources for this research are, in the main, derived from anthropological and religious studies, particularly on the significance of mythologies and oral histories, as well as from the oral theorising of elders in Aotearoa New Zealand. A very significant contribution from one such elder, a senior Māori woman academic, has been included in the form of the transcript of an interview. She herself had collected the views of a number of elders on myth, creating a rare and valuable resource.  In the interview she married her reflections on these with her own experiences and her cogent analyses. 

From the outset, it was necessary to be discerning so as to ensure the thesis workload was manageable and realistic.  For this reason the selected critical aspects that have been used to frame this research are (1) a developing Western validation (that is, acknowledgement and respect) of Māori, Māori culture and their mythology; (2) oral history (genealogy) and traditions that have remained constant despite the influences of modernity; and (3) notions of fluidity, negotiation and pragmatism regarding kinship legacies and cultural heritage. The thesis is comprised of six chapters starting from a subjective narrative leading through increasingly objective discourses that culminate in a conclusion which supports a belief that modern Māori require a balancing of critical aspects of cultural heritage, with a broad understanding of the world of the 'other', in order to realise and develop their contemporary indigenous identity.

Ultimately, indigenous ideologies, practices and knowledge recorded and examined in the world of academia today, become potential resources for tomorrow. The intention of this research is to aggregate and discuss intrinsic aspects of the Māori past as well as developing aspects of the present, in order to better understand the significance of the future, and to add to the growing corpus of indigenous worldviews.

year: 2009