title: Negotiating Discursive Constructions of Belly Dancing in New Zealand and Australian Dance Communities

authors: Cowper, Marion

subjects: belly dance

abstract: The belly dancing subject is contained within dominant historical, Orientalist and essentialist discourses. An existing body of literature examines the belly dancer as ‘subject of’ and ‘subject to’ social and gendered discourses within social contexts. However, the literature has failed to address the question of relationships between three spheres of meaning in belly dancing, these being 1) the social sphere and discourses of the social world; 2) the individual and personal sphere; and 3) the spiritual and inspirational sphere. Nor have previous studies examined how effectively women are able to articulate their experiences of these relationships within the available discourses. This research covers new academic ground by taking a more holistic approach to the exploration of experiences of the dance. An investigation into the meanings and relationships that 26 women from New Zealand and Australia attached to their experiences of belly dancing required the use of a combined theoretical paradigm to provide greater scope for the consideration of individual experiences of belly dancing. Therefore I developed a Poststructuralist, phenomenological and hermeneutical theoretical paradigm which allowed for examination of subjective experiences and consideration of the meanings that individual subjects may make of those experiences. As the women began to describe their experiences of belly dancing, dominant themes emerged relating to women’s perceptions of belly dancing, their experience of belly dancing in performance, their embodiment of belly dancing, and their resistance to the dominant discursive constructions. Analysis of the interview material indicates that these women situated themselves ‘within’ the experience of belly dancing and many offered novel descriptions of those experiences, defining an emerging personal sphere as distinct from the established discursively constructed understandings available within the public sphere. Participants’ literal explanations of their own experiences often included faltering or tentative attempts at articulating their experiences, and frequently gave way to spiritual and inspiration meanings and descriptions of altered states of awareness. These results may suggest that the established dominant discourses within the wider social sphere were insufficient in terms of providing terms and concepts with which dancers could adequately express their feelings, understandings, sensations and experiences. Furthermore, the women’s novel descriptions reveal previously unexplored spiritual and inspirational meanings and relationships to their experiences of this dance form, indicating an emerging spiritual or inspirational sphere. This research thus provides an opportunity for the discovery of new understandings of women’s experiences, as women who belly dance.

text: Negotiating Discursive Constructions of Belly Dancing in New Zealand and Australian Dance Communities The belly dancing subject is contained within dominant historical, Orientalist and essentialist discourses. An existing body of literature examines the belly dancer as ‘subject of’ and ‘subject to’ social and gendered discourses within social contexts. However, the literature has failed to address the question of relationships between three spheres of meaning in belly dancing, these being 1) the social sphere and discourses of the social world; 2) the individual and personal sphere; and 3) the spiritual and inspirational sphere. Nor have previous studies examined how effectively women are able to articulate their experiences of these relationships within the available discourses. This research covers new academic ground by taking a more holistic approach to the exploration of experiences of the dance. An investigation into the meanings and relationships that 26 women from New Zealand and Australia attached to their experiences of belly dancing required the use of a combined theoretical paradigm to provide greater scope for the consideration of individual experiences of belly dancing. Therefore I developed a Poststructuralist, phenomenological and hermeneutical theoretical paradigm which allowed for examination of subjective experiences and consideration of the meanings that individual subjects may make of those experiences. As the women began to describe their experiences of belly dancing, dominant themes emerged relating to women’s perceptions of belly dancing, their experience of belly dancing in performance, their embodiment of belly dancing, and their resistance to the dominant discursive constructions. Analysis of the interview material indicates that these women situated themselves ‘within’ the experience of belly dancing and many offered novel descriptions of those experiences, defining an emerging personal sphere as distinct from the established discursively constructed understandings available within the public sphere. Participants’ literal explanations of their own experiences often included faltering or tentative attempts at articulating their experiences, and frequently gave way to spiritual and inspiration meanings and descriptions of altered states of awareness. These results may suggest that the established dominant discourses within the wider social sphere were insufficient in terms of providing terms and concepts with which dancers could adequately express their feelings, understandings, sensations and experiences. Furthermore, the women’s novel descriptions reveal previously unexplored spiritual and inspirational meanings and relationships to their experiences of this dance form, indicating an emerging spiritual or inspirational sphere. This research thus provides an opportunity for the discovery of new understandings of women’s experiences, as women who belly dance.

year: 2011

title: Geology of the northern Mamaku Plateau

authors: Morgan, Michael Denis

abstract: The geology of the northern Mamaku Plateau is dominated by the rhyolitic Mamaku and Waimakariri lgnimbrites, although exposures of the dacitic Waiteariki Ignimbrite are common in river gorges. 

The Mamaku lgnimbrite comprises 4 flow units (sheets 1 to 4). The base of sheet 2 (the bulk of the ignimbrite) is an uncompacted pyroclastic breccia to lapilli tuff grading into a moderate to strongly welded zone, often lenticulitic. The upper zone is incipiently welded, often light pinkish grey, with poor to moderate crystal contents. Fossil fumeroles are common in the upper middle of the flow, devitrification and vapour phase alteration is extensive. The upper zone of the Waimakariri Ignimbrite is usually light grey and incipiently welded. Towards the lower middle of the flow this grades down into a welded lenticulite, occasionally eutaxitic. The base is usually an incipiently welded pyroclastic breccia enriched in lithics. This ignimbrite has a poor to moderate crystal content, is composed of at least three flow units and often has an underlying Plinian airfall. Gas escape structures appear in distal outcrops.

The unwelded top of the Waiteariki Ignimbrite is often eroded. Usually only the middle of the flow, a densely welded lenticulitic with eutaxitic texture is present. The base of the flow is a moderately devitrified, incipiently welded, pyroclastic breccia to fine tuff. Evidence suggests the Waiteariki Ignimbrite comprises 2 cooling units both of which are crystal rich.

With increasing distance from source plagioclase crystal percentages, pumice size and pumice percentages decrease in the Mamaku Ignimbrite (sheet 2). For the Waimakariri Ignimbrite, there is a decrease in crystal lengths with distance from source (assumed to be the Taupo Volcanic Zone). There is an increase in crystal percentages from a medial to distal position, and a moderate increase in pumice percentages. This is explained by elutruation of vitric material from the Waimakariri as a co-ignimbrite air fall ash concentrating pumice and crystals.

No relationship exists between crystal length and vertical position in the Mamaku ignimbrite. Pumice percentages often increase towards the top of the flow, while pumice numbers increase towards the middle of the flow. Welding is at a minimum at the base, at a maximum in the lower middle of the outcrop, reducing towards the top of the flow. Phenocryst increase towards the base of sheet 2 is attributed to welding/compaction. No relation exists between crystal length and vertical position in the Waimakariri Ignimbrite; pumice percentages and size increase towards the base of the flow, while pumice numbers often increase towards the base and top of the flow. 

Horizontal sections over distances of 194 and 350 m for the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites respectively, demonstrated that they are relatively homogeneous over short distances.

Both the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites traveled as moderately fluidized laminar flows, but the surge deposits separating Mamaku flow units were turbulent as were parts of distal Waimakariri. The surges (probably foward jetting from the front of the flow) imply the Waimakariri flowed faster than the Mamaku Ignimbrite. A new flow unit is presented, perhaps more applicable to distal large ignimbrite eruptions, than the standard ignimbrite flow unit. Most field evidence indicated the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites were emplaced en masse. The diversity of facies in both Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites implies a single large pyroclastic flow can operate under several flow regimes, dependent to some extent on local paleo-surface conditions.

text: Geology of the northern Mamaku Plateau The geology of the northern Mamaku Plateau is dominated by the rhyolitic Mamaku and Waimakariri lgnimbrites, although exposures of the dacitic Waiteariki Ignimbrite are common in river gorges. 

The Mamaku lgnimbrite comprises 4 flow units (sheets 1 to 4). The base of sheet 2 (the bulk of the ignimbrite) is an uncompacted pyroclastic breccia to lapilli tuff grading into a moderate to strongly welded zone, often lenticulitic. The upper zone is incipiently welded, often light pinkish grey, with poor to moderate crystal contents. Fossil fumeroles are common in the upper middle of the flow, devitrification and vapour phase alteration is extensive. The upper zone of the Waimakariri Ignimbrite is usually light grey and incipiently welded. Towards the lower middle of the flow this grades down into a welded lenticulite, occasionally eutaxitic. The base is usually an incipiently welded pyroclastic breccia enriched in lithics. This ignimbrite has a poor to moderate crystal content, is composed of at least three flow units and often has an underlying Plinian airfall. Gas escape structures appear in distal outcrops.

The unwelded top of the Waiteariki Ignimbrite is often eroded. Usually only the middle of the flow, a densely welded lenticulitic with eutaxitic texture is present. The base of the flow is a moderately devitrified, incipiently welded, pyroclastic breccia to fine tuff. Evidence suggests the Waiteariki Ignimbrite comprises 2 cooling units both of which are crystal rich.

With increasing distance from source plagioclase crystal percentages, pumice size and pumice percentages decrease in the Mamaku Ignimbrite (sheet 2). For the Waimakariri Ignimbrite, there is a decrease in crystal lengths with distance from source (assumed to be the Taupo Volcanic Zone). There is an increase in crystal percentages from a medial to distal position, and a moderate increase in pumice percentages. This is explained by elutruation of vitric material from the Waimakariri as a co-ignimbrite air fall ash concentrating pumice and crystals.

No relationship exists between crystal length and vertical position in the Mamaku ignimbrite. Pumice percentages often increase towards the top of the flow, while pumice numbers increase towards the middle of the flow. Welding is at a minimum at the base, at a maximum in the lower middle of the outcrop, reducing towards the top of the flow. Phenocryst increase towards the base of sheet 2 is attributed to welding/compaction. No relation exists between crystal length and vertical position in the Waimakariri Ignimbrite; pumice percentages and size increase towards the base of the flow, while pumice numbers often increase towards the base and top of the flow. 

Horizontal sections over distances of 194 and 350 m for the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites respectively, demonstrated that they are relatively homogeneous over short distances.

Both the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites traveled as moderately fluidized laminar flows, but the surge deposits separating Mamaku flow units were turbulent as were parts of distal Waimakariri. The surges (probably foward jetting from the front of the flow) imply the Waimakariri flowed faster than the Mamaku Ignimbrite. A new flow unit is presented, perhaps more applicable to distal large ignimbrite eruptions, than the standard ignimbrite flow unit. Most field evidence indicated the Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites were emplaced en masse. The diversity of facies in both Mamaku and Waimakariri Ignimbrites implies a single large pyroclastic flow can operate under several flow regimes, dependent to some extent on local paleo-surface conditions.

year: 1986

title: Indigenising the screen: Screenplay and critical analysis for The Prophet

authors: Bristowe, Joseph Curtis

subjects: indiginization

abstract: This thesis tests the hypothesis that it is possible to both decolonise and indigenise the New Zealand cinema screen. Secondary research reveals how those discourses that promoted roles and expectations for Māori within the New Zealand film industry were based principally upon historical colonial ideologies imposed by various means upon the native populous, and subsequently reproduced. These discourses of race, gender and religion perpetuate negative belief systems about Māori and contribute to the reproduction of stereotypical images of Māori, such as the irrational, naive, simpleminded and warlike Māori man, or the domesticated, lustful and sexually available Māori woman. 

Research by creative practice advances the project of decolonising the New Zealand screen through the writing of a feature length screenplay based on careful research and intimate cultural knowledge, and by working according to an appropriate kaupapa Māori framework. The resulting screenplay, The Prophet, brings to life the multitude of forces that coalesced to shape the life of 19th century Māori warrior and prophet, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki. In his death, as in his life, he remains an enigmatic figure. In written accounts and in Pākehā memories he appears as a violent rebel, mass murderer and religious fanatic. This epic re-telling focuses on the character of Te Kooti, showing him to be a man who accomplished great feats in the face of injustice, adversity and hardship. 
A critical analysis of the screenplay reveals how I adopted a unique cross cultural writing approach drawing upon both the 'classic' western narrative structure as well as kaupapa Māori pūrākau oral tradition. I argue that this approach combines effectively to materialise strong anti-colonial perspectives aimed specifically at subverting long-held and dominant colonial discourses. Such an approach to scriptwriting rejects the tradition of being defined, constructed and represented through discourses that serve to promote the interests of the Pākehā majority and, in doing so, urges the utilisation of Māori philosophies, concepts and practices in the scriptwriting/film production process.

text: Indigenising the screen: Screenplay and critical analysis for The Prophet This thesis tests the hypothesis that it is possible to both decolonise and indigenise the New Zealand cinema screen. Secondary research reveals how those discourses that promoted roles and expectations for Māori within the New Zealand film industry were based principally upon historical colonial ideologies imposed by various means upon the native populous, and subsequently reproduced. These discourses of race, gender and religion perpetuate negative belief systems about Māori and contribute to the reproduction of stereotypical images of Māori, such as the irrational, naive, simpleminded and warlike Māori man, or the domesticated, lustful and sexually available Māori woman. 

Research by creative practice advances the project of decolonising the New Zealand screen through the writing of a feature length screenplay based on careful research and intimate cultural knowledge, and by working according to an appropriate kaupapa Māori framework. The resulting screenplay, The Prophet, brings to life the multitude of forces that coalesced to shape the life of 19th century Māori warrior and prophet, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki. In his death, as in his life, he remains an enigmatic figure. In written accounts and in Pākehā memories he appears as a violent rebel, mass murderer and religious fanatic. This epic re-telling focuses on the character of Te Kooti, showing him to be a man who accomplished great feats in the face of injustice, adversity and hardship. 
A critical analysis of the screenplay reveals how I adopted a unique cross cultural writing approach drawing upon both the 'classic' western narrative structure as well as kaupapa Māori pūrākau oral tradition. I argue that this approach combines effectively to materialise strong anti-colonial perspectives aimed specifically at subverting long-held and dominant colonial discourses. Such an approach to scriptwriting rejects the tradition of being defined, constructed and represented through discourses that serve to promote the interests of the Pākehā majority and, in doing so, urges the utilisation of Māori philosophies, concepts and practices in the scriptwriting/film production process.

year: 2009