title: The evolution of Marshall Sahlins

authors: Goldsmith, Michael

subjects: Marshall Sahlins

abstract: MARSHALL SAHLINS (born 1930), the Charles Grey Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago, is the highest-profile American anthropologist currently working in the field of Oceania. There is no denying his influence in theoretical areas of concern to the discipline as a whole but his final reputation is likely to rest on a number of writings on Pacific topics. Because he is an accomplished archival researcher as well as a fieldworker, his scholarship transcends anthropology and spills over into history, greatly increasing the impact his ideas have had in contemporary intellectual life.

text: The evolution of Marshall Sahlins MARSHALL SAHLINS (born 1930), the Charles Grey Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago, is the highest-profile American anthropologist currently working in the field of Oceania. There is no denying his influence in theoretical areas of concern to the discipline as a whole but his final reputation is likely to rest on a number of writings on Pacific topics. Because he is an accomplished archival researcher as well as a fieldworker, his scholarship transcends anthropology and spills over into history, greatly increasing the impact his ideas have had in contemporary intellectual life.

year: 2005

title: Effect of contextual information on object tracking

authors: Hedayati, Mohammad

subjects: video analysis

abstract: Local object information, such as the appearance and motion features of the object, are useful for object tracking in videos provided the object is not occluded by other elements in the scene. During occlusion, however, the local object information in the video frame does not properly represent the true properties of the object, which leads to tracking failure. We propose a framework that combines multiple cues including the local object information, the background characteristics and group motion dynamics to improve object tracking in challenging cluttered environments. The performance of the proposed tracking model is compared with the kernelised correlation filter (KCF) tracker. In the tested video sequences the proposed tracking model correctly tracked objects even when the KCF tracker failed because of occlusion and background noise.

text: Effect of contextual information on object tracking Local object information, such as the appearance and motion features of the object, are useful for object tracking in videos provided the object is not occluded by other elements in the scene. During occlusion, however, the local object information in the video frame does not properly represent the true properties of the object, which leads to tracking failure. We propose a framework that combines multiple cues including the local object information, the background characteristics and group motion dynamics to improve object tracking in challenging cluttered environments. The performance of the proposed tracking model is compared with the kernelised correlation filter (KCF) tracker. In the tested video sequences the proposed tracking model correctly tracked objects even when the KCF tracker failed because of occlusion and background noise.

year: 2017

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