title: ‘If your daughters are inclined to love reading, do not check their Inclination'

authors: McKim, Anne M.

abstract: This paper examines attitudes to the education of children in elite families in eighteenth-century Scotland revealed in various letters, private papers, and memoirs. It takes as its starting point Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s famous advice to her daughter, Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute (1718-1794), on the education of her granddaughters. Lady Louisa Stuart, one of those six granddaughters, went on to become a writer as well as an avid reader, and later recalled the childhood pleasures of reading books from her grandmother’s vast library. Provision for the education of her daughters and grandchildren, at home and abroad, can also be traced in some detail in the meticulous Household Book and notebooks kept by Lady Grisell Baillie (1665-1746). Her daughter Griseld, Lady Murray (1693-1759), later commemorated her famous mother’s commitment to education. Attitudes to reading, learning languages and education through travel to Europe can be traced in the private papers of these families, and in the views of the children who went on to express their appreciation in memoirs and biographies published in honour of their mothers and grandmothers.

text: ‘If your daughters are inclined to love reading, do not check their Inclination' This paper examines attitudes to the education of children in elite families in eighteenth-century Scotland revealed in various letters, private papers, and memoirs. It takes as its starting point Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s famous advice to her daughter, Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute (1718-1794), on the education of her granddaughters. Lady Louisa Stuart, one of those six granddaughters, went on to become a writer as well as an avid reader, and later recalled the childhood pleasures of reading books from her grandmother’s vast library. Provision for the education of her daughters and grandchildren, at home and abroad, can also be traced in some detail in the meticulous Household Book and notebooks kept by Lady Grisell Baillie (1665-1746). Her daughter Griseld, Lady Murray (1693-1759), later commemorated her famous mother’s commitment to education. Attitudes to reading, learning languages and education through travel to Europe can be traced in the private papers of these families, and in the views of the children who went on to express their appreciation in memoirs and biographies published in honour of their mothers and grandmothers.

year: 2014

title: The wellbeing and social connectedness of older people in the Small Island Developing State (SIDS) of Maldives

authors: Moosa, Sheena

subjects: wellbeing

abstract: Older people in small island developing states (SIDS) live within the context of a distinctive set of circumstances in terms of the unique geo-spatial characteristics of island nations, the typically small size and dispersed nature of populations, new and emerging environmental vulnerabilities, and associated threats to economic development. Such characteristics present distinctive challenges to the wellbeing of the increasing number of older people in such countries. In seeking to gain a better understanding of these challenges, this research examines the nature of the determinants of wellbeing for older people in SIDS through a case study of ageing and wellbeing in Maldives. Wellbeing is conceptualised as being constituted through success in critical life domains in a multidimensional model that includes the socio-cultural, geo-spatial and economic living environments of older people in Maldives. A capabilities approach to understanding wellbeing taking into account of the opportunities for older people to live a valued life - ‘to do and to be what they have reason to value’ – is adopted, and this informs the examination of older people’s experiences in the life domains of health, social connectedness, economic status, access to goods and services, and ability to conform with social norms and values.  A survey instrument was developed in consultation with key individuals in the health and social service sector, along with a sample of older people themselves, and this was used to interview 393 older people (65 + years). The findings support the novel conceptualisation of the five life domains specific to this SIDS context. The most important determinants were health and social connectedness, each having a large impact on wellbeing, while economic status, ability to conform with social values and norms, and access to goods and services had small but significant correlations. The large contribution of social connectedness and the centrality of family in social connectedness points to the importance of collectivist social arrangements in Maldives, despite the geo-spatial challenges confronting a widely dispersed population. This approach to conceptualising wellbeing, and the indicators and measures that were developed provide a basis for further research and policy that extends beyond Maldives to other SIDS, and to international development partners.

text: The wellbeing and social connectedness of older people in the Small Island Developing State (SIDS) of Maldives Older people in small island developing states (SIDS) live within the context of a distinctive set of circumstances in terms of the unique geo-spatial characteristics of island nations, the typically small size and dispersed nature of populations, new and emerging environmental vulnerabilities, and associated threats to economic development. Such characteristics present distinctive challenges to the wellbeing of the increasing number of older people in such countries. In seeking to gain a better understanding of these challenges, this research examines the nature of the determinants of wellbeing for older people in SIDS through a case study of ageing and wellbeing in Maldives. Wellbeing is conceptualised as being constituted through success in critical life domains in a multidimensional model that includes the socio-cultural, geo-spatial and economic living environments of older people in Maldives. A capabilities approach to understanding wellbeing taking into account of the opportunities for older people to live a valued life - ‘to do and to be what they have reason to value’ – is adopted, and this informs the examination of older people’s experiences in the life domains of health, social connectedness, economic status, access to goods and services, and ability to conform with social norms and values.  A survey instrument was developed in consultation with key individuals in the health and social service sector, along with a sample of older people themselves, and this was used to interview 393 older people (65 + years). The findings support the novel conceptualisation of the five life domains specific to this SIDS context. The most important determinants were health and social connectedness, each having a large impact on wellbeing, while economic status, ability to conform with social values and norms, and access to goods and services had small but significant correlations. The large contribution of social connectedness and the centrality of family in social connectedness points to the importance of collectivist social arrangements in Maldives, despite the geo-spatial challenges confronting a widely dispersed population. This approach to conceptualising wellbeing, and the indicators and measures that were developed provide a basis for further research and policy that extends beyond Maldives to other SIDS, and to international development partners.

year: 2016

title: Are You Listening? The Voice of Waitaha, A Forgotten People.

authors: Reese, Alistair William

subjects: maori

abstract: This thesis is a study of Waitaha, a Bay of Plenty iwi that has been marginalized through
the loss of most of its land, much of its language, tikanga, and mana. The purpose of the
work is to communicate, through the 'voice' and the history of the people, a chronicle, of
their alienation to a Pākehā audience that remains in large part ignorant and distant from
their plight.
The thesis is motivated by an academic responsibility to the Treaty of Waitangi and the
lack of understanding to the present needs of Māori as evidenced for example, by the
support for the January 2004 Orewa speech, by the leader of the National Party, Don
Brash. It is predicated upon the understanding that this response, which minimalises the
impact of colonization upon Māori, is constructed by many, through a convenience of
distance. It is motivated also on the understanding that most Pākehā who now inhabit the rohe of Waitaha, are completely ignorant of the identity of tangata whenua. It is hoped
that the presentation of the Waitaha story, will provoke a greater empathy from Pākehā,
and thereby facilitate an environment, whereby grievances can be addressed in an
environment of greater understanding.
The thesis is a qualitative based research exercise, carried out in consultation with
kaumātua and other Waitaha members, and attempts to acknowledge and integrate current kaupapa Māori epistemologies with traditional Western academic methodology.
The study uses interviews, Waitangi Tribunal evidence, and other historical references to
construct a narrative that conveys something of the 'voice' of Waitaha. Specifically, it
outlines a chronology of Waitaha settlement, followed by a description of their encounter
with Pākehā, the consequent alienation of the majority of their lands by the Crown, and
concludes, with a glimpse into the current circumstance of Manoeka, the papakainga of
Waitaha.

text: Are You Listening? The Voice of Waitaha, A Forgotten People. This thesis is a study of Waitaha, a Bay of Plenty iwi that has been marginalized through
the loss of most of its land, much of its language, tikanga, and mana. The purpose of the
work is to communicate, through the 'voice' and the history of the people, a chronicle, of
their alienation to a Pākehā audience that remains in large part ignorant and distant from
their plight.
The thesis is motivated by an academic responsibility to the Treaty of Waitangi and the
lack of understanding to the present needs of Māori as evidenced for example, by the
support for the January 2004 Orewa speech, by the leader of the National Party, Don
Brash. It is predicated upon the understanding that this response, which minimalises the
impact of colonization upon Māori, is constructed by many, through a convenience of
distance. It is motivated also on the understanding that most Pākehā who now inhabit the rohe of Waitaha, are completely ignorant of the identity of tangata whenua. It is hoped
that the presentation of the Waitaha story, will provoke a greater empathy from Pākehā,
and thereby facilitate an environment, whereby grievances can be addressed in an
environment of greater understanding.
The thesis is a qualitative based research exercise, carried out in consultation with
kaumātua and other Waitaha members, and attempts to acknowledge and integrate current kaupapa Māori epistemologies with traditional Western academic methodology.
The study uses interviews, Waitangi Tribunal evidence, and other historical references to
construct a narrative that conveys something of the 'voice' of Waitaha. Specifically, it
outlines a chronology of Waitaha settlement, followed by a description of their encounter
with Pākehā, the consequent alienation of the majority of their lands by the Crown, and
concludes, with a glimpse into the current circumstance of Manoeka, the papakainga of
Waitaha.

year: 2006