title: ‘Immune from the germ-laden things’: Immunity and Irish newspaper advertising, 1890–1940

authors: Long, Maebh

subjects: immunity

abstract: From 1890, as advertising in Irish newspapers grew in quantity and sophistication, a discourse of immunity began to circulate. Advertisers drew on advancements in bacteriology and immunology to present their goods as defensive strategies against a range of threats, from major infectious diseases to everyday coughs and colds. Consumers were urged to supplement their bodies’ vulnerabilities by purchasing pills and tonics, with medical products joined by immunity-assuring underwear, coats, cosmetics and cars. From a dataset of every immunity-focused advertisement in the Irish Newspaper Archives and The Irish Times archives between 1890 and 1940, I unpack the ways immunity was presented to the Irish public outside of medical institutions. I show how discourses of immunity intersected with influenza outbreaks, consider the implication of the non-national origins of many advertisements, and trace their rhetoric of protection and resistance across a range of product types.

text: ‘Immune from the germ-laden things’: Immunity and Irish newspaper advertising, 1890–1940 From 1890, as advertising in Irish newspapers grew in quantity and sophistication, a discourse of immunity began to circulate. Advertisers drew on advancements in bacteriology and immunology to present their goods as defensive strategies against a range of threats, from major infectious diseases to everyday coughs and colds. Consumers were urged to supplement their bodies’ vulnerabilities by purchasing pills and tonics, with medical products joined by immunity-assuring underwear, coats, cosmetics and cars. From a dataset of every immunity-focused advertisement in the Irish Newspaper Archives and The Irish Times archives between 1890 and 1940, I unpack the ways immunity was presented to the Irish public outside of medical institutions. I show how discourses of immunity intersected with influenza outbreaks, consider the implication of the non-national origins of many advertisements, and trace their rhetoric of protection and resistance across a range of product types.

year: 2024

title: Truth as a cultural value

authors: Wyatt, Jeremy

abstract: Gila Sher (2025) puts forward a theory of truth that is founded on a thought-provoking strategy for thinking about truth’s nature. According to this strategy, in attempting to develop an account of truth’s nature, we should foreground the fact that truth is an intrinsic human value. In this brief commentary, I will argue that truth is best described as a cultural, rather than a human, value. I will then explore the ramifications that this has for Sher’s strategy for thinking about truth’s nature.

text: Truth as a cultural value Gila Sher (2025) puts forward a theory of truth that is founded on a thought-provoking strategy for thinking about truth’s nature. According to this strategy, in attempting to develop an account of truth’s nature, we should foreground the fact that truth is an intrinsic human value. In this brief commentary, I will argue that truth is best described as a cultural, rather than a human, value. I will then explore the ramifications that this has for Sher’s strategy for thinking about truth’s nature.

year: 2026

title: Whiti te rā: A guide to connecting Māori to traditional wellbeing pathways.

authors: McLachlan, Andre David

abstract: Māori health models, introduced in the 1980s, brought needed cultural worldviews to an otherwise monocultural health system. However, minimal changes have occurred. In mainstream practice, deeper cultural understandings and action-orientations of these models can be overlooked, to the detriment of Māori wellbeing.
In particular, Māori cultural concepts such as mauri ora (an active state of wellbeing) and a secure cultural identity are notable core wellbeing pathways that need further exploration. Using a systematic narrative literature review, 36 papers identified pathways that used core cultural activities for Māori wellbeing. A thematic analysis produced six themes or pathways towards wellbeing for Māori – te reo Māori: Māori language, taiao: connection with the environment, wairua: Māori spiritual beliefs and practices, mahi-a-toi:
Māori expressive art forms, take pū whānau: Māori relational values, and whakapapa: intergenerational relationships. Forty experienced Māori psychologists analysed the themes and offered expert examples practice pathways for Māori wellbeing. The six themes and feedback is presented in a visual image Whiti Te Rā with instructions for Māori practitioners to guide whai ora Māori (Māori clients) to explore their level of knowledge and comfort, and active engagement with Māori pathways to wellbeing. The model has potential for mental health policy, future research, curriculum development, and synthesising Māori knowledge towards wellbeing pathways.

text: Whiti te rā: A guide to connecting Māori to traditional wellbeing pathways. Māori health models, introduced in the 1980s, brought needed cultural worldviews to an otherwise monocultural health system. However, minimal changes have occurred. In mainstream practice, deeper cultural understandings and action-orientations of these models can be overlooked, to the detriment of Māori wellbeing.
In particular, Māori cultural concepts such as mauri ora (an active state of wellbeing) and a secure cultural identity are notable core wellbeing pathways that need further exploration. Using a systematic narrative literature review, 36 papers identified pathways that used core cultural activities for Māori wellbeing. A thematic analysis produced six themes or pathways towards wellbeing for Māori – te reo Māori: Māori language, taiao: connection with the environment, wairua: Māori spiritual beliefs and practices, mahi-a-toi:
Māori expressive art forms, take pū whānau: Māori relational values, and whakapapa: intergenerational relationships. Forty experienced Māori psychologists analysed the themes and offered expert examples practice pathways for Māori wellbeing. The six themes and feedback is presented in a visual image Whiti Te Rā with instructions for Māori practitioners to guide whai ora Māori (Māori clients) to explore their level of knowledge and comfort, and active engagement with Māori pathways to wellbeing. The model has potential for mental health policy, future research, curriculum development, and synthesising Māori knowledge towards wellbeing pathways.

year: 2021