title: Dis-lodging literature from English: Challenging linguistic hegemonies

authors: Locke, Terry

subjects: literature

abstract: This paper problematises the location of literature "teaching" within the English (L1) curriculum, as is the case in New Zealand and other settings. It defamiliarises this arrangement by drawing attention to official New Zealand policies of biculturalism and to the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in many New Zealand classrooms. It identifies a number of social justice issues arising from the current arrangement, and also raises issues in respect of educational policy and ways in which canonical subjects become constructed in practice. It then discusses ways in which a new qualifications template developed at the University of Waikato might provide a vehicle for establishing a new arrangement, in terms of which literature study is dislodged from English and reshaped as a course of study entitled Literature in Society. It indicates ways in which Comparative Literature, as a predominantly university-constituted discipline, might contribute to the theorisation of this new arrangement.

text: Dis-lodging literature from English: Challenging linguistic hegemonies This paper problematises the location of literature "teaching" within the English (L1) curriculum, as is the case in New Zealand and other settings. It defamiliarises this arrangement by drawing attention to official New Zealand policies of biculturalism and to the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in many New Zealand classrooms. It identifies a number of social justice issues arising from the current arrangement, and also raises issues in respect of educational policy and ways in which canonical subjects become constructed in practice. It then discusses ways in which a new qualifications template developed at the University of Waikato might provide a vehicle for establishing a new arrangement, in terms of which literature study is dislodged from English and reshaped as a course of study entitled Literature in Society. It indicates ways in which Comparative Literature, as a predominantly university-constituted discipline, might contribute to the theorisation of this new arrangement.

year: 2004-05-01

title: 'Freedom’s Ramparts on The Sea': The postcolonial New Zealand landscape and the quest for sustainability

authors: Morad, Munir

subjects: postcolonialism

abstract: New Zealand’s colonial legacy has had a major impact on the shape of its landscape. The European settlement of New Zealand transformed both the land itself as well as the tenure arrangements that had hitherto followed traditional Maori practices. The increasing political influence of the modem conservation movement in New Zealand has been mirrored by a parallel rise in Maori engagement with environmental issues. Land tenure claims brought by the Maori under the 1970’s Treaty of Waitangi Act have enabled an alliance of Maori and environmental interests to be forged. This linkage however is very recent, and if the current unsustainable land use practices are to be mitigated in New Zealand, a synthesis of the essential elements in both cultural traditions is necessary.
Culture shapes how people identify and evaluate elements of their environment, and influences their behaviour and experiences. At a more pragmatic level, culture provides the social infrastructure and institutions that determine how renewable land resources are used and managed. The authors highlight the links between postcolonial culture and landscape management in New Zealand, contrasting Pakeha-Maori points of view and attempting to mediate between these conflicting positions. These links are examined in the context of new social, economic and ecological forces that are shaping the country’s postcolonial landscape.

text: 'Freedom’s Ramparts on The Sea': The postcolonial New Zealand landscape and the quest for sustainability New Zealand’s colonial legacy has had a major impact on the shape of its landscape. The European settlement of New Zealand transformed both the land itself as well as the tenure arrangements that had hitherto followed traditional Maori practices. The increasing political influence of the modem conservation movement in New Zealand has been mirrored by a parallel rise in Maori engagement with environmental issues. Land tenure claims brought by the Maori under the 1970’s Treaty of Waitangi Act have enabled an alliance of Maori and environmental interests to be forged. This linkage however is very recent, and if the current unsustainable land use practices are to be mitigated in New Zealand, a synthesis of the essential elements in both cultural traditions is necessary.
Culture shapes how people identify and evaluate elements of their environment, and influences their behaviour and experiences. At a more pragmatic level, culture provides the social infrastructure and institutions that determine how renewable land resources are used and managed. The authors highlight the links between postcolonial culture and landscape management in New Zealand, contrasting Pakeha-Maori points of view and attempting to mediate between these conflicting positions. These links are examined in the context of new social, economic and ecological forces that are shaping the country’s postcolonial landscape.

year: 2003

title: Models of q-algebra representations: Tensor products of special unitary and oscillator algebras

authors: Kalnins, Ernie G.

subjects: Mathematics

abstract: This paper begins a study of one- and two-variable function space models of irreducible representations of q analogs of Lie enveloping algebras, motivated by recurrence relations satisfied by q-hypergeometric functions. The algebras considered are the quantum algebra Uq(su2) and a q analog of the oscillator algebra (not a quantum algebra). In each case a simple one-variable model of the positive discrete series of finite- and infinite-dimensional irreducible representations is used to compute the Clebsch–Gordan coefficients. It is shown that various q analogs of the exponential function can be used to mimic the exponential mapping from a Lie algebra to its Lie group and the corresponding matrix elements of the ``group operators'' on these representation spaces are computed. It is shown that the matrix elements are polynomials satisfying orthogonality relations analogous to those holding for true irreducible group representations. It is also demonstrated that general q-hypergeometric functions can occur as basis functions in two-variable models, in contrast with the very restricted parameter values for the q-hypergeometric functions arising as matrix elements in the theory of quantum groups.

text: Models of q-algebra representations: Tensor products of special unitary and oscillator algebras This paper begins a study of one- and two-variable function space models of irreducible representations of q analogs of Lie enveloping algebras, motivated by recurrence relations satisfied by q-hypergeometric functions. The algebras considered are the quantum algebra Uq(su2) and a q analog of the oscillator algebra (not a quantum algebra). In each case a simple one-variable model of the positive discrete series of finite- and infinite-dimensional irreducible representations is used to compute the Clebsch–Gordan coefficients. It is shown that various q analogs of the exponential function can be used to mimic the exponential mapping from a Lie algebra to its Lie group and the corresponding matrix elements of the ``group operators'' on these representation spaces are computed. It is shown that the matrix elements are polynomials satisfying orthogonality relations analogous to those holding for true irreducible group representations. It is also demonstrated that general q-hypergeometric functions can occur as basis functions in two-variable models, in contrast with the very restricted parameter values for the q-hypergeometric functions arising as matrix elements in the theory of quantum groups.

year: 1992-07