title: Seeking (and Finding) Ulysses: Some Positive Ageing Narratives in Recent Fiction and Film

authors: Osborne, Patricia Lynne Clara

subjects: Ageing

abstract: The process of ageing is all too often seen as something to be avoided, feared or even, sadly, ridiculed. We are all familiar with literary and film narratives which portray older persons as either curmudgeons or crones, or personify them as being ugly or ill (Up, Grumpy Old Men, Snow White‟s stepmother in disguise, Red Riding Hood‟s grandmother) – images which often translate to real-life assumptions about older people, and ageist attitudes which are not conducive to individuals ageing well. Commentators within the field of Social Gerontology have noted with concern the dominance of such negative stereotypes, linking them to poor outcomes for real-life older persons.

Yet, instinct suggests that we are right to fear such prospects for our own ageing, and this raises the question: „With what can we replace these age-old models of decline and decay?‟
A partial answer to this question can be found in a recent abundance of positive literary and filmic portrayals of older persons leading triumphant, vibrant and adventurous lives. Via a brief survey of some texts and films drawn from the recent past, which includes Joanne Harris‟ novel Chocolat, Helen Simonson‟s Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, and the films Skyfall and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this thesis examines some positive fictional portrayals of ageing in the light of contemporary research within the social sciences.

Taking as its inspiration the poem „Ulysses‟ by Alfred Lord Tennyson, this thesis is intended to be neither exhaustive nor definitive, and has as its primary motivation the purpose of highlighting key attitudinal and practicable qualities demonstrated within these fictional contexts that are applicable to ageing well in the real world, as indicated within the relevant scholarship.

text: Seeking (and Finding) Ulysses: Some Positive Ageing Narratives in Recent Fiction and Film The process of ageing is all too often seen as something to be avoided, feared or even, sadly, ridiculed. We are all familiar with literary and film narratives which portray older persons as either curmudgeons or crones, or personify them as being ugly or ill (Up, Grumpy Old Men, Snow White‟s stepmother in disguise, Red Riding Hood‟s grandmother) – images which often translate to real-life assumptions about older people, and ageist attitudes which are not conducive to individuals ageing well. Commentators within the field of Social Gerontology have noted with concern the dominance of such negative stereotypes, linking them to poor outcomes for real-life older persons.

Yet, instinct suggests that we are right to fear such prospects for our own ageing, and this raises the question: „With what can we replace these age-old models of decline and decay?‟
A partial answer to this question can be found in a recent abundance of positive literary and filmic portrayals of older persons leading triumphant, vibrant and adventurous lives. Via a brief survey of some texts and films drawn from the recent past, which includes Joanne Harris‟ novel Chocolat, Helen Simonson‟s Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, and the films Skyfall and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this thesis examines some positive fictional portrayals of ageing in the light of contemporary research within the social sciences.

Taking as its inspiration the poem „Ulysses‟ by Alfred Lord Tennyson, this thesis is intended to be neither exhaustive nor definitive, and has as its primary motivation the purpose of highlighting key attitudinal and practicable qualities demonstrated within these fictional contexts that are applicable to ageing well in the real world, as indicated within the relevant scholarship.

year: 2014

title: International symposium on volcanic-ash soils and field workshop in Mt Fuji area, Japan - conference report

authors: Lowe, David J.

abstract: An international symposium on Andisols and related soils, comprising one day of invited lectures at the Ikuta campus of Meiji University (17 March, 2006) and a two-day field trip in the Mt Fuji-Hakone area (18–19 March), was convened by soil scientist Professor Hiroshi Takesako, School of Agriculture, Meiji University (Ikuta campus), Kawasaki city, Kanagawa prefecture (near Tokyo). The 44 symposium and field trip were followed by the 50th anniversary meeting of the Japanese Society of Pedology (JSP), which consisted of one day of presentations (20 March) in the College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University (Shonann campus), Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture. The symposium was sponsored by the Institute of Science and Technology of Meiji University, and by JSP.  
Prof. Hiroshi Takesako, who twice has visited the Department of Earth Sciences at University of Waikato (in September, 2001 – see Lowe, 2001 – and in August-September, 2004), organized the symposium partly to expose his students to an international panel of English-speaking soil scientists with some expertise in Andisols or related volcanic-ash derived soils. Hiroshi was also keen to sponsor and support scientists from developing Asian countries (and New Zealand). Consequently, six invited speakers each presented ~40-minute lectures on the first day of the symposium. All wrote up their lectures as papers for publication in the Proceedings (edited by Hiroshi Takesako). Copies of powerpoint presentations were made available as handouts (most in colour) for the participants to help enable them to follow the talks. Around 50 geoscientists and students attended the symposium lectures.

text: International symposium on volcanic-ash soils and field workshop in Mt Fuji area, Japan - conference report An international symposium on Andisols and related soils, comprising one day of invited lectures at the Ikuta campus of Meiji University (17 March, 2006) and a two-day field trip in the Mt Fuji-Hakone area (18–19 March), was convened by soil scientist Professor Hiroshi Takesako, School of Agriculture, Meiji University (Ikuta campus), Kawasaki city, Kanagawa prefecture (near Tokyo). The 44 symposium and field trip were followed by the 50th anniversary meeting of the Japanese Society of Pedology (JSP), which consisted of one day of presentations (20 March) in the College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University (Shonann campus), Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture. The symposium was sponsored by the Institute of Science and Technology of Meiji University, and by JSP.  
Prof. Hiroshi Takesako, who twice has visited the Department of Earth Sciences at University of Waikato (in September, 2001 – see Lowe, 2001 – and in August-September, 2004), organized the symposium partly to expose his students to an international panel of English-speaking soil scientists with some expertise in Andisols or related volcanic-ash derived soils. Hiroshi was also keen to sponsor and support scientists from developing Asian countries (and New Zealand). Consequently, six invited speakers each presented ~40-minute lectures on the first day of the symposium. All wrote up their lectures as papers for publication in the Proceedings (edited by Hiroshi Takesako). Copies of powerpoint presentations were made available as handouts (most in colour) for the participants to help enable them to follow the talks. Around 50 geoscientists and students attended the symposium lectures.

year: 2006

title: Reimagining community resilience through a Te Ao Maori worldview

authors: Boston, Megan

abstract: Efforts to improve community resilience have seen universal efforts to grow capabilities in disaster management for the built environment. Although comprehensive frameworks exist, the perspective used to derive these frameworks fails to address marginalised communities' vulnerabilities, including Indigenous Māori people. Colonization and socio-economic deprivation on Māori mean community response frameworks fail to reflect their values and specific needs when preparing and responding to natural disasters. The nature of Māori culture and values presents an opportunity to reimagine the scope of community resilience for an inclusive framework. The Māori history has resilient practices weaved into the very fabric of their culture, which knowledge has survived through the oral transmission of waiata, whakataukī, whakairo, and pūrakau. The practice of community resilience amongst ancient Māori was not consigned to singular events but instead is a holistic perspective to the manner of living. Sourcing and qualifying this information from people aligned and immersed in nature is the knowledge required to improve the frameworks to respond to natural disasters while expanding the literature on community resilience. A comprehensive analysis of traditional Māori resilience is conducted by evaluating a variety of Mātauranga Māori that relate to the resilient nature of Māori. This information is compared to modern Māori perceptions of community resilience using a derived earthquake scenario for the local Iwi Ngati Toa, located in the city of Porirua within the Wellington region. This information will enable a comprehensive definition of community resilience and improve disaster response frameworks to be more inclusive, safe, sustainable, and resilient.

text: Reimagining community resilience through a Te Ao Maori worldview Efforts to improve community resilience have seen universal efforts to grow capabilities in disaster management for the built environment. Although comprehensive frameworks exist, the perspective used to derive these frameworks fails to address marginalised communities' vulnerabilities, including Indigenous Māori people. Colonization and socio-economic deprivation on Māori mean community response frameworks fail to reflect their values and specific needs when preparing and responding to natural disasters. The nature of Māori culture and values presents an opportunity to reimagine the scope of community resilience for an inclusive framework. The Māori history has resilient practices weaved into the very fabric of their culture, which knowledge has survived through the oral transmission of waiata, whakataukī, whakairo, and pūrakau. The practice of community resilience amongst ancient Māori was not consigned to singular events but instead is a holistic perspective to the manner of living. Sourcing and qualifying this information from people aligned and immersed in nature is the knowledge required to improve the frameworks to respond to natural disasters while expanding the literature on community resilience. A comprehensive analysis of traditional Māori resilience is conducted by evaluating a variety of Mātauranga Māori that relate to the resilient nature of Māori. This information is compared to modern Māori perceptions of community resilience using a derived earthquake scenario for the local Iwi Ngati Toa, located in the city of Porirua within the Wellington region. This information will enable a comprehensive definition of community resilience and improve disaster response frameworks to be more inclusive, safe, sustainable, and resilient.

year: 2023