title: Education for Authentic Democracy: Capatilism, Oppression, and Freire's Critical Pedagogy for Liberation

authors: Walker, Talia Laureen

subjects: education

abstract: Within the parameters of western ideology the concept of democracy is frequently upheld as a corner stone to which our moral, social, political and educational practices are anchored. The term has become a powerful instrument of persuasion in the public forums as the innate goodness of democracy has become more unquestionably ingrained in the historical imaginations of its citizens. As the logic surrounding the value placed on democracy is entwined with the virtues of freedom and self-determination for all, this is hardly surprising. What remains often unexplored in these public forums, however, is whether this logic is in fact justified. To situate the investigation into the current political arena is to acknowledge the dichotomy by which the philosophies of democracy and capitalism are publicly claimed to exist side by side. Such an acknowledgement forcefully yields one to the questions of to what extent our current ideologies of democracy, and the perpetuation of this dogma through our education system, can successfully result in producing an authentic democratic society within capitalist constructs.

This thesis has been written in an attempt to expose the contradiction present between our current political claims of democracy and our capitalist directed practices of education through the critical philosophy of Paulo Freire. Freire has firmly established himself as a respected democratic educator, however, my intention has not been to reduce his educational pedagogy by adapting it to attempt to improve the current system of schooling, as I argue is frequently found within educational literature, but rather to differentiate his democratic philosophy of education as the practice of freedom from the capitalist concept of education as a tool of domination and domestication.

I argue that the logic of transnational capitalism, which dictates the policies and practices of our education system, is detrimental to the development of the peoples' critical thinking facilities and thus negates their individual and collective empowerment. Such a system of banking education actively denies people the right to participate in history as subjects and inhibits the possibility of an authentic democracy. In this way the capitalist education system is in fact a system of oppression. Through Freire's critical pedagogy I argue that the transference ofknowledge through an authoritarian system does not constitute as education but is instead a training ground for workers set up in the interests of capitalist employers. Social class divisions are maintained and enforced by means of a paternalistic apparatus of hierarchy.

In supporting Freire's philosophy, and acknowledging the entirely political nature of education, I argue that an education system that would support an authentic democracy would have to practice authentic democracy. Through the concepts of 'promblematization', dialogue, critical transitivity and praxis I have attempted to refute the fatalistic assumptions that such an education system is unconceivable or unexplainable. Indeed, I argue that if our goal is to live in a democracy then such concepts are unavoidable.

The historical case study from the history of the New Zealand education system is included to illustrate the theory in practice. Here I argue that the intentions, practices and policies of the legislators were anti-democratic and anti-educational in that they constructed a compulsory system that is detrimental to the development of critical thought, self determination and dialogical knowing that is necessary to allow each member of society to be part of the governing system. By examining the consequences and legacy of this system it is possible to expose its influences in the larger educational realm in society. It is not my intention to simply present New Zealand education as an isolated case which requires examination but rather as a prominent example of how Freire's philosophy applies to traditional education in the west.

This thesis is therefore aimed at re-defining the concepts of democracy and education through critically examining the socio-economic conditions necessary for effective and equal participation in democratic forums. By critiquing the current system via the vehicle of Freire's philosophy, a prominent democratic educator, the divide between democracy as an illusion and as a reality becomes clearer.

text: Education for Authentic Democracy: Capatilism, Oppression, and Freire's Critical Pedagogy for Liberation Within the parameters of western ideology the concept of democracy is frequently upheld as a corner stone to which our moral, social, political and educational practices are anchored. The term has become a powerful instrument of persuasion in the public forums as the innate goodness of democracy has become more unquestionably ingrained in the historical imaginations of its citizens. As the logic surrounding the value placed on democracy is entwined with the virtues of freedom and self-determination for all, this is hardly surprising. What remains often unexplored in these public forums, however, is whether this logic is in fact justified. To situate the investigation into the current political arena is to acknowledge the dichotomy by which the philosophies of democracy and capitalism are publicly claimed to exist side by side. Such an acknowledgement forcefully yields one to the questions of to what extent our current ideologies of democracy, and the perpetuation of this dogma through our education system, can successfully result in producing an authentic democratic society within capitalist constructs.

This thesis has been written in an attempt to expose the contradiction present between our current political claims of democracy and our capitalist directed practices of education through the critical philosophy of Paulo Freire. Freire has firmly established himself as a respected democratic educator, however, my intention has not been to reduce his educational pedagogy by adapting it to attempt to improve the current system of schooling, as I argue is frequently found within educational literature, but rather to differentiate his democratic philosophy of education as the practice of freedom from the capitalist concept of education as a tool of domination and domestication.

I argue that the logic of transnational capitalism, which dictates the policies and practices of our education system, is detrimental to the development of the peoples' critical thinking facilities and thus negates their individual and collective empowerment. Such a system of banking education actively denies people the right to participate in history as subjects and inhibits the possibility of an authentic democracy. In this way the capitalist education system is in fact a system of oppression. Through Freire's critical pedagogy I argue that the transference ofknowledge through an authoritarian system does not constitute as education but is instead a training ground for workers set up in the interests of capitalist employers. Social class divisions are maintained and enforced by means of a paternalistic apparatus of hierarchy.

In supporting Freire's philosophy, and acknowledging the entirely political nature of education, I argue that an education system that would support an authentic democracy would have to practice authentic democracy. Through the concepts of 'promblematization', dialogue, critical transitivity and praxis I have attempted to refute the fatalistic assumptions that such an education system is unconceivable or unexplainable. Indeed, I argue that if our goal is to live in a democracy then such concepts are unavoidable.

The historical case study from the history of the New Zealand education system is included to illustrate the theory in practice. Here I argue that the intentions, practices and policies of the legislators were anti-democratic and anti-educational in that they constructed a compulsory system that is detrimental to the development of critical thought, self determination and dialogical knowing that is necessary to allow each member of society to be part of the governing system. By examining the consequences and legacy of this system it is possible to expose its influences in the larger educational realm in society. It is not my intention to simply present New Zealand education as an isolated case which requires examination but rather as a prominent example of how Freire's philosophy applies to traditional education in the west.

This thesis is therefore aimed at re-defining the concepts of democracy and education through critically examining the socio-economic conditions necessary for effective and equal participation in democratic forums. By critiquing the current system via the vehicle of Freire's philosophy, a prominent democratic educator, the divide between democracy as an illusion and as a reality becomes clearer.

year: 2008

title: Eruption Dynamics and Hydrological Implications of Basaltic Volcanic Centres at Lake Taupo

authors: Matheson, Maree Annette

subjects: basalt

abstract: The Taupo Volcanic Centre (TVC) is a major rhyolite centre within the Taupo Volcanic Zone, yet a small volume of the centre is comprised of monogenetic basalt volcanoes.  Four TVC basalts that lie north of Lake Taupo have been examined in this study: the tuff deposits of Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch, and the scoria cone complex of Punatekahi.  Inferred ages of the basalts range from ~ 200 ky (Acacia Bay tuff) to lt; 9.5 ky (Kinloch tuff).  The particular aim of this study is to determine the volcanological and hydrological controls responsible for the nature of the basaltic deposits through: field description; data on grain size, vesicularity, componentry and clast morphology (including SEM); petrography; and XRF geochemistry of six representative samples.  
The basalts share a similar mineralogy (plagioclase gt; olivine, augite) and geochemistry (low-K volcanic arc magmas), but can be clearly distinguished by their physical characteristics.  The Punatekahi basalt deposit is comprised of thick beds of scoria lapilli, and welded agglutinate, formed by magmatic strombolian and hawaiian eruptions.  The Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch deposits are all tuff deposits that have a significant base surge component resulting from phreatomagmatic surtseyan and taalian eruptions.  The Punatekahi scoria deposit has higher vesicularity values and lower lithic abundance than the other three basalt centres, reflecting the difference between magmatic and phreatomagmatic eruption mechanisms, respectively.
All of the four basalt deposits are located in areas that have at one time been covered by Lake Taupo (or its ancestor Lake Huka), and the phreatomagmatic deposits of Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch all have evidence of partial subaqueous deposition, suggesting that a lake was present at those sites at the time of eruption.  Explosive interaction of magma with groundwater occurred during all of the four eruptions.  For the eruptions at Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Punatekahi, Rangatira Ignimbrite is inferred as a likely aquifer source, and either the rhyolite dome or a fault is posited as the water source for the Kinloch basalt eruption. 
The Kinloch tuff deposit is younger than the other TVC deposits by at least ~ 100 ky.  The presence of this much younger basalt volcano indicates that, despite the dominance of rhyolitic eruptions, basalt volcanism has an ongoing presence in the TVC, and a future basalt eruption, with unique hazards, are a real possibility.

text: Eruption Dynamics and Hydrological Implications of Basaltic Volcanic Centres at Lake Taupo The Taupo Volcanic Centre (TVC) is a major rhyolite centre within the Taupo Volcanic Zone, yet a small volume of the centre is comprised of monogenetic basalt volcanoes.  Four TVC basalts that lie north of Lake Taupo have been examined in this study: the tuff deposits of Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch, and the scoria cone complex of Punatekahi.  Inferred ages of the basalts range from ~ 200 ky (Acacia Bay tuff) to lt; 9.5 ky (Kinloch tuff).  The particular aim of this study is to determine the volcanological and hydrological controls responsible for the nature of the basaltic deposits through: field description; data on grain size, vesicularity, componentry and clast morphology (including SEM); petrography; and XRF geochemistry of six representative samples.  
The basalts share a similar mineralogy (plagioclase gt; olivine, augite) and geochemistry (low-K volcanic arc magmas), but can be clearly distinguished by their physical characteristics.  The Punatekahi basalt deposit is comprised of thick beds of scoria lapilli, and welded agglutinate, formed by magmatic strombolian and hawaiian eruptions.  The Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch deposits are all tuff deposits that have a significant base surge component resulting from phreatomagmatic surtseyan and taalian eruptions.  The Punatekahi scoria deposit has higher vesicularity values and lower lithic abundance than the other three basalt centres, reflecting the difference between magmatic and phreatomagmatic eruption mechanisms, respectively.
All of the four basalt deposits are located in areas that have at one time been covered by Lake Taupo (or its ancestor Lake Huka), and the phreatomagmatic deposits of Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Kinloch all have evidence of partial subaqueous deposition, suggesting that a lake was present at those sites at the time of eruption.  Explosive interaction of magma with groundwater occurred during all of the four eruptions.  For the eruptions at Acacia Bay, Kaiapo and Punatekahi, Rangatira Ignimbrite is inferred as a likely aquifer source, and either the rhyolite dome or a fault is posited as the water source for the Kinloch basalt eruption. 
The Kinloch tuff deposit is younger than the other TVC deposits by at least ~ 100 ky.  The presence of this much younger basalt volcano indicates that, despite the dominance of rhyolitic eruptions, basalt volcanism has an ongoing presence in the TVC, and a future basalt eruption, with unique hazards, are a real possibility.

year: 2010

title: Hā Ora: secondary care barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer for Māori communities.

authors: Kidd, Jacquie

subjects: Barriers

abstract: BACKGROUND: Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori communities in particular have higher incidence and mortality rates from Lung Cancer. Diagnosis of lung cancer at an early stage can allow for curative treatment. This project aimed to document the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in secondary care for Māori communities. 
METHODS: This project used a kaupapa Māori approach. Nine community hui (focus groups) and nine primary healthcare provider hui were carried out in five rural localities in the Midland region. Community hui included cancer patients, whānau (families), and other community members. Healthcare provider hui comprised staff members at the local primary healthcare centre, including General Practitioners and nurses. Hui data were thematically analysed. 
RESULTS: Barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer were categorised into two broad themes: Specialist services and treatment, and whānau journey. The barriers and enablers that participants experienced in specialist services and treatment related to access to care, engagement with specialists, communication with specialist services and cultural values and respect, whereas barriers and enablers relating to the whānau journey focused on agency and the impact on whānau. 
CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the need to improve communication within and across healthcare services, the importance of understanding the cultural needs of patients and whānau and a health system strategy that meets these needs. Findings also demonstrated the resilience of Māori and the active efforts of whānau as carers to foster health literacy in future generations.

text: Hā Ora: secondary care barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer for Māori communities. BACKGROUND: Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori communities in particular have higher incidence and mortality rates from Lung Cancer. Diagnosis of lung cancer at an early stage can allow for curative treatment. This project aimed to document the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in secondary care for Māori communities. 
METHODS: This project used a kaupapa Māori approach. Nine community hui (focus groups) and nine primary healthcare provider hui were carried out in five rural localities in the Midland region. Community hui included cancer patients, whānau (families), and other community members. Healthcare provider hui comprised staff members at the local primary healthcare centre, including General Practitioners and nurses. Hui data were thematically analysed. 
RESULTS: Barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer were categorised into two broad themes: Specialist services and treatment, and whānau journey. The barriers and enablers that participants experienced in specialist services and treatment related to access to care, engagement with specialists, communication with specialist services and cultural values and respect, whereas barriers and enablers relating to the whānau journey focused on agency and the impact on whānau. 
CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the need to improve communication within and across healthcare services, the importance of understanding the cultural needs of patients and whānau and a health system strategy that meets these needs. Findings also demonstrated the resilience of Māori and the active efforts of whānau as carers to foster health literacy in future generations.

year: 2021