The migration of gymnastics coaches from the Former Soviet Union to New Zealand: an actor–network theory perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 615-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn Kerr ◽  
Camilla Obel
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network

scholarly journals The Mummy's Complaint: An Object-Biography of the Egyptian Mummies in New Zealand Museums, 1885-1897

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ryan Brown-Haysom
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Museum Studies ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Object Biography ◽  
History Of

<p>Recent years have seen a revival of interest in material objects in the humanities generally, and in Museum Studies in particular. Although the influence of this 'material turn' is still in its early stages, one of the manifestations of the renewed interest in the 'life of things' has been the growth of interest in Actor-Network Theory, a branch of sociological analysis which attempts to reconstruct the networks of agency through which social existence is created and maintained. One of the more controversial aspects of Actor-Network Theory (or ANT) is its willingness to concede a level of agency to non-human and inanimate actors in these 'assemblages'. For Museum Studies, the relevance of this theoretical framework lies in the analysis of museums both as assemblages in their own right, and as actants in a network of other sites, institutions, technologies, ideologies, and objects. Museum objects, long viewed as inert, can be seen instead as participants in the 'shuffle of agency' that constitutes institutions and inducts them into wider patterns of social activity.  This dissertation uses the case study of Egyptian mummies in New Zealand museums to gauge the usefulness of an ANT-based approach to writing the 'life-history of objects'. Borrowing the concept of the 'object biography' from Kopytoff and Appadurai, it attempts to construct such a history of the five complete Egyptian mummies in New Zealand’s public museums. Using the principles of Actor-Network Theory, it attempts to trace the ways in which mummies have been constituted as 'meaningful objects' through the examination of the ways in which they have moved through different assemblages, both globally and within New Zealand, during the twelve years from 1885 to 1897. This was the period during which all five Egyptian mummies entered New Zealand collections, traversing networks of imperialism, scientific knowledge, religious knowledge, and exchange. In the course of their movement through these diverse assemblages, the meaning of mummies – inside and outside the public museum – could be construed in radically different ways.  This dissertation considers the usefulness of such a methodology for Museum Studies and Material Culture Studies, and considers the potential benefits and pitfalls of writing about assemblages for those who want to consider the life-history of objects.</p>

scholarly journals The decision making process leading to curriculum innovation in medium sized New Zealand secondary schools since the introduction of NCEA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lee Gowan Austin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Actor Network

<p>The introduction of the current New Zealand Curriculum and National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) system provides New Zealand secondary schools with the opportunity to design unique courses that meet the particular needs of their students and the context of the school. Due to the recent implementation of this qualification (introduced in stages from 2002), there has been limited research that explores innovation in school based senior curriculum that contribute towards NCEA. This thesis investigates five innovative courses: Agribusiness, Fitness for Living, Viticulture, Sea Sports and Pasifika Studies. The research focuses on the decision making process which led to the schools implementing these innovations with an aim to identify who made these decisions and what influenced them. In order to investigate this focus, an Actor-Network theory (ANT), framework was utilised. ANT allows for the progress of an idea (the course design), to be followed and objectively views the influences (actors), on this process. The objectivity of ANT comes through the principle of symmetry which does not distinguish between social and material factors nor hold any expectations of positional power. This case studies examined were situated in medium sized secondary schools which face a limited range of resources when designing and delivering curriculum than their larger counterparts. Data collected through interviews with key actors in the course design process enabled the dynamic mapping of the network influencing the design of the course. This process determined a wide range of actors both social and material; each combination unique to the context of the school. There were a range of positional levels within each school identified as the key decision makers (the Executive); the group which had the final say on the design of the course. When the Executive deviated from senior management positions, they did so in an environment of high relational trust. Senior managers maintained a good understanding of decisions being made around the course design without interfering with the process. This research identified the influence policy and qualification criteria had on course design for the five case studies including any regulations that distorted the course design process. The level of consideration of these regulations varied across the studies. Each course network is hypothesised to be held together by a key motivator; when the motivator fails the significant actors are expected to disengage from the network. This thesis contributes insight into how innovative course design has been developed in senior secondary school and how actor network theory can be applied to educational research.</p>

scholarly journals The Development of the Learning Exchange School Clusters in New Zealand: An Actor Network Theory and Complexity Theory analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Arif Ali
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Deep Level ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Inhibiting Factors ◽  
Wide Range

<p>Students and teachers from secondary schools located in remote areas are faced with barriers to educational access not seen in denser population areas. Students have the problem of accessing teachers of specialised subjects and the curriculum options their urban counterparts enjoy. In turn, their teachers have limited opportunities for professional learning and development. Some of the inhibiting factors include small numbers of students and staff, and schools’ inability to offer a wide range of curricula, due to geographical challenges and other barriers. To overcome the barriers, some groups of schools in New Zealand initiated and self-organised a programme known as the Learning Exchange, which is an online collaborative, course-sharing programme. To participate in the programme, a number of the neighbouring schools form a regional virtual cluster and offer online classes to teach each other’s students via video-conference and other ICT settings. Similarly, teachers form online groups to collaborate with and learn from other teachers. The basic strategy behind the programme is to maximise their existing educational resources and thus overcome the barriers.  Since the programme’s inception in 2001-02, around 20 school clusters have been initiated; however as of 2016, only eight of the clusters have developed and become self-sustainable. Others struggled to continue their participation in the programme and have disappeared. Therefore, achieving self-sustainable development remains a challenge for the clusters. This research aimed to address the problem by having three main research questions: How was the Learning Exchange developed? How was the Learning Exchange utilised by some clusters in New Zealand? What were the facilitating and inhibiting factors in the development of self-sustainable school clusters?  This study adopted a qualitative research methodology within an interpretive research paradigm and a case research method. Four school clusters were selected based on a number of criteria. Each of the clusters served as the logical unit of analysis. In-depth interviews were used as the technique for data collection from individuals. Documents and other artefacts were also collected and analysed. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) was used as a theoretical lens for describing and explaining the four separate case findings. In particular, the four phases of Translation from ANT were adopted to describe the findings.  The four case findings, including the inhibiting and facilitating factors, were compared. As a result, a number of key features were concluded as the required conditions or principles for the development of self-sustaining clusters. To extend the research discussion, a complementary lens of Complexity Theory was utilised and some key principles of complex adaptive systems were used in assessing the research outcome and thus establishing further credibility of the ANT-based research findings.  The findings from this research make practical contributions by facilitating a better understanding of the conditions required for the self-sustainability of the Learning Exchange clusters. The lessons drawn from this research are valuable for researchers and practitioners of virtual collaborations operating in a similar context. The main theoretical contribution is the combined use of the ANT and Complexity Theory lenses. The combined lenses facilitated the research to develop further insights with a deep level of conceptualisation and to improve the existing understanding regarding the Learning Exchange clusters’ development and self-sustainability.</p>

scholarly journals The Development of the Learning Exchange School Clusters in New Zealand: An Actor Network Theory and Complexity Theory analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Arif Ali
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Deep Level ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Inhibiting Factors ◽  
Wide Range

<p>Students and teachers from secondary schools located in remote areas are faced with barriers to educational access not seen in denser population areas. Students have the problem of accessing teachers of specialised subjects and the curriculum options their urban counterparts enjoy. In turn, their teachers have limited opportunities for professional learning and development. Some of the inhibiting factors include small numbers of students and staff, and schools’ inability to offer a wide range of curricula, due to geographical challenges and other barriers. To overcome the barriers, some groups of schools in New Zealand initiated and self-organised a programme known as the Learning Exchange, which is an online collaborative, course-sharing programme. To participate in the programme, a number of the neighbouring schools form a regional virtual cluster and offer online classes to teach each other’s students via video-conference and other ICT settings. Similarly, teachers form online groups to collaborate with and learn from other teachers. The basic strategy behind the programme is to maximise their existing educational resources and thus overcome the barriers.  Since the programme’s inception in 2001-02, around 20 school clusters have been initiated; however as of 2016, only eight of the clusters have developed and become self-sustainable. Others struggled to continue their participation in the programme and have disappeared. Therefore, achieving self-sustainable development remains a challenge for the clusters. This research aimed to address the problem by having three main research questions: How was the Learning Exchange developed? How was the Learning Exchange utilised by some clusters in New Zealand? What were the facilitating and inhibiting factors in the development of self-sustainable school clusters?  This study adopted a qualitative research methodology within an interpretive research paradigm and a case research method. Four school clusters were selected based on a number of criteria. Each of the clusters served as the logical unit of analysis. In-depth interviews were used as the technique for data collection from individuals. Documents and other artefacts were also collected and analysed. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) was used as a theoretical lens for describing and explaining the four separate case findings. In particular, the four phases of Translation from ANT were adopted to describe the findings.  The four case findings, including the inhibiting and facilitating factors, were compared. As a result, a number of key features were concluded as the required conditions or principles for the development of self-sustaining clusters. To extend the research discussion, a complementary lens of Complexity Theory was utilised and some key principles of complex adaptive systems were used in assessing the research outcome and thus establishing further credibility of the ANT-based research findings.  The findings from this research make practical contributions by facilitating a better understanding of the conditions required for the self-sustainability of the Learning Exchange clusters. The lessons drawn from this research are valuable for researchers and practitioners of virtual collaborations operating in a similar context. The main theoretical contribution is the combined use of the ANT and Complexity Theory lenses. The combined lenses facilitated the research to develop further insights with a deep level of conceptualisation and to improve the existing understanding regarding the Learning Exchange clusters’ development and self-sustainability.</p>

scholarly journals The Mummy's Complaint: An Object-Biography of the Egyptian Mummies in New Zealand Museums, 1885-1897

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ryan Brown-Haysom
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Museum Studies ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Object Biography ◽  
History Of

<p>Recent years have seen a revival of interest in material objects in the humanities generally, and in Museum Studies in particular. Although the influence of this 'material turn' is still in its early stages, one of the manifestations of the renewed interest in the 'life of things' has been the growth of interest in Actor-Network Theory, a branch of sociological analysis which attempts to reconstruct the networks of agency through which social existence is created and maintained. One of the more controversial aspects of Actor-Network Theory (or ANT) is its willingness to concede a level of agency to non-human and inanimate actors in these 'assemblages'. For Museum Studies, the relevance of this theoretical framework lies in the analysis of museums both as assemblages in their own right, and as actants in a network of other sites, institutions, technologies, ideologies, and objects. Museum objects, long viewed as inert, can be seen instead as participants in the 'shuffle of agency' that constitutes institutions and inducts them into wider patterns of social activity.  This dissertation uses the case study of Egyptian mummies in New Zealand museums to gauge the usefulness of an ANT-based approach to writing the 'life-history of objects'. Borrowing the concept of the 'object biography' from Kopytoff and Appadurai, it attempts to construct such a history of the five complete Egyptian mummies in New Zealand’s public museums. Using the principles of Actor-Network Theory, it attempts to trace the ways in which mummies have been constituted as 'meaningful objects' through the examination of the ways in which they have moved through different assemblages, both globally and within New Zealand, during the twelve years from 1885 to 1897. This was the period during which all five Egyptian mummies entered New Zealand collections, traversing networks of imperialism, scientific knowledge, religious knowledge, and exchange. In the course of their movement through these diverse assemblages, the meaning of mummies – inside and outside the public museum – could be construed in radically different ways.  This dissertation considers the usefulness of such a methodology for Museum Studies and Material Culture Studies, and considers the potential benefits and pitfalls of writing about assemblages for those who want to consider the life-history of objects.</p>

Bones and words in 1870s New Zealand: the moa-hunter debate through actor networks

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMON THODE
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Analytical Method ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Geological Survey ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Actor Networks ◽  
Human Actors

AbstractThe paper describes an episode in New Zealand science commonly referred to as the moa-hunter debate. In the 1870s the geologist and curator of the Canterbury Museum Julius Haast put forward a proposal that a race distinct from the indigenous Maori hunted the giant flightless birds known as moa to extinction. James Hector, director of the New Zealand Geological Survey and manager of the New Zealand Institute, rejected this proposal and challenged Haast in what would become a bitter fight. Because moa remains in the form of semi-fossilized bones, eggshells and occasionally preserved feathers and skin were important in the debate, the paper will use the analytical method of actor-network theory (ANT) to reopen it. The paper thus provides an opportunity to study the strengths and weaknesses of ANT as a form of analysis. This analysis emphasizes a number of interesting points about the moa-hunter debate, including the ability of human actors to manipulate the meaning of common terms in order to create new theories, in this case Haast's theory of an earlier indigenous race in New Zealand. Though dismissed at the time, this was a belief that has lasted in alternative forms to the present.

scholarly journals The decision making process leading to curriculum innovation in medium sized New Zealand secondary schools since the introduction of NCEA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lee Gowan Austin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Actor Network

<p>The introduction of the current New Zealand Curriculum and National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) system provides New Zealand secondary schools with the opportunity to design unique courses that meet the particular needs of their students and the context of the school. Due to the recent implementation of this qualification (introduced in stages from 2002), there has been limited research that explores innovation in school based senior curriculum that contribute towards NCEA. This thesis investigates five innovative courses: Agribusiness, Fitness for Living, Viticulture, Sea Sports and Pasifika Studies. The research focuses on the decision making process which led to the schools implementing these innovations with an aim to identify who made these decisions and what influenced them. In order to investigate this focus, an Actor-Network theory (ANT), framework was utilised. ANT allows for the progress of an idea (the course design), to be followed and objectively views the influences (actors), on this process. The objectivity of ANT comes through the principle of symmetry which does not distinguish between social and material factors nor hold any expectations of positional power. This case studies examined were situated in medium sized secondary schools which face a limited range of resources when designing and delivering curriculum than their larger counterparts. Data collected through interviews with key actors in the course design process enabled the dynamic mapping of the network influencing the design of the course. This process determined a wide range of actors both social and material; each combination unique to the context of the school. There were a range of positional levels within each school identified as the key decision makers (the Executive); the group which had the final say on the design of the course. When the Executive deviated from senior management positions, they did so in an environment of high relational trust. Senior managers maintained a good understanding of decisions being made around the course design without interfering with the process. This research identified the influence policy and qualification criteria had on course design for the five case studies including any regulations that distorted the course design process. The level of consideration of these regulations varied across the studies. Each course network is hypothesised to be held together by a key motivator; when the motivator fails the significant actors are expected to disengage from the network. This thesis contributes insight into how innovative course design has been developed in senior secondary school and how actor network theory can be applied to educational research.</p>

STRUCTURING A SUCCESSFUL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROCESS: A CASE STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF ACTOR NETWORK THEORY

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huda Ibrahim ◽  
Hasmiah Kasimin
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Transfer Process ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Private Company ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Technology Transfer Process

An effi cient and effective information technology transfer from developed countries to Malaysia is an important issue as a prerequisite to support the ICT needs of the country to become not only a ICT user but also a ICT producer. One of the factors that infl uences successful information technology transfer is managing the process of how technology transfer occurs in one environment. It involves managing interaction between all parties concerned which requires an organized strategy and action toward accomplishing technology transfer objective in an integrated and effective mode. Using a conceptual framework based on the Actor Network Theory (ANT), this paper will analyse a successful information technology transfer process at a private company which is also a supplier of information technology (IT) products to the local market. This framework will explain how the company has come up with a successful technology transfer in a local environment. Our study shows that the company had given interest to its relationships with all the parties involved in the transfer process. The technology transfer programme and the strategy formulated take into account the characteristics of technology and all those involved.  

The Action of Christian Buildings on their Chinese Environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-121
Author(s):  
Michel Chambon
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Active Part ◽  
Architectural Style ◽  
Actor Network

This article explores the ways in which Christians are building churches in contemporary Nanping, China. At first glance, their architectural style appears simply neo-Gothic, but these buildings indeed enact a rich web of significances that acts upon local Christians and beyond. Building on Actor-Network Theory and exploring the multiple ties in which they are embedded, I argue that these buildings are agents acting in their own right, which take an active part in the process of making the presence of the Christian God tangible.

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