scholarly journals An Anthropological Journey of Belonging: Somali Women Re-Imagine Home in Wellington, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shani Luxford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Civil Conflict ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Somali Woman ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Social Fields ◽  
Somali Women

<p>This thesis provides insights into refugee-background Somali women’s active productions of belonging in New Zealand, after resettlement in Wellington communities. It explores how Somali women actively negotiate belonging between three key processes: place, identity and acceptance. It does this by situating their resettlement in the context of the Somali civil conflict. I argue that home in New Zealand is based on emotional and physical attachments to multiple locales across space and time, as enacted and embodied through performances of ‘Somali woman’ identities across social fields. I show how intersectional differences produce diverse experiences of re-imagining home, and the ways that a ‘Somali woman’ identity is changing through the actions of ‘edgewalking’ participants. It also explores how belonging is a two-sided process that is affected by discourses of tolerance in New Zealand. This thesis is structured through both anthropological and feminist frameworks and thus emphasises the voices and positions of the participants at all times. The understandings presented here unfolded from interviews with eight participants, four Somali women and four non-Somalis who had extensive connections with the Somali community. Using the stories from these eight participants, this thesis demonstrates the importance of the homeland, Somaliness and tolerance in creating a sense of belonging in Wellington communities after resettlement processes.</p>

scholarly journals An Anthropological Journey of Belonging: Somali Women Re-Imagine Home in Wellington, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shani Luxford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Civil Conflict ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Somali Woman ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Social Fields ◽  
Somali Women

<p>This thesis provides insights into refugee-background Somali women’s active productions of belonging in New Zealand, after resettlement in Wellington communities. It explores how Somali women actively negotiate belonging between three key processes: place, identity and acceptance. It does this by situating their resettlement in the context of the Somali civil conflict. I argue that home in New Zealand is based on emotional and physical attachments to multiple locales across space and time, as enacted and embodied through performances of ‘Somali woman’ identities across social fields. I show how intersectional differences produce diverse experiences of re-imagining home, and the ways that a ‘Somali woman’ identity is changing through the actions of ‘edgewalking’ participants. It also explores how belonging is a two-sided process that is affected by discourses of tolerance in New Zealand. This thesis is structured through both anthropological and feminist frameworks and thus emphasises the voices and positions of the participants at all times. The understandings presented here unfolded from interviews with eight participants, four Somali women and four non-Somalis who had extensive connections with the Somali community. Using the stories from these eight participants, this thesis demonstrates the importance of the homeland, Somaliness and tolerance in creating a sense of belonging in Wellington communities after resettlement processes.</p>

scholarly journals "You can never be on one side alone": Some Young Somali-Kiwi Women's Narratives about Identity, Resettlement and Community Development in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emily Kathryn James
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Somali Women ◽  
The Government

<p>This research investigates how young Somali women are navigating through the resettlement process while negotiating their own identities in Wellington, New Zealand. It is important as it addresses two main research gaps: 1) it focuses on research with young Somali women at university and 2) it offers a strength-based analysis. The research also addresses important development concerns about how former refugees can better contribute into their host societies. Employing the use of participatory methods within a feminist qualitative methodology, I created a project that enabled the young women to voice their opinions regarding identity construction, cultural maintenance and their goals for the future.  I conducted approximately 150 hours of ethnographic research at organisations that catered to former refugee needs. I found a young female Somali student who worked as my Cultural Advisor and enhanced my credibility and access within the Somali community. I then conducted a focus group and five individual interviews with young Somali women to hear their narratives about their resettlement experience and their advice on how to improve the process for others. I conducted five interviews with key informants at organisations that provide support services for former refugees. The key informants gave the policy perspective on refugee resettlement as well as advice on how support services and the government can approve the transition for former refugees.  The results of this study revealed that the young women did feel tension at times negotiating their Somali culture and that of their host society but found benefits in both. The importance of the family resettling successfully was vital for the young women especially the wellbeing of their mothers and other female elders. The key informants echoed these sentiments and voiced the necessity for more women-focused support services. The young women also will be facing a second resettlement process through their emigration to Australia as they search for more job opportunities and a better Somali cultural connection.</p>

scholarly journals Formovanie kultúrnej a etnickej identity Maoriov prostredníctvom príslušnosti ku gangu

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-84
Author(s):  
Lucia Bistárová ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Cultural Engagement ◽  
Ethnic And Cultural Identity ◽  
Cultural Identity Development ◽  
The Impact

Though often called a “heaven on Earth” New Zealand suffers from a serious problem with gangs. Ethnic gangs have dominated the New Zealand gang scene since the 70s when many Maoris left traditional rural areas and migrated in search of work to the cities but ended up in poverty because of lack of skills and poorly-paid jobs. Maori urbanization and the dual pressures of acculturation and discrimination resulted in a breakdown of the traditional Maori social structures and alienated many from their culture. Maoris who have been unable to maintain their ethnic and cultural identity through their genealogical ties and involvement in Maori culture attempt to find it elsewhere. For many of those that have lost contact with their cultural and ethnic links gangs have replaced families and community and provides individuals with a sense of belonging and safety. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the role of gangs in Maori ethnic and cultural identity development. This paper demonstrates the impact of gang environment on individual identity development and provides evidence that cultural engagement initiatives can enhance Maori identities, which in turn could increase psychological and socio-economic wellbeing.

scholarly journals Self Help, Sunlight and a Modern Chair: Considering Auckland’s historic signage as a heritage object

2020 ◽  
pp. 69-93
Author(s):  
Caroline Powley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Visual Narrative ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Commercial Enterprise

Cities are an ever-changing space, filled with commerce and community. Signage plays a strong role in the visual narrative of the urban environment. It creates a constant visual hum, a street level monologue of promotion, identification and direction. Commercial signs are designed to serve and improve business. So, what role could an old, fading or non-functioning piece of signage possibly play in our neoliberal capitalist society? From a designer’s perspective, there’s a lot to like—the craftsmanship, the idiosyncrasies of a hand-generated pieceof typography, the sense of nostalgia for a time before globalisation and brand guidelines took over. Looking at historic signs from a broader context they also represent an “intricate urban history.”1 They speak of the changing face of commercial enterprise, social values and cultural expression. Even when they no longer serve their original semantic role of commercial promotion, they “accumulate rich layers of meaning. They no longer merely advertise, they are valued in and of themselves. They become icons.”2 The semiotic function of an historic sign shifts to a new role—signifying notions of survival, continuity and loss. They also feed into our complex personal narratives of place, identity and community.3 These multiple and interwoven values can form the cultural significance of historic signs. Despite this recognisable value, historic signage tends to fall through the gaps of heritage practice and legislation in New Zealand. This paper offers a set of case studies that represent a range of possible outcomes for historic signs, when they exist outside a system of heritage management. I propose six categories for framing the case studies: remain, repair, regenerate, relocate, replace and remove. These examples are combined with a broader reflection on the value of historic signage and an overview of relevant heritage practice in New Zealand. The intention is to encourage reflection on the possible heritage significance of historic signage and our current approach to assessment, scheduling and conservation.

scholarly journals Comfortable contemplation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joe McEwan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Present State ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
The West ◽  
Architectural Form ◽  
Mining History ◽  
Gold Miners

<p>Through the design of memorial baths on the West Coast, this thesis proposes that through an increased understanding and interpretation of place identity, memorialisation can precipitate a process of understanding and healing. This process leads the visitor to gain a heightened level of mental wellbeing.  This research sheds light on, and provides an alternative to, the present state of memorials in New Zealand, identifying them as places to heal. It provides a solution of a memorial that connects people, their thoughts and memories to architecture. This is achieved through the application of the Kessler – Kübler-Ross model by facilitating participants’ experience of grief through the bargaining, depression and acceptance stages.  This thesis proposes an architectural solution that sufficiently memorializes lost gold miners of the West Coast and their way of life. It also enquires into the somewhat aberrant architectural culture and identity of the West Coast and identifies methods of preserving this architectural regionalism before it is lost. This quickly disappearing West Coast identity and architectural regionalism becomes a further stimulant for memorialisation. The architectural form and composition respond to mining history and the miner’s way of life.  This memorial, located deep within the Southern Alps hosts a series of natural thermal baths and contemplative spaces that prompt reflection and inner thought, transporting the visitor toward an improved level of mental wellbeing through a means of triggering memory, and providing spaces that prompt contemplation.</p>

scholarly journals The Voices of Tokelau Youth in New Zealand: Na mafialeo ona Tupulaga Tokelau i Nui Hila

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Paula Kele-Faiva
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Cultural Engagement ◽  
Future Aspirations ◽  
The Future ◽  
Shared Stories

<p><b>Tokelau is a minority group within New Zealand's larger Pacific community. New Zealand has a special relationship with the three small and very isolated atolls groups which make up Tokelau. The Tokelauan population in New Zealand is nearly five times that of the homelands. As a contribution to the global 'Youth Choices Youth Voices' study of youth acculturation, this research also contributes to the experiences of Pacific youth in New Zealand. The focus of this study is on Tokelauan youth and explores the perceptions of a group of Wellington based Tokelauan youth on their identity, sense of belonging, connectedness and hopes for the future. Also, the views of a group of Tokelauan elders are presented to set the background for the youth voices to be understood. The aim of this qualitative study was to capture the unheard voice of the Tokelauan youth, to explore their stories and experiences so that the information provided will inform policy and programme planning for Tokelauan youth, as well as Pacific and other minority groups in New Zealand.</b></p> <p>Using talanoa methodology, a combination of group maopoopoga and individual in depth interviews, valuable knowledge was shared giving insights into the experiences, needs and future aspirations of Tokelauan youth in New Zealand. Feelings of how Tokelauan youth construct their identity and sense of belonging in this new homeland were also explored. The findings were that while youth each have their own experiences, shaped by their own environment in New Zealand, all strongly identified themselves as Tokelauan revealing a strong physical, emotional and spiritual connection to the homeland. The shared stories of their families journeying to New Zealand in search of better life for their children and for Tokelau, strongly influence their sense of identity and belonging. Regarded by the elders as 'the lucky generation' and 'future of Tokelau' they felt a sense of responsibility to pass on the fakaTokelau to the next generation. The main agencies these youth connected with were the family (the core group), the Kaiga Tokelau Porirua (community group) and the Mafutaga Tupulaga (youth) sports groups, church and schooling. They expressed a real passion for cultural engagement, but raised questions about the lack of youth participation in decision making, and how this might influence future cultural security. Education was important to these youth andfor the future of Tokelau. Their lack of connection to schooling and education was of most concern to them and they strongly emphasised their desire and need for more family and community support in their education. Finally, all involved in the talanoa saw the need to engage in further studies.</p>

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