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  • Publication
    An ACT UP case study: How the mainstream consumption of queer culture and contemporary masculinities obscures a continuity of queer oppression
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Williams, Mitchell
    Throughout the AIDS crisis, mainstream media depicted queer populations, specifically queer men, through a lens of deviance. These depictions, in concert with political homophobia, slowed AIDS research, limited media coverage of the crisis, and created barriers for marginalised people to access healthcare. To oppose this queer disenfranchisement from dominating medical, scientific, and political establishments, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) emerged—promoting a more forceful, equitable, and humane response to a disease killing the most vulnerable members of society. By advocating for queer rights and facing challenges brought on by the AIDS crisis, ACT UP ruptured the invisibility of queer oppression and brought queerness from the fringes of society into mainstream cultural awareness. Since ACT UP, there has been some progression in queer rights and many of the challenges faced in the early days of the AIDS crisis have come to be (perceived as) resolved. However, queer people continue to face discrimination via increasing amounts of anti-queer policy and extreme-Right hostilities. Yet, the radical voices that once brought such issues to the forefront have since dispersed. Therefore, this study argues that queer oppression made visible during the AIDS crisis has continued to the present day but it is no longer as salient nor as apparent to mainstream society as it was during the time of ACT UP. A key reason for this argument is that queer visibility in mainstream media gives the illusion that traditional forms of queer discrimination have been resolved when in actuality, the consumption of queer culture by non-queer audiences obscures a continuity of queer oppression. These processes of obscuration may, in part, be driven by the lack of attention historical forms of queer resistance have received. To provide theoretical insights into ways the mainstream consumption of queer culture has perpetuated and obscured a continuity of queer oppression, this study employed an exploratory case study evaluation of ACT UP. This case study was guided by the sociological and Black feminist frameworks of intersectionality and the matrix of domination, with a particular focus on controlling images. Special interest was also devoted to exploring the ways contemporary masculinities can be used to understand configurations of power in the queer community. This study found that mainstream media perpetuated and obscured queer oppression throughout the AIDS crisis by spreading misinformation surrounding AIDS and the AIDS crisis, misrepresenting people with AIDS, and mis-historicising ACT UP. Additionally, this study found that masculinities influenced how men in ACT UP navigated and accessed power, most notably by leveraging their maleness and whiteness. This study concludes by framing this contemporary phenomenon as a form of epistemic violence. This study also expands upon the concept of queer blindfolding as an investigative tool for understanding how queer voices are silenced. This research is important because it draws on historical accounts to expand present-day understandings of an under-researched, contemporary queer issue, as well as honours the people who put their bodies on the line for queer rights.
  • Publication
    Using the theory of planned behaviour to predict intentions to reduce the environmental impact of travel
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Reddy, Siddhart
    The use of private cars is responsible for a large amount of the world’s CO2 emissions and the amount of pollution produced by the aviation industry is also growing at an alarming rate. Thus, it is important to understand the factors that can lead to pro-environmental behaviours (PEB), such as choosing more environmentally friendly options for air and car travel. I explored whether the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) variables of environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC) predicted individuals’ willingness to change their travel behaviour. A sample of 327 participants from New Zealand and the United States of America completed an online questionnaire measuring TPB variables for low-, medium- and high-cost behaviours which were defined as short, medium, and long trips by both car and plane. I hypothesised that, in line with the A-B-C model, the TBP variables would be most predictive of intentions to reduce the environmental impact of medium-cost behaviours, rather than low- or high-cost behaviours. Attitudes, subjective norms, and PBC almost always significantly predicted behavioural intention for the NZ sample, whilst only subjective norms and PBC were significant predictors for the USA sample, however, there was no support for the low-cost hypothesis or A-B-C model. Findings may influence and inform interventions and policy aimed at behavioural change in different contexts and that it may be beneficial for interventions to be tailored to specific populations based upon the strength of correlating variables.
  • Publication
    Ungentlemanly warfare: The impact of irregular warfare on military strategy in the New Zealand Wars
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2023) Foy, Rhys
    ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ examines the impact of irregular warfare on strategic thinking in the New Zealand Wars (1845–1872). Britain entered the period as an eighteenth-century force reliant on European methods of war. In contrast, Māori were an experienced bushfighting force depleted on manpower but experiencing a period of military innovation. This interaction led to an important exchange of strategic ideology and methods. This thesis tracks how Māori, British, and colonial forces developed and exchanged irregular warfare practices across three regions and time periods. The Northern War exposed the shortcomings of conventional military conduct. Māori leadership altered their strategic approach and pursued a strategy of elastic offence. In contrast, British leadership persisted with their ineffective conventional means of warfare. In the Waikato War, British strategy was influenced by the success of colonial irregulars. British strategic and operational methods changed with the inclusion of multi-echelon warfare and the indirect approach. Kīngitanga leadership improved their combat capacity through guerrilla warfare, decentralised command, and a grand strategy of elastic offence. The Taranaki and West Coast campaigns highlighted the relationship between the use of irregular warfare and military success in New Zealand. Both sides experienced success and failure across numerous conflicts, the defining factor being the active use of irregular warfare. These case studies reveal the significance of irregular warfare strategies and tactics to military success in colonial New Zealand. They also reveal opportunities and challenges to military adaptation in Māori, British, and colonial martial cultures of the nineteenth century. ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ provides a unique approach to the examination of the New Zealand Wars conflict. It is an operational history that draws upon methods and aspects of the ‘war and society’ approach to military history, especially the use of Māori scholarship, evidence, and theory. The thesis’ chapters consider strategic and tactical decision-making across the numerous conflicts within the period. To do so, I provide close readings of primary evidence, including military communication and reports, early histories, and first-person accounts, to identify the roles of irregular warfare and strategic adaptions in the New Zealand Wars. ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ analyses the impact of irregular warfare on the strategic thinking of military leaders within the New Zealand Wars. I argue that irregular warfare strategies and tactics played a significantly larger role in the outcome of events than previously acknowledged. This study illustrates the importance of guerrilla warfare and the strategy of elastic offence to Māori strategy. In contrast, it highlights the evolution of British military thinking from conventional conservatism to a multi-echelon force led by irregular warfare units and tactics. ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ argues that irregular warfare was central to military conflicts in nineteenth-century New Zealand.
  • Publication
    Building beyond formality: Navigating Jamaica’s informal construction sector through class, culture and economic resilience
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024-11-27) Bennett, Sharayne
    This doctoral thesis is an exploration of Jamaica’s informal construction sector, unpacking its labour distinctiveness, actors, and activities while examining its deep-seated connections to the island’s historical, cultural, and socio-economic context. Through nine months of ethnographic engagement with an informal building construction crew, the thesis provides insights into the motivations of workers, interactions in the workplace, the culture of informal construction, and contributions to the national economy. At its core, the study questions the persistence of Jamaica’s informal construction industry within the hegemonic context of a Western market economy. In this context, I examine the dynamics of class culture, including the rituals and forms of exchange among workers in this industry. The blurred lines between formal and informal aspects of building construction as well as the reproduction of technical knowledge also hint at reasons for the tenacity of the informal economy. I critically engage with the concept of precarity to examine the long history of precarious lives in Jamaica. I explore the dichotomy of alienation versus ownership, emphasising the informal sector’s capacity to foster a sense of ownership in contrast to the alienation often experienced in formal systems. I also shine a light on gender disparities, discuss performances of masculinity and unveil the roles and experiences of women in this male-dominated environment. Finally, the study addresses the significant impacts of the 2019 Sars Cov2 pandemic on the social and economic realities within informal construction.
  • Publication
    Exploring the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Noble, Anya Sophia
    The surface of plant leaves, termed phyllosphere, is a ubiquitous microbial habitat that harbours diverse communities of microorganisms. Although a growing body of experimental evidence demonstrates that these microorganisms can have an influential role in host physiology, the ecological processes that drive the assembly of natural phyllosphere communities remain poorly understood. Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka) is an indigenous New Zealand tea tree widely known for the non-peroxide antibacterial properties of its honey. However, the host physiological traits associated with these properties exhibit variation that remain unexplained despite decades of research. Considering a preliminary study that identified spatially persistent host association in the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome with patterns congruent with those of a microbial community under strong host selection, the primary objective of this research was to generate a holistic understanding of the ecological processes underpinning community assembly in the natural mānuka phyllosphere. Since the host specificity of the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome was unquantified, this PhD thesis research began with a multi-species, spatially hierarchical survey of a native forest to understand the relative influence of host species identity versus distance on the phyllosphere microbiome of mānuka and ecologically similar, adjacent native plant species. The results revealed that the relative influence of host species identity on the phyllosphere microbiome was quantitatively stronger in mānuka compared to other plant species, and mānuka species-specificity was not associated with leaf morphological traits. Using a pair of morphologically indistinguishable and naturally co-occurring plant species (mānuka and Kunzea ericoides [kānuka]), I then explored the relative influence of host species identity and leaf morphology on inter-host dispersal. Specifically, I addressed a longstanding yet under-examined hypothesis that the relative strength of the phyllosphere microbiome as a source of dispersing microorganisms (i.e., source-strength) is contingent on leaf morphology. The results revealed considerable spatial heterogeneity among morphologically indistinguishable leaves at small spatial scales and suggested that mānuka may act as a stronger source of phyllosphere microorganisms than kānuka. These findings suggest that source-strength is determined by the quantitative difference in the relative strength of host selection among plant species. To contextualise this apparent spatial stability and host species-specificity of the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome, temporal variation was investigated by replicate sampling in three different seasons. My results revealed that the relative influence of individual host trees was larger than the season, and specific phyllosphere taxa persisted across time. Additionally, my results revealed an increased core microbiome during summer flowering, suggesting an association between host selection strength and host phenology. Lastly, I explored the relationship between the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome and mānuka honey quality. I sampled trees and honey from three adjacent mānuka populations known to exhibit visually discrete phenological traits (i.e., flowering time). My results revealed correlations between phyllosphere community composition and chemical properties of mānuka honey, including the primary constituent of mānuka’s non-peroxide antibacterial properties (i.e., methylglyoxal). Through the incorporation of spatial and temporal sampling designs, as well as a multi-disciplinary case study, this thesis provides a holistic understanding of the relative influence of host selection (abiotic and biotic), dispersal (short- and long-distance), and climate, on the assembly of the mānuka phyllosphere microbiome. These results also provide new perspectives on prevailing controversies (e.g., host selection vs. dispersal), address unverified hypotheses (e.g., source-strength), and illustrate a path forward that will allow the emergence of a coherent and generalisable understanding of phyllosphere microbial ecology.

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