From life behind the Berlin Wall to Shakespeare’s England, the Classics to climate change, eating disorders to environmental issues – bite-sized bits of intriguing and inspirational research from Massey’s humanities and social sciences scholars are on the menu of an online public series titled No Lockdown for the Mind.
The series of weekly 30-minute webinars delivered via Zoom each Friday has been launched by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as part of its community outreach programme to share knowledge and ideas with a wider audience in the digital age. No Lockdown for the Mind showcases innovative researchers whose work spans diverse subjects and social issues, from the flirting in teen films to the role of fun in politics.
Professor Cynthia White, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the college, says; “COVID-19 has confronted us with aspects of the human condition which many of us never expected to experience – isolation, lockdown, closure of borders in the face of a global pandemic. “Yet at this time there is no lockdown for the mind – the mind and the imagination can still range free, exploring new ideas, other times and other worlds, unleashing that most precious of qualities, our curiosity. Through this series of talks, we can marvel at the diversity of human experience and of the avenues of knowledge accessible to us.”
To buy or not to buy?
East German-born philosopher Dr Marco Grix, based in Auckland and teaching in the School of Humanities, launched the series with a personal account of how and why he came to study the ethics of consumption in: Goodbye, Lenin? From a Steel Town in East Germany to Working on Consumption Ethics in New Zealand. “As a 16-year old East German, I experienced with some bewilderment, but also excitement, the sudden influx of consumer goods into my world,” he says. “After the Berlin Wall fell, the shelves in our stores were transformed almost magically, and virtually overnight. So were we and our homes. Old clothes, furniture, stereos, and TVs went out. Shiny new commodities came in, at least where people could afford them.”
Growing up, he says he never considered his family as materially poor or wanting. “Our needs for food, clothing, and shelter were satisfied just fine. Yet 1989’s radical change in East German consumption showed just how alluring modern consumerism is. When I began my philosophy PhD twenty years later in New Zealand, I found myself writing about the ethics and politics of consumption, with a special focus on what we actually need to flourish as human beings.”
Dr Amy Whitehead, a social anthropologist with an interest in religious traditions and rituals, shared her insights on the statue of the Virgin Mary in shrine in a village in Spain, while theatre and literature scholar Dr Hannah August discussed Shakespeare’s England.
While the most restrictive lockdown period under Alert Levels 3 and 4 is over, the series will continue through to the end of July. Speakers scheduled for the coming weeks include geographer Dr Cadey Korson, on teaching with drones, and Dr Andrea LaMarre, a lecturer in critical health psychology on eating disorders, recovery, healthy eating and bodies.
Dr Anastasia Bakogianni, from the School of Humanities, will address the question: Do the Classics still matter? She will explore this loaded question with reference to recent adaptations of ancient myths, art, ideas and concepts in New Zealand and around the world.
Dr Kyra Clarke, from the School of English and Media Studies, will discuss her research on “the entanglement of our online and offline worlds and how this is depicted in recent teen films.” She says teen film presents a variety of intimacies between characters and flirting is a common occurrence. “In recent years, this flirting has been increasingly undertaken via digital media. While such representations don’t always reflect the ways teens themselves use digital media, it can indicate to us how we understand it to be used in our society. I question whether such representations of flirting in teen films might be valuable for starting conversations regarding the negotiation of intimacy today.”
Talks will include time for questions from the audience. To find out more, to register for a session, or view previous webinars click here www.massey.ac.nz/nolockdown
