Posts by Paul Litterick
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No, I do not think people are ganging up on me, and I do think there is a genuine argument to be had. Rob and Caleb, among others, have advanced strong arguments. But Sacha has done no more than accuse me of colonialism and demand I leave the thread, while Giovanni has accused me of misinterpreting books he clearly has not read. I have advanced my views by citing the arguments of others and engaging with opponents, which in my little academic corner of the world is how one discusses matters. Yet you can 'sense' that Giovanni is right and I am wrong.
Maybe you would be happier if I admitted that what matters here is not the quality of argument but its concordance with the prevailing orthodoxy and the mana of the speaker.
The point Rob observed Novitz making, that arguments about art are about a whole lot more than aesthetics, is very timely.
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Hey hey, my my, Rock 'n' Roll will never die. I am offering you these articles because they are important. Perhaps you might read them.
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One is the lack of references past 2000; two, is the reliance on Pakeha/ European/other non-ANZ scholars, and three - the almost total lack of reference to practises/experiences in the South. Kai/Ngai Tahu are the 3rd largest tribe i te motu...
Both articles were written before 2000, so later references would be a difficulty. The "not written by a Maori" argument is known in the trade as "essentialism" and outside it as "racism." The "not in the south" argument is one that will be familiar to readers of Stephen Potter.
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Giovanni, I would have not raised my qualifications had Sacha not made his asinine comparison, which sought to invalidate my arguments on the basis of our respective educations. But then, that is the quality of contribution which Sacha has made to this discussion throughout. And for you to suggest that I have used my qualifications as a bludgeon is unfair: I have quoted sources throughout. The "it's easy to get a bit enthusiastic" tactic is a nice try, especially at this late stage in the game, but no better than your Boardman ruse.
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Paul can say whatever he likes about me, but it is ill-advised to tar Giovanni with the same brush.
Alright, then I will: you are an idiot (1).
(1) Giovanni Tiso's PhD is in English Literature; his thesis title is Impossile Recollections: The Troubled Imaginary of Mediated Memory. I am working towards my PhD in Art History, which is on the Architectural Culture of New Zealand. I have a BA (Hons) from Nottingham University and an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art, which just happens to be the best Art History school in the world. I admit to many failings and I acknowledge that Dottore Tiso has many strengths, but I am the Art History man.
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Um Bongo
Um Bongo
They drink it in the Congo -
Further reading for folks who hold with book learning:
Sissons, Jeffrey. "The systematisation of tradition: Maori culture as a strategic resource." Oceania 64.2 (1993)
Sissons, Jeffrey. "The traditionalisation of the Maori meeting house." Oceania 69.1 (1998)
Yet another pesky academic blowing away the mists of tradition and, like, speaking truth to power.
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Perhaps you should try writing more direct sentences. Yet still, you are writing nothing more than blah. You have nothing to contribute, Sacha. You don't understand what I am saying. You are a wiseacre and a bully.
It is not me who is making the construct - I am saying that the Western construct of art does not apply to other cultures. It is you (and Islander and Giovanni) who invest so much importance in art that you demand everyone else accept that other cultures must have it, for the sake of your cultural safety. It matters nothing to you that academics do not support your view, because it is not about facts and thoughts but about feelings. Truthiness, that's what it is.
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Have you ever gone into Te Takiroa? Seen the art, called into the walls, heard them call back?
No. How would that make a difference. Being a wanker academic, and an outsider to boot, you would hardly expect me to be able to respond to such a call, would you?
Suggested reading:
The Making of the Maori: Culture Invention and Its Logic
Allan Hanson
American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 91, No. 4 (Dec., 1989), pp. 890-9 -
Just the facts, ma'am.