Children’s books have been around since the early 1500s. They reflect the traditional values of the times, yet they still serve as a socializing tool transmitting values from one generation to the next in today’s society (Gooden and Gooden 2001). Only in the latter years of the twentieth century has the picturebook become a serious object of academic study (Lewis 2001). Researchers began to take notice of the (under-)representation of women in children’s books and asserted commonly that reducing sexism in children’s reading materials is crucial for developing an equitable and democratic society.
Although previous research has examined the representation of gender and race in children’s literature extensively, there is, however, a major gap, focusing on the portrayal of New Zealand’s indigenous Polynesian people – specifically, the Maori woman. Little is known about the visibility of Maori women in print media (Evans 1994) and even less about their depiction in children’s picturebooks. In order to address this gap in the literature, this paper investigates the visual and verbal representation of Maori women in contemporary New Zealand picturebooks. Following the theories of Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann and George Herbert Mead I developed a model illustrating the circular process of picturebook communication.
Moreover those theories serve as a theoretical framework, constituting the subsequent content analysis. As I examined the characters of Maori women in different New Zealand picturebooks, I identified three typifications, constituting the identity of an indigenous New Zealand woman in those narratives. The Teacher, the Entertainer and the Spiritual Maori woman reinvent and reproduce, yet delimit and constrain the identity of Maori women in contemporary picturebooks. Those books fail to intertwine and integrate the two differing cultures of Maori and Pakeha (New Zealander of European descent), in their storyline, and neglect current struggles or conflicts in the social reality of New Zealand.
Based on one outstanding book, I drew the conclusion that it is through integrating the two differing symbolic universes of Pakeha and Maori into the storyline, that the multiple roles carried by Maori women can be acknowledged and an authentic portrayal of Maori women is achieved.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research purpose and research questions
1.2 Prior Research
Chapter 2: CULTURAL BACKGROUND
2.1 Maori in New Zealand – a socio-historical context
2.2 Maori and the media
Chapter 3: THE PICTUREBOOK
3.1 The nature of modern picturebooks
3.2 The interaction of image and word in picturebooks
Chapter 4: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
4.1 Social Constructionism
4.1.1 George Herbert Mead
4.1.2 Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann
4.2 The Social Construction of Gender
4.3 The Social Construction of Maori Women: Maori Feminist Theory
4.3.1 Key themes of Mana Wahine
4.3.1.1 Whakapapa (genealogy)
4.3.1.2 Whanau (extended family)
4.3.1.3 Wairua (spirit)
4.3.1.4 Atua Wahine (female goddesses)
4.3.1.5 Te Tiriti (The Treaty of Waitangi)
4.3.1.6 Decolonisation
4.4 The Social Construction of picturebooks
4.4.1 Typifications
4.4.2 Objectivation and signification
4.4.3 Symbolic Universes
4.4.4 Socialization
4.4.5 The social self
4.4.6 Language in picturebooks
4.4.7 The Social Construction of gendered Ideology in picturebooks
4.5 Conclusion: A Model of picturebook Communication
Chapter 5: METHODOLOGY
5.1 Research Approach
5.2 Method
5.3 Data gathering
5.4 Sampling
5.5 Coding
5.5.1 The societal coding frame
5.5.1.1 Whakapapa (genealogy)
5.5.1.2 Wairua (spirit)
5.5.1.3 Whanau (extended family)
5.5.1.4 Atua Wahine (female ancestors)
5.5.2 The individual coding frame
5.6 Credibility and Dependability
5.7 Confirmability and Transferability
5.8 Limitations
Chapter 6: RESULT AND ANALYSIS
6.1 Words around pictures
6.2 The findings
6.2.1 Societal coding
6.2.1.1 Whanau (extended family)
6.2.1.2 Atua Wahine (female goddesses/nature)
6.2.1.3 Whakapapa (genealogy/traditions)
6.2.1.4 Wairua (spirit)
6.2.1.5 Societal coding – a conclusion
6.2.2 Individual coding frame
6.2.3 Maori women in New Zealand picturebooks – three typifications
6.2.3.1 The Teacher
6.2.3.2 The Entertainer
6.2.3.3 The Spiritual Maori woman
6.2.3.4 Maori women in New Zealand picturebooks – Making a difference!
Chapter 7: CONCLUSION
7.1 The media’s social construction of reality
7.2 Final Words
Research Objectives and Thematic Scope
This thesis investigates the visual and verbal representation of Maori women in contemporary New Zealand picturebooks. It aims to analyze how these narratives contribute to the social construction of Maori women's identity, exploring whether these depictions reinforce stereotypes or offer authentic portrayals by integrating bicultural perspectives.
- Social constructionism as a theoretical framework (Berger, Luckmann, Mead).
- Maori feminist theory (Mana Wahine) and its core themes.
- The role of picturebooks as socializing tools in New Zealand.
- Typifications of Maori women: The Teacher, the Entertainer, and the Spiritual Maori woman.
- The necessity of integrating bicultural symbolic universes for authentic representation.
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4.4.1 Typifications
Social reality, for Berger and Luckmann, is a human product. It is the knowledge shared with others in the routines of daily life that constitutes “the fabric of meanings without which no society could exist” (Berger and Luckmann 1966:27). The world of everyday life is a taken for granted reality for the ordinary members of society and originates “in their thoughts and actions, and is maintained as real by these” (ibid.:33). However, the reality of everyday life is shared with others. It is through the interaction of human social relations, that everyday reality is a social reality creating numerous social relationships from the anonymous and distant to the intimate (Myatt 1995). These relationships are apprehended in a continuum of typificatory schemes through which individuals interpret and classify one another and determine their reaction in face-to-face encounters (Berger and Luckmann 1966:45).
Thus I apprehend the other as ‘a man’, ‘a European’, ‘a buyer’, ‘a jovial type’, and so on. All these typifications ongoingly affect my interaction with him as, say, I decide to show him a good time on the town before trying to sell him my product (ibid.).
These interpretative categories emerge out of the observation of habitually repeated actions, construed by those doing the typifying. Thus, although typifications may appear as objective categories, existing independently of human interaction, they are however human creations developed from the social interaction of individuals (Myatt 1995).
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the research purpose regarding Maori women's characters in New Zealand picturebooks and reviews existing literature to identify gaps.
Chapter 2: CULTURAL BACKGROUND: This chapter explores the socio-historical context of Maori people in New Zealand and their evolving representation within the media landscape.
Chapter 3: THE PICTUREBOOK: This chapter analyzes the unique nature of modern picturebooks, specifically focusing on the complex interrelationship between text and images.
Chapter 4: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: This chapter outlines social constructionist theories and Maori feminist perspectives (Mana Wahine) that serve as the foundation for the subsequent content analysis.
Chapter 5: METHODOLOGY: This chapter details the qualitative research approach, the data gathering process, and the specific coding frames used to analyze the picturebooks.
Chapter 6: RESULT AND ANALYSIS: This chapter presents the findings, identifying three primary typifications of Maori women and discussing how these contribute to or challenge existing social stereotypes.
Chapter 7: CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the research results and suggests that integrating diverse cultural symbolic universes is essential for more authentic representations.
Keywords
Maori women, New Zealand picturebooks, social constructionism, gender representation, Mana Wahine, Whakapapa, Wairua, Whanau, Atua Wahine, cultural identity, symbolic annihilation, typifications, socialization, biculturalism, media studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the visual and verbal representation of Maori women in contemporary New Zealand children's picturebooks to understand how their identities are socially constructed.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers social constructionism, Maori feminist theory (Mana Wahine), gender studies, and the specific role of children’s picturebooks in the process of socialization.
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The objective is to determine whether contemporary picturebooks reinforce negative stereotypes or contribute to an authentic portrayal of Maori women by analyzing the interaction of different cultural symbolic universes.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The author uses a qualitative content analysis, combining inductive and deductive techniques, guided by theoretical frameworks from Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann, and George Herbert Mead.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body investigates the coding of Maori women through a societal and individual lens, identifying three specific character typifications: The Teacher, The Entertainer, and The Spiritual Maori woman.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Maori women, picturebooks, social constructionism, Mana Wahine, typifications, and biculturalism.
How do picturebooks specifically impact children's identity formation according to the author?
The author argues that picturebooks act as socializing tools, providing role models that help children internalize societal values, ideologies, and beliefs regarding gender and cultural identities.
What is the conclusion regarding the representation of Maori women?
The conclusion states that most picturebooks represent a confined image, but that integrating the symbolic universes of both Pakeha and Maori can lead to a more authentic and diverse portrayal.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Kathrin Rochow (Autor:in), 2011, Picturing Difference: An investigation of Maori women's characters in New Zealand picturebooks, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/205579
