Browsing by Author "Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte"

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ANTH102: Anthropology: Social and Cultural Diversity
(Victoria University of Wellington, 2005) Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte
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Problematics of Applying Indigenous Oral History to Politico-Racial Reconciliation in Aotearoa/New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2004) Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte; Hill, Richard
New Zealand is a country of four million people some 2000 kilometres east of Australia. It is internationally renowned for a number of things that reflect national mythology, such as landscape, flora and fauna, sporting prowess and - especially important for today's paper - race relations. The relations between Maori, the first arrivals a thousand years ago, and pakeha (non-Maori, mostly of British origin), has been lauded as being based on reciprocal tolerance, enlightened policies and mutual agreements - 'the best race relations in the world'. National myths, of course, seldom stand up fully to reality. Sizeable parts of the landscape have been stripped of forest, many indigenous species are under threat of extinction, the All Blacks did not reach the finals in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and race relations, past and present, have been loaded with cultural misunderstandings and located within a conflictual rather than a consensual paradigm. This paper will outline how two separate historico-cultural worldviews, Maori and pakeha, have interrelated in a key recent political process - the addressing of indigenous claims relating to dispossession and marginalisation by colonisation. Such reconciliations are part of a global trend in former settler colonies whose governments perceive that discontented minorities are counterproductive to social progress. Reparational negotiations between the New Zealand Crown and tribes have, by international standards, been successful in their timelines and outcomes. Nevertheless they have presented many practical and conceptual difficulties, resulting in part from profound differences in worldview and, relatedly, historical methodology. On the other hand, the interaction between the two perspectives has enhanced the value and possibly durability of the reparations agreements. The paper analyses the role of oral history in these processes, and concludes that a consequence of the reconciliation project, an effort being made in various quarters to reconcile these two methodologies, presents cutting edge opportunities for scholarship.
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Reiseberichte Zum Arbeiten Mit Publizierten Historischen Quellen Des 18. und 19. Jahrunderts.
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2007) Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte
Der folgende Beitrag soll dazu dienen, anhand des Themas 'Reiseberichte' die notwendigen Grundlagen fur den wissenschaftlichen Umgang mit historischen Printmedien im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert zu vermitteln. Die Buchund Zeitschriftenproduktion in diesem Zeitraum war sehr vielfaltiger Natur; deshalb bot es sich an, einen Teilbereich fur die Analyse zu wahlen. Die Gattung der Reiseberichte bietet sich in geradezu idealtypischer Weise fur volkskundliche Bearbeitung an, wie im Verlauf dieses Beitrags deutlich werden wird.
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The Story of My Life: Analyse von Motivation, Struktur und Schreibstrategien in Neusseelandischen Immigrantenautobiographien
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2005) Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte
"I sit on our terrace. It is a still and peaceful evening. The last rays of sun slant through the trees and paint golden streaks on the grass, and Indi, our old pony, stands near the water trough, content, dreaming. I, too, am content. Fate has been kind to me. Life has been good. Every day I can enjoy in New Zealand, my chosen country, is a blessing" (Tiscenko 2000: 11). Die Autobiographie Helga Tiscenkos, aus der hier zitiert wird, stellt in vieler Hinsicht - wie viele ahnliche, vielleicht weniger elegant formulierte Autobiographien - eine ergiebige Quelle fur die von Albrecht Lehmann seit vielen Jahren geforderte und betriebene Bewusstseinsanalyse von autobiographischen Texten dar. Die Geschichte ihres Lebens wird vom Ende her betrachtet, Sonnenschein, Altersweisheit, Zufriedenheit werfen em warmes Licht auf den im Folgenden dargebotenen Lebenslauf einer Frau, der im Tonfall ohne weiteres auch hatte bitter, desillusioniert, traumatisiert, depressiv und erfolglos ausfallen konnen. Erzahlte Lebensgeschichten von Auswanderern erscheinen unter einem besonders hohen Druck der 'erfolgreichen' Ruckschau zu stehen; steht doch nicht nur das Leben, sondern die durch die Emigration zweigeteilte Biographie auf dem Prufstand. Lebensberichte von Auswanderern mussen sich in dreifacher Hinsicht positiv absichern: gegen die Warnungen der im Herkunftsland zuruckgelassenen Familie, gegen die eigenen Angste und Zweifel, Enttauschungen, Heimwehattacken und Ruckschlage, auch in Hinblick auf die Zukunft der Kinder und Enkelkinder und gegenuber den Freunden im neuen Land, und ganz besonders gegenuber den Lesern.
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Writing the ethnographic story: Constructing narrative out of narratives
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2018) Bonisch-Brednich, Brigitte
My first childhood memories circle around listening to stories, being intensely interested in people and their storytelling. Having grown up in a German-Silesian refugee family network meant that storytelling was part of the daily life, especially weekends. The old Heimat, now in Poland, behind the iron curtain, was constantly invoked when members of our Silesian family would visit each other for Sunday afternoon coffee and cake sessions. I used to sit on a footstool listening to stories about the town we all came from, stories about the war, grief, hunger, angst, violence. But also just stories about the family, the ones who died, where relatives and friends had ended up after the war, how difficult and humiliating it was to be the unwelcome stranger in the West German town in which I was born. I like stories, I am used to listening and, as a child, I grew into a listener who sat at the margins; a position I am still comfortable with and hence I have a certain feeling of unease with conventional interview situations.