Arts & Culture
How does the media weaponise far-right conspiracy theories?
Heather Woods and Leslie Hahner discuss how mainstream media helps to weaponize far-right conspiracy theories.
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Should looted artefacts be returned to the cultures that made them?
Returning looted artefacts will finally restore heritage to the brilliant cultures that made them according to Mark Horton.
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Broken survivors: With them through hell
The thousands of New Zealand men who fought in the First World War went through hell. And right beside them was another fighting force. Anna Rogers explores the story of New Zealand’s medical services in WWI.
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Q+A: Artists, Israel, and BDS: To play or not to play?
Sam Smith spoke with Mark LeVine about the impact of the BDS movement and the ongoing issue facing musicians on whether or not they should perform in Israel.
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Was the slave trade ever really abolished?
Slavery was never abolished – it affects millions, and you may be funding it as Catherine Armstrong explains.
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125 years of women’s suffrage: A small country leading the world?
Raewyn Dalziel, Emeritus Professor of History, celebrates a moment when New Zealand was at the forefront of world-leading reform.
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Is protecting heritage a human right?
Is protecting heritage a human right? George Nicholas looks into the responsibilities and concerns about the political, ethical and social dimensions of archaeological research and heritage management.
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Q+A: Remembering Chile’s 9/11: What happened, and how do we know?
On September 11 1973, Chilean president Salvador Allende was toppled destroying the longest standing democracy in Latin America. How much do we know now about what really happened in Chile in what is considered the ‘Other 9/11’?
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Killing orders: what are the facts of the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s long-standing denial? ▶
In a lecture given at the University of Auckland, Taner Akçam talks about his new book “Killing Orders,” a book which brings to light documents that show the Turkish Government did order the Armenian Genocide.
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Facebook isn’t cool anymore: what killed it?
Claudia Russell looks into why Facebook is not cool anymore.
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Can you be Christian and support the death penalty?
Matthew Schmalz explores whether it is okay to be a Christian and support the death penalty.
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How rising seas are threatening our cultural heritage
As climate change encroaches, our heritage is drowning according to Patty Hamrick.
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Q+A: Fight the power: exploring the connections between music and politics
Music and politics have always had a strong relationship going back to the days of the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war movement, and campaigns to combat racism. These days, artists such as Childish Gambino are pushing the boundaries visually and musically when it comes to using their art as a political vehicle. Sam Smith spoke with Patrycja Rozbicka about the intersection between music and politics.
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In the face of censorship, can pop music still be political?
After the recent success of American artist Childish Gambino’s music video “This is America,” Patrycja Rozbicka explores whether pop music can still be political in the face of censorship.
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Why should we learn Te Reo Māori?
Stephen May outlines why it is important New Zealanders should learn Te Reo Māori in the wake of debate around whether the language should be made compulsory in schools.
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Is Netflix killing the cinema?
The rise in popularity of on-demand video streaming services like Netflix is increasingly seen as a threat to the 113-year-old ritual of going to a cinema to see a movie. James Robins spoke to Dr Karina Aveyard, author of “Lure of the Big Screen: Cinema in Rural Australia and the United Kingdom” about whether Netflix might kill the cinema.
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How did the Crown and the Kīngitanga attempt to make peace in the aftermath of the New Zealand Wars?
In an extract from his new book “Dancing with the King: The Rise and Fall of the King Country, 1864-1885,” Michael Belgrave explores how the Crown and Kingitanga attempted to make peace in the aftermath of the New Zealand Wars.
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Conspiracy Clash: What’s behind it?
Flat Earthism and the idea that human activity is not responsible for climate change are two of the most prevalent conspiracy theories today. Both have been increasing in popularity since the late 20th century but what is behind this conspiracy clash?
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How did the Space Race realise dreams of spaceflight (while threatening Earth’s destruction)?
Ben Goldson looks back on the space race during the Cold War and how it almost threatened Earth’s destruction.
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What is context? ▶
Associate Professor Mark Amsler from the School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Auckland talks about his big question, “What is context?”
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