Breaking down New Zealand history across disciplines: AUT History Winter Public Lecture Series 2015
We know that the history of New Zealand dates back to at least 700 years, when it was discovered and settled by Polynesian peoples. And we know that in 1642, the first European explorer, Abel Tasman, sighted New Zealand.
Yet there are many other areas of history that often get overlooked.
History buffs will have the opportunity to listen to experts in history across a broad range of disciplines at an inaugural Winter Public Lecture Series focused on history at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
Co-ordinated by Professor Paul Moon, AUT’s Professor of History in the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development/Te Ara Poutama, the series aims to inform, stimulate, entertain and excite debate, in a historical context, within the many disciplines taught at AUT.
“What was New Zealand’s first facebook? Do we know about the history behind physical therapies in 19th century New Zealand, and the decline and rise of Te Reo Māori?”
“History is the architecture which supports our view of the world – it represents the sum of all previous experience,” says Professor Moon.
“It can serve as the most thorough textbook for understanding the way the world is, and can help anticipate how situations are likely to develop in the future.
“AUT has a fantastic selection of thought leaders in the field of history – they cover a broad range of subjects including social history, New Zealand history, communication design, physical therapy, and business.”
The free winter public lecture series will run from 15 July through to 7 September and will showcase the wide variety of history-focused research across its faculties.
“We are looking forward to welcoming AUT staff, the public, and anyone interested in history to the lectures,” says Professor Moon.
There are five lectures in the series, with each lecture starting at 5.30pm in the Sir Paul Reeves Building, room WG404.
Speakers and topics:
Lecture one: Wednesday 15 July
Professor Rob Allen: The Voice of the 99%: from the Knights of Labor to the Occupy Movement
Lecture two: Tuesday 28 July
Dr Peter Gilderdale: The first Facebook: card-sending in New Zealand, 1880-1920
Lecture three: Tuesday 11 August
Professor Paul Moon: A History of Te Reo Māori in the Nineteenth Century
Lecture four: Thursday 27 August
Associate Professor David Nicholls: Physical therapies in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand
Lecture five: Monday 7 September
Associate Professor Simon Mowatt: From Grub St to the iPad - how the magazines industry survived constant change