Office 411, Tower Block
Email kyle.matthews@otago.ac.nz
Twitter @jitsnz
Youth activism in New Zealand: Radicalism and the political constraints of neoliberalism
Abstract
Adopting a Political Activist Ethnography approach, with knowledge production grounded in the voices of actors, this thesis will explore the way in which young activists in New Zealand use the political boundaries between ‘acceptable’ and ‘radical’ political theories, approaches and actions in their work.
Key questions are about the constraints of political agency in the neoliberal context; the definition and boundaries of mainstream and radical contexts; and the goals that activists set and the theories, beliefs, praxis and methods they use in moving between them.
Supervisors
Professor Karen Nairn (Primary Supervisor)
Dr Sophie Bond (Secondary Supervisor)
Young Activists Research Project
What inspires young people (aged 18–29+) to join others to create social change?
Kyle is a Research Assistant with this project.
Find out about the Young Activists Research Project
Publications
Nairn, K., Sligo, J., Showden, C. R., Matthews, K. R., & Kidman, J. (2022). Fierce hope: Youth activism in Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books, 300p. doi: 10.7810/9781990046681
Showden, C. R., Nairn, K., & Matthews, K. R. (2022). ‘So people wake up, what are we gonna do?': From paralysis to action in decolonizing activism. Ethnicities, 22(5), 663-684. doi: 10.1177/14687968211062916
Matthews, K. (2021, June). "The police won't arrest me and it's really pissing me off": When police foil activist strategies through unpredictable responses to protest. Verbal presentation at the Alternative Futures & Popular Protest (AFPP) Conference, [Online].
Nairn, K., Kidman, J., Matthews, K. R., Showden, C. R., & Parker, A. (2021). Living in and out of time: Youth-led activism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Time & Society, 30(2), 247-269. doi: 10.1177/0961463X21989858
Matthews, K. R. (2020). Social movements and the application of research: Extinction Rebellion's theory of change. Proceedings of the Social Movements, Resistance, & Social Change (SMRSC) Conference: Activating Collectivity: Aroha and Power. Retrieved from https://www.socialmovementsaotearoa.com
Nairn, K., Sligo, J., Showden, C. R., Matthews, K. R., & Kidman, J. (2022). Fierce hope: Youth activism in Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books, 300p. doi: 10.7810/9781990046681
Authored Book - Research
Showden, C. R., Nairn, K., & Matthews, K. R. (2022). ‘So people wake up, what are we gonna do?': From paralysis to action in decolonizing activism. Ethnicities, 22(5), 663-684. doi: 10.1177/14687968211062916
Journal - Research Article
Nairn, K., Kidman, J., Matthews, K. R., Showden, C. R., & Parker, A. (2021). Living in and out of time: Youth-led activism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Time & Society, 30(2), 247-269. doi: 10.1177/0961463X21989858
Journal - Research Article
Matthews, K. R. (2020). Social movements and the (mis)use of research: Extinction rebellion and the 3.5% rule. Interface: A journal for and about social movements, 12(1), 591-615. Retrieved from https://www.interfacejournal.net
Journal - Research Article
Nairn, K., Showden, C. R., Sligo, J., Matthews, K. R., & Kidman, J. (2020). Consent requires a relationship: Rethinking group consent and its timing in ethnographic research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23(6), 719-731. doi: 10.1080/13645579.2020.1760562
Journal - Research Article
Matthews, K. (2019). [Review of the book Policing transnational protest: Liberal imperialism and the surveillance of anticolonialists in Europe, 1905-1945]. Critical Studies on Terrorism, 12(1), 176-178. doi: 10.1080/17539153.2018.1483478
Journal - Research Other
Matthews, K. R. (2020). Social movements and the application of research: Extinction Rebellion's theory of change. Proceedings of the Social Movements, Resistance, & Social Change (SMRSC) Conference: Activating Collectivity: Aroha and Power. Retrieved from https://www.socialmovementsaotearoa.com
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Matthews, K. (2019). Social movements and the (mis)-use of data: Extinction rebellion and the 3.5% rule. Proceedings of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) Conference: Sociology for Everyone: Mātautaga nohoanga ā-iwi ki te katoa. Retrieved from https://saanz2019.sched.com
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Matthews, K. (2021, June). "The police won't arrest me and it's really pissing me off": When police foil activist strategies through unpredictable responses to protest. Verbal presentation at the Alternative Futures & Popular Protest (AFPP) Conference, [Online].
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Matthews, K. (2019, November). "No spy Waihopai": How does praxis inform the theories of pragmatic nonviolence? Verbal presentation at the Peace in Aotearoa New Zealand Conference: Past, Present, Future, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Matthews, K., Nairn, K., & Bond, S. (2019, August). Youth activism in Aotearoa New Zealand: Militant ethnography and the ethical boundaries of the field. Verbal presentation at the School of Geography Postgraduate Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Matthews, K. (2018, December). Youth activism in Aotearoa New Zealand: Radicalism and the political constraints of neoliberalism. Verbal presentation at the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) Conference: The Future in the Past, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
