Dr Emma Powell

Emma Powell image BCA, BAHons(VUW), MA(Auckland), PhD(VUW)

Contact

Office R4S7 Richardson Building, South Tower
Tel +64 3 479 8301
Email emma.powell@otago.ac.nz

Research

Emma has completed research on Pacific anglophone literatures, mostly in the Polynesian region and more specifically on writing and cultural traditions of the Cook Islands and the Eastern Pacific. She has written about the influence of Cook Islands Māori writers in her graduate research and was a researcher on Associate Professor Alice Te Punga Somerville's Marsden Project Writing the New World (2020). She published parts of her research in this area in Mana: 50 years of Cook Islands creative writing (2018).

Emma's doctoral work in Pacific Studies explored the genealogical practices of Cook Islands Māori people. She took a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to that study and argued for the ways genealogical praxes can help shape indigenous historiography, and notions of nationhood and futurity.

Her current research work focuses on the political, social, cultural and genealogical imbrications of New Zealand's imperial Realm. She also explores notions of exchange, correspondence and genealogical connection across the Eastern Polynesian region.

Teaching

INDS 210 Special Topic: Exploring Indigenous Studies
INGS 501 Indigenous Theory and Method
INDV 301 Māori and Indigenous Development

Dr Powell is currently the programme co-ordinator for the Master of Indigenous Studies programme.

Distinctions

2023: Tracey Banivanua Mar PhD Prize, AAPS, (Highly Commended Awardee)
2021: Dean’s List for PhD (exceptional quality, outstanding contribution to their field) Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington
2020: International Studies Association, Teresia Teaiwa Award
2020: Royal Society Te Apārangi, Moana Oceania Te Koha Prize
2019: Polynesian Society Inc, Honorary Membership
2018: Victoria University of Wellington Doctoral Scholarship

Funding

2023: University of Otago Prestigious Writing Grant for manuscript, ‘‘Akapapa‘anga ara tangata: Genealogies and the Cook Islands Māori Imaginary’
2023: University of Otago Research Grant for ‘The New Zealand Realm: Indigenous archives and critical discussions with Niue, Tokelau, and the Cook Islands’ with Dr Jess Pasisi
2023: Advancing Research Collaboration Grant, Pacific Academic Staff Caucus for ‘Early Career Pacific Women in the Academy: A Podcast’
2020: Victoria University of Wellington Joint Research Committee, Research Grant
2019: Polynesian Society Inc, Bruce Grandison Biggs Grant
2019: Victoria University of Wellington Joint Research Committee, Research Grant

Publications

Powell, E. N., & Hogue, R. H. (2023). (Post)colonial Indigenous Anglophone fiction of the Pacific Islands. In D. S. Lynch (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of literature. (Online ed.) Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.1377 Chapter in Book - Research

Powell, E. (2023, July). These changing years: Imagining the Cook Islands. Verbal presentation at the 5th Pacific Islands Universities Research Network (PIURN) Conference, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E., Walter, I., & Kokaua, S. (2023, July). Kite pakari ē te ‘uki ‘ou: Cook Islands Māori knowledge making and the next generation. Verbal presentation at the 5th Pacific Islands Universities Research Network (PIURN) Conference, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E. N. (2023). Tei te akau roa: An ocean of metaphor in Pacific research methodologies. Waka Kuaka/Journal of the Polynesian Society, 132(1-2), 41-55. doi: 10.15286/jps.132.1-2.41-56 Journal - Research Article

Powell, E., Pasisi, J., Bean, T. M. P., Dziedzic, A., Asafo, D., Bennett, J. L., Fortin, M., … Fa'avae, I. A. (2023). Mapping otherwise realms. Proceedings of the Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) Conference. (pp. 36-37). Retrieved from http://pacificstudies.org.au/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

2023

Chapter in Book - Research

Journal - Research Article

Powell, E. N. (2023). Tei te akau roa: An ocean of metaphor in Pacific research methodologies. Waka Kuaka/Journal of the Polynesian Society, 132(1-2), 41-55. doi: 10.15286/jps.132.1-2.41-56

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E. (2023, July). These changing years: Imagining the Cook Islands. Verbal presentation at the 5th Pacific Islands Universities Research Network (PIURN) Conference, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

2022

Journal - Research Article

Powell, E., & Newman, E. (2022). Growing into: Pacific intellectual genealogies and indigenous development. Pacific Dynamics, 6(2), 104-117. doi: 10.26021/10639

Journal - Research Other

Powell, E. (2022). [Review of the book Polynesia, 900-1600: An overview of the history of Aotearoa, Rēkohu, and Rapa Nui]. New Zealand Journal of History, 56(2), 117-118. [Book Review].

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Coto-Solano, R., Nicholas, S. A., Datta, S., Quint, V., Wills, P., Powell, E. N., … Feldman, I. (2022). Development of automatic speech recognition for the documentation of Cook Islands Māori. Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources & Evaluation (LREC). (pp. 3872-3882). European Language Resources Association (ELRA). Retrieved from http://www.lrec-conf.org/proceedings/lrec2022/index.html

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E. (2022, November). Puka(puka): Books and the Pacific. Plenary presentation at the University of Otago Centre for the Book Symposium: Books and the Pacific, [Hybrid].

Other Research Output

Powell, E. N. (2022). A subtle recipe. In T. L. Mangioni & K. Teaiwa (Eds.), Sustenance: Decolonial recipes for wellbeing, self and community care in the academy. (pp. 15). Canberra, Australia: Australian National University. [Guide].

2021

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E., & Johnson, M. (2021, December). Empire, indigeneity and the archive in the New Zealand realm. Verbal presentation at the Museum as Archive Conference: Using the Past in the Present and Future, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Te Punga Somerville, A., Apiata, A. H., Powell, E. N., Wright, K. M., Henderson, N., Ieremia-Allan, W., & Kokaua, S. (2021, November). Off the map: New Zealand history beyond borders. Panel discussion at the New Zealand Historical Association (NZHA) Conference: Ako: Learning from History? [Online].

Powell, E., & Johnson, M. (2021, July). Inside (and outside) the bubble of empire: A dialogue on the New Zealand realm. Verbal presentation at the Empire and Ecologies Symposium: Transimperial, transhistorical and transregional natures from the 17th to the 21st century, Dublin, Ireland.

Powell, E. (2021, April). Tei te akau roa: Cook Islands Māori imaginaries in the time of COVID-19. Verbal presentation at the Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) Postgraduate & Early Career Researchers' Symposium, [Online].

Awarded Doctoral Degree

Powell, E. E. N. (2021). 'Akapapa'anga Ara Tangata: Genealogising the (Cook Islands) Māori imaginary (PhD). Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. doi: 10.26686/wgtn.14642595.v1

2020

Journal - Research Article

Powell, E. E. N. (2020). Naming the Cook Islands: Articulation theory and 'akapap'anga. Pacific Studies, 43(2), 119-141.

Journal - Research Other

Powell, E. (2020). [Review of the book New Oceania: Modernisms and modernity in the Pacific]. Journal of New Zealand Studies, 2020(30), 152-154. doi: 10.26686/jnzs.v0iNS30.6503

Other Research Output

Powell, E. N. (2020, November). Moana Oceania Award for 2020 Early Career Researchers ataata video competition. Pacific Media Network, OMNY FM, New Edition with Ete and Inangaro Vakaafi. Retrieved from https://omny.fm/shows/pacificmedianetwork/emma-ngakuraevaru-powell-moana-oceania-award-for-2?in_playlist=pacificmedianetwork!early-edition-with-ete

Powell, E. E. N. (2020, August). Honouring our intellectual heritage. Writing the New World Podcast (ep. 4), hosted by Alice Te Punga Somerville and Wanda Ieremia-Allan. Retrieved from https://www.buzzsprout.com/1259606/4993154-3-honouring-our-intellectual-heritage

2019

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E. N. (2019, June). "I'm sorry but I don't know/I'm not that kind of Māori": Māori articulations in the New Zealand Beyond Aotearoa. Verbal presentation at the Native American & Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Greenhalgh, C., Johnson, M., Kluge, E., & Powell, E. (2019, November). Archive frictions: Ethics and politics of knowledge-making in Pacific contexts. Panel discussion at the New Zealand Historical Association (NZHA) Conference: Kanohi-ki-te-Kanohi: Histories for Our Time, Wellington, New Zealand.

Powell, E. E. N. (2019, May-June). "Ka 'apai mai au i tōku ngaru ki konei", I will carry my wave here: (Re)scaling Cook Islands migrations through discursive genealogies. Verbal presentation at the Transregional Academy: Histories of Migrant Knowledge in and across the Transpacific: Agencies, Scales, Translations, Berkeley, USA.

Other Research Output

Powell, E. (2019, July). Knowledge-forming takes place through mutual and collective enterprise: Reflections on the Transregional Academy. Transregional Academies of the forum Transregionale Studien and the Max Weber Foundation. Retrieved from https://academies.hypotheses.org/6286

2018

Chapter in Book - Research

Powell, E. E. N. (2018). Introduction. In J. Gragg, P. Thompson, N. Papatua & R. Dixon (Eds.), Mana: 50 years of Cook Islands creative writing. (pp. 2-11). Rarotonga, Cook Islands: University of the South Pacific Press.

2013

Awarded Masters Degree

Powell, E. E. N. (2013). Stitching to the back-bone: A Cook Islands literary tivaivai (MA). University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2292/20287

2012

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Powell, E. (2012, November). Diasporic explorations of the Tivaevae methodology in literary studies: Notes from an M.A. student. Verbal presentation at the SPACLALS (NUS Branch) Literary Festival, Apia, Samoa.

Commissioned Report for External Body

Thorpe, T., Lui, H., Lealea, S., Powell, E., & Henderson, A. K. (2012). Broadcast programming for Pacific audiences in New Zealand. Commissioned by NZ On Air. 58p. Retrieved from https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/research/broadcast-programming-pacific-audiences-june-2012/

Creative Work

Powell, E. (2012-2013). When we came. SPAN: Journal of the South Pacific Association for Commonwealth Language and Literary Studies, 65 & 66, 120-121. [Poetry].