Representation of Postcolonial National Identity in New Zealand

Sociology
Sports Psychology
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Sociology
Introduction
This article presents an analysis of issues of representational politics specifically of postcolonial
national identity in New Zealand (Falcous, 2007). To be more précises it centers its attention on
promotional media that surrounds the 2005 Irish Lions and British rugby tour. In addition the
paper analyses the media and it’s representation of Maori, the Maori-Pakeha relationship, whose
version is represented by media. In conclusion write-up will present a summary of this particular
article, summary on idea of multiculturalism and a critique of the article as well as a clear
analysis of how it relates to the Post-Colonial theory (Connell, 2017) [1:12].
Summary of the article
This article suggests that explorations of various ideological accompaniments of a decent and
formal colonial power and in that case dynamic post-colonial studies have formed a basic
component of postcolonial studies. Various scholars, as well as renowned academicians, have
been in a position to illustrate how power works through a series of a generation of structures
that are based on arts, literature as well as science. It is also important to note that these aspects
have a very huge contribution and promulgation in an individual everyday action, speech as well
as their life in general. There are various authors that, however, do not agree with some of the
aspects that have been mentioned above. They argue that there has been a totalization of colonial
power which should not be the case under any circumstances whatsoever. Bhabha, for instance,
argues that all senses of nationhood are narrativized. This is so because he thinks that most
nations often have a tendency of losing their dynamic origins in the numerous myths of time that
exists and only realize their horizons in what he calls the mind's eye. This, therefore, implies that
representational politics of national collective agendas has become a key feature of postcolonial
cultural politics in specific (Falcous, 2007) [3:52].

Sociology
There have also been concerns that the true meaning of a nation has received continuous
contamination in the numerous empty stories that are being told about it, the memories that exist
about it as well as the images that have been constructed about it. This has, however, not
considered the fact that sport can make a key component and site for the formulations which is
often followed by the promulgation of such stories (Falcous, 2007). In this regard, it can be
therefore concluded that a national culture can be likened to a structure of cultural power. This is
not to forget that the essential and most critical feature that is associated with the construction of
national difference is often the fact that people elide internal cultural differences either
knowingly or unknowingly and in that way favor a national culture that is homogenous in nature
which never in any case corresponds to equal partnership between the distinct component
cultures. There are certain cases for instance, where a nation is imagined as a community. In
such cases, this image is usually gendered. This is to simply man that the differing interest of
social classes, gender as well as various social groups and the aspect of deliberately shifting
subject positions in these categories are never or rarely present within the national narrative
(Falcous,2007) [4:12].
In addition to this, the ongoing construction of ideal national narratives is triggered by a number
of issues and usually occurs across a range of institutions, texts as well as practices. In all these
cases, sports often have a very huge contribution. Corporations have also had a part in this. This
has happened in a way that these corporations often seek to strategically capitalize on sport-
nation nexus as a means of incorporating various markets across nations in their own
promotional media. This is so because there have been cases of national presentation as well as
national identity via corporate advertising. This has been really contradicting because there are

Sociology
serious economic issues at stake while nations are being corporatized and merely being reduced
to a branded expression of national identity (Falcous, 2007).
Within time Rugby emerged as a basic and very important pillar of the so-called envisionment of
most setters narratives of the New Zealand nationhood. This has been attributed by issues such as
the winning streak of the men’s national team (the All Blacks) that had been a very important
component of the first colonial and postcolonial construction of national hood. It is also
important to note that the incorporation of the game of rugby within global media economies has
been really instrumental. This is so because it was the incorporation of rugby into global media
during the early 1990s that reshaped as well as challenged the ethos, structures, and presentation
of the game (Falcous, 2007).This was followed by the onset of discrete professionalism and
structuring of the game so as to favor global economies and not local histories and/or loyalty as it
was before. It is also the struggle for hegemony that saw the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU)
acquire some control of the accumulation opportunities that the game offered. The reaction that
followed after the wider shifts, as well as conflicts regarding policy formations of the game,
really threatened to have an implication of social culture on the game and the aspect of
nationality (Sidaway, 2016) [6:10].
Media and it’s representation of Maori, the Maori-Pakeha relationship, whose version is
represented by media.
Generally, the Maori are represented as competent individuals in all their endeavors. The article
represents the role of media in covering social activities within the society. Through the entire
article it’s clear that media supports the work of Maori population in New Zealand. For instance
the article tries to thank the Maori population for use of cultural artifacts and symbols which led
de-colonization .The overall reports revealed by the article about the Maori it’s clear that