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New light; friendly soil: affective–discursive dimensions of Anzac Day commemorations in Aotearoa New Zealand
Author(s) -
McCreanor Tim,
Wetherell Margaret,
McConville Alex,
Moewaka Barnes Helen,
Moewaka Barnes Angela
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
nations and nationalism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1469-8129
pISSN - 1354-5078
DOI - 10.1111/nana.12474
Subject(s) - aotearoa , ethnography , feeling , sociology , politics , identity (music) , subject (documents) , gender studies , construct (python library) , space (punctuation) , social psychology , aesthetics , psychology , anthropology , political science , art , law , library science , computer science , programming language , linguistics , philosophy
This paper investigates affective–discursive dimensions of nation‐building via commemorations of nationhood within Aotearoa New Zealand to ask about how these assemblages construct feeling trajectories for citizen participants. We report auto‐ethnographic analyses of participation in specific Anzac Day war remembrance events that occurred in the capital city Wellington. Analyses point to the ways in which engagement in the choreographies of commemoration constructs varied emotion‐laden subject positions for participants and how these psycho‐social differences index and evoke contrasting memorial politics. We conclude that while the differences in affective ambience at different events may prompt citizens towards nationalistic or more conciliatory identity politics, the ceremonies create space for participants to feel and enact diverse affective practices.