Thesis Doctoral
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/26180
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Browsing Thesis Doctoral by Author "Adam, Megan Renae"
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Thesis DoctoralPublication The Enlightened Mother in Australian Tibetan Buddhism(University of New England, 2024-09-10) ;Adam, Megan Renae; This qualitative research examines the lived experiences of a group of women with the tripartite identity of Australian adoptee Tibetan Buddhist, woman and mother. The key areas of investigation encompass the experiences of mothering within an Australian context, for women who have chosen to adopt the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. The research examines the application of Buddhist philosophy, teachings and practices to mothering and investigates how Buddhism constructs gender representation and female roles. It analyses how such roles are challenged, dismissed or supported within the Tibetan Buddhist community and how Tibetan Buddhism can influence or enhance the experience of a mother and her child(ren) from the mother’s perspective. In the thesis I discuss whether motherhood is an obstacle on the path to renunciation or enlightenment, or the greatest opportunity for women to follow the spiritual path. I utilise the methodology of narrative and mindful inquiry, listening to the voices and stories of twenty women and mothers to provide an understanding of the Australian adoptee Tibetan Buddhist community and its institutional framework. The research utilises a Buddhist feminist framework to better understand the influences of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism on being a mother. By integrating this feminist theory and theology, with an analysis of Buddhist writings, practices and objects and their representation of women, I reveal what is contained within the interviews at the intersection of Tibetan Buddhism and motherhood. Australian women and mothers adopt Tibetan Buddhism for a variety of reasons, and particularly value the freedom of choice that Buddhism provides, when compared to other religions. Whether they perceive Buddhism as a religion or a philosophy, all participants recognise its value both to them, and their children. This study highlights the institutional and cultural barriers to Tibetan Buddhist practice for mothers and incorporates recommendations for future research. It promotes more equitable participation of women and mothers in Buddhism and seeks to help shape the path to enlightenment, so that it is inclusive for all.
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Thesis DoctoralPublication Starved of Power: The cultural politics of nutrition and the dietary colonisation of Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia(2010) ;Adam, Megan Renae ;Connelly, Jan; ;Plummer, DavidThis research is an exploration of contemporary postcolonial nutrition in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities. It is an interpretive inquiry that seeks firstly to understand nutrition in an historical, political and cultural framework and secondly, to examine the relationship between culture, knowledge and power in order to offer an alternative view that will be effective in informing novel solutions to reducing nutritional inequalities. The premise of the research is that in order to ensure improved nutrition for Aboriginal people in the future, there needs to be an increased focus on the ethical issues of human rights and social justice and the practical issues of intervention and policy implementation. The research focuses on the impact that the dominant culture has had on food and nutrition rather than seeing food and nutrition as the outcome of Aboriginal factors. It explores aspects of the dominant culture which contribute to creating and perpetuating marginalisation. The research demonstrates that nutrition and nutrition education are subject to privileging, colonial control and power. Taking colonialism and postcolonialism as the theoretical perspective, I claim that the largest contributing factor toward the past and present poor nutritional status of Aboriginal people is the historical legacy of the colonial experience and the consequences of ongoing postcolonial policies. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was ideally positioned as an analytical framework to investigate the narratives of 28 research participants and the sites of difference about which they spoke. The research illustrates that the situation is unlikely to improve without politicisation of nutrition issues and it seeks to encourage nutritionists, dietitians and other health professionals to advocate for policies, institutions and power structures to be reconstructed within a realistic social justice framework.2224 599