Jennifer Infanti

Doctor of Philosophy, (Social Anthropology)
Study Completed: 2008
College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Citation

Thesis Title
Telling lives: Children's stories of hope, loss, love, and violence in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Read article at Massey Research Online: MRO icon

Ms Infanti''sresearch addressed the conspicuous absence of children''svoices in anthropology and domestic violence research in New Zealand. She designed a ten-week programme for the Palmerston North Women''sRefuge for children aged 5-12 years, whom she met over the course of one year as the programme’s facilitator. A variety of group activities and qualitative research techniques, including life history interviews, were used. Her work uncovered the myriad ways children incorporate experiences of domestic violence into their identities, and manipulate, adapt, disrupt, or reproduce cultural knowledge about domestic violence in their own lives and relationships. This knowledge has practical implications for domestic violence service delivery in New Zealand. Ms Infanti''sthesis incorporates a variety of modes of data presentation, such as poetry, drama, and vignettes, making the work engaging and accessible to a wider audience than traditional research writing.

Supervisors
Associate Professor Sita Venkateswar
Associate Professor Robyn Andrews