DoctorGary Morrison
Senior Lecturer Above the Bar
Classics
Orcid identifier0000-0003-3459-7899 (opens in a new tab)
- Senior Lecturer Above the BarClassics
- +6433695014 (Work)
- Rm 103F UC Arts City Location- 3 Hereford Street
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am currently working on two significant, productive research strands: (1) ‘Allusions to Antiquity in the shaping of New Zealand’s memory and identity’; and (2) ‘The night in Antiquity’.
At first glance New Zealanders may seem to have little to glean from the world of the Greeks and Romans, after all we are physically on the other side of the world. Yet European colonization brought with it a culture that had direct links to its ancient past and so it came to be that Achilles travelled the world, Christianity took hold in Ipipiri, while Greek and Latin were taught at schools in Aotearoa. As a result the Greco-Roman world came to be a part of the New Zealand narrative. My interest in this topic began with the relationships between WW1, New Zealand, and antiquity; relationships most obviously symbolized by NZ landing troops at Gallipoli a region rich in Classical tradition with its proximity to Troy. The geography and history are important backdrops to many accounts of the campaign, although it is little studied from a New Zealand perspective. This led to the direct analysis to allusions in antiquity in the diaries, poetry and letters written by New Zealanders serving in WWI or those reflecting on the war in the years afterwards. I observe how heroic imagery is enhanced by classical references and how such imagery helped develop the Anzac legend, as well as instances where antipodean war participants collected artefacts from the ancient world. It soon became apparent that there was far more to learn, with references to antiquity being a far more wide spread part of early colonial New Zealand. There are allusions, for example, in the newspaper articles of the nineteenth century through to modern stories and representations of the past in a range of media. It is clear that the adoption and adaption of these stories in a context shaped by Aotearoa contribute to a distinct New Zealand identity. Moreover, my research has led me to identify key links between “Classics” and post WWI, Christchurch New Zealand — specifically around the Bridge of Remembrance.
My second research ‘strand’ introduces relatively uncharted terrain, drawing on extant source material to understand the literary, cultural, and political significance of the ‘night’ in antiquity. Surprisingly little work has been done on the way people’s in the ancient world dealt with the subject of the ‘night’, yet light and dark, day and night are not only a natural feature in life they are topics that feature strongly in classical representations. My interests range from the literary imagery of night and darkness to the reality of life at night. This means I investigate what I refer to as a nocturnal ‘mental space’, the imagery and associations that are inherent in the night. I also strive to understand the reality of life at night across areas such as the nocturnal activities undertaken in households, in urban areas, or military decision making and strategy. These nocturnal research themes do not stand in isolation. Obviously, the boundaries between mental space and nocturnal activity can blur as our perceptions change our actions; while mental space, time, and physical space also intersect. This recognition adds richness and depth to my work by raising further questions, such as how does the use of urban space change as a day ends? Can we see spaces in gendered terms? Does perceived use of space influence nocturnal actions, or how actions may be represented? And what relationship exists between power and the night. I am currently working on a book exploring Rome’s nocturnal urban spaces that explores these very issues.
At first glance New Zealanders may seem to have little to glean from the world of the Greeks and Romans, after all we are physically on the other side of the world. Yet European colonization brought with it a culture that had direct links to its ancient past and so it came to be that Achilles travelled the world, Christianity took hold in Ipipiri, while Greek and Latin were taught at schools in Aotearoa. As a result the Greco-Roman world came to be a part of the New Zealand narrative. My interest in this topic began with the relationships between WW1, New Zealand, and antiquity; relationships most obviously symbolized by NZ landing troops at Gallipoli a region rich in Classical tradition with its proximity to Troy. The geography and history are important backdrops to many accounts of the campaign, although it is little studied from a New Zealand perspective. This led to the direct analysis to allusions in antiquity in the diaries, poetry and letters written by New Zealanders serving in WWI or those reflecting on the war in the years afterwards. I observe how heroic imagery is enhanced by classical references and how such imagery helped develop the Anzac legend, as well as instances where antipodean war participants collected artefacts from the ancient world. It soon became apparent that there was far more to learn, with references to antiquity being a far more wide spread part of early colonial New Zealand. There are allusions, for example, in the newspaper articles of the nineteenth century through to modern stories and representations of the past in a range of media. It is clear that the adoption and adaption of these stories in a context shaped by Aotearoa contribute to a distinct New Zealand identity. Moreover, my research has led me to identify key links between “Classics” and post WWI, Christchurch New Zealand — specifically around the Bridge of Remembrance.
My second research ‘strand’ introduces relatively uncharted terrain, drawing on extant source material to understand the literary, cultural, and political significance of the ‘night’ in antiquity. Surprisingly little work has been done on the way people’s in the ancient world dealt with the subject of the ‘night’, yet light and dark, day and night are not only a natural feature in life they are topics that feature strongly in classical representations. My interests range from the literary imagery of night and darkness to the reality of life at night. This means I investigate what I refer to as a nocturnal ‘mental space’, the imagery and associations that are inherent in the night. I also strive to understand the reality of life at night across areas such as the nocturnal activities undertaken in households, in urban areas, or military decision making and strategy. These nocturnal research themes do not stand in isolation. Obviously, the boundaries between mental space and nocturnal activity can blur as our perceptions change our actions; while mental space, time, and physical space also intersect. This recognition adds richness and depth to my work by raising further questions, such as how does the use of urban space change as a day ends? Can we see spaces in gendered terms? Does perceived use of space influence nocturnal actions, or how actions may be represented? And what relationship exists between power and the night. I am currently working on a book exploring Rome’s nocturnal urban spaces that explores these very issues.