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Tsakali Illuminated Cards: Physical Description, Function and Context
Get PDFIn this chapter, the Zhangzhung Nyengyü tsakali set will be presented as a physical, written artefact based on a preliminary visual assessment, undertaken with the naked eye and simple tools that can easily be used in the reading room of any library. Basic catalogue and codicological information will be provided: size, form and condition; the type of language, script, illustrations and textual content; and initial macroscopic observations on materials and technological features, retrieved with a Dino-Lite digital microscope. The set will be described on a comparative bas
Unsettling epistemic hierarchies in peace and conflict studies: the role of early career scholars and south-south collaboration
No full textThis article examines how early career researchers (ECRs) from the Global South can challenge entrenched hierarchies of knowledge production in Peace and Conflict Studies.Drawing on a British Academy–funded initiative—Visibilising marginalized Early Career Researchers in Peace, Conflict and Security Studies—we reflect on a three-day publishing and writing workshop held in Meru, Kenya, in March 2025, for ERCs from the Global South. Using a collective autoethnographic and reflexive methodology, we explore the structural barriers faced by Global South scholars, including linguistic, financial, and institutional constraints, and what we designate as a “knowledge trap”, i.e., the need to be validated by current academic structures to contest the very hierarchies they consolidate. Recognising the positive outcomes of the workshop and its challenges, we argue that ECRs can act as “pollinators,” incrementally unsettling epistemic hierarchies through collaborative, bottom-up and inside-out approaches, while stressing the need for sustained,equitable North–South partnerships
From Cik Candra to Tengku Zamzam: snapshots of personal libraries from Kedah and environs in the 19th and 20th centuries
Get PDFThis article identifies and analyses two distinct ‘snapshots’ of manuscripts traceable to Kedah and the surrounding areas: the manuscripts collected by Raffles, Leyden, and others in the early 19th century, and those collected by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Bureau for Language and Literature) in the mid 20th century. These two collections show continuities in the kinds of people who owned and copied texts, in the practices of copying and borrowing, as well as in the genres represented, with literary texts prominent in both. Comparison with the genre profile of a collection assembled later in the 20th century, that of Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia (National Library of Malaysia), indicates that there were far fewer literary manuscripts available to collect then. This in turn suggests a different pattern of survival for literary as opposed to religious manuscripts
Social exclusion as a determinant of excess mortality in people with schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders: retrospective cohort study in 0.5 million people
Get PDFBackground: People with severe mental illness (SMI) (schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders) experience a 15–20-year reduction in life expectancy. The role of social determinants, including that of social exclusion, in contributing to excess mortality in SMI remains underexplored. Methods: Retrospective cohort study, comprising 8098 people with clinician-diagnosed SMI, matched to 581,209 population controls, followed for 5.7 years using person-level linked health/ census records. A social exclusion index was derived from census indicators: marital status, social isolation, economic inactivity, education, tenure, housing stability, and material assets. Results: Social exclusion was more common in SMI than in controls and strongly associated with higher mortality. Relative to the least socially excluded controls, adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for mortality in SMI were: 16–44 years: aHR 7.58 (95% CI: 2.75–20.86) in the least socially excluded, increasing to 12.34 (7.92–19.24) in the most excluded; 45–64 years: 3.34 (1.98–5.64) [least excluded] increasing to 6.58 (5.32–8.14) [most excluded]; 65+ years: 2.71 (1.90–3.86) [least excluded], increasing to 3.07 (2.48–3.80)[most excluded]. Excess mortality among those with SMI was pronounced at younger ages if never married; by mid-life if living alone or economically inactive; and at 65+ years in those with SMI living alone, renting, or with no car ownership. Economic inactivity and lack of qualifications accounted for 16–35% of SMI mortality. Conclusions: Social exclusion is an under-recognized contributor to premature mortality in SMI. Targeting social determinants through novel socially-focused interventions could improve survival in people with SMI
Unearthing the Fiqh of Reorganization: A comparative and historical analysis of insolvency theories with an emphasis on the experience of the Kingdom of Bahrain
No full textAlthough reorganization theory has become widely accepted, Islamic jurisprudence (“fiqh”) fails to address it. Despite a rich history of addressing the insolvency of natural persons, fiqh has no meaningful discussion of the reorganization of a legal person as a going concern. Reorganization theory assumes that it enhances collection and reduces harms to the public. This thesis explores the fiqh of reorganization theory by examining wealth preservation and the reduction of harm through the legal history of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The thesis compares Sharīʻah (generally “Islamic law”) with the laws of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Bahrain. Grounded Theory is applied to understand differences in terminologies and procedures across systems over the period of analysis from 1930 until 2022. During this period, Bahrain shifted from multiple, albeit absolute priority theories to a single absolute priority theory before embracing reorganization theory. Bahrain demonstrates the transition from absolute priority to reorganization theory. Nonetheless, this transformation was almost completely secular in its execution. Curiously it was the reorganization of a Bahraini Islamic investment bank under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code that inspired Bahrain’s adoption of reorganization in 2018. The thesis develops an objectives (maqāṣid) of Sharīʻah (“MAS”) methodology to analyze how reorganization theory reduces the greatest number of harms compared to absolute priority theories. This builds on principles examined in two reorganizations of Bahraini businesses: Arcapita under Chapter 11 and GARMCO under Bahrain’s current reorganization law. The case findings and general principles of reorganization theory are tested against the opinions of contemporary Sharīʻah scholars. The ultimate findings demonstrate that Sharīʻah offers a theory of reorganization embracing modern principles of qualified creditor democracy voting to reorganized a going concern. This theory minimizes the widest number of harms to creditors, debtors, and stakeholders impacted by an insolvency
Can People from all Backgrounds Practice Yoga?
No full textIn transnational yoga, both the invocation of meaning through historical context and the full de-contextualisation of the practice from its South Asian roots are both effective business strategies rather than positions that reflect historical veracity or post-colonialism. Yoga’s embedded injustices not only concern who practises and where they practise but also how and in what form
A Case Study of the Isibonelo Cooperative on the Makhathini Irrigation Scheme, KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThe Isibonelo Cooperative is a smallholder farming group situated within the Makhathini Irrigation Scheme in northern KwaZulu-Natal. For several years, the group maintained a stable system of production and marketing, selling vegetables to local consumers and informal traders supplying regional markets, including in Durban. However, since 2018, farming activity has ceased due to the breakdown of irrigation infrastructure. Drawing on ethnographic and qualitative interviews, this report presents an account of the cooperative’s formation, governance, farming practices, and economic and social impacts. It also documents the infrastructural and institutional constraints that have led to the collapse of production. Based on this analysis, the report offers a set of recommendations aimed at restoring the viability of smallholder production at Isibonelo and informing broader approaches to rural development policy
Human Rights and Standard of Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Prospects
No full textThis book offers a comprehensive and nuanced examination of the right to an adequate standard of living in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), shedding light on the multifaceted challenges, opportunities, and imperatives for action. The right to an adequate standard of living is a fundamental human right, essential for the dignity and well-being of all individuals. Yet, in SSA, the realisation of this right remains a complex and elusive goal, with millions of people facing poverty, inequality, and limited access to basic services. Through a series of in-depth chapters, the book explores the various dimensions of the right to an adequate standard of living, from the pervasive impacts of poverty and inequality to the critical importance of access to healthcare, education, housing, and justice. Drawing on a rich array of case studies, data, and expert analysis, the work provides a compelling and evidence-based assessment of the current state of affairs in SSA, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive and context-specific approaches to advancing this fundamental right. Providing a roadmap for promoting sustainable and inclusive development, reducing poverty and inequality, and ensuring access to basic services for all, the volume offers a set of actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working in the areas of Human Rights Law, Development Law and, in particular, those focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, it identifies key areas for further research and investigation, underscoring the importance of ongoing knowledge generation and exchange in support of evidence-based policy and practice
AI and Arbitration in SSA
No full textThe chapter examines the regulation of Artificial Intelligence in sub-Sahara African countries. It draws on original data on the use of AI in dispute resolution processes generally and arbitration in particular. It answers the questions whether there is greater opportunity to deploy AI in arbitration, how AI is regulated and how it may impact arbitration in SSA countries
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