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“Toying Architecturally with the Bones”: On Sitting Down to Read Heart of Darkness Once Again
Get PDFThis paper was originally written for Professor Mary Ann Gillies’ English 438 course Topics in Modernism. The assignment asked students to write a reflective essay based on a previously submitted reading journal assignment. The paper uses MLA citation style.
This paper attempts to combine reflection on the stakes of literary studies today with a close reading of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. In particular, I focus on what it means to read about historical atrocities such as Conrad depicts, and on how the main narrator, Marlow, makes visible a certain kind of failure to see those atrocities for what they are. I conclude by suggesting that this character’s failure to understand is comparable to the failure of so many readers and critics to see racism, imperialism, and colonialism as both operative within the novel and, potentially, criticized by it
Re-Storying the Anthropocene: No Golden Spike, No Silver Bullet
Get PDFThis paper was originally written for Rosemary-Claire Collard’s Geography 389W course, Nature and Society. The assignment asked students to take a position on an issue of human-nature relations covered in class, including the Anthropocene. The paper uses APA citation style.
Humans are the dominant force shaping Earth today, fuelling calls for the International Geological Congress to declare the current Epoch “the Anthropocene.” There is intense debate over what the start date of the Anthropocene should be, with options ranging from the onset of colonization to the Industrial Revolution to the Great Acceleration of the mid-twentieth century. Whereas some scholars assert that Indigenous Knowledge should inform the start date decision to advance decolonization, others argue decolonization is not possible within the scientific frameworks that justified colonization in the first place. In this paper, I argue that formalizing the Anthropocene would perpetuate colonialism by uprooting Indigenous Knowledges, erasing ongoing resistance against the systems that caused the Anthropocene, and universalizing multispecies realities to fit a single date. Rather, widening the lens of the Anthropocene discourse beyond the date debate would cultivate generative dialogue about causes and solutions to today’s socio-ecological crises and foster new possibilities for abundant futures for all
Incel Ideology, Radicalization and Mental Health: A Survey Study
Get PDFIncels (involuntarily celibates) are an online community of men who feel disenfranchised because they are unable to find a romantic and sexual partner. Incels tend to blame society for placing too much value in physical appearance and for endowing women with too much power in mate selection, a grievance that sometimes translates into violent misogyny. Mass-casualty Incel attacks have led the security services in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. to classify Incels as a violent extremist threat. However, little empirical research is available to inform the understanding of Incels, or to qualify their potential danger to the public.
Filling this gap, this study presents an important empirical datum by reaching beyond media headlines and online activity, to assess Incel ideology, mental health, and radical intentions through in-depth surveys of 274 active Incels. Most Incels in our study reported mental health problems and psychological trauma of bullying or persecution. Incel ideology was only weakly correlated with radicalization, and ideology and radicalization were differentially correlated with mental health measures. Most Incels in the study rejected violence. The discussion considers implications of these findings for detection, policing, and non-criminal interventions focused on the Incel community.
Received: 2021-12-14Revised: 2022-01-0
Canadian Sovereignty in the Arctic
Get PDFOn November 22, 2021, Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, Professor and Canada Research Chair at Trent University, presented Canadian-American Solutions to the Questions of Arctic Security at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic, the changing global threat environment, and the U.S.-Canada Arctic partnership
Authenticity, Adversity and Accountability in the Context of Uniformed Leadership
Get PDFOn November 26, 2021, Commander Jonathan A. Kouwenberg from the Royal Canadian Navy, presented Authenticity, Adversity and Accountability in the Context of Uniformed Leadership at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation depicted the overarching characteristics of what comprises strong leadership, primarily the presence that leaders bring; methods of communication; and creating a culture of resiliency, accountability, and trust. Commander Kouwenberg’s presentation was followed by a question and answer period to allow conference attendees the opportunity to engage directly with panelists
Bridging Education and Law Enforcement for Countering Violent Extremism
Get PDFOn November 24, 2021, Dr. Ratna Ghosh, a Distinguished James McGill Professor and W.C. Macdonald Professor of Education at McGill University, presented on Bridging Education and Law Enforcement for Countering Violent Extremism at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed included the utilization of soft versus hard power approaches against violent extremism, how radicalization triggers can be addressed in schools, and how communities can contribute to the prevention of youth radicalization
Memes, Violence, and Viruses: A Nation's Guide to Global Contagious Threats
Get PDFOn November 24, 2021, Dr. Joel Finkelstein, Director of the Network Contagion Research Institute, presented on Memes, Violence, and Viruses: A Nation's Guide to Global Contagious Threats at the 2021 CASIS West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points of Dr. Finkelstein’s presentation included the relationship between memes and violence exploited by populists and exacerbated by viral outbreaks of online hate and the emergence of machine learning tools that enable responses by policymakers
Would artificial intelligence make strategy ‘less human’?
Get PDFThis article discusses the influence of artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically Narrow AI—in the formulation of strategy arguing that there is not a straightforward answer to the question posited in the title. The Impact of Narrow AI in strategic decision-making will not fundamentally alter the nature of strategy due to the impossibility to program human faculties such as rationality and intentionality. Notwithstanding, the article concludes that ethical issues in the global environment will sustain the basis of strategy primarily as a human and political activity for the foreseeable future. Firstly, this piece reviews overarching definitions. Secondly, it discusses how Narrow AI affects strategy’s formulation through the predictive power already developed; three illustrative examples substantiate the elaboration. Thirdly, it discusses how ethical factors limit Narrow AI’s influence at the core of strategy so that it remains a human activity first and foremost. Discussions related to tactical applications of AI—for example, drones—are out of the scope of this analysis.
Received: 2022-03-15Revised: 2022-04-2