London Academic Publishing Ltd.: Arts & Humanities Journals
Not a member yet
1740 research outputs found
Sort by
From Traveling for Enjoyment to Traveling for Eroticism: Tracing the Negotiation Between Sex and Tourism with Reference to some Famous Non-Asian Films
No full textTourism is not only a form of short-term migration that involves excessive consumerism in a colonial setting, where the paying client is served in the way in which colonial elites were served, by servants whose mobilities tend to be far more limited. There’s more than this, as there is religious tourism, business tourism, intellectual tourism and some other types. However, tourism bears in its consumerist excess the urge to engage in sexual experiences. Sex has been a part of tourism for a very long time. As Martin Oppermann says, ‘‘While some countries may be more renowned for the availability of commercial sex, sex tourism exists everywhere”. Men (predominantly) travel from more developed countries to less developed ones in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean for sex that is either not available or more expensive or qualitatively less pleasurable at home. But this is not restricted to men, because there is now a stream of discreet travel by affluent western women to places in the Caribbean and Africa, where sex with local men is explicitly anticipated. However, Heidi Dahles and Karon Bras also note similar relationships developing between local beach boys (who develop an ‘entrepreneurial romance’ style) and western women tourists in Indonesia. According to many recent analysts, sex is not motivated purely by the “consummation of commercial sexual relations”, and there are “complex processes by which individuals choose to seek sexual gratification, first within prostitution and secondly as part of the tourist experience”. Whether characterised as “sex” tourism (commercial sex with the locals) or “romance” tourism (commercial sex with the trappings of a “real” relationship), this practice has inspired a good deal of academic research in the social sciences and popular literature as well. This paper offers, therefore, a critical analysis of the selected films focusing on the varied motivations that contemporary popular culture passionately pursues in its quest to gratify sexual impulses, even within the context of tourism
Outsiders under Empire: Fusion Philosophy and the Barbarian’s Path from Scourge to Sculptor
No full text
#speakforPeace
This article reproduces in full the keynote speech given at “V.N. Karazin” Kharkiv National University, School of Foreign Languages, for the 17th International Conference “Methodological and Psychological Issues of Teaching Foreign Languages: Reaching for School and University Integration” (25 April 2025, Kharkiv, Ukraine)
1. Chaos and Synthesis. History makes it plain: at the turning of eras, when civilisations collide and empires fall, Barbarians assert their presence—undeniable, no longer tenable to ignore. Rising from the periphery, once unheard and unseen, they surface amidst upheaval with such force they reshape the world itself, marking the boundary between what was and what is to come.
Today, this pattern of volatile junctures takes on fresh significance and urgency. We find ourselves at what is arguably the most consequential threshold yet: the dawn of the digital and AI age. Propelled by the most powerful technological revolution ever recorded, unprecedented in its speed and scale. Boundaries of space and time blur. Real-time global communication, vast networks of video, data, and algorithmic flows unsettle the coherence of inherited structures—of knowledge, identity, and authority—by forces we are only beginning to understand. In this climate of uncertainty and extraordinary possibility, new centres of power emerge while older categories lose their hold.
Like the Barbarians of history. Who arrived not merely to disrupt but to reconfigure, and ultimately to reconcile. And just as in earlier times of civilisation, we are compelled to reorient, engage in new terms and develop modes of understanding equal to the intensity of the present. What we seek, therefore, is not a fixed doctrine but a mode of thinking; not consolation but a sense of orientation; one that acknowledges the rift rather than denying it, and works with contradictions toward reconciliation, instead of suppression.
2. Sparks Between Shadows: The Dialectics of Fusion Thought. It is on this ground Fusion Philosophy takes shape—a framework I am developing in response to these dynamics. A philosophy, in short, for the antinomies of our age, and a hermeneutic practice invested in making sense of contradictions. It seeks understanding through dialectics—not to suppress but to overcome and sublate them into pathways toward goodness, beauty, and freedom—unfoldings of God, the Absolute.
3. Case study. Herder’s Barbarian. A Tale of History’s Unlikely Agents: Destruction, Transition, Reconciliation. To illustrate this, I turn to Johann Gottfried von Herder’s concept of Barbarian—a model uniquely suited to the concerns of Fusion thought. In Herder’s writings, the barbarian appears in three distinct forms, I’ll call them the scourge who destroys, the wanderer who unsettles, and the sculptor who transforms. These figures are not just historical archetypes. They express philosophical structures—forms inherent within the evolution of human understanding. Instances of the dialectics between order and disruption, tradition and renewal, loss and possibility. Herder’s barbarian becomes thus a symbolic agent of transformation, surfacing when old forms collapse and new ones have to take shape. Through this lens, a triad of disruption, transition, and reconciliation is uncovered—a model for both historical analysis and conceptual renewal.
4. Conclusions. Beyond Binary – Thinking in the Afterglow of Contradiction. Drawing from Herder’s theories on barbarisms, this case study highlights how Fusion Philosophy offers an interpretive and heuristic approach, not as a rigid system but as a means of encountering and synthesising. It recognises that thought, like history, progresses not in straight lines but through fusion and emergent forms. From Herder’s barbarians to the disruptive forces of today’s geopolitical map, this paper explores how thinking can evolve beyond mere oppositions towards an understanding that is both fluid and generative so as to seek sense amidst intellectual fragmentation, technological revolution and post-truth menaces.
J.G. von Herder set in motion a dialectics that extends far beyond its eighteenth-century origins among the Sturm und Drang literary and philosophical movement, exposing faults and untapped beneficial possibilities that surface whenever the world undergoes a fundamental reconfiguration—just as it’s doing now
Broken Clocks, Reclaimed Spaces: Melancholy and Resistance in William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Ghassan Kanafani’s All That’s Left to You
No full textThis paper explores the themes of melancholy and resistance in William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury (1929) and Ghassan Kanafani’s M? Tabaqq? Lakum / All That’s Left to You (1966). Reincarnated in Kanafani’s work, the characters in Faulkner’s novel oscillate between past and present, experiencing a sense of imperial anxiety that casts a melancholic shadow over them due to colonialism or the fall of imperial “empire”. Following Faulkner’s Quentin and Jason Compson as well as Kanafani’s Hamid and Maryam through their day and night journeys, this essay studies motifs such as the wall clock, the wristwatch, and the land offering a postcolonial analysis of time and space. It concludes that while the colonized individual uses this melancholy as a means of resistance, finding in it a threshold to voice and identity, the colonizer, faced with this resistance, experiences a melancholy that prompts a reevaluation of prevailing colonial concepts
Settings Predication and Opposition in Dào Dé Jing Thought Experimental Analyses of (e.g.) dao ke dao fei chang dao (III) Global Cross-cultural and Religious Aspects
No full textIn this contribution we apply methodologies of semantics of thought experiments (TE) to Dào Dé Jing (DDJ). Like all TE research, the research is not foremost about explanation of the contents of DDJ, although some indications may be given, but it is intended as a manual how to read and understand DDJ, e.g., how to handle the many oppositions (pairs of opposites, linguistically speaking, antonyms), how to understand the many aphoristic conundrums, like the first line dào ke dào fei cháng dào. Dào ke dào … may be analyzed and interpreted as modus ponens instantiation, whereby relevant aspect is derived as major from information in same chapter or elsewhere in DDJ, in this case, e.g., chapter 35, as in accordance with hermeneutic principle that interpretation of single parts may be derived from other parts or whole of the text, and vice versa (hermeneutic circle). Wúwéi and its aphorisms could be analyzed as (double) negation resulting in seeming contradictions (paradoxes) and univocal tautologies—as in Donia Zhang (2022) on translation of ‘non-action contrary to nature’—instead of mystifying adagial advices. In the first part of Interpretations we touch upon Wittgenstein’s ‘noticing of an aspect’ (1953, # xi), Da Costa’s and Beziau’s paraconsistent situation, optical illusions, yin-yáng diagram (Ch. 32), Huàtóus, Koans etc. Hofstadter (1979/1999) proposed a global cross-cultural hypothesis that feedback loops (as we know from present-day IT and AI) may represent the core of cognition, seat of consciousness. We show that logical analyses of spiritual thought experiments (STE), like Huàtóus and Koans, are well-possible without denying possibly beneficial effects of meditation. Lastly, in Interpretations, we try to explain enigmatic nature of many aphorisms from an antithetical attitude towards views and practices of contemporary ruling government, as by putting the generic statements back into their particular context
Surgical outcome of endonasal transsphenoidal approach for pituitary macroadenoma involving cavernous sinus
No full textBackground: Pituitary macroadenomas with cavernous sinus (CS) invasion pose significant surgical challenges due to anatomical complexity and high risk of complications. The endonasal transsphenoidal approach (ETSA) is a minimally invasive technique that offers direct access to the sellar and parasellar regions.
Objective: This study evaluates the surgical outcomes of ETSA for pituitary macroadenomas with cavernous sinus invasion based on a cohort of 36 patients.
Methods: A retrospective review of 36 patients who underwent ETSA for pituitary macroadenomas with radiological evidence of CS invasion (Knosp grades 2–4) was conducted. Surgical outcomes were assessed in terms of gross total resection (GTR) rates, hormonal remission, and postoperative complications.
Results: GTR was achieved in 61% of patients, with higher rates in Knosp grade 2 tumours (80%). Hormonal remission occurred in 67% of patients with functioning adenomas. Complications included cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks (6%), transient cranial nerve deficits (8%), and diabetes insipidus (5%). No mortality was reported. Table: Clinical Characteristics of Patients Undergoing ETSA for Pituitary Macroadenomas.
Conclusion: The ETSA is a safe and effective approach for managing pituitary macroadenomas involving the CS, particularly for lower-grade tumours. Advanced intraoperative tools and multidisciplinary care improve outcomes
Hegel, Haiti and Fanon: Towards a Dialectic of Recognition
No full textIn her now seminal work, Susan Buck-Morss links the Haitian Revolution with the slave writings of Hegel, positing that the revolt in Haiti constitutes a moment of dialectical import. She is not, however, the only dialectician to have read the Haitian Revolution through Hegel’s master–slave dialectic. Indeed, Frantz Fanon's canonical Black Skin, White Mask also made reference to such events, although Buck-Morss' engagement with him, in her work, is sparse. In this article, then, through confronting Buck-Morss' account with Fanon, I argue that Buck-Morss' argument loses sight of the material utilised in the master/slave abstraction, namely the actual lived experiences of colonial subjects, thereby glossing over the particularity of the material. In contrast, Fanon's account reincorporates the concrete situatedness into the master/slave dialectic, thereby surpassing typical limitations of philosophical abstraction, which has concrete political implications
Tracing the Borders of Human Free Will: Sketches after Michael Novak
No full textThis contribution aims to reconstruct the concept of common good, as elaborated by the American-Slovakian philosopher Michael Novak in his text The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Published in 1993 by The Free Press, this book deals both genealogically and theoretically with this notion, indicating it as the only one capable of guaranteeing integral development for human beings in the new millennium.
The common good, in fact, has the merit of tracing the limits within which human beings can be defined as persons and, in this context, indicate their freedom. This contribution, taking its starting point precisely from this definition, will be concerned, on the one hand, with presenting the fundamental stages which, according to Novak, have contributed to the formation of the common good as we know it and, on the other, with highlighting the innovations proposed by Novak himself.
The working methodology is historical-hermeneutic. After having framed the text from a historical point of view, enucleating the author's editorial motives, we will move on to analyse its key moments in order to highlight its most decisive contents
Mass lesion in cases of cerebral arteriovenous malformations post gamma knife radiosurgery or embolization: Pathophysiology and management algorithm
No full textBackground: Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) have been conventionally treated with surgery, embolisation and/or Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS). This article is to present a rare complication after Embolisation/ Gamma Knife Radio Surgery for Cerebral AVMs.
Method: 05 patients with cerebral AVMs presenting with an unusual complication of a mass lesion at the site of the treated lesion were treated. Two modes of index treatment were used: endovascular embolisation and/or GKRS. These patients developed new-onset neurological deficits at varying intervals after index treatment. They were investigated radiologically, revealing a mass lesion at the site of the treated AVM. The pathophysiology of this complication, along with the management algorithm, has been studied and is presented.
Results: All the patients in the series responded well to surgery. The histopathological examination revealed vascular elements in all cases without any evidence of neoplasm.
Conclusion: Delayed presentation as a mass lesion of a treated AVM is unusual. The mass lesion in cerebral arteriovenous malformations with suspicion of malignant transformation or with unresponsive raised intracranial pressure may mandate craniotomy and excision
Impact of coagulopathy on the management and outcome of chronic subdural hematoma
No full textBackground: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is one of the commonest conditions encountered in neurosurgical practice. It is a disease more commonly seen in the elderly, and its incidence is expected to rise as the population of persons above 65 years increases. With improving survival and an increasing ageing population, the use of antithrombotic medications to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases appears to be on the rise. Though trauma is the leading cause of CSDH, these pharmacologic agents alter coagulation and have been associated with the rising recurrence of CSDH. There appears to be a complex relationship between CSDH and coagulopathy, which can lead to rebleeding or recurrence after surgical evacuation of the hematoma.
Aim/Objectives: To determine the relationship between the presence of coagulopathy and outcome in patients who underwent burr hole drainage of CSDH.
Methodology: This was a retrospective cohort study on all patients who underwent drainage of CSDH at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital over a 19-year period from June 2006 to May 2025. Clinical data were obtained from a computerised log of patients' records and analysed using STATA software version 12.
Results: One hundred and forty patients were studied. The male-to-female ratio was 4:1, and most patients were above 60 years (55.5%). Fifty-one per cent (51%) had coagulopathy - 10.07% were on antiplatelet medications and 0.71% were on warfarin. Seventy-two per cent (72%) of patients with coagulopathy had a history of trauma. Bilateral CSDH was found in thirty-six per cent (36%) of patients with coagulopathy. The patients who had coagulopathy had lower mean hematoma volumes, longer hospital stay, and accounted for all the patients (4) who required ICU admission. The presence of coagulopathy did not alter the rate of recurrence, reoperation, and GOS at discharge.
Conclusion: There is a high incidence of coagulopathy in patients who have CSDH, and most of them would require prompt evacuation irrespective of haematoma volume. Pre- and post-operative substitution of coagulation factors is associated with very good outcomes despite poor neurological status at presentation
Multiloculated hydrocephalus developing secondary to ventriculitis and their management: Two paediatric cases
No full textBackground: Inflammatory ventricular processes such as meningitis, severe intraventricular haemorrhage, or ventriculitis may result in multiloculated hydrocephalus. It is a significant condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Loculated hydrocephalus is a condition characterised by distinct, noncommunicating compartments within the ventricular system due to different etiologies.
Observation(s): Two pediatric cases, aged 0 and 5 years, with refractory ventriculitis complicated by multiloculated hydrocephalus were presented; intraventricular antibiotics were used to treat the ventriculitis, and external and closed shunt systems were used to resolve the multiloculated hydrocephalus.
Conclusion: Complex cases often complicate surgical management. Various surgical methods have been proposed for treatment, but multiloculated hydrocephalus is a complex and difficult condition to manage. To achieve success in the treatment of multiloculated hydrocephalus, there will always be a need for surgeons who are persistent and know what they are doing