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Exposing Colonial and Imperial Roots in Neoliberal Globalization of BC K-12 International Education System
No full textWith the rise of British Columbia (BC) kindergarten to Grade 12 (K–12) international education (formerly known as onshore schools) and the BC Offshore School Program, the business of international students is no longer limited to higher education. Working from a decolonizing framework, this study argues that the ever-changing, complex global system of international education in the context of BC’s public education system is a continuing form of imperialism and colonialism working under the guise of neoliberal globalization and the knowledge-based economy. Through a critical review of the current development of BC public schools’ K–12 international education, this study investigates how the shift from public schools dependent on shrinking government expenditure to relying on market-driven funding mechanisms has enormous implications on the way we think about education and the values that underpin educational endeavours
Men's self-compassion, body satisfaction, and intuitive eating: The moderating role of conformity to masculine norms
No full textDespite recent research suggesting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating are growing concerns in men, few studies have examined these trends. Self-compassion has been shown to have positive effects on women’s outcomes in eating disorder diagnoses and in body image contexts. However, research investigating the association between self-compassion and body related outcomes in men has been lacking. Additionally, research suggests that men face societal pressure to conform to masculine norms which may impact their body image and eating behaviour. Thus, the present study was designed to study the relationship between self-compassion and body related outcomes in men (i.e., intuitive eating and body parts satisfaction). This study also explored conformity to masculine norms as a potential moderator of the relationship between self-compassion and body related outcomes. Data was collected from 249 men (Mage = 23.20, SD = 3.70). through an online survey. The survey included measures assessing intuitive eating, body (self)-compassion, body satisfaction, fear of self-compassion, self-esteem and conformity to masculine norms. Regression analysis using a mean centered predictor showed that self (body)-compassion was significantly and positively associated with intuitive eating and body parts satisfaction, however, conformity to masculine norms failed to moderate either relationship. These findings offer insight into the benefits of practicing self-compassion for men
The Female Elite of Mongolia: Unprecedented (to the West) Power
No full textThis paper examines the power weilded by elite women in the Mongol Empire. It outlines the world of the Mongol empire and traditional cultural understandings of women in Mongol life, especially in politics and economics. The essay examines their power through four spheres: family, religion, economics, and warfare. Individual examples includes Alaqai Beki, Pādshāh Khatun, Taydula, and Manduhai. It argues that thanks to the Mongolian culture's acceptance of women's power, female elite were in a better position to weild power and make influential decisions to shape policies and outcomes in a variety of topics over two hundred years than their sedentary counterparts
On the Certification of the Kinematics of 3-DOF Spherical Parallel Manipulators
No full textThis paper aims to study a specific kind of parallel robot: Spherical Parallel Manipulators (SPM) that are capable of unlimited rolling. A focus is made on the kinematics of such mechanisms, especially taking into account uncertainties (e.g. on conception & fabrication parameters, measures) and their propagations. Such considerations are crucial if we want to control our robot correctly without any undesirable behavior in its workspace (e.g. effects of singularities). In this paper, we will consider two different approaches to study the kinematics and the singularities of the robot of interest: symbolic and semi-numerical. By doing so, we can compute a singularity-free zone in the work- and joint spaces, considering given uncertainties on the parameters. In this zone, we can use any control law to inertially stabilize the upper platform of the robot
Mathematical Reasoning Processes in Secondary Mathematics with Maple Learn
No full textThis article aims to examine of the potential benefits of Maple Learn, a digital platform designed for teaching mathematics. The research is situated within the concept of digital numeracy and provides a theoretical framework informed by mathematical literacy. Through the use of a conceptual research design, we present two activities designed to promote mathematical reasoning processes and provide a detailed discussion on the mathematical and technical aspects of these activities. Our findings highlight the potential of Maple Learn in promoting the development of digital numeracy in all three forms of mathematical reasoning processes (formulate, employ, and interpret/evaluate) through technical features associated with organizational aspects, dynamic representations, and automated mathematical procedures
Intergenerational Prophecies: A reflection on my grandmother, self-perception, and colonial beauty standards
No full textI analyze my grandmother’s racial trauma which expressed itself as a racist-colorist way of seeing. The questions that guide my reflection are the following: Through what gaze did my grandmother look at herself? Did my mother and I inherit her way of seeing, that is, a gaze that hates the body it sees? I put special emphasis on the repetitions and continuity that I find among the three family generations. In this sense, I wonder if my grandmother's visual experience functions as a kind of prophecy from which my mother, her sisters and I could not escape, a kind of inexorable destiny like the one faced by Oedipus. Given the nature of my inquiry, I adopt an intergenerational perspective at a historical and family level. In other words, I assume there is a link between individual perception and historical context given that they mutually complement each other. I argue that my grandmother’s self-perception was filtered through a colonial way of seeing. Furthermore, her internalized colorism has been inherited from the times when Mexico was a Spanish colony. For the latter, I provide a brief historical framework that explains the Mestizaje Ideology and how it sets the tone to talk about race in Mexico, as well as Joaquín Barriendo’s definition of coloniality of seeing. Later on, I present an analysis on the (self-)perception of my grandmother, my mother and her sisters, and me parting from exchanges and memories that I consider here as signs and symbols that the ‘oracle’ tried to communicate to me
The Art of the Effigy
No full textThe Gujarat wing of the BJP, the Ruling Party of India, created controversy on the 19th of February with the publication of a cartoon on its Twitter handle. This cartoon depicting the hanging of a group of Muslim men was read, by the Indian media, in the context of the Gujarat wing's alleged complicity in orchestrating riots that left more than 700 Muslims dead. This article argues that the cartoon was neither a joke nor an insensitive reminder nor provocation. Instead, the cartoon should be read as prophetic, but prophetic in the particular sense of the BJP’s political messaging. The cartoon is prophetic in that its visual distortions create a future which action can transfer from hyperbole to reality. This call to action creates a self-fulfilling prophecy that both the people and the state strive towards. This reading of the cartoon as prophetic reveals the accessory mechanisms of the visual media and the support given by the digital circulation of the cartoon on Twitter to the threat depicted.  
Labour Alienation: Body Estrangement through Beauty Work
No full textThis paper unpacks Marx’s theories on labour alienation and proposes an extension of these theories in the form of bodily alienation. This is done through a feminist lens in categorizing acts of beauty as “beauty labour” which constitute a form of alienation under the oppressive conditions of the patriarchy. The proposed framework of “beauty labour” aims to allow for a contemporary and intersectional approach to reading Marxist theory