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Extracts from the Novel Chiaroscuro
No full textChiaroscuro is a short novel that alternates between autobiographical narrative, myth, and queer hallucination. Its title invokes pictorial chiaroscuro — the play of light and shadow that structures both the text and the lived experience of its narrator. The story follows a young protagonist escaping suburban working-class precarity and family violence, carrying the haunting presence of a dead brother, a destructive father, and a mother transfigured into a glamorous, spectral figure. In his flight, queer survival in nocturnal spaces — clubs, prostitution, drugs — intertwines with visionary obsessions: apparitions of Salome as lover and ghost, the figure of Nefertiti, biblical echoes of Mary Magdalene, and apocalyptic prophecy. Structured in veils or fragments the novel unfolds as a mosaic of testimony and mythic parable. Religious and cultural iconographies are not ornamental but constitutive: Salome embodies seduction and threat; martyrs and virgins serve as doubles of the narrator; prophets and the disappeared converse with family histories of violence and silence. In this interplay, memory becomes unstable, queerness visionary, and myth a narrative technology for rewriting trauma. Chiaroscuro is thus a narrative of disappearance and survival that interlaces family archive, queer memory, and sacred myth. It illuminates how gendered life stories reveal structures of patriarchal violence while also re-imagining new forms of desire, identity, and survival. In the tradition of Jean Genet or Jeanette Winterson, the work merges narrative and poetic registers to show how the marginal becomes vision, and how the broken reinscribes itself as myth. Three extracts are included here
Adoption Strategies for Health and Safety Technologies in the Construction Industry
No full textTechnology has improved many building procedures and processes over the years, but most developing countries have not completely embraced its use for construction health and safety (H&S) monitoring and management. This study examines the strategies essential for the adoption of current technologies for H&S in the construction industry of a developing country. After a review of pertinent literature, a structured questionnaire survey was used to solicit the views of one hundred and twenty-three (123) construction professionals who doubled as H&S practitioners in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI) through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The data obtained were analysed using quartile deviations, mean scores, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test. The findings of this study revealed all eight variables were essential for the adoption of H&S technologies in the construction industry of a developing country. The findings further suggest that a multifaceted approach, incorporating these strategies, can significantly enhance the adoption of H&S technologies, leading to safer working environments. The paper contributes to the understanding of the current technologies important for H&S in the GCI. The findings could educate regulatory bodies such as the Ghana Institute of Construction on the need to step up and promote the uptake of current technologies in the GCI. Though this study was conducted within the context of Ghana, its findings and implications can be useful to policymakers, stakeholders and practitioners in other developing countries
Introduction to the Special Issue: Gendered Life Stories and the Politics of Imagination
No full textThis introduction frames the special issue Gendered Life Stories and the Politics of Imagination within a broader crisis of narration, where storytelling is both culturally ubiquitous and increasingly unstable. Drawing on feminist theory and narrative studies, it explores how gendered life stories function as narrative technologies—forms through which marginalised subjects navigate risk, challenge dominant frameworks, and reimagine what kinds of stories can be told, heard, and believed. The introduction situates the contributions that follow as interventions into contested terrains of public storytelling, where voice, recognition, and power remain unevenly distributed
Role Model
No full textThe coming out narrative has served as the quintessential gendered life story for at least two decades, and people’s decisions to come out publicly have contributed to a growing acceptance of homosexuality during that period. I argue, though, that the coming out narrative has been mapped onto the conversion narrative, which casts the ‘closeted’ pre-conversion queer as cowardly and dishonest; only when she does her duty and shoulders the burden of announcing her desire to curious straight people does she join the ranks of the honest, the brave, and the saved. Jodie Foster’s 2013 ‘not-coming-out’ speech drew criticism and ridicule, not least because she tried to subvert the conventions of the narrative in ways that protected herself, capitalized on gains made by activism to which she had contributed nothing, and trivialized ‘outing,’ which still kills. I was one of the few who felt freed by her non-coming-out speech, and twelve years later, I acknowledge that some people feel betrayed while I felt liberated. Femmes like me are overrepresented on screen, yet I’ve struggled with belonging. By interrogating the structures that underlie the coming out story, as well as the assumptions we make about categories and majority groups, this essay reckons with the complexities of femme visibility, cisgender privilege, coming out, and belonging in the queer community
Through Whose Eyes? Discrimination, Vulnerability, and Global Trespassers in Documentaries about Girls Crossing Borders
No full textAlthough the concept of ‘feminisation of migration’ has gained prominence since the 1980s, the stories of refugee and migrant girls remain largely overlooked. While digital platforms have recently enabled these girls to reclaim their narratives and share livedexperiences of growing up on the move, adult- produced documentaries still tend to portray them primarily as vulnerable. This framing undermines their roles as agents of social change and limits the transformative potential of their stories. To explore thistension, this article examines the representation of girls crossing national borders in two 21st- century documentaries: Crossing the Border to Go to School in the U.S. (2020) and Ein Weiter Weg Wohin? (Further, But Where?) (2020).1 The former follows Mexicansisters who commute daily; the latter recounts the journey of a Syrian refugee girl. Drawing on postcolonial, feminist, and childhood studies, the article analyses how these documentaries, while illuminating underexamined lives, reveal instances of what is heretermed ‘triple colonisation’. It challenges the assumption that individual gendered life stories automatically transform global perspectives, arguing instead that traditional documentary forms can obstruct the translation of personal migration narratives intobroader critical debates. The article then identifies moments of ‘global trespassing’ within these narratives, drawing on John McLeod’s recent work (2024) on transnational storytelling. By centring the girls’ own perspectives rather than adult constructions of vulnerability, this approach highlights how they navigate and disrupt adult-and gender-imposed boundaries while forging connections across borders. Contributing to debates on representation in migration narratives, this article underscores the need to amplify the voices of migrant and refugee girls and to reimagine, rather than constrain, their transgressive and transformative potential
Reweaving Technology and Culture: Rethinking Indian Handlooms through an Anthropological Lens
No full textThis essay explores how handloom weaving in India can be understood not just as a traditional craft, but as a dynamic and socially embedded technological practice. Drawing on long-term fieldwork with weaving communities in West Bengal, the author reflectson how earlier studies often treated technology as a force that shaped culture from the outside—overlooking the ways in which people, tools, practices, and institutions co-evolve. By focusing on the lived experiences of weavers and the material culture of the loom, the essay highlights the importance of seeing handloom weaving as part of a broader social world, shaped by innovation and local knowledge. It calls for more inclusive and anthropologically informed approaches to studying technology, particularly in the context of artisanal traditions, and offers a critical reflection on how we understand craft, labour, and change in contemporary India
Local Wisdom Satu Tungku Tiga Batu for Stunting Reduction through Multisector Collaboration
No full textThis study analyzes the collaborative practice of Satu Tungku Tiga Batu in stunting prevention in Fakfak Regency, Indonesia, as a local wisdom-based governance model. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document analysis involving 17 key informants from government, traditional, and religious leaders. Data analysis employed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, supported by triangulation of methods, sources, and theories grounded in collaborative governance and Country Collaboration Theory. The findings indicate that Satu Tungku Tiga Batu strengthens social trust, role equality, and collaborative commitment through the Wewowo forum as a co-determination space. The collaboration achieved a ‘small victory’ by initiating revisions to Regent Regulation No. 62 of 2022 to formally involve traditional and religious leaders. This study concludes that integrating local cultural values fosters inclusive, participatory, and sustainable collaborative governance in stunting management
Principal component analysis of smart city delivery for sustainable construction in Ghana
No full textA paradigm shift towards sustainable urban development is represented by the building industry\u27s adoption of smart city ideas. The construction sector can play a key part in creating cities of the future, as smart city initiatives continue to gain traction. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the approaches to deliver smart cities for sustainable development in the construction industry in Ghana, utilising principal component analysis. The study used questionnaire instrumentation and quantitative research methods. Of the 350 respondents, 317 were purposively sampled to answer the questionnaire. The study found that there are two distinct methods for delivering smart cities: integrated and collaborative service platforms (ICSPs) and technology and data-driven approaches (TDAs). The major discoveries under ICSPs include integrated service delivery platforms, collaborative governance, smart building solutions, and smart health services. Key revelations under TDAs comprise cloud computing, integrated transport systems, co-creation and citizen engagement, and data analytics and artificial intelligence. The study\u27s conclusion is that in order to support long-term scalability, reduce redundancy, and enhance system resilience in response to growing urban demands, industry stakeholders should make investments in adaptable, modular technologies that can be easily integrated into existing infrastructure. Players in the building construction sector that support smart cities as sustainable construction practices may find the survey\u27s findings intriguing. The current study contributes to the body of knowledge about approaches to smart city delivery in the Ghanaian construction industry, which is important, given the dearth of prior research on this topic in Ghana
Measuring the overall impact of barriers to BIM adoption in prefabricated construction using a fuzzy synthetic evaluation approach
No full textBuilding information modeling (BIM) is increasingly used in construction projects in developing countries like Vietnam. However, many stakeholders still question its effectiveness and feel unprepared to apply it. This challenge is more evident in prefabricated construction, where design and construction occur simultaneously. BIM offers many benefits in this context, but also brings notable difficulties. This study examined the significant barriers to BIM implementation in prefabricated construction projects. A quantitative approach was used, beginning with a literature review to identify potential barriers, followed by a pilot test with three experts to refine and validate them. Eleven barriers were identified and categorized into human-, technological-, and performance-related groups. A structured quantitative questionnaire was distributed to professionals with experience in BIM-based prefabricated projects. Using a non-probability sampling approach, 151 valid responses were collected from stakeholders with diverse roles and backgrounds. The results indicated that human-related barriers are the most significant. The top five barriers are the lack of high-quality human resources, poor coordination among stakeholders, a long time needed to generate detailed models, weak integration between tools, and resistance to changes in work processes. Stakeholders showed strong agreement in their evaluations, with correlation coefficients above 0.3 at the 0.01 and 0.05 significance levels. Factor analysis and evaluation using exploratory factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic evaluation confirmed a substantial impact of these barriers, with a score of 3.488 out of 5.0 (69.8%). These findings provide a solid foundation for developing policies and strategies to strengthen BIM adoption and improve project performance
Art as a Catalyst for Global Citizenship: The National Film Board of Canada’s Approach to Societal Challenges
No full textThis paper examines the National Film Board of Canada (NFBC) as a model for how publicly funded art advances global citizenship, participatory media, and cultural democracy. Through analysis of NFBC’s interactive documentaries, VR storytelling and counterpublic interventions, the study explores how the institution fosters civic engagement and democratic resistance. Works like Biidaaban: First Light, The Space We Hold, and Bear 71 demonstrate how digital storytelling amplifies marginalised voices, challenges colonial narratives, critiques algorithmic governance, and counters corporate media consolidation. Drawing on cultural policy, counterpublic theory, media studies, and participatory art, the paper argues that public art infrastructure is essential to sustaining alternative media spaces and resisting platform-driven content control. Concepts such as agonistic pluralism, digital sovereignty, and algorithmic resistance frame the NFBC’s interventions into historical memory, environmental ethics and digital governance. By positioning the NFBC as a blueprint for media democratisation, the study highlights the urgency of protecting and expanding publicly funded storytelling in an era of digital privatisation. Ultimately, it contends that state-supported digital art remains critical to counterpublic engagement, historical witnessing and civic participation in evolving media ecosystems
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