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Todas las madres: An Exploration of Diverse Cathartic Maternity in Pedro Almodóvar’s Todo sobre mi madre: 2021/2022 Submission
No full textFollowing a brief introduction on the work of Pedro Almodóvar, this essay examines the diverse maternal figures in the Spanish director’s film Todo sobre mi Madre with a focus on how the motherly actions of the main protagonist, Manuela, help her to overcome the traumatic loss of her child. This essay was written in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year for Dr. Silvia Colás’s class on Spanish culture which explored, amongst other themes, the colourful movida madrileña.Following a brief introduction on the work of Pedro Almodóvar, this essay examines the diverse maternal figures in the Spanish director’s film Todo sobre mi Madre with a focus on how the motherly actions of the main protagonist, Manuela, help her to overcome the traumatic loss of her child. This essay was written in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year for Dr. Silvia Colás’s class on Spanish culture which explored, amongst other themes, the colourful movida madrileña.Following a brief introduction on the work of Pedro Almodóvar, this essay examines the diverse maternal figures in the Spanish director’s film Todo sobre mi Madre with a focus on how the motherly actions of the main protagonist, Manuela, help her to overcome the traumatic loss of her child. This essay was written in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year for Dr. Silvia Colás’s class on Spanish culture which explored, amongst other themes, the colourful movida madrileña
La negociación o contrato andino: una revisión de su historia: 2022/2023 Submission
No full textEl presente ensayo examina el significativo papel de la negociación indígena en la historia del Perú. Una etapa en que los indígenas participaron activamente tanto a nivel cultural como político durante el Virreinato. Este análisis se divide en tres partes: la primera explora la historia y características de la negociación andina, la segunda evalúa cómo la negociación indígena se presenta en la conquista, y la tercera presenta conclusiones sobre la importancia de la negociación andina actualmente. La negociación indígena no fue un proceso sencillo, sino que involucró parámetros establecidos, apoyo jurídico y delimitación de áreas de influencia. Se discute cómo las negociaciones indígenas permitieron la formación de alianzas y la construcción de un orden original y dinámico. En conclusión, la negociación indígena en el Virreinato del Perú fue un factor clave en el desarrollo del proceso de la conquista, y su estudio permite una comprensión más objetiva de la historia.El presente ensayo examina el significativo papel de la negociación indígena en la historia del Perú. Una etapa en que los indígenas participaron activamente tanto a nivel cultural como político durante el Virreinato. Este análisis se divide en tres partes: la primera explora la historia y características de la negociación andina, la segunda evalúa cómo la negociación indígena se presenta en la conquista, y la tercera presenta conclusiones sobre la importancia de la negociación andina actualmente. La negociación indígena no fue un proceso sencillo, sino que involucró parámetros establecidos, apoyo jurídico y delimitación de áreas de influencia. Se discute cómo las negociaciones indígenas permitieron la formación de alianzas y la construcción de un orden original y dinámico. En conclusión, la negociación indígena en el Virreinato del Perú fue un factor clave en el desarrollo del proceso de la conquista, y su estudio permite una comprensión más objetiva de la historia.El presente ensayo examina el significativo papel de la negociación indígena en la historia del Perú. Una etapa en que los indígenas participaron activamente tanto a nivel cultural como político durante el Virreinato. Este análisis se divide en tres partes: la primera explora la historia y características de la negociación andina, la segunda evalúa cómo la negociación indígena se presenta en la conquista, y la tercera presenta conclusiones sobre la importancia de la negociación andina actualmente. La negociación indígena no fue un proceso sencillo, sino que involucró parámetros establecidos, apoyo jurídico y delimitación de áreas de influencia. Se discute cómo las negociaciones indígenas permitieron la formación de alianzas y la construcción de un orden original y dinámico. En conclusión, la negociación indígena en el Virreinato del Perú fue un factor clave en el desarrollo del proceso de la conquista, y su estudio permite una comprensión más objetiva de la historia
The Unsubmissive Islands: Children’s Memories During the Cold War: A Review of (An)Archive: Childhood, Memory, and Cold War (Mnemo ZIN, Eds.)
No full textThis book review aims to provide a broad reflection on (An)Archive: Childhood, Memory, and Cold War, highlighting its theoretical and methodological relevance for the study of past childhoods and childhood studies in general. It emphasizes the innovative approach of creating an alternative public archive, as well as the compelling focus on constructing collective memories through biographical narratives situated in various geographies and time periods influenced by the Cold War
Narratives of Agency: Understanding the Refugee Experience through Paintings at the EU’s External Borders
No full textDespite a burgeoning interest in the “visual” in migration and border research, refugees’ own perspectives of how they represent their experiences of struggles with/against borders through paintings remain underinvestigated. This article seeks to fill this gap by providing a close and contextual understanding of refugees’ perceptions and their first-hand experiences of their struggles with borders with reference to critical border studies and visual approaches. Drawing on qualitative analysis of the paintings produced by en route refugee artists at the Hope Project on the Greek island of Lesvos, the article dissects the emerging visual narratives and practices. The article exposes three common narratives from the paintings regarding how the artists recount the perilous journeys of refugees from home toward the European Union, their everyday life constrained in Lesvos, and their future aspirations in a tide of freedom and uncertainty. These common narratives illustrate a sense of continuity between the past, present, and future of refugees’ migratory and life trajectories interrupted by the European border(ing) regime. As the article illustrates, the paintings reveal how refugees as socio-political agents challenge the state borders built against their mobilities and, in doing so, they also defy the symbolic borders fabricated against their identities.
Despite a burgeoning interest in “visual” migration and border research, refugees’ own representations of their experiences of struggles with/against borders through paintings remain underinvestigated. In this article, I provide a close and contextual understanding of refugee perceptions and their first-hand experiences of struggles with borders, while highlighting the political significance of refugee-produced artworks in borderlands. Inspired by critical border studies and visual approaches, I draw on qualitative analysis of 70 paintings produced by en route refugee artists at the Hope Project on the Greek island of Lesvos, dissecting the emerging visual narratives and refugees’ creative practices. Analysis exposes three common narrative themes of the paintings: the perilous journeys of refugees from their homes toward the European Union, their everyday life constrained in Lesvos, and their future aspirations in a tide of freedom and uncertainty. These themes illustrate a sense of continuity between the past, present, and future of refugee experience, interrupted by the European border(ing) regime. These narratives reveal that even seemingly depoliticized spaces, namely art workshops and paintings, can become hyper-politicized, recounting how refugees as socio-political agents challenge the state borders constructed to manage refugee mobility and defy the symbolic borders targeting their identity and political subjectivity.
Keywords: refugee artworks, migrant agency, European border regime, bordering, Greece, Moria
Invasive Species Restoration Project and Management Recommendations for Reynoutria japonica at Neilson Regional Park
No full textThe Invasive Species Restoration Project at Neilson Regional Park, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD), aims to restore the salmon habitat at Draper Creek by targeting the bank stability and developing a long-term invasive management plan along the creek bank. Draper Creek and Hatzic Lake are critical fish habitats, with salmon traveling up the creek from the Fraser River to their traditional spawning sites. However, invasive vegetation has been making this journey challenging for spawning fish. The restoration project focused on reducing invasive plants in riparian slopes by removing them and planting native slope stabilization species. This project focused on three distinct sites: site A1, site A2, and site B, totalling 330 m2. The removal of three main invasive species included Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass), Rubus armeniacus (Himalayan blackberry), and Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam). Volunteers contributed 60 hours to remove 465 kg of invasive biomass from the three project sites. A group of students spent an additional 50 hours planting 42 native species. Reynoutria japonica (Japanese knotweed) was also identified as a significant invasive species. However, a comprehensive management plan is necessary due to its extensive rhizome system and environmental impact. The success of the native plantings relies on a long-term management plan, including ongoing monitoring and removal of invasive species and nurturing the establishment of native plants. To ensure the project’s success, the FVRD staff will continue to monitor and maintain the restoration sites for five years after the initial project in 2022. By planting carefully selected native species and actively managing invasive species, the project enhances ecosystem resilience and promotes biodiversity in critical natural habitats. Continued monitoring and commitment to long-term management will be essential to preserving the ecological balance and native species diversity for future generations
The Resurrection of Borders Inside of the Schengen Area and its Media Representations
No full textThe bordering processes inside of the Schengen Area are traditionally under the scrutiny of border studies scholars. The European Union has been repeatedly displayed as a laboratory for a free cross-border movement, often with synonyms like an ostensibly borderless area (Scott 2012). This so-called Schengen culture (Zaiotti 2011) developed due to intensifying cross-border contact and integration between EU member states. However, in the decade between 2010 and 2020 this Schengen culture has been repeatedly challenged by the geopolitical crises and nationalistic political narratives and decisions. This study concentrates on this debate about borders in the selected European news. The analysis of news articles from six newspapers (Mladá fronta, Hospodářské noviny, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Der Standard, and Die Presse) shows how the context of the border debate evolved under the impact of migration crises and coronavirus crisis. Throughout the decade of the 2010s, this study witnesses the gradual securitization of borders inside of the EU and illustrates how the symbolic language and various narratives contributed to this development
Contested Frontiers: Borders and Border Spaces in the South Caucasus from the Second Half of the 19th Century to the 1920s
No full textA closer look at the 19th century ethnographic maps of the Caucasus reveals the demographic diversity of the region at the crossroads of three empires: the Persian, the Ottoman, and the Russian. To consolidate their power in this peripheral region, these empires, and later the Soviet authorities, experimented with various scenarios of resettlement, making the region an imperial “laboratory” with massive border shifts. This article discusses the processes of border development in the South Caucasus, beginning with the integration of this region into the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century and continuing until Sovietization in the early 1920s. During this period, the borders in this region were particularly characterized by constant discourses, territorial claims, identity struggles, and ethnic divisions. The article considers the emergence and function of borders and border spaces from the perspective of their temporal evolution and analyses their mutability over time in an era marked by wars, revolutions, conflicts, and political upheavals. The aim is to provide a better understanding of why borders, whose meaning had diminished almost to insignificance during the Soviet period, became subjects of conflict again, turning them into sites of unpredictable aggression.
Keywords: Armenia; Azerbaijan; war; contested borders; conflict; territoriality
INTRODUCTION—Reinvigorating Ancestral Practices: Honoring Land and Water Defenders, Indigenous Internationalisms, and Community Protocols
No full textFor Indigenous peoples, boundaries on homelands and waterways often denote places for family, clan and/or community responsibilities regarding stewardship or protection and are not merely lines of exclusion on a map. In this essay I begin by reflecting on the teachings of the late master carver and artist TEMOSEṈŦET (Dr. Charles Elliott from Tsartlip First Nation) and discuss how his artistry embodies Indigenous internationalism and intimate relationships to W̱SÁNEĆ lands and waters. Indigenous internationalism is practiced through diplomacies, activism, trade relations, treaties, solidarities, and other forms of Indigenous international relations which precede the formation of states. In this essay I look at the deeper meaning behind the Cherokee word for nation, ayetli, and discuss how Indigenous internationalism and land/water defense are expressed through stories, activism, and everyday actions that renew relational responsibilities to lands, waters, and more-than-human ki