University of Victoria Journals
Not a member yet
13485 research outputs found
Sort by
Expanding Perspectives on Alternative Children’s Literature: A Review of Alt Kid Lit: What Kids’ Literature Might Be
No full textThis review of Alt Kid Lit: What Kids’ Literature Might Be, edited by Kenneth B. Kidd and Derritt Mason, explores the anthology’s analysis and reframing of children’s and young adult (CYA) literature that exists outside of normative print culture. The review focuses on the text’s emphasis on diversity and interdisciplinary approaches to critiquing mainstream print culture and the exclusionary world of CYA studies and publishing. Exploration of the book’s 13 essays, 2 interviews, and a panel discussion and the themes contained within reflects the pedagogical value inherent when marginalized perspectives and texts are given the attention they deserve. Overall, Alt Kid Lit is praised for its significant contributions to CYA scholarship and its potential to make lasting contributions in the work of scholars, educators, and librarians working with CYA literature and readers
Holodomor: Understanding Joseph Stalin’s Genocide
No full textThe Holodomor, Ukrainian for “death by hunger,” was one of the deadliest famines known to man: over 4 million Ukrainian lives perished during this famine. Ninety years later, this famine remains an important reminder of the brutality suffered by people under the regime of Joseph Stalin. As a result of the push for increased industrialisation in the wake of World War I, collectivisation was implemented under Stalin’s Five Year Plan. This practice saw the collectivisation of peasant-run farms into state-owned farms, removing individual autonomy and leading to popular outrage. By 1932 harvests had taken a large hit, leading to several years of poor grain production. Needing food to fuel industrialisation, Stalin brought forth brutal measures of food procurement targeted against the peasant farmer population, taking personal food stores and retaliating against those who resisted. The Ukrainian peasant population, which was the single largest producer of grain, was hit much harder than other areas within the USSR and suffered unique discrimination not felt by other groups. Based on the United Nations’ definition of “genocide,” this paper analyses how Stalin purposely targeted the Ukrainian peasant population with food procurement, internal isolation, and refusal of aid to answer the question: is the Holodomor definable as genocide
Dangerous vs. Domestic: Cold War Representations of Female Sexuality
No full textAs the Cold War continued to develop and the threat of the atomic bomb loomed, atomic age anxieties surrounding the bomb bled into the public sphere and references to the bomb were seen throughout popular culture. Comparisons between female sexuality and the bomb were particularly popular. These representations tended to take two distinct forms: the sexually liberated, unwed “bombshell” and the domestic, submissive housewife. The popularity of the term “bombshell” directly attributed beautiful women to something both dangerous and intriguing while the housewife represented the “taming” of this force. Following the end of the second World War, the American people desired to return to stable and peaceful times. With this came the embracing of traditional values and the stressed importance of a strong family unit. Soon, any behaviour that did not align with the constraints of these “family values” were seen as immoral and associated with communism. This pressure was focused heavily on women who did not adhere to these societal standards. This paper will analyse the different representations of female sexuality through the lens of popular culture. In particular, it will focus on the dangerous, sexually charged “bombshell” and the submissive, domesticated housewife
Less Shipwrecks, More Navigators: Decolonial Perspectives on Bolivian Lithium Extraction: 2022/2023 Submission
No full textBolivian lithium is a highly contested resource with environmental, economic, and cultural significance to actors at both local and international levels. This paper employs an ethics of decolonial pluriversality to critically evaluate the rival claims to truth being made by the various lithium stakeholders. Through this lens, it is found that an approach that centres the experience of Indigenous Bolivians is favourable under that ethical framework.Bolivian lithium is a highly contested resource with environmental, economic, and cultural significance to actors at both local and international levels. This paper employs an ethics of decolonial pluriversality to critically evaluate the rival claims to truth being made by the various lithium stakeholders. Through this lens, it is found that an approach that centres the experience of Indigenous Bolivians is favourable under that ethical framework.Bolivian lithium is a highly contested resource with environmental, economic, and cultural significance to actors at both local and international levels. This paper employs an ethics of decolonial pluriversality to critically evaluate the rival claims to truth being made by the various lithium stakeholders. Through this lens, it is found that an approach that centres the experience of Indigenous Bolivians is favourable under that ethical framework
European Border Region Studies in Times of Borderization: Overview of the Problem and Perspectives
No full textSince at least the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of borders could no longer be overlooked. This global development has also penetrated the European border regions along with the virus. There, European border region studies is now confronted with events that it has thus far hardly had to deal with. This article addresses such events and elaborates on the interplay of borderization and deborderization processes in the context of “covidfencing”. For this purpose, social negotiation processes of border closures in the Greater Region SaarLorLux and in the German–Polish border area are discussed as “people’s resilience”. This article considers how European border region studies can deal with events and questions in times of borderization. Drawing on international border studies, the research agenda can be extended to everyday cultural issues. In addition, the common concept of borders can be adjusted in order to make the border more accessible as a subject of everyday cultural negotiations.
Keywords: COVID-19, covidfencing, border, borderization, deborderization, cross-border commuters, border studies, everyday culture, bordering, resilience
Construction abstraite: Frontière / Abstract Construction: Border
No full textLe Navire Avenir est un outil pionnier de sauvetage et de soin en haute mer, premier bâtiment d\u27une flotte mondiale. C’est un « ready-made pour le 21e siècle », une œuvre agissante conçue pour soutenir l\u27action des marins sauveteurs et contribuer à leur reconnaissance au Patrimoine culturel immatériel de l\u27humanité. « Comme toutes les œuvres d’art », écrit le collectif dans son manifeste, le projet « vise non seulement à changer notre vision du monde mais aussi à changer le monde lui-même ». Le manifeste complet suit, avec des illustrations du processus de création développé depuis 4 ans en Europe. Cette oeuvre doit encore être réalisée avec le soutien financier des citoyennes et citoyens notamment, via la plateforme www.navireavenir.eu.
The Vessel of the Future is a pioneering tool for rescue and care on the high seas, the first vessel of a global fleet. It is "ready-made for the 21st century" a proactive work designed to support the actions of rescue sailors and contribute to their recognition as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. "Like all works of art" writes the collective in its manifesto, the project "aims not only to change our vision of the world but also to change the world itself". The full manifesto follows, with illustrations of the creation process developed over the past four years in Europe. This work is yet to be realized with the financial support of citizens, particularly through the platform www.navireavenir.eu
Maternal Bat Roost Habitat Enhancement Project in Mystic Vale, Victoria, BC
No full textBats are globally considered a critical component of healthy and functional ecosystems. Currently, bats face numerous threats including loss of natural habitat the fungal disease White Nose Syndrome, climate change, and persecution or exclusion by humans. Bat boxes are often viewed as an option to mitigate for loss of natural roosts in rapidly changing urban environments. This project was focused on bat box construction and installation in accordance with the province’s current best practices, to increase the availability of maternal roosting habitat in Mystic Vale. Previous participation in Denman Island’s 2022 bat box surveys were the inspiration for this project. Key observations from the Denman bat box surveys would inform the local bat box site selection and construction process. The Mystic Vale site was selected in collaboration with the University of Victoria’s RNS Program and another student’s RNS project.
Bat box construction was undertaken personally, following plans obtained from the Community Bat Programs of BC and the Bat Builder’s Handbook. Four bat boxes were completed in April 2023. Installation followed the provincial recommendation of a back-to-back bat box set-up on a single post, to create additional roosting space between and offer a wider range of internal microclimates. The first bat box post was installed April 25th, 2023, with one bat box oriented south and the other north. This process was repeated on May 8th, 2023, for the second bat box. Monitoring bat boxes for occupancy should commence for 5 years following installation, checking the ground underneath for guano accumulation and interior chambers for bat presence. Site maintenance should involve the removal of blackberry shrubs around the bat boxes, and the planting of native bat-friendly species. Inclusion of immediate surrounding areas should be considered for bat box installation, to create a network of bat boxes and increase connectivity. Future community engagement and education regarding bat ecology should be planned for the site if bats occupy the boxes.
Bat boxes may increase available roosts at a site, but do not ultimately address the mechanisms driving natural bat habitat loss. It’s recommended that UVic and the District of Oak Bay take formal actions to conserve natural bat habitat by conserving wildlife trees and restoring wetlands or riparian zones. Further, a community engagement campaign is recommended to be adopted by the university to encourage future bat habitat restoration
