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Responsibility to Protect or Licence to Plunder?
Full text linkResponsibility to Protect (R2P) is a relatively new international norm that permits state intervention in cases of gross humanitarian violations. While R2P was designed to protect civilians from harm, this paper argues that it is an uneven trade-off for deconstructing state sovereignty. By assessing the moral and practical ramifications of R2P, one can find the prioritisation of vague liberal ethics over institutionalised legal frameworks comes at a grave cost to efficient responses to conflict. Subjective interpretations of morality increase the selectivity of the doctrine which is further corrupted by the political, financial, and militaristic concerns of the intervening countries. This paper also explores the internal legitimacy of states and finds that R2P obfuscates a state’s moral duty. R2P provides the West the ability to self-legitimise and control the narrative while failing to address the root causes of conflict. Therefore, it is crucial to explore alternatives to R2P that could better address the challenges of humanitarian intervention
Surgo. September 2023. Freshers\u27 Edition. : It\u27s Surgo, but not like you have known it before.
No full textWelcome to the new and improved Surgo; a newspaper of the digital age. In this issue we welcome Freshers to Medchir, share some thought provoking interviews and even include a crossword for you to puzzle over. 
Judgment, self-scrutiny and punishment: How Hieronymus Bosch’s pessimistic worldview enabled a radical shift in pictorial tradition
Full text linkAt its core, this essay examines how Hieronymus Bosch’s (circa 1450-1516) pessimistic Christian worldview enabled him to break into a new artistic paradigm through his unrelenting and unprecedented focus on human sin and Divine Judgment. Working in Northern Europe during the time of the Renaissance, Bosch made paintings so radical and complex that nothing of the likes has been seen before nor since. With an oeuvre characterized by a deeply rooted fascination with sin and evil, in the three works that I examine, I trace Bosch’s understanding of humanity’s predisposition toward sin, the consequent punishment and, finally, the origins of such evil
How is trans geography scholarship reframing the concerns of body geographies as a field of enquiry?
Full text linkThis paper aims to explore how trans scholarship can be progressed in the field of body geographies by analysing and evaluating trans autoethnographies. I will consider work from Nordmarken to criticise the dualistic lens gender is sometimes considered under in body geographies, and how scholars argue Cartesian dualism played a pivotal role in upholding gender binarism. I will also discuss work from Doan, who details her experience with public bathrooms from a Foucauldian perspective, arguing sex-segregated bathrooms are a materialisation of disciplinary power. I will also discuss Johnston’s work on the relation between ‘privileged places’ and the ‘normative binaries’ gender perspective and how this is present in the autoethnographies. I will then give criticism to these autoethnographies and find that personal narratives are valuable, but insufficient: there must be more scholars writing to progress the field, and scholars must theorise over these empirical experiences to develop them
Temporal Shifts in Singapore: Renaissance and Retribution of Western Cultures and Colonial Narratives
Full text linkSingapore’s relationship with colonialism has long been fraught with resentment while simultaneously being unable to detach itself from its identity as a former British colony. Colonial officer Sir Stamford Raffles is regarded as a national icon, after whom the Raffles Hospital, Raffles Institution and business district Raffles Place are named after. Along the Singapore River is a white marble statue of Raffles, with the plaque reading “On this historic site, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore on 28th January 1819, and with genius and perception changed the destiny of Singapore from an obscure fishing village to a great seaport and modern metropolis.” Yet, there have been efforts to counter Western influence in Singapore, to justify illiberal or anti-democratic policies or simply to cultivate a synthetic national identity amongst a majority immigrant population with no primordial connection to the land. It is then necessary to investigate the origins of this strange relationship with the British: a desire to either defend the colonists or to declare Western values as wholly irreconcilable to ours, and therefore need to be rejected
Glasgow Alumni Column - An Interview with Prof. Rev. Sturrock and Eddie Carberry
No full textFor our first Surgo alumni column we wanted to include an interview between formerstudent Eddie Carberry and rheumatology consultant and medical school chaplainProf. Rev. Roger Sturrock. I trained in medicine at the Westminster Medical Schoolin London and worked in London before coming up toGlasgow to work as a lecturer. The opportunity arose forme to work in Nigeria for a little while and I taught in theAhmadu Bello University hospital which at the time wasthe only medical school in the North of Nigeria. I laterreturned to Glasgow to head up the Centre For RheumaticDiseases. Teaching and clinical research have always beenan important part of my working week.I have been involved in church life since my teenage years.Towards the end of my career I trained as a Reader in theChurch of Scotland and subsequently was ordained as aChurch of Scotland minister after returning to universityas a student, graduating in Divinity. I am now an honoraryChurch of Scotland chaplain to the University and I havejust taken on the role as chaplain to the medical school.I see myself as hopefully providing Spiritual Care andadvice to all students of whatever faith group or none.Roger Sturrock
Eddie Carberry, FY1Having dropped in to Roger\u27s Wednesday afternoonclinic in the Wolfson Library Room 10, I can say that hisskills of relating ethical and spiritual guidance to thetrials and tribulations of life as a medical student areincredibly useful. I would personally recommenddropping by for a chat if you have anything on yourmind
An Interview with Prof. Rev. Sturrock and EddieCarberry I took the opportunity to attend one of Roger\u27s Sunday morning sermons at KelvinsideHillhead Church. Interestingly, Roger manages to weave the religious aspects of hissermons into relevant advice and guidance for his congregation- Eddie. “ Your title is Revered Professor, whatwould you prefer students called you?” Roger.“ What is the best cytokine?” It depends on your perspective! Somecytokines are good - enhancing theinflammatory response to tumourswhereas others have the opposite effect.My favourite cytokine is TNF alpha!"What is the link between rheumatoidfactor and The X-Factor?" (the singingcontest TV show run by Simon Cowell). They are both easy to spot but withuncertain outcomes.“ Do you believe in hell?” If you mean fiery flames and devils withhorns and tails, then the answer is no.Sometimes we create our own hell forourselves."And unrelated to the previous question:Have you ever had to present a patient ata morning ward round after too manypints of Fun the night before?" (a \u27pint offun\u27 is now the signature drink at theGlasgow University Union, it\u27s a deadlycocktail made with a triple measure ofvodka and tastes like fruit juice. It\u27sresponsible for the majority of studenthangovers). The short answer is no but as a juniorDoctor on one occasion I had to guide aninebriated consultant on a ward round!“ What\u27s important about spiritual carein healthcare workers?” The NHS is now recognising theimportance of spiritual care forhealthcare workers. It is about helpingthe inner person to cope with thestresses of health care and to get thingsin the right perspective. How to copewith suffering and death etc.“ Would following all religions increasemy chances of getting into an afterlife?” No! I guess that it would be veryconfusing to follow every religion. It isnot quantity that counts but quality!“ There have been many famousscientists who were also greatlyreligious, have you ever found it difficultto think like a scientist and keep faith inreligion?” No. If anything religion helps to spur oneon to understand how God works increatio
Violated Voices: Millennial Messages of Sexual Violence in the Music of Contemporary Female Artists
Full text linkThis paper examines the ways in which contemporary female musicians use their art to explore the impact of sexual violence. Through the utilisation of qualitative research and thematic analysis, the study analyses the lyrics of songs written by seven artists: Lady Gaga, Natalie Grant, Tori Amos, Ashe, Rapsody, Jolin Tsai and Ana Tijoux. The analysis focuses on examining several key themes such as the use of metaphor, the psychological experiences of survivors, and the representation of marginalised voices in the lyrics. The findings of the study highlight the powerful role that music can play in giving voice to the experiences of survivors and challenging cultural narratives that contribute to rape culture.
Content sensitivity warning: themes of sexual assault, violence and trauma
Let Women be Unfettered from the Moon: The Metamorphoses of the Moon from Oscar Wilde’s Salomé to Mina Loy’s The Lost Lunar Baedeker
Full text linkThe moon, for Oscar Wilde and Mina Loy, in contrast to its traditional mythologised conception, is a symbolic representation of female subjective consciousness, as indicated by the forms of female sexual desire lying beneath the surface of Loy’s poetic language and Wilde’s allusions. This paper converts the moon motif into a critical apparatus that allows for tracing of both the misogynistic provenance of the metaphorical association and its reformulation in the hands of writers alert to these problematic notions; as the title suggests, ‘metamorphoses’ not only indicates the phases of the moon as a reflection of women’s natural growth, but also alludes to the development of the symbolism of the moon from a traditional figuration of femininity into a critical feminist discourse
Regressive Modernity? Understanding the Role of the Caribbean in the Construction of the West
Full text linkModern: a byword for new, sleek, or desirable. This paper discusses the origins of Western modernity and argues that contemporary understanding frequently ignores the painful past which has allowed for a modern world to exist. This essay argues that what we consider the hallmarks of modernity and the capitalist economy originated not in Europe but in the plantations of the Caribbean, discussing and contextualising these oft-ignored colonial roots
After the Dust Settles: The Role of Universities in Helping Restore, Nurture, and Establish Professional Bodies for Accountants amidst Post-Colonial Influences
Full text linkThis paper critically reflects on the divergent roles universities can take in the professional development of accountants in countries facing enduring post-colonial influences across the globe. Professional bodies have been cornerstones of colonial empires and reinforced historic power imbalances within colonies; following the collapse of these empires, remnants of post-colonialism still shape professional bodies. As a component of professional education, universities are capable of mobilisation or marginalisation in the face of ideological conflict. They can both support localisation efforts to aid in restorative economic development, or become discredited by legacy qualifications protecting the historic social status of a minority of elite accountants