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Far-Right Civilizationism: Limits and Contradictions
No full textThis thesis critically explores the ideological aspects of political contestation within the states and societies of the so-called Liberal International Order (LIO) in recent years. Such divisions are associated with key capitalist social and political formations which are concerned with the LIO’s nature, its governance model, and the future of this political bloc within the twenty-first century world order. The focus of this thesis is concerned with the ideological aspects of political contestation and the rivalries and tensions such contestation has produced within the states and societies of the LIO and contemporary world order. Specifically, it will note how the elite-led transnational ‘hegemonic project’ of post-Cold War liberalism has been challenged in recent years by an emergent transnational far-right governance model, with supportive networks of far-right collective intellectuals who are ambitious to provide leadership within the post-war historic bloc of the LIO (or ‘Western civilization’) and greater world order.
I will discuss the various discourse coalitions comprising of elite intellectuals for the two rivalling hegemonic projects for the LIO and world order: 1) “neoliberal cosmopolitanism” (Gowan 2001); and 2) “far-right civilizationism” (Stewart 2020, 2022). I will outline the core ideological aspects of each hegemonic project as well the transnational networks of politicians, institutions, and elite intellectuals attached to each project.
To illustrate the far-right social forces associated with this ‘clash of hegemonic projects’, I will discuss the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) a major node within in a burgeoning transnational far-right ‘collective intellectual’ network with hegemonic ambitions in the field of global governance knowledge production within the LIO. Founded by political scientist Yoram Hazony in 2019, NatCon has sought to shift the liberal consensus amongst elites and professional managerial class(es) on questions of culture, identity, and public policy in the West. Attracting academics, activists, military figures, politicians, and capitalists from across the LIO, NatCon has created a venue for far-right elites to organize/harmonize the social forces opposed to some of the proposals, core principles, and influence of ‘globalist’ liberal elites and their collective intellectual institutions such as the World Economic Forum and Open Society Foundations.
This dissertation will then 1) examine the structural factors or contexts relevant to the rise of the contemporary far-right social forces within the LIO; 2) describe the ideological basis of the far-right’s opposition to the ideas, institutions, and material capabilities associated with the ‘left’ and/or elite liberal ‘establishment’; and 3) explore the case study of NatCon as an example of a transnational collective intellectual organization which represents a hegemonically ambitious far-right elite discourse coalition in the field of global governance. I will discuss how this emergent coalition, which I label as the Budapest Men, has designs for the transatlantic-bloc and world order. This bloc of social forces cannot be reduced to frequently used descriptors such as populist, nationalist, or illiberal
Media Dance: An Art Form - The Intersection of Art, Technologies, and Bodies in Motion
No full textMedia dance, as an umbrella term, building on its screendance roots, is a hybrid art form, one that operates at the intersection of dance (body in motion) and technology, with the frame of the screen in mind. In effect, media dance involves a conversation between the creator engaging with media dance, who must embrace all the possibilities of movement, dance, and technology, and the choreographer, who must grasp the possibilities of media as an art, while understanding the potential to create new kinds of works through the capture of movement and the power of editing. Building on and supported by a substantial review of the screendance literature, case study analysis, and interviews with leading Canadian and international screendance scholars, practitioners, and film festival curators, this research investigates the critical debates animating the screendance field today. The dissertation addresses one central research question in particular: is media dance, building on its screendance foundation, an art form with a viable future in a post-pandemic, technologically mediated world
Visualizing Transgender Narratives Through Oral History and Design
No full textThe goal of this project is to gain a trans feminist oral history (Hill 2007) perspective on the lived experiences of transgender (more specifically gender non-conforming) individuals and the emotions they feel. I explore how to visualize and materialize individual experiences that “also connect to collective experiences, one story becoming the story of many” (Hill 2007, p4). The presentation of transgender experiences is explored through book design. My question, therefore, is, how can book design highlight commonalities within the broader transgender community and link disparate individuals through shared experience? This topic has been addressed by interviewing three gender non-conforming individuals using a trans feminist oral history methodology (Hill 2007). This project aims to meld art and design in order to express the collective experiences that are shared throughout the trans community
Guano Rain and Growing Pain: Co-Nesting Dynamics of Double-Crested Cormorants and Black-Crowned Night-Herons at Tommy Thompson Park
No full textThis study investigates the co-nesting dynamics between double-crested cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) and black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto, Canada, from 1992 to 2023. Linear mixed models with Bayesian inference were used to examine the impacts of cormorant abundance, nest density, management practices, and environmental factors on night-heron population growth.
The strongest and only statistically significant relationship was a positive association between cormorant and night-heron growth indices. Results showed substantial uncertainty in the effects of most variables on night-heron growth indices, with wide credible intervals for nest densities, night-heron road proximity, and management activities. Nest densities of both species and proximity to roads had minimal effects on night-heron colony growth, with posterior means near zero. Management activities showed a slight positive but non-significant effect on night-herons. The study revealed that while cormorant population growth generally benefited night-herons, there was high uncertainty in parameter estimates, potentially due to small sample sizes and ecosystem complexity
The Balance of Sexual Responsiveness and Autonomy: Communal and Self-Determined Approaches to Sexual Motivation, Need Fulfillment, and Support in Romantic Relationships
No full textSexual need fulfillment between partners is central to the maintenance of a romantic relationship over time. However, it can be challenging to assert one’s sexual needs in the process of being responsive to a partner’s sexual needs, presenting a key interdependent dilemma couples navigate in the sexual domain. In the following dissertation, I integrated communal and self-determined theories of sexual motivation to further our understanding of how people balance being responsive to a partner’s sexual needs with asserting their own sexual needs and how perceiving a partner as supportive of one’s sexual needs is central to maintaining sexual and relationship well-being. In my first paper, I examine how balancing the motivation to be responsive to a partner’s sexual needs with asserting one’s own sexual needs (i.e., high sexual communal strength) is associated with greater sexual and relationship well-being as a function of engaging in sex for pleasure and meaning (i.e., autonomous reasons) rather than out of pressure or obligation (i.e., controlled reasons). In contrast, sexual responsiveness that involves self-neglect (i.e., high unmitigated sexual communion) is costly to well-being due to controlled reasons for engaging in sex. In my second paper, I demonstrate how experimentally orienting people in relationships to high sexual responsiveness is associated with differences in autonomous versus controlled reasons for engaging in sex and sexual and relationship well-being depending on whether people are also oriented toward high versus low sexual assertiveness. In my third and final paper, I examine the novel role of perceiving a partner as autonomously supportive in the sexual domain (i.e., feeling that a partner supports one’s ability to freely choose and act on their sexual preferences and interests) in fostering sexual need fulfillment, and in turn, sexual and relationship satisfaction, over and above the role of perceiving a partner as responsive to one’s sexual needs. By emphasizing the value of being sexually responsive and self-determined in relationships, this dissertation provides key insights into the dynamics of sexual motivation, sexual need fulfillment and support in romantic relationships, as well as the potential for applying and extending this work to diverse populations, contexts, and interventions
Genome Wide Analysis Of Admixture In Apis Mellifera Intermissa
No full textUnraveling the evolutionary history of Apis mellifera reveals how populations have adapted to diverse environments, resisted disease, and responded to human influence. An admixed population of A. m. intermissa in Morocco has sparked debate over the dispersal routes of A. mellifera and the origin of the European (M) lineage. Yet, despite its identification, the genomic consequences of this admixture remain largely unexplored. We analyzed global and local ancestry, estimated admixture timing, and assessed genetic diversity in this A. m. intermissa population. Our findings reveal recent admixture, occurring ~14 generations ago, with genome-wide diversity reflecting an intermediate value between progenitor lineages. Notable regions on chromosomes 7 and 11 showed high enrichment for M lineage ancestry. Functional enrichment and prior studies suggest these regions influence detoxification, immunity, development, and hormonal regulation. Four QTLs with 18 loci further support M lineage contributions to Varroa destructor resilience. These findings reveal the functional role of M lineage ancestry in North African Apis mellifera populations and offer a framework for further exploring the genomic outcomes of admixture
Does an Acute Bout of Exercise Performed at the Maximal Fat Oxidation Rate Have an Impact on Human Adipose Tissue Microvascular Endothelial Cells?
No full textThe adipose tissue (AT) vasculature ensures healthy tissue function, supporting whole-body homeostasis. Endothelial cells (EC) line vascular capillaries and control their growth (i.e. angiogenesis). Exercising at an intensity eliciting maximal fat oxidation rate (maxFOR) increases AT blood flow and might support vascular remodelling. Yet, the impact of maxFOR on AT EC remains unknown. The workload required to achieve maxFOR was determined for 11 healthy females. Blood samples were collected pre-, immediately post- and 3h post- a 45-minute bout of aerobic exercise performed at maxFOR. Serum was isolated to treat Human Adipose Microvascular EC (HAMEC) to assess cellular behaviour and gene expression. Serum free fatty acid (FFA) concentration increased post-exercise for all participants. HAMEC had reduced migratory capacity and increased Fatty Acid Binding Protein 4 (FABP4) gene expression when treated with serum collected 3h post-exercise. Exercise at maxFOR may stabilize EC and prime AT capillaries for efficient FFA transport and uptake
Threads of Tradition: Leveraging Technology for Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer in Mayan Textile Preservation
No full textThis thesis is centered on the preservation of Mayan weaving traditions in Guatemala, which are currently at risk. This situation poses a threat to the loss of unique textile knowledge and cultural heritage. Rooted in the understanding that technology can support traditional crafts, this thesis proposes a human-centered participatory design approach to create a digital tool aimed at preserving and transmitting these traditions across generations. Ethnographic design research methods, including interviews, helped uncover the sociocultural factors influencing knowledge transmission and inform the development of digital technologies. The key research question asks how technology can effectively support the intergenerational transfer of weaving knowledge within Guatemalan textile traditions. This study contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage, the exploration of social interaction dynamics within generations of weaving communities, and the development of socially responsible technologies to safeguard this heritage for future generations
Application of Remote Sensing and Machine Learning in Vegetation Phenology and Climate Change Studies
No full textRemote sensing and machine learning (ML) have revolutionized phenology studies by offering scalable and automated methods for monitoring vegetation growth patterns. Traditional phenology detection methods, which rely on field observations, are often labor-intensive and geographically constrained. This thesis introduces a novel deep learning model, the Temporal Multivariate Attention Network (TMANet), which integrates remote sensing data, climate indices, and ground observations to enhance phenological stage detection in crops. Focusing on corn phenology, the study explores how remote sensing data preprocessing optimizes its utility for phenology applications, how ML techniques improve detection accuracy, and how TMANet outperforms traditional models in capturing temporal and environmental dependencies. The proposed framework provides a robust, data-driven approach to understanding vegetation responses to climate variability, supporting sustainable agricultural management. The findings contribute to advancing phenology research by offering a scalable and efficient methodology for monitoring crop development and assessing climate change impacts on vegetation phenology
Charles Denney and Wahkootowin: How a Populist Genealogist Inadvertently Shaped Metis Identity in Western Archives, 1967-2002
No full textThis dissertation investigates the genealogical collection held at the Glenbow Archives in Calgary. Curated by Edmonton genealogist Charles Denney and collected from the mid-1960s up until his death in 2002, the collection documented the genealogical data of Metis families. The Denney collection is not merely a repository of information. It actively contributes to the construction of contemporary Metis identities. Denney’s collection began with documenting his Metis wife Mildred Sherlock’s family history. The collection changed through Denney’s ‘kitchen table’ collaborations with Metis genealogists Clarence Kipling and Pat McCloy, its purchase by the Glenbow archives, and the use of the Denney collection by the Metis Nation to pursue wahkootowin (relatedness) and post-Powley section 35 rights. By critically engaging with genealogical records, this dissertation concludes that Denney’s archive was guided by the Metis concept of wahkootowin. Although these genealogies originated in a colonial concept of white-pioneer narratives, they have transformed into an act of Metis agency that asserts Metis identities and sovereignty. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the creation and curation of archival collections and their impact on the recognition and preservation of Indigenous worldviews