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Retracing Revolutionary Footsteps: The Legacy of the People’s War in the Maoist Heartlands
Get PDFIn 1996, Nepal was engulfed in a civil war when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – hereafter referred to a— launched a guerilla war against the state. In historical and political scholarship on the conflict, there has been a tendency to situate the conflict with a neat set of causes and consequences. In focusing on the macroscale changes, such narrations of “Big History” obscure the experiences of the Nepali people who were—and continue to be— impacted by war with the loss and violence endured clinically tallied in human right reports and social science studies. Within rigid analyses, the variegated reasons individuals joined the Maoists have either been simplified as resulting from their backwardness or collapsed by Maoist leaders as resulting solely from ideological affinity. This project, then, seeks to collate an oral history of the “People’s War” by centering Nepali people’s experiences. — especially those at the epicenter of the conflict in the mid-western hills of Nepal— to illuminate the complexity, contradiction and diversity of experience encompassed under the banner of the “People’s War.
Las Interacciones Entre la Migración y el Sistema Alimentario Globalizado en Oaxaca, México
No full textEn este artículo tiene como guía tres preguntas: 1. ¿Cómo interactúa el sistema alimentario globalizado con la migración interna en Oaxaca y entre Oaxaca y los Estados Unidos? 2. ¿Qué impacto el proceso de globalización tiene para el sistema alimentario y para las comunidades en Oaxaca? 3. ¿Cómo los temas de seguridad de comida y soberanía de alimentos están impactando Oaxaca? Esta investigación tiene lugar en Oaxaca, México porque estuve viviendo allí por tres meses y es un buen lugar para esta investigación en el contexto de la diversidad allí. Si bien es cierto que existe mucha información sobre el sistema alimentario globalizado y la migración por separado en fuentes externas, hay una falta de información sobre las interacciones que se dan entre estos dos fenómenos. Como resultado, este artículo es muy analizará las maneras en que estas interacciones existen. Para este propósito, usaré datos de entrevistas en Oaxaca de Juárez. Completé cuatro entrevistas con personas conectadas a organizaciones con diferentes enfoques en el sistema alimentario. Las conclusiones incluyen nueva información sobre las temas principales en las fuentes externas; los efectos del Tratado de Libre Comercio Norteamericano (TLCAN), la conexiones entre migración forzada y el sistema alimentario, y los cambios en la comida y para la gente en Oaxaca. Adicionalmente, las conclusiones tienen nueva información sobre los impactos del cambio climático, principalmente, con otras fuentes de información que no es explorada en las fuentes externas
Energy Literacy in Portugal: A System Map and Framework to Increase Energy Literacy Through the Renewable Energy Transition
Get PDFWestern society lives with a great dependence and an almost simultaneous ignorance of energy consumption (van den Broek, 2019). The systemic landscape of energy knowledge and dissemination is more critical than ever as Portugal races to meet decarbonization goals. This paper fills a knowledge gap by updating the current social landscape of energy literacy in Portugal through a comprehensive system map and framework to increase energy literacy levels through the renewable energy transition. By conducting a semi-systematic literature review, meta-narratives and themes were identified and used to create theoretical concepts, a framework, and a system map. This research found that energy literacy is a factor of governmental regulations, the education system, information shared by energy companies, and geographical location. Increasing energy literacy through the renewable energy transition is possible through implementing national energy educational programs, a national strategy for energy research, and regulating the data analytics shared to consumers by energy companies. Future research is required to gain nationwide data on energy literacy and investigate the relationship among renewable energy dissemination, energy literacy, and attitudes towards decarbonization goals
The Power of the Middle Class in the United States and China
Get PDFThe global middle class has been experiencing exponential growth, but because of differences among countries in regard to stages of development, the growth has not been spread evenly across the world. The United States and much of the Western World is undergoing a shrinking middle class due to economic deregulation and automation whereas China and other countries in the Eastern World have had middle class growth in recent years (OECD, 2019). The juxtaposition between the middle classes is also reflected in the juxtaposition of the respective countries’ GDP growth. Therefore, the United States and China, because of their pronounced systemic differences and blatant changes in their middle class, will be examined in this paper.
Because the two countries are at different stages of development, different levels of growth are expected, but the degree to which they are different exposes the limits of liberal economics forces that rely on non-market power and deregulation. This paper argues the United States is going to have to employ numerous tools, such as reskilling, social programs, and higher wages, in order to combat the shrinking middle class and its negative effects as well as offset the economic and political power that China has gained and will amass from a growing middle class.
The methods used to gather information for the purposes of this research paper are discussed in detail below, but they include analyzing statistics and data relating to the middle class, GDP, and inequality, interviewing experts on the topic, and synthesizing the information given in interviews with information found from scholarly journals published online. Six experts, most of whom are professors at universities, helped contribute to this research by answering a multitude of interview questions. The experts specialized in topics such as inequality, development, China and India, and economics, but all offered a unique perspective and helped advance the research
The Battle for the Sea: Tourism Development and Public Ocean Access in Jambiani, Zanzibar
Get PDFThe battle for coastal access is a prevalent and controversial issue in both the Global North and the Global South (Mongeau, 2001; Ojo, 2013). Due to investment in coastal land, vulnerable communities around the world are losing their access to the sea (Ojo, 2013; Bennett, Govan & Satterfield, 2015). Battles for ocean access in the Global North tend to focus on recreational activities, but what is to be said about ocean access in the Global South, where access to the sea is needed for the survival of entire communities? (Mongeau, 2001;). Using geographical mapping, environmental condition assessments and open-ended interviews this study explores how the tourism industry has impacted public ocean access in Jambiani, Zanzibar. Results from both geographical and social data sets reveal that the tourism industry has led to a lack of ocean accessibility and therefore has negatively impacted the livelihoods of community members. Results from this study in Jambiani may be applied to other coastal villages to better inform sustainable ocean access policy in Zanzibar and in the world
Desert Power: Exploring How Jordan Can Democratize Through Tribalism
Get PDFThis independent study project will analyze tribal institutions in Jordan to understand how conducive they are to democracy. In the wake of the Arab Spring and the collapse of many burgeoning democracies in the Middle East, it is important to find ways in which pro-democracy advocates can build strong democratic states in the Middle East. Democracy allows a polity to choose who rules them. Furthermore, it has proven that peopling living in a democracy live longer, more fulfilling lives than those who do not. Given Jordan’s unique history as a stable regime with a strong tribal tradition, the researcher has chosen Jordan as his field site to conduct this research. Using qualitative methods, the researcher has concluded that the best way to ensure this democratization takes place in Jordan is if pro-democracy advocates build an inclusive system around tribalism, specifically, the tribal mediation process. While the researcher has found that the structures of tribalism itself may be incompatible with democracy, he has established that the values derived from the tribal mediation process such as transparency, reliance and accessibility ought to be incorporated in a democracy
Strength of Climate Goals and Results in Regions: A Comparative Study of the Basque Country and Scotland and their Respective Nations
Get PDFThis research paper looks to find if regions have stronger climate initiatives to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than their nation states and if so why does this occur. To investigate this, I will use the Basque Country of Spain and Scotland in the United Kingdom (U.K), and study their greenhouse gas emission and renewable energy targets, and their greenhouse gas emission data and renewable energy use. I will then compare the data from the regions to their respective countries and find if they are achieving more or less on these climate initiatives. A majority of this study is based on a review of data, governmental policy and literature review, however interviews from field professionals provided personal accounts on the roles of regions and broader perspectives on climate achievements. This research showed that overall for both regions, they set much more ambitious climate goals and were able to back this up with mostly higher or similar greenhouse gas emission rates and renewable energy use rates
Fighting Heroin Abuse with Heroin: How Legalizing Prescription Heroin Has Changed the Way New Generations Use Drugs
Get PDFIn the 1980s, Switzerland was embroiled in two simultaneous crises: widespread heroin use and spreading HIV/AIDS. Zurich became the capital of heroin consumption, with groups gathering in public parks and sharing needles to inject heroin. In response to these crises, several Swiss cities started conducting randomized control trials where they offered prescription heroin to help people addicted to heroin consume the drug safely and eventually recover from their addiction. As these trials reported positive results of maintaining better health outcomes for those undergoing treatment, the Swiss people supported federally legalizing heroin-assisted treatment and expanding access to harm reduction services in every canton. One of the largest concerns about this policy response was that prescribing heroin would make the drug appear safe to use, encouraging more young people to consume it. This outcome never came to be true, and since these policies were implemented nationally, heroin use among adolescents 15- to 24-years-old has decreased. However, adolescent use of other drugs such as cannabis and cocaine has increased, and drug addiction continues to be a highly stigmatized issue. Young people appear to have traded one drug for another without necessarily using substances in a safer manner. Additionally, stigma at the structural and individual level continues to unfairly differentiate people with addictive disorders from the rest of the population. To further protect young people from dangerous drug consumption and destigmatize addiction, the Swiss cantons and federal government should expand prevention programs that highlight how to consume drugs safely and break down stereotypes of people with addictive disorders
Market Feminism in Morocco
Get PDFDespite widespread views of “Moroccan Exceptionalism,” Morocco continues to rank poorly on international evaluations of gender equality. This project seeks to understand the extent of the influence neoliberal economic forces in Morocco have had on the feminist landscape. Analysis of Moroccan political history, Foucauldian theories of power relations, and relevant literature on state feminism set the groundwork for the evaluation of the extent state feminism in Morocco can be understood as market-based, in accordance with the definition from From State Feminism to Market Feminsim (2012) by Kantola and Squires. Through interviews of three experts, three meetings with women’s empowerment NGOs, and a review of relevant literature, it is theorized that neoliberalism has played a role in the development of Islamic state feminism under King Mohammed VI, which has in turn led to women’s NGO dynamics as more professional, transnational, and controlled by the state. In other words, feminism in Morocco is utilized by the state to create a balance between a positive international image and control of cultural and religious Islamic identity. This balance serves the country\u27s foreign policy and economic goals which have merged through war-on-terror neoliberalism, as well as the ruling monarchy\u27s desire for domestic control. This project concludes that market forces are just one variable affecting the success of feminist activism in Morocco, but should be part of the discussion when considering best practices moving forward
Creating Sustainable Biofuels Using Essential Oil Distillery Leaf Waste Near Vohimana Reserve
Get PDFLike most of Madagasacar’s population, people around Vohimana Reserve rely on traditional fuels like firewood and charcoal for cooking and heating. As a result, the region is facing deforestation, which poses a threat to biodiversity and the livelihoods of local populations. A local essential oil distillery was created by the NGO L’Homme et L’Environnement as a sustainable income generator to combat deforestation and protect biodiversity. The distillery produces leaf biomass that can be mixed with binding agent(s) and transformed into biofuel as a sustainable alternative to traditional fuels. 14 biofuels were created by combining distillery leaf biomass and various percent ratios of locally available binding agents (potato starch, clay, and cassava). The fuels were tested for durability, and a rice-cooking test was conducted to determine the most effective biofuel. A biofuel with a 25% potato starch to leaf biomass ratio was the most effective with an average durability of 16.18 ± 1.54 minutes, and successfully cooked a pot of rice within 0.3 minutes of the time taken by traditional charcoal. Distillery leaf biomass can be paired with local binding agents to produce biofuel and potentially replace traditional fuels in the area