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Diasporic Engagements with the Legacies of Lumumba and Sankara: Extending Du Bois’s Double Consciousness and Fanon’s Theory of Colonial Alienation Toward the Decolonisation of Knowledge
No full textLegendary African leaders have inspired the African Diaspora. Growing up in Africa in the late 1970s and 1980s, I was inspired by Bob Marley and his music, especially the liberation song, “Redemption Song.” Bob Marley and the rest of the Rastafari movement saw Haile Selassie as their hero and inspiration. Likewise, the heavyweight boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa highlighted how the Diaspora looked back to the continent for inspiration. I will be focusing on two African leaders who inspired me. Patrice Émery Lumumba (July 2, 1925 - January 17, 1961) and Thomas Sankara (December 21, 1949 - October 15, 1987), whose uncompromising visions for self-determination and resistance to neocolonial influence inspired many among my contemporaries. Their tragic and untimely deaths in the 1960s and 1980s, respectively, left a mark, and their legacy lives on. Living in Western Europe for decades, my interest in Diaspora identity has led me to two scholars who theorised on the experience of children of Africa in Diaspora. W.E.B. Du Bois' concept of Double Consciousness and Frantz Fanon's analysis of colonial alienation came to mind when I reflected on the legacy of Lumumba and Sankara in Diaspora. When reflecting on the psychological impact of displacement and cultural struggles faced by the Diaspora, I noted that these experiences are not only related to the colonial legacy that underpins migration but are connected to the global structures that shape global politics that Lumumba and Sankara sought to challenge. This chapter calls for a renewal of engagement with the decolonial thought underpinning authenticity. Authenticity was at the core of Lumumba and Sankara's politics. Epistemic sovereignty, decolonising the mind and pride in African identity in Diaspora are worthy causes to pursue when building the legacy of Lumumba and Sankara and bridging the links between the African Continent and its global Diaspora
UK investment trusts and the Baring crisis
No full textThis study examines professional asset management in the UK in the 1880s and 1890s focusing on investment trusts during the financial episode of the Baring crisis. It draws upon a large and unique hand-collected dataset of portfolio holdings on a year-on-year basis, comprising 27,058 securities. Using an event analysis, our findings show that investment trusts were the only heavily affected sector in the UK due to their massive portfolio exposure to Argentina. Our analysis does not pick up any strong stock selection skills in the short run but reveals a longer-term investment perspective based on large fixed-income cash flows on both sides of the balance sheet and a ‘carry-trade’ on yields. Our results also provide evidence of well-informed shareholders of these trusts, who had a very clear idea of the underlying fundamentals of their investment
The Antarctic Peninsula under present day climate and future low, medium-high and very high emissions scenarios
Get PDFThe Antarctic Peninsula is warming rapidly, with more frequent extreme temperature and precipitation events, reduced sea ice, glacier retreat, ice shelf collapse, and ecological shifts. Here, we review its behaviour under present-day climate, and low (SSP 1–2.6), medium-high (SSP 3–7.0) and very high (SSP 5–8.5) future emissions scenarios, corresponding to global temperature increases of 1.8 °C, 3.6 °C and 4.4 °C by 2100. Higher emissions will bring more days above 0 °C, increased liquid precipitation, ocean warming, and more intense extreme weather events such as ocean heat waves and atmospheric rivers. Surface melt on ice shelves will increase, depleting firn air content and promoting meltwater ponding. Under the highest emission scenario, collapse of the Larsen C and Wilkins ice shelves is likely by 2100 CE, and loss of sea ice and ice shelves around the Peninsula will exacerbate the current trends of land-ice mass loss. Collapse of George VI Ice Shelf by 2300 under SSP 5–8.5 would substantially increase sea level contributions. Under this very high emissions scenario, sea level contributions from the Peninsula could reach 7.5 ± 14.1 mm by 2100 CE and 116.3 ± 66.9 mm by 2300 CE. Conversely, under the lower emissions scenarios, the Antarctic Peninsula’s sea ice remains similar to present, and land ice is predicted to undergo only minor grounding line recession and thinning. Changes in sea surface temperatures and the change from snow to rain will impact marine and terrestrial biota, altering species richness and enhancing colonisation by non-native species. Ranges of key species such as krill and salps are likely to contract to the south, impacting their marine vertebrate predators. These changing conditions will also influence Antarctic Peninsula research, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure and logistics. The future of the Peninsula depends on the choices made today. Limiting temperatures to below 2 °C, and as close as possible to 1.5 °C (by following the SSP 1–1.9 or 1–2.6 scenarios), combined with effective governance, will result in increased resilience and relatively modest changes. Any higher emissions scenarios will damage pristine systems, cause sustained, irreversible ice loss on human timescales, and spread to Antarctic regions beyond the Peninsula
Exploring the effects of pH, ionic strength, and temperature on bisulfide sorption onto bentonite via experiments and numerical modelling
Get PDFThe long-term performance of the Canadian deep geologic repository (DGR) relies significantly on bentonite clay, as sealing materials intended for use in the engineered barrier system (EBS). One particular safety concern is microbiologically influenced corrosion of the used fuel containers (UFCs) which may occur if bisulfide (HS-) transports through the bentonite buffer to reach the UFC surface and corrode the copper coating. Understanding HS- sorption onto bentonite is therefore an important aspect of this problem, as HS- sorption can reduce the extent of copper corrosion. However, sorption dynamics onto bentonite are not yet well-understood. As such, this study performed laboratory batch experiments to investigate HS- sorption onto bentonite slurries as a function of temperature (10-40 °C), pH (9-11), and ionic strength (0.01 M-1 M NaCl). These conditions were aimed to reflect the range of possible DGR geochemical conditions. The experimental results showed that HS sorption onto bentonite increased with increasing temperature but decreased with increasing pH and ionic strength. A 3-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) showed that the variables' individual and 2-way interaction effects are statistically significant, which implies that they should be incorporated into a sorption mechanism. A thermodynamic-based sorption model was also developed in PHREEQC assuming that sorption was driven by three key processes: (i) redox reaction with the structural Fe3+ sites, (ii) surface precipitation as FeS (mackinawite), and (iii) surface complexation reactions with surface hydroxyl group (OH) at the edge sites of montmorillonite. The model successfully described the main experimental trends and provided valuable insights into the relative contribution of these processes to the total HS sorption mechanism. Altogether, this study provides novel insights from experimental and numerical modelling findings that enhance the understanding of HS sorption onto bentonite, in the context of Canadian DGR design as well as other nuclear repositories worldwide
Care as investment in infrastructure
No full textThis paper makes the case for recognizing spending on care, whether for young children, disabled adults, or the frail elderly, as an investment in social infrastructure: ‘investment’ because some of its benefits are in the future as well as in the current period, and ‘infrastructure’ because it builds up an asset, the care system, with wider benefits to society than just those to the direct users of the services. Different metrics that could be used to measure costs and benefits are considered, as well as why national accounts do not take into account the benefits of investing in care. This matters because ignoring those investment benefits results in expenditure on care being less than it would be if they were taken into account, with adverse gender effects. It also matters because expenditure on care is not then considered when an economic stimulus is needed, despite having excellent multiplier effects, and because, fearing an adverse market reaction, policy-makers may not allow themselves to borrow to fund care spending. The paper concludes by considering whether it would be better to abandon the distinction between investment and consumption or instead adopt more inclusive definitions of both investment and infrastructure
Digital transformation in education: higher education for everyone
No full textDigital transformation in higher education has been in progress for some time. We can see the impact of digital transformation in the way that technology has been used to enhance teaching and learning in higher education for many years. The introduction of contemporary technologies in the context of learning and teaching is a huge topic with a considerable history. The use of such technology affordances, allowing different ways of connecting learners and teachers and institutions, has included registration and other administration, tutorials with feedback including intelligent tutoring systems, new methods of assessment, simulated experiments, and other such developments. More recently, learners, teachers, and institutions have been exploring the new affordances created by developments in technology-enhanced education such as open educational resources, learning analytics and learning design, augmented and virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. This chapter focuses on the development of technology-enhanced learning as part of the digital transformation of higher education. In this chapter, some of these developments are reviewed and some predictions are made on their longevity and influence on the digital transformation of higher education
Interorganizational collaboration and global challenges: research and theory development
No full textPurpose
As planetary crises continue to pose serious risks for humanity and the Earth, interorganizational collaboration is increasingly recognized as essential. However, the complexities inherent in interorganizational collaboration to address global challenges are frequently underestimated or misunderstood. To that end, this paper explores what might be done to deepen the collective understanding of research and theory development that may ultimately enhance research and subsequent theory development to better inform the practice. The objective is to contribute to scholarly discourse within and across scientific communities, fostering a more optimistic outlook on the potential impact of collective research endeavors.
Design/methodology/approach
The essay forms part of a longstanding research agenda into governing, leading and managing interorganizational collaboration aimed at addressing major societal challenges including, more recently, a focus on collaboration and conservation. The approach for this essay includes extensive cross disciplinary reading and careful synthesizes of literature on interdisciplinary and interorganizational collaboration from both natural and management sciences, spanning six decades. Secondary sources include reports from the European Commission, United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Key search criteria included interorganizational collaboration, global challenges and environmental sustainability.
Findings
The essay identifies pivotal issues that impact the relevance of research and theory on interorganizational collaboration for global challenges. It develops four suggestions aimed at enhancing research and theory development, thereby providing more robust foundations to inform practice.
Social implications
The ultimate research aim is the wellbeing of the Earth.
Originality/value
The essay provides an original perspective on interorganizational collaboration for global challenges along with four suggestions that may help increase the relevance of future research and theory development
A co‐produced analysis of SEND policy for children and young people: Centring racial and ethnic equity, mental health and accountability
No full textDespite decades of documented ethnic inequalities in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), the well‐established role of social determinants of health and growing awareness of cultural safety and trauma‐informed practices in supporting children's mental health, their integration into England's SEND policy remains unclear. This study, co‐produced with peer researchers and community stakeholders, examined national and local SEND policy and guidelines in England across three domains: justice and equity; content related to mental health, cultural safety and trauma‐informed practice; and effective implementation. Systematic searches of national documents (n = 129) and Local Authority websites (n = 152) identified eligible content analysed using a co‐developed coding framework. We calculated the frequency of content meeting baseline criteria and examined patterns and implications. Findings revealed current policy does not align with aspects of equitable and effective policy. Inequalities are superficially acknowledged with little recognition of social determinants of health. Although SEND provision, particularly for mental health, sits at the crossroads of education and health/healthcare rights, this connection is rarely addressed and requirements for children's participation are inconsistently exemplified. The SEND system lacks clarity in supporting mental health, cultural safety approaches are absent, and clear direction on trauma‐informed practices is missing. Accountability mechanisms are insufficient with poorly defined roles, lack of transparency in complaints processes, inadequate monitoring of inequalities and missing enforcement mechanisms. There is an urgent need to establish a unified rights‐based vision with tangible accountability measures and explicit equity‐orientation to achieve an inclusive and equitable system
Access to justice: objecting children as parties in Hague Convention cases heard in England and Wales
No full textUsing data from an original empirical study, this article explores the position of children who wish to directly exercise their Article 12 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) participatory rights by being joined as parties to proceedings about them brought by one of their parents, who following the wrongful removal or retention by the other parent, seek an order for their immediate return under the 1980 Hague Convention in the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It does so within the context of access to justice for children, the subject of the UNCRC’s soon to be published General Comment 27. Two practical routes open to children to be joined as parties are identified and through a children’s rights lens the legal, procedural, and attitudinal barriers that exist to the achievement of this status are discussed. This includes commentary on the experiences of children who approach Solicitors directly to represent them. The article concludes that neither time nor space is afforded to children who object to being returned and who wish to participate directly in fulfilment of their Article 12 UNCRC participatory rights upon which their access to justice depends and calls for policy and procedural change. The data support the view that there is an appetite for attitudinal change from paternalism to active engagement
The Poetry of Unease in the First World War: Heroes, Conflicts, Bodies, Values
Get PDFFirst World War poetry has often been stereotyped in the public imagination as protest poetry, but scholarship has shown that the poetry composed during the war varied in its perspectives. Protest poetry did become a feature, but its didacticism contrasts with the more nuanced poetry of unease that was evident from the onset of the war. This article analyses ways in which the poetry of unease deployed the classical texts of ancient Greece and Rome to communicate the impact of conflict on individuals, societies and environments. The Trench poets discussed here came from a wide range of social and educational backgrounds. All used key figures, values and metaphors from ancient texts, especially Homeric epic, as touchstones for exploring the effects of industrialized warfare on conceptions of heroism and conflict, on funerary rituals, and on the relationships between war and environment, providing intertexts for subsequent creative writers and scholars