Le ravissement du vide : déploiement d'un imaginaire de la fin dans Les démons de Dostoïevski

Le roman Les Démons de Fédor Dostoïevski se déploie dans les affres du chaos. Actes terroristes sanglants, questionnements sur Dieu et sur la nation et gestes incongrus posés par des personnages possédés scandent ce roman dense et éclaté. Or, dans tous ces bouleversements, c'est la crainte et l'espoir de l'Apocalypse qui surplombent tout le récit. Comment lire cette accumulation de désordres, tant dans le récit que dans la structure même de l'oeuvre? Comment expliquer une temporalité qui, encore aujourd'hui, est problématique, même pour les lecteurs aguerris de Dostoïevski? C'est par l'entremise de l'imaginaire de la fin que nous essayerons d'apporter certaines réponses à ces questions. Nous tenterons, dans le premier chapitre, de comprendre les divers troubles inhérents au récit dans la logique d'un temps qui menace de se terminer, une Russie sur le point de s'effondrer. Il s'agira d'abord de comprendre les racines de ce temps hors de lui, sans cesse en cavale et toujours insaisissable. Un temps qui happe les protagonistes et, par le fait même, le lecteur. Un temps de la crise dont certains profiteront pour tenter de prendre possession du pouvoir. Tous les signes convergent, dans le roman, vers une fin des temps, une apocalypse programmée. Ce temps qui menace de se finir demande un héros, un homme d'action, un sauveur qui protégera les fidèles de cette fin des temps qui semble imminente. Or, dans le contexte de la Sainte Russie sur le point de s'écrouler, c'est l'idole du nihilisme qui apparaît. L'homme du vide, traquenard insondable, qui ravit l'homme qui le contemple, homme totalement habité par le désir de croire. L'idole, que nous comprendrons, dans le chapitre deux, comme étant une figure, est nimbée d'une aura qui plonge celui qui le regarde dans des actes inexplicables. Toutefois, l'apocalypse programmée n'aura pas lieu. Nous verrons dans le troisième chapitre que ce n'est pas toute l'Humanité qui expire, mais bien l'homme, seule apocalypse possible, aussi injuste soit-elle. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Imaginaire de la fin, Dostoïevski, Figure, Mort, Temps, Les Démons, Littérature russe

Special Issue on Social Work Field Education

As the guest editors we are very pleased to introduce this special issue of Currents: Scholarship in the Human Services on Canadian social work field education. This journey began approximately two years ago when we agreed there was a need to document innovations and promising practices in field education; to contribute to scholarship by sharing knowledge and experiences; and to ground social work field education in the Canadian context

“Melq'ilwiye” Coming Together: Reflections on the journey towards Indigenous social work field education

This article shares the reflections, based on exploratory research and practice in the Interior of British Columbia (BC), Canada, of social work and human service field education coordinators on reconciling field education programs. Drawn from a larger study, the authors present the findings from in-depth interviews, using an Indigenous intersectional storytelling approach to understand the experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous field coordinators in moving towards an Indigenous field education model. There is limited research on Indigenous field education and few publications on the experiences of field education coordinators about this important area of practice. This article draws from the study's previous publications and focuses specifically on the narratives of field education coordinators in order to contribute to the development of new literature on the process of reconciling field education practices. The findings of the study call for a transformation of field education policies and practices in order to support Indigenous intersectional and culturally safe field education

Annotated bibliography of peer-reviewed academic literature review for international cooperation in small cities : new directions and innovative local practices in British Columbia

The paper provides a review of recent literature on the theme of twinned or networked cities, which includes the role of NGOs to meet long-term transformative goals; urban policy and management contexts; city-to-city co-operation and other partnerships; internationalism and global interchange

Répartition du carbone et de l’azote des fractions de la matière organique du sol sous différents types de rotations, de travail de sol et de sources fertilisantes dans le nord du Québec : effets à long terme

L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer les effets à long terme (28 ans) de huit itinéraires agronomiques sur les stocks de carbone organique du sol (COS) et d’azote (N) du sol, et leur répartition dans les fractions de la matière organique (MOS) par un fractionnement granulo-densimétrique (fraction légère [MOL] et fractions lourdes > 53, 53-20, 20-2 et 53, 2-20 et < 2 µm. Les mêmes tendances ont été observées dans la rotation orge-prairies, mais les écarts n’étaient pas significatifs, probablement parce que le sol sous prairie était déjà très riche en MOS. À long terme, les itinéraires à prédominance de prairies représentent des systèmes capables d’atteindre de hauts niveaux de MOS, sans égal aux itinéraires composés strictement de cultures annuelles. De ce fait, l’absence d’augmentation significative du COS et du N selon la source fertilisante dans la rotation orge-prairies suggère que l’accumulation de MOS dans le sol soit sujette à saturation

Women and micro credit : towards an understanding of women's experiences in Cairo, Egypt

Women's access to micro credit has increased substantially worldwide. International organizations, non-governmental organizations, commercially-oriented institutions and governments support the proliferation of micro credit programs through diverse funding arrangements, and specifically target women to participate in such initiatives. This dissertation explores women's experiences in a micro credit program in Cairo, Egypt, funded by Save the Children (USA) in order to contribute to the growing debate on women's poverty reduction and empowerment potential. Because women's voices are critical the issues are raised through questions regarding women's situation in micro credit and what factors assist women in meeting their choices and concerns, and empowerment outcomes.A qualitative research study of women's micro credit groups based in Cairo's Abdeen and Imbeba neighbourhoods was used in order to address women's experiences. In the literature reviewed on micro credit and micro finance, international development paradigms for women, and the socio-economic context in Cairo served to identify important influences. Women's sources of power based in the household were used to develop a conceptual framework. Women's triple roles in production, reproduction and community managing, women's practical and strategic gender needs, and theories of women's empowerment formed the principal elements.Findings were based on interviews and observation with 69 project participants, including 54 women borrowers, of which 11 interviewed women agreed to a second interview, and 4 key staff members of the Group Guaranteed Lending and Savings program. Numerous assumptions regarding the role of micro credit in the lives of low-income women are reported and analyzed. An exploration of women's experiences reveals that, social issues in micro credit are as important, perhaps even more so, than the economic concerns of the projects. Only through building a more complete picture of women's lives can micro credit programs achieve their objective: to contribute to greater gender equity in society.Keywords. micro credit; women; informal economy; poverty; empowerment; international social work; Middle Eas

Social Work and Environmentally Induced Displacement: A Commentary

Environmentally induced displacement is a growing concern across the globe. The human and social dimensions of affected displaced and migrating populations are of concern to the profession of social work, as many social workers are directly involved in working with vulnerable populations affected by environmental changes due to climate change, disasters, and environmental degradation. This new reality presents challenges in addressing social and economic inequalities and disparities, and this commentary argues for a need to build capacity among practitioners to consider the interconnections of social, economic, and environmental challenges in bridging practice and policy in ongoing legal discourses.Les déplacements provoqués par l’environnement sont une préoccupation internationale croissante. Les effets de nature humaine et sociale sur les déplacés et les populations migrantes préoccupent les professionnels du travail social, étant donné que de nombreux travailleurs sociaux se trouvent impliqués auprès de populations vulnérables affectées par des changements environnementaux dus aux changements climatiques, à la dégradation et aux désastres environnementaux. Cette nouvelle réalité pose des défis puisqu’elle relève les inégalités et disparités sociales et économiques. Cet article met donc en lumière le besoin de construire chez les travailleurs sociaux la capacité de considérer les interactions entre les défis sociaux, économiques, et environnementaux lorsqu’ils mettent en lien des pratiques et des politiques en matière légale

Chiropractic management of patients post-disc arthroplasty: eight case reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>When conservative therapies for low back pain (LBP) are not effective, elective surgery may be proposed to these patients. Over the last 20 years, a new technology, disc replacement, has become increasingly popular because it is believed to maintain or restore the integrity of spinal movement and minimize the side-effects compared to fusion. Although disc replacement may relieve a patient from pain and related disability, soreness and stiffness of the lumbopelvic region seem to be common aftermaths of the surgery. This prospective case series was undertaken to identify and describe potential adverse events of lumbar spinal manipulation, a common therapy for low back pain, in a group of patients with symptoms after disc prostheses.</p> <p>Cases presentation</p> <p>Eight patients who underwent lumbar spine total disc replacement were referred by an orthopaedic surgeon for chiropractic treatments. These patients had 1 or 2 total lumbar disc replacements and were considered stable according to the surgical protocol but presented persistent, post-surgical, non-specific LBP or pelvic pain. They were treated with lumbar spine side posture manipulations only and received 8 to 10 chiropractic treatments based on the clinical evolution and the chiropractor's judgment. Outcome measures included benign, self-limiting, and serious adverse events after low back spinal manipulative therapy. The Oswestry Disability Index, a pain scale and the fear avoidance belief questionnaire were administered to respectively assess disability, pain and fear avoidance belief about work and physical activity. This prospective case series comprised 8 patients who all had at least 1 total disc replacement at the L4/L5 or L5/S1 level and described persistent post-surgical LBP interfering with their daily activities. Commonly-reported side-effects of a benign nature included increased pain and/or stiffness of short duration in nearly half of the chiropractic treatment period. No major or irreversible complication was noted.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>During the short treatment period, no major complication was encountered by the patients. Moreover, the benign side-effects reported after lumbar spine manipulation were similar in nature and duration to those frequently experienced by the general population.</p

Human type 2 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mRNA and protein distribution in placental villi at mid and term pregnancy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During human pregnancy, the placental villi produces high amounts of estradiol. This steroid is secreted by the syncytium, which is directly in contact with maternal blood. Estradiol has to cross placental foetal vessels to reach foetal circulation. The enzyme 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (17beta-HSD2) was detected in placental endothelial cells of foetal vessels inside the villi. This enzyme catalyzes the conversion of estradiol to estrone, and of testosterone to androstenedione. It was proposed that estradiol level into foetal circulation could be regulated by 17beta-HSD2.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We obtained placentas from 10 to 26 6/7 weeks of pregnancy from women undergoing voluntary termination of pregnancy, term placentas were collected after normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries. We quantified 17beta-HSD2 mRNA levels in mid-gestation and term human placenta by RT-QPCR. We produced a new anti-17beta-HSD2 antibody to study its spatio-temporal expression by immunohistochemistry. We also compared steroid levels (testosterone, estrone and estradiol) and 17beta-HSD2 mRNA and protein levels between term placenta and endometrium.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>High 17beta-HSD2 mRNA and protein levels were found in both mid-gestation and term placentas. However, we showed that 17beta-HSD2 mRNA levels increase by 2.27 fold between mid-gestation and term. This period coincides with a transitional phase in the development of the villous vasculature. In mid-gestation placenta, high levels of 17beta-HSD2 were found in mesenchymal villi and immature intermediate villi, more precisely in endothelial cells of the stromal channel. At term, high levels of 17beta-HSD2 were found in the numerous sinusoidal capillaries of terminal villi. 17beta-HSD2 mRNA and protein levels in term placentas were respectively 25.4 fold and 30 to 60 fold higher than in the endometrium. Steroid levels were also significantly higher in term placenta than in the endometrium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The spatial and temporal expression of 17beta-HSD2 in the placenta during pregnancy and the comparison of 17beta-HSD2 expression and steroid levels between placental villi and endometrium are compatible with a role in the modulation of active and inactive forms of estrogens. Our observations strongly support the hypothesis that 17beta-HSD2 acts as a barrier decreasing estradiol secretion rates in the foetal circulation.</p