“WHEN OUR CROPS BURN, WE BURN”: HOUSEHOLD CULTIVATION, INATTENTION AND EXCLUSION IN TAJIKISTAN\u27S WATER MANAGEMENT REFORM

The Republic of Tajikistan possesses the largest amount of internally produced surface water in Central Asia; however, poor irrigation management has led to water shortages in agrarian communities. In support of government efforts to reform water management, international development actors have established Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) throughout the country. WUAs are non-governmental groups of irrigation water users responsible for local infrastructure maintenance, conflict resolution, and scheduling water distribution. These groups are expected to increase participation in irrigation management, the equity and efficiency of water supply to agricultural plots and by extension, crop yields and food security. Drawing on interviews with development actors, government representatives, and WUA leaders, and rural households, I show that plans to improve rural wellbeing through WUA creation are undermined by legal frameworks that limit formal participation in associations to one water user – farm managers. Reinforced by the actions and inactions of the government and development actors, this policy is drawn from and advances a fragmented understanding of the irrigation landscape, wherein the cultivation of irrigation dependent household plots is devalued or made invisible. Neglecting to actively include theses plots in WUA structures can contribute to reduced household water access, prompting crop failure and increased food insecurity among rural families. This thesis contributes to ongoing discussions about the risks and opportunities associated with approaches to rural development and community-based natural resource management globally

Critical Theory, Fascism, and Antifascism: Reflections from a Damaged Polity

The presidency of Trump has produced an increasing sense that we are possibly moving into a period of fascism in the United States. In this essay, we wish to look closely at conditions which define this current political period by taking seriously Max Horkheimer’s plea to see the necessary relation of capitalism to protofascist potentials and fascist aspirations within our liberal democratic context. Drawing upon the work of Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, and others, we will look more closely at the particular political economic conditions that underlie the development of our one-dimensional society, in which “totalitarian” economic-technical control, rampant consumerism, and growing indebtedness and precarity create ripe conditions for the production of destabilizing political discourses that allow fascism to flourish in language and memes, if not necessarily within concrete statist forms that proudly proclaim the end of democracy. While noting the way in which the culture industry in its repetition of jargon helps to give vitality to antidemocratic practices and protofascist potentials, we propose certain important notes toward a critical theory of antifascism that takes seriously the imbrications of fascism and capitalism duly noted by the first generation of the Frankfurt School, one that is resolutely anti-capitalist while attempting to revive the volatility and potentiality of the “democratic void” in the service of true emancipation

Improving College Graduation Outcomes for Foster Youth: The Wily Network

The vision of the Wily Network is to improve college graduations outcomes for youth with foster care experience at four-year residential colleges. Our presentation will offer a brief history of higher education support programs for college students with foster care experience. Using examples from our work we will outline the critical need for developing robust programs to enhance each scholar’s college experience and help them to develop a life long network of peers and supports. Finally, we will highlight the importance of creating performance metrics in order to continually evaluate the networks efficacy

Structuring Photovoice for Community Impact: A Protocol for Research With Women With Physical Disability

Women with disability face participation barriers based on long-held misconceptions around their identity that adversely affect their health, income levels, and access to education and employment. It has been noted that photographs produced through photovoice methodology can help dismantle attitudinal and environmental barriers that people with disability continue to confront, but this method is rarely assessed for impact. In this protocol paper, we merge principles of feminist theory, photovoice methodology and integrated knowledge translation to generate 1. exhibition-quality participant-created photography on identity, 2. discussion around and insight into inclusion for women with disability and 3. a public exhibition to understand any impact these photographs may have on audiences and discriminatory barriers. Photographs, text, discussions and audience feedback are to be interrogated through thematic and narrative analysis. By aiming our arts-based research findings for a public audience, we hope to advance understanding of female identity and inclusion.Frauen mit Beeinträchtigungen erleben oft Teilhabebarrieren infolge langdauernder Fehleinschätzungen über ihre Identität, gefolgt von negativen Effekten für ihre Gesundheit, ihr Einkommen und ihren Zugang zu Bildung und Arbeit. In rückliegenden Arbeiten wurde bereits gezeigt, dass Fotos, die mittels des Photovoice-Verfahrens produziert wurden, halfen, Einstellungs- und Umgebungsbarrieren abzubauen, allerdings wurde die Methode kaum mit Blick auf möglichen öffentlichen Impact genutzt. In diesem Protokollpapier haben wir Prinzipien miteinander verbunden, die auf feministische Theorien, die Photovoice-Methode und integrierte Wissensvermittlungspraktiken zurückgehen, um 1. ausstellungsreife Fotografien zur Identität der Forschungsteilnehmerinnen zu generieren, 2. zur Diskussion von und Einsicht in Inklusion für beeinträchtige Frauen beizutragen und 3. eine Ausstellung zu initiieren, um zu verstehen, welchen Impact die Fotos auf das Publikum und auf diskriminierende Barrieren haben können. Fotografien, Texte, Diskussionen und Publikums-Feedback wurden einer thematischen und narrativen Analyse unterzogen. Indem wir mit unserer kunstbasierten Forschung eine breite Öffentlichkeit adressierten, hoffen wir, zu einem besseren Verständnis von weiblicher Identität und Inklusion beigetragen zu haben

Expression and Emotion: Cultural Diplomacy and Nation Branding in New Zealand

States need to be recognised by other states to be legitimate and diplomacy is the way in which states represent their interests overseas. Cultural diplomacy is an important part of this diplomacy as it allows states to present their culture internationally and use it to build and maintain relationships that will be of value. Historically, cultural diplomacy has been a long term project, and the benefits to the state are not always immediate. In recent years, the more short term and immediate benefits of nation branding have become popular with states. Nation branding allows a state to promote itself and its products, resulting in quick and often very profitable economic benefits to the country. Like cultural diplomacy, nation branding draws heavily on the culture and imagery of the nation and uses it to gain an advantage. This thesis looks at New Zealand’s cultural diplomacy programmes and the very successful 100% Pure New Zealand nation brand. It looks at the way in which the cultural diplomacy programme meets New Zealand’s aims and is able to build long term relationships, promote understanding and protect its cultural sovereignty, and examines the way in which the new Zealand nation brand has managed to build such a distinctive image and attract customers. The thesis argues that the traditional long term cultural diplomacy is beginning to be changed as economic aims take precedence and it discusses some implications of this for New Zealand

The changing face of the Halifax Peninsula : a narrative of transition

1 online resource (vi, 68 pages) : colour illustrations, colour mapsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-61),The urban landscape of the Halifax Peninsula has altered greatly over the 11-year period from 2009 to 2019. While surges in development affect the city in a plethora of ways, one of its most significant impacts is apparent in streetscape change This alteration of urban structure presents the opportunity to chronicle a city in transition. Utilising the theory of creative destruction to situate the findings, the primary aim of this study is to describe and capture the effects of a newly invigorated development climate long characterised by stagnation. Employing Google Street View as a source of visual data for comparative analysis, this study demonstrates the utility of public domain software in studying built landscapes. GIS provides additional veracity in quantifying morphological change. Findings reveal that peninsular Halifax has undergone rapid transformation as a result of redevelopment, resulting in intensified land usage and densification. Most prevalent amongst study sites are multi-storey mixed-use structures, in contrast to previously smaller scale land uses. New built forms display a high degree of homogeneity common to urban centres across North America; while these developments are largely concentrated within the downtown core, they increasingly encroach into surrounding neighbourhoods and threaten local heritage. Development activity will likely have various social and economic implications, representing uncertainties for existing and potential residents in the form of new uses of urban space

Total knee arthroplasty in patients with severe obesity:outcomes of standard keeled tibial components versus stemmed universal base plates

Background: Patients with severe obesity [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40 kg/m2] potentially overload the tibial component after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), risking tibial subsidence. Using a cemented single-radius cruciate-retaining TKA design, this study compared the outcomes of two tibial baseplate geometries in patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2: standard keeled (SK) or universal base plate (UBP), which incorporates a stem. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-centre cohort study with minimum 2 years follow-up of 111 TKA patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2: mean age 62.2 ± 8.0 (44–87) years, mean BMI 44.3 ± 4.6 (40–65.7) kg/m2 and 82 (73.9%) females. Perioperative complications, reoperations, alignment and patient-reported outcomes (PROMS): EQ-5D, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score and satisfaction were collected preoperatively, and at 1 year and final follow-up postoperatively. Results: Mean follow-up was 4.9 years. SK tibial baseplates were performed in 57 and UBP in 54. There were no significant differences in baseline patient characteristics, post-operative alignment, post-operative PROMs, reoperations or revisions between the groups. Three early failures requiring revision occurred: two septic failures in the UBP group and one early tibial loosening in the SK group. Five-year Kaplan–Meier survival for the endpoint mechanical tibial failure was SK 98.1 [94.4–100 95% confidence interval (CI)] and UBP 100% (p = 0.391). Overall varus alignment of the limb (p = 0.005) or the tibial component (p = 0.031) was significantly associated with revision and return to theatre. Conclusions: At early to mid-term follow-up, no significant differences in outcomes were found between standard and UBP tibial components in patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2. Varus alignment of either tibial component or the limb was associated with revision and return to theatre.</p