19 research outputs found
Invisible power and visible everyday resistance in the violent Colombian Pacific
This article presents an action research process which opened up dialogues about power, citizenship and agency among social activists and peacebuilding groups in the violent context of urban Buenaventura, Colombia. Adopting a situated, micro-level, engaged action research approach, the process reached beyond what western power theory calls ‘visible’ and ‘hidden’ power, to uncover rich accounts of how long-standing everyday violence, of direct, structural and symbolic kinds, shapes meanings and defines what is acceptable and possible. Insights on the myriad invisible ways in which violence inhibits, constrains or shapes perceptions and exercise of citizen agency – in short, violence-as-invisible-power – were matched by insights on the myriad ways in which social activists in the city respond to it. Such insights, brought to light by the locally embedded action research approach which specifically sought out local people’s perspectives and experience, reveal how violence-as-invisible-power re-shapes people’s subjectivity in ways that enable them collectively and individually to resist violence and build peace
Power, Violence, Citizenship and Agency: A Colombian Case Study
In a situation of longstanding and complex violent conflict in Buenaventura, Colombia, we
used action research to explore with social activists what power, violence, citizenship and
agency mean to them and how they experience and exercise citizen agency in relation to the
violence. This Working Paper presents our conceptual and theoretical starting points, action
research process and findings.
Direct violence was at a peak in urban Buenaventura when the action research was
conducted, manifest in some particularly macabre forms. Yet in exploring the
interconnections between power, violence and active citizenship, what emerged most
strongly were structural and symbolic violence. These are experienced by Buenaventura
citizens in ways that correspond to certain power theorists’ interpretations of ‘invisible power’.
Most citizens have yielded to the encroachment of violent norms, language and imaginaries,
allowing these to infuse their social roles and interactions and the socialisation of children
and youth.
The action research participants, however, represented a minority of active citizens who
respond differently to direct, structural and symbolic violence. They navigate it using a range
of responses: innovative organisational practices; mould-breaking models of social
leadership; the de-legitimation of violent actors, actions and attitudes; and other visible and
invisible expressions of individual and collective resistance to the violent re-shaping of
norms, beliefs and values.
The case study highlights the interconnected nature of direct, structural and symbolic forms
of violence; contributes to theorising invisible power from this grounded and richly contextual
perspective; illustrates the shortcomings of simplistic assumptions about citizen engagement
in fragile and violent contexts and the importance of ‘seeing like a citizen’; and sheds light on
debates about citizen agency and structuration in processes of social change
Disentangling Government Responses: How Do We Know When Accountability Work Is Gaining Traction?
Advocacy for public accountability aims to produce certain reactions from government officials or service providers. However, the reactions can be many and diverse, and it is not always clear to advocates how to interpret them and decide on next steps—whether to intensify efforts or back off; continue the same strategy or make adjustments.This paper presents a framework to help accountability advocates and practitioners interpret government reactions to their efforts and move forward appropriately. The framework arises from learning and reflection in the context of the International Budget Partnership (IBP)’s Strengthening Public Accountability with Results and Knowledge (SPARK) program. SPARK seeks to bolster the collective agency of marginalized communities and coalitions to advance democratic and equitable fiscal governance systems1 that channel public resources to services that address the priority needs of these historically excluded groups
A Spitzer Space Telescope far-infrared spectral atlas of compact sources in the Magellanic Clouds. I. The Large Magellanic Cloud
[abridged] We present 52-93 micron spectra obtained with Spitzer in the
MIPS-SED mode, of a representative sample of luminous compact far-IR sources in
the LMC. These include carbon stars, OH/IR AGB stars, post-AGB objects and PNe,
RCrB-type star HV2671, OH/IR red supergiants WOHG064 and IRAS05280-6910, B[e]
stars IRAS04530-6916, R66 and R126, Wolf-Rayet star Brey3a, Luminous Blue
Variable R71, supernova remnant N49, a large number of young stellar objects,
compact HII regions and molecular cores, and a background galaxy (z~0.175). We
use the spectra to constrain the presence and temperature of cold dust and the
excitation conditions and shocks within the neutral and ionized gas, in the
circumstellar environments and interfaces with the surrounding ISM. Evolved
stars, including LBV R71, lack cold dust except in some cases where we argue
that this is swept-up ISM. This leads to an estimate of the duration of the
prolific dust-producing phase ("superwind") of several thousand years for both
RSGs and massive AGB stars, with a similar fractional mass loss experienced
despite the different masses. We tentatively detect line emission from neutral
oxygen in the extreme RSG WOHG064, with implications for the wind driving. In
N49, the shock between the supernova ejecta and ISM is revealed by its strong
[OI] 63-micron emission and possibly water vapour; we estimate that 0.2 Msun of
ISM dust was swept up. Some of the compact HII regions display pronounced
[OIII] 88-micron emission. The efficiency of photo-electric heating in the
interfaces of ionized gas and molecular clouds is estimated at 0.1-0.3%. We
confirm earlier indications of a low nitrogen content in the LMC. Evidence for
solid state emission features is found in both young and evolved object; some
of the YSOs are found to contain crystalline water ice.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. This paper
accompanies the Summer 2009 SAGE-Spec release of 48 MIPS-SED spectra, but
uses improved spectrum extraction. (Fig. 2 reduced resolution because of
arXiv limit.
Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries
Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely