Fundamental education and decolonization of the mind

Education is a key topic in anticolonial and postcolonial scholarship and activism. There are several reasons for this: Firstly, education was a crucial element of imperialism, as colonial rule without an educational program, which enabled epistemic violence, is almost unthinkable. As Edward Said outlines in Orientalism (1978), it was as vital for colonial powers to teach the \u27other\u27 as to study the \u27other\u27 (see also Castro Varela & Dhawan, 2020). Only through colonial education, it was possible to produce a colonized population that relied on and trusted European knowledge and internalized specific Eurocentric norms of knowledge production. Colonial education was part and parcel of the civilizational mission, which is why it finds itself in an ambivalent position via-à-vis mass education. (DIPF/Orig.

Europa provinzialisieren? Ja, bitte! Aber wie?

Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts regierte Europa über ca. 85% des globalen Territoriums in Form von Kolonien, Protektoraten und Dependancen. Die koloniale Expansion war ein exorbitanter und gewalttätiger Prozess, der durch Ausbeutung, Versklavung und Diebstahl charakterisiert war. Es stellt sich deswegen die Frage, warum sich innerhalb der westlichen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen lange Zeit nur eine kleine Minderheit diesem Ereignis analytisch angenommen hat. Keine große intellektuelle Anstrengung ist vonnöten, um zu verstehen, dass eine solch massive territoriale Expansion, die zum Teil über Jahrhunderte gewaltvoll erhalten wurde, erstens nicht nur durch militärische Präsenz möglich war, zweitens nicht mit der bloßen formalen Unabhängigkeit der kolonisierten Staaten zu einem Ende kommen konnte und schließlich kaum nur Spuren in den kolonisierten Ländern hinterlassen haben kann, sondern auch den globalen Norden prägten. Postkoloniale Studien nähern sich dieser Komplexität und irritieren dabei die Vorstellung einer zwangsläufigen, geradezu naturwüchsigen, kolonialen Beherrschung durch Europa. Sie werfen einen Blick auf die Mannigfaltigkeit kolonialer Interventionen und deren Wirkmächtigkeit bis in die heutigen Tage (etwa Randeria/Eckert 2009)

Vertical Niche Partitioning of Archaea and Bacteria Linked to Shifts in Dissolved Organic Matter Quality and Hydrography in North Atlantic Waters

Understanding the factors that modulate prokaryotic assemblages and their niche partitioning in marine environments is a longstanding challenge in marine microbial ecology. This study analyzes amplicon sequence variant (ASV) diversity and co-occurrence of prokaryotic (Archaea and Bacteria) communities through coastal-oceanic gradients in the NW Iberian upwelling system and adjacent open-ocean (Atlantic Ocean). Biogeographic patterns were investigated in relation with environmental conditions, mainly focusing on the optical signature of the dissolved organic matter (DOM). Alpha- and beta-diversity were horizontally homogeneous [with the only exception of Archaea (∼1700 m depth), attributed to the influence of Mediterranean water, MW], while beta-diversity was significantly vertically stratified. Prokaryotic communities were structured in four clusters (upper subsurface, lower subsurface, intermediate, and deep clusters). Deep (>2000 m) archaeal and bacterial assemblages, and intermediate (500-2000 m) Bacteria (mainly SAR202 and SAR406), were significantly related to humic-like DOM (FDOM-M), while intermediate Archaea were additionally related to biogeochemical attributes of the high-salinity signature of MW. Lower subsurface (100-500 m) Archaea (particularly one ASV belonging to the genus Candidatus Nitrosopelagicus) were mainly related to the imprint of high-salinity MW, while upper subsurface (≤100 m) archaeal assemblages (particularly some ASVs belonging to Marine Group II) were linked to protein-like DOM (aCDOM254). Conversely, both upper and lower subsurface bacterial assemblages were mainly linked to aCDOM254 (particularly ASVs belonging to Rhodobacteraceae, Cyanobacteria, and Flavobacteriaceae) and nitrite concentration (mainly members of Planctomycetes). Most importantly, our analysis unveiled depth-ecotypes, such as the ASVs MarG.II_1 belonging to the archaeal deep cluster (linked to FDOM-M) and MarG.II_2 belonging to the upper subsurface cluster (related to FDOM-T and aCDOM254). This result strongly suggests DOM-mediated vertical niche differentiation, with further implications for ecosystem functioning. Similarly, positive and negative co-occurrence relationships also suggested niche partitioning (e.g., between the closely related ASVs Thaum._Nit._Nit._Nit._1 and _2) and competitive exclusion (e.g., between Thaum._Nit._Nit._Nit._4 and _5), supporting the finding of non-randomly, vertically structured prokaryotic communities. Overall, differences between Archaea and Bacteria and among closely related ASVs were revealed in their preferential relationship with compositional changes in the DOM pool and environmental forcing. Our results provide new insights on the ecological processes shaping prokaryotic assembly and biogeography.Versión del edito

Matches and mismatches between conservation investments and biodiversity values in the European Union

Recently, the European Commission adopted a new strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity. Member states are expected to favor a more effective collection and redistribution of European Union (EU) funds under the current Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020. Because of the large spatial variation in the distribution of biodiversity and conservation needs at the continental scale, EU instruments should ensure that countries with higher biodiversity values get more funds and resources for the conservation than other countries. Using linear regressions, we assessed the association between conservation investments and biodiversity values across member states, accounting for a variety of conservation investment indicators, taxonomic groups (including groups of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates), and indicators of biodiversity value. In general, we found clear overall associations between conservation investments and biodiversity variables. However, some countries received more or less investment than would be expected based on biodiversity values in those countries. We also found that the extensive use of birds as unique indicators of conservation effectiveness may lead to biased decisions. Our results can inform future decisions regarding funding allocation and thus improve distribution of EU conservation funds.Peer reviewe

Unzeitgemäße Utopien: Migrantinnen zwischen Selbsterfindung und Gelehrter Hoffnung

In der vorliegenden Untersuchung werden Migrantinnen nach ihren Utopien befragt, ihren "kleinen Träumen" und "großen Sehnsüchten" nachgespürt. Dabei gelingt es, die enge Verflochtenheit zwischen utopischem Denken und migrantischen Praxen herauszuarbeiten und Migrantinnen als kritisch-politische Mitglieder einer demokratischen Gesellschaft darzustellen. Die utopischen Beiträge erscheinen ungetrübt als paradox, naiv und gleichzeitig politisch radikal, strategisch durchdacht. Einseitige Forschungsperspektiven, die Migrantinnen entweder zu "Heldinnen" verklären oder sie in der Rolle als "Opfer" festzurren, werden hier gleichzeitig problematisiert und irritiert

Migrantinnen und Utopische Visionen: eine interdisziplinäre Annäherung

'Die Verknüpfung der Forschungsstränge von Migration, Geschlecht und Utopien ermöglicht es einen neuen, anderen Blick auf Migrantinnen zu werfen. Migrantinnen sind darin nicht bloße Opfer der Verhältnisse, sondern aktiv an gesellschaftlichen Transformationsprozessen beteiligt. Die Betrachtung von Utopiediskursen derselben macht Widerstands-Momente und Sozialkritik transparent. Gleichzeitig eröffnet sich ein Blick auf Heterotopien, alternative Räume, Widerlager, in denen die freimütige Rede einstudiert wird. Hier finden utopische Visionen einen Raum, in dem sie ausgesprochen und diskutiert werden können, ohne reglementiert zu werden.' (Autorenreferat

Unzeitgemäße Utopien

In der vorliegenden Untersuchung werden Migrantinnen nach ihren Utopien befragt, ihren »kleinen Träumen« und »großen Sehnsüchten« nachgespürt. Dabei gelingt es, die enge Verflochtenheit zwischen utopischem Denken und migrantischen Praxen herauszuarbeiten und Migrantinnen als kritisch-politische Mitglieder einer demokratischen Gesellschaft darzustellen. Die utopischen Beiträge erscheinen ungetrübt als paradox, naiv und gleichzeitig politisch radikal, strategisch durchdacht. Einseitige Forschungsperspektiven, die Migrantinnen entweder zu »Heldinnen« verklären oder sie in der Rolle als »Opfer« festzurren, werden hier gleichzeitig problematisiert und irritiert

Bacterial activity and community composition response to the size-reactivity of dissolved organic matter

Heterotrophic bacteria respond dynamically to variations in organic matter availability in the dark ocean. However, our knowledge on how the differences in sized and/or reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) affect the bacterial community dynamics is still scarce. Our study aims to investigate the response of bacterial activity and community composition to the degradability of filtered and of size-fractionated DOM. A natural bacterial community isolated from Mediterrean Water (MW; at 1000 m depth) was inoculated in seawater from the same location subjected to three different treatments: 0.2µm-filtered seawater (control), low molecular weight fraction (LMW) obtained by ultrafiltration, and the combination of low and high molecular weight fractions at the original ratio (H+L). Bacterial abundance and activity was monitored every 24h over 6 days, while bacterial community composition and DOM characterization were assessed at the beginning (day 0), middle (day 4) and at the end of the experiment (day 6). Low (LNA) and high nucleic acid content (HNA) bacterial abundance, as well as leucine incorporation rates, were consistently higher in the H+L incubations than in the LMW treatments, indicating different reactivity of the two organic matter size fractions. Moreover, actively respiring cells, estimated as CTC-positive cells, highly correlated to humic-like substances (FDOM-M; R=0.7, P<0.05, n=9, Spearman Rank Order), particularly in the H+L incubations. Interestingly, LNA cell abundance was highly correlated with the slope ratio (SR) values (R=-0.8, P<0.05, n=9, Spearman Rank Order), indicating that bacteria belonging to the LNA population are tightly linked to the molecular weight or aromaticity of the DOM. Taken together, our results indicate differences in the bio-reactivity of the low and high molecular weight size classes of DOM associated to the phylogenetic composition of the bacterial communities

Reflection and Quality Assessment in Service-Learning Projects. When, With Whom, and Why

Among all the elements likely to be considered criteria that determine the quality of a service-learning (SL) project, the scientific literature points to reflection. This work is aimed at analyzing the association of reflection with certain variables that mediate the educational performance of university students, as well as their satisfaction with the acquired knowledge. More specifically, the main focus was to analyze how this reflective process should be, thus we defined three independent variables: the time at which it is performed, the actors involved, and its objectives. The sample was made up of 295 students from the University of Santiago de Compostela, who were participating in SL projects that had been developed in different degree programs. Three instruments were used for data collection, two aimed at the students and one at the teaching staff responsible for the project. The main conclusion, given the results, is that reflection must be carried out from the beginning to the end of the project or, failing this, only at the end. Secondly, priority should be given to involving all the actors concerned, paying particular attention at least to the work group. Finally, it must be oriented both toward sharing feelings about the experience, relating the service to the contents of the subject, and developing attitudes and values. In this way, the status of reflection as one of the key factors in the development of quality experiences in SL is confirmed, showing that those that present a more rigorous and structured reflection have a greater impact on the variables mediating performance and on the students' satisfaction with their learningThis work was derived from two projects of the Spanish State Program of Research, Development and Innovation oriented toward the Challenges of Society (EDU2013-41687-R and EDU2017-82629-R) and a Research Network of the Spanish State Program for Knowledge Generation and Scientific and Technological Strengthening of the R&D&I System (EDU2017-90651-REDT)S