Critical Studies Research Articles

The Role of Plants in Contemporary Swedish and Norwegian Picturebooks

The plant kingdom is vital to all other life on earth and is a fundamental part of children’s culture. Yet, we have little knowledge about how plants are currently represented in picturebooks aimed at children. In this article, I conduct a quantitative analysis of plant motifs in picturebooks published in Sweden and Norway in 2020. Inspired by concepts drawn from ecocritical children’s literature research and critical plant studies, the article investigates which plant species and types the books contain and how they are presented through text and pictures. Although the study finds that plants are prevalent motifs in contemporary Swedish and Norwegian picturebooks, it also shows that vegetal entities are often backgrounded and depicted as generic plant types.

The Things of Order: Affect, Material Culture, Dispositif

Abstract: Commenting on Frantz Fanon's account of the material culture created by European colonizers in the aftermath of invasion, Achille Mbembe notes that the colony is fundamentally a state of war, a contest of forces, in which "sensory life"—the continuum of bodies, objects, and landscapes—is a battlefield. "From this point of view," he writes, "colonial domination requires an enormous investment in affect and ceremony and a significant emotional expenditure." This essay argues for a reappraisal of the work of Michel Foucault as a theory of material culture. Linking Foucault's work on power to studies of material culture, it reviews Foucault's late concept of the dispositif , which specifies the ways power is projected by objects like the scaffold and the panopticon. The article then puts Foucault's approach to material culture in conversation with two strands of contemporary critical thought—New Materialism and affect theory—to show how a full-fledged analytics of power–matter–affect might emerge. What Foucault calls the "analytics of power" supports the critical study of affect and ceremony—the streams of force that constitute subjectivity above, beneath, or outside of language. By way of example, this article explores how this emergent framework can provide new resources for moving beyond liberal approaches to the problem of Confederate monuments. Although Foucault is often read as a theorist preoccupied with discourse, a reconsideration of the dispositif shows that Foucault's analytics of power enhances our understanding of the role of material culture in guiding political affects.

Catastrophic rupture of an internal carotid aneurysm in a neurofibromatosis type 1 patient: A critical case study

Catastrophic rupture of an internal carotid aneurysm in a neurofibromatosis type 1 patient: A critical case study

On the Re-Alienation Experiences of the Amateur Runners in Istanbul

In contemporary mass culture, individuals are increasingly subjected to standardization, homogenization, and objectification, leading to experiences of alienation within the societal framework shaped by it. Despite efforts to fortify connections with oneself, the environment, society, and meaning, individuals may still find themselves immersed in alienation within the societal structure they inhabit. Through heightened awareness, individuals strive to reclaim their authentic identities, utilizing various means to distance themselves from alienation. However, this pursuit may paradoxically result in renewed ruptures in connections, as individuals encounter re-alienation, finding themselves ontologically identical yet formally distinct within the alienation process. Amidst the complexities of modern life, individuals often seek self-realization through recreational pursuits like running. Hence, this study endeavors to examine the phenomenon of re-alienation, particularly among amateur runners. By conducting semi-structured, in-depth interviews with runners in Istanbul, the study explores both the process of distancing from alienation and the experience of encountering re-alienation through running. Through its investigation, the study aims to contribute to scholarly discourse on alienation, self-realization, and re-alienation with the lens of critical communication studies. By analyzing the lived experiences of individuals, the research seeks to deepen our understanding of the intricate dynamics of alienation and resilience in contemporary society. Research findings show that running as a recreational activity strengthens individuals' connections with themselves, nature, their social environment, meaning, and values, thereby allowing for a sense of autonomy to be achieved; however, due to social infrastructure and individual psychological tendencies, subject and object fetishes can be developed in relation to running activities, leading to experiences of re-alienation. Keywords: alienation, self-realization, mass culture, sports and recreational studies, critical communication studies

Terrorism Studies beyond counter-counterterrorism: opening the door to Jenseits

AbstractThis paper offers some lines of flight away from stagnant features of Terrorism Studies. I largely reiterate the critiques made by field leaders like Lee Jarvis, but I frame the field in a way that eases the tensions between different forms of critical scholarship which have frustrated other writers. Where others split the field into ‘traditional’ and ‘critical’ strands and admonish the ‘critical’ strand for its reticence to reflexively critique its referent objects, I suggest that Terrorism Studies can be read as a convergence of ‘Counterterrorism Studies’, ‘Critical Terrorism Studies’ and ‘The Beyond’. While the second category exists primarily to grapple with the first, relying heavily on the language and theoretical frameworks of the first, the third category troubles the very constitution of concepts like the state and the figure of the terrorist, which are the sine qua non of the first two categories.

Next generation of critical care pharmacist practice studies: Beyond essential.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Establishing new medical schools in diverse contexts: A novel conceptual framework for success.

Establishing a new medical school is a significant venture involving many complex political, social, economic, educational, and organisational considerations. The published literature on the process of establishing a new medical school is, however, under-developed with minimal empirical research and no explicit reference to theory. This research sought to address these gaps and establish an empirical and theoretical evidence-base for the process of new medical school establishment in diverse contexts, particularly medically under-served areas. A Critical Realist Multiple Case Study was undertaken to examine the establishment of new medical schools across three continents. Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 through observational data gathered on site visits to three medical schools in medically under-served areas, relevant documents/audio-visual materials, and semi-structured interviews with key founding personnel. Data were analysed using the Critical Realist approach. Institutional Entrepreneurship theory was applied, adapted, and extended to explore and explain the phenomenon of new medical school establishment in diverse contexts. This study identifies eight critical success factors underpinning new medical school establishment. Framed as the Eight C's Framework (8CF), these factors include Context (field conditions), Catalysts (institutional entrepreneurs), Conducing (helping to bring about a particular situation or outcome), Collecting (resources), Connecting (relationships), Convincing (rationales), Challenges, and Consequences (outcomes). 8CF highlights that new medical schools are successfully established when Catalysts act within their Contexts to undertake the tasks of Conducing, Convincing, Collecting, and Connecting in order to produce desired Consequences and overcome Challenges. The Eight C's Framework is a theory-based, empirically supported framework that can be applied across different contexts to strategically guide the successful establishment of new medical schools. Founding leaders and stakeholders could use 8CF to ensure their establishment efforts are underpinned by theory and scholarship.

The Concept of Rhetoric Among Arab Scholars from the Third to the Eighth Century AH: A Critical Analytical Study

تهدف الدراسة إلى تتبع مفهوم البلاغة عند علماء البلاغة العربية منذ الجاحظ حتى القزويني، وما تعرض له هذا المفهوم من النضج والتطور عبر مراحل تاريخية تداخلت فيها مؤثرات مختلفة؛ ذوقية وفلسفية ومنطقية وكلامية، كان لها الأثر الكبير في تحولات المفهوم واختلاف مدلولاته، وقد وقفت على هذه التحولات برصد جملة من الملاحظات القرائية والنقدية لذلك المفهوم، والرؤى الفكرية التي قامت عليها تلك المفاهيم، وبيان مرتكزاتها المعرفية، والنظر في انضباط المفهوم ودلالته عن مضمونه، واستيعابه لمعاني البلاغة. وقد تم تقسيم مباحث الدراسة باختيار مجموعة من علماء البلاغة، أو الذين ألفوا فيها من أهل اللغة، من الذين كان لاهتمامهم في بيان مفهوم البلاغة الصدى الأكبر في تاريخ البلاغة العربية، وهم (الجاحظ، المبرد، الرماني، العسكري، عبد القاهر الجرجاني، فخر الدين الرازي، السكاكي، القزويني)، وتوصل إلى أن مفهوم البلاغة قد ارتبط في بداياته بفكرة الإيجاز، وارتبط مفهوم البلاغة عند الجاحظ والرماني وتابعهما العسكري بالجمع بين التأثير والإمتاع، ولم يَحدّ عبد القاهر الجرجاني البلاغة بمفهوم موجز جامع شامل، وتقوم رؤية فخر الدين الرازي لمفهوم البلاغة على الوظيفة الإبلاغية بين المرسل والمتلقي، وجاء تعريفا السكاكي والقزويني، وفق ما تقتضيه التعريفات، وأضحى تعريف القزويني للبلاغة المصاحب لفكرة مطابقة الكلام لمقتضى الحال هو التعريف المعتمد في الدرس البلاغي بعده حتى بدايات القرن الثالث عشر الهجري.

Collaborative research practices in the study of diasporisation: chronotopes of dispersion among Hungarians in Catalonia

ABSTRACT Diasporas and diasporisation have lately been at the centre of interest in sociolinguistic inquiry. Literature on the inclusion of diasporic speakers in academic knowledge production in connection with diasporas is scarce, although this would be of crucial importance to achieve ‘thinking diaspora from below’ (Rosa and Trivedi 2017. “Diaspora and Language.” In The Routledge Handbook of Migration and Language, edited by Suresh Canagarajah, 330–346. London: Routledge) when researching sociolinguistic phenomena. In this article, I discuss an ethnographically informed critical sociolinguistic study of diasporisation among Hungarians in Catalonia between 2018 and 2022 in which I applied collaborative research practices with the key participants. These practices consisted of the joint formulation of questions, the creation of a reflexive diasporic space, and feedback provided in the post-fieldwork phase. I address how these methods contributed to the emergence of a chronotopic approach to diasporisation. I argue that the inclusion of the emic perspectives of diasporic speakers through their involvement in the research process is a fruitful way to approach diasporas and diasporisation. Moreover, by paying attention to the needs and interests of the participants, this way of researching on, for, and with the participants also contributes to better understandings of diasporisation.

Three waves of critical terrorism studies: agenda-setting, elaboration, problematisation

ABSTRACT The past twenty years have witnessed critical terrorism studies (CTS) become an increasingly influential body of work. In this article, I offer the first sustained effort to chart CTS’ development and transformation by positing three successive waves in its evolution. CTS’ first wave, I argue, was characterised by agenda-setting efforts to map the prospects of a distinctively critical approach to terrorism research. Second wave literature elaborated on this nascent project’s scope, strengthening and broadening its empirical, conceptual, and methodological ambitions. More recent third wave work seeks to problematise the underpinning assumptions and commitments of earlier CTS literature, especially in relation to its engagement with race and colonialism. Mapping CTS’ development in this way, I argue, offers three contributions to knowledge. First, it helps historicise CTS research by detailing the academic and wider contexts of its development. Second, it enables engagement with CTS’ pluralism, foregrounding the importance of internal disagreements for its past and future trajectories. And, third, it enables new reflection on the political and normative stakes of differing approaches to, and aspirations for, critical terrorism research.

Exercise to Prevent Accelerated Vascular Aging in People Living With HIV.

Given advances in antiretroviral therapy, the mortality rate for HIV infection has dropped considerably over recent decades. However, people living with HIV (PLWH) experience longer life spans coupled with persistent immune activation despite viral suppression and potential toxicity from long-term antiretroviral therapy use. Consequently, PLWH face a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk more than twice that of the general population, making it the leading cause of death among this group. Here, we briefly review the epidemiology of CVD in PLWH highlighting disparities at the intersections of sex and gender, age, race/ethnicity, and the contributions of social determinants of health and psychosocial stress to increased CVD risk among individuals with marginalized identities. We then overview the pathophysiology of HIV and discuss the primary factors implicated as contributors to CVD risk among PLWH on antiretroviral therapy. Subsequently, we highlight the functional evidence of premature vascular dysfunction as an early pathophysiological determinant of CVD risk among PLWH, discuss several mechanisms underlying premature vascular dysfunction in PLWH, and synthesize current research on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying accelerated vascular aging in PLWH, focusing on immune activation, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress. We consider understudied aspects such as HIV-related changes to the gut microbiome and psychosocial stress, which may serve as mechanisms through which exercise can abrogate accelerated vascular aging. Emphasizing the significance of exercise, we review various modalities and their impacts on vascular health, proposing a holistic approach to managing CVD risks in PLWH. The discussion extends to critical future study areas related to vascular aging, CVD, and the efficacy of exercise interventions, with a call for more inclusive research that considers the diversity of the PLWH population.

Moving away from willful ignorance: A critical whiteness examination of leadership educator socialization.

In the face of calls for the standardization and professionalization of leadership education, a sub-field in higher education, it is important to understand who leadership educators are and how they come to understand themselves as belonging to this sub-field. Recent critiques have arisen about the overwhelming whiteness that permeates the knowledge accepted within leadership education. To be cognizant of that critical perspective, this article applies the critical whiteness studies framework to analyze existing literature about leadership educator identity and socialization. It concludes with recommendations for the field of education to implement in order to combat the impact of whiteness on the field of leadership education.

Analysis of the Mechanical Behavior and Joint Shear Capacity Optimization of Glued Keys in Segmental U-Shaped Bridges

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the mechanical behavior and joint shear capacity optimization of segmental U-shaped bridges, with a focus on the application of precast segmental techniques in the construction of U-beam bridges widely used in urban rail transit networks. This study further explores the roles of key position distribution and size in the overall stability and service behavior of such structures. Considering the critical case study of the Colombia Bogotá Metro Line 1 project, finite element modeling was carried out using ABAQUS 6.14 to simulate concrete material behaviors and to evaluate the stress–strain relationship in accordance with the concrete plastic damage model and existing standards. This research identifies the significant contribution of keys in minimizing deformation and enhancing shear capacity, demonstrating the pivotal influence of shear key design on the mechanical behavior of segmental bridges. By calculating the shear capacity under different cases, this study provides recommendations on key distributions and dimensions that optimize joint shear capacities, indicating that augmenting key size within the web plate section decisively reinforces the bridge’s mechanical resilience.

“You’ve Got to Put in the Time”: Neoliberal-Ableism and Disabled Streamers on Twitch

This concept paper builds upon nascent research analyzing disability and the practice of videogame livestreaming on Twitch.tv. While a growing amount of scholarship analyzes the structure and organization of Twitch as a platform more broadly, with some attending to the platform’s marginalization of women and BIPOC streamers, few studies investigate the challenges that Twitch’s features and structures present to disabled streamers. This paper addresses this gap in the literature, considering the ways in which Twitch offers disabled streamers unique economic and community-building opportunities through its monetization and identity tag features while simultaneously presenting barriers to disabled streamers through these very same features. Utilizing a critical disability studies perspective and drawing upon forum posts made by disabled streamers and interviews with disabled streamers from online gaming news websites, I argue that Twitch reifies forms of neoliberal-ableism through its prioritizing of individual labour, precarious forms of monetization that necessitate cultures of overwork and ‘grinding’, and targeted harassment, known as hate raids, against disabled and other marginalized streamers to ultimately create a kind of integrative access where disability is tolerated but not valued.

Co-production and Smart Environmentality: Smart Eldercare in Urban China

The Chinese government has recently promoted community-based eldercare supported by digitally programmed “smart” health and safety devices placed in homes to address the perceived pressure of a rapidly aging population. This is envisioned as a solution to the growing need for eldercare that simultaneously enables aging in place, facilitates digitally mediated population governance, and provides a safety net for older adults residing in the community. However, the top-down practices of smartening older adults’ homes have encountered a series of frictions in their implementation. By examining the frictions in smart eldercare programs, this paper highlights older adults’ varied capacities to modify, resist, or misuse smart eldercare devices. In so doing, they collectively co-produce the smart environmentality that shapes the aging population. This study re-conceptualizes smart eldercare within a ‘smart environmentality’ framework, highlighting its co-production by the elderly and stakeholders through collaboration. It contributes to the literature on biopolitics and critical aging studies by revealing the interactions of digital governance, glitch politics, and co-production.

Educational Politics and Policy Change in Neoliberal Times: An Argumentative Discourse Analysis

<p>With the rise of neoliberal reforms and efforts to privatize education, there is a growing need to examine how actors and groups from the public and private sectors influence educational policy change together. In this article, we advance a critical approach to understanding the changing discursive space of educational politics by following discourses through an expansive policy network that goes beyond its traditional boundaries. Specifically, we draw on argumentative discourse analysis (ADA), which allows for the analysis of how and why various actors and groups come together to assign certain meanings to educational phenomena or problems, leading to policy responses or changes. Rooted in Foucault’s notions of discourse and power, ADA offers a unique approach to discourse analysis that can illuminate policy change through discourse coalitions. Three case studies from educational policy scholarship are discussed to illustrate the value and utility of ADA in future critical education policy studies.</p>

The influence of assistive technologies on experiences of risk among older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL).

Living with risk is a salient part of everyday living and although risk affects everyone, older adults are often regarded as a high-risk group, particularly older adults who are aging with a disability, such as vision loss. A prominent focus within low vision rehabilitation is the provision, and training, of older adults in the use of low vision assistive devices as a strategy to manage risks in both the home and community environment. This study aimed to unpack the influence of assistive technologies on experiences of risk among eleven older adults (aged 65+) with age-related vision loss. This critical ethnographic study used home tours, the go-along method, and a semi-structured in-depth interview. The study identified five prevailing themes including: 1) Moving away from the individualization of risk; 2) The cost of assistive technologies as a risk contributor; 3) Practicing 'responsible living'; Technology as an adaptive strategy to risk taking; 4) Resisting the label of 'at risk'; The influence of technology on self-identity; and 5) Technology as a substitution versus supplement for social connectedness. The study findings highlight the importance of moving beyond a technico-scientific perspective of risk, in which risk is framed as an objective phenomenon located in older adults' bodies, and instead framing risk within a broader sociocultural perspective which moves our attention to those contextual or environmental factors that shape experiences of risk for older adults with vision loss.

Who is the language policy for? Translation discrepancies and their implications to (dis)trust

This paper investigates the impact of language policy translation as a discursive action on historical and political mechanisms of trust within the context of Indigenous language revitalization in Taiwan. Combining a critical discourse studies approach and translation theories, we examine the translation discrepancies between the Chinese source text and the English translation of Tawain’s Indigenous Language Development Act (2017). We focus on the analysis of the interpersonal meanings conveyed by two Chinese modal verbs (ying/應 and de/得), aiming to elucidate how Taiwan’s Government positions itself within both language versions. The findings suggest that the government constructs itself as more actively responsible for the Indigenous language development in the English version. This strategic move reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing Taiwan’s international reputation as the English version is meant for global audiences. Considering language policy is inherently ideological with the government’s political intentions, we discuss the implication of distrust created by the translation discrepancy. This study highlights that language policy translation can be recontextualized to suit a government’s political agendas and ideological appropriations.

Paediatric oncologists' perspectives on Strategic solutions to develop Integrated Cancer Palliative Care: feedback intervention theory as an explanatory Framework.

Globally, children with cancer often experience delays in palliative care referral or are infrequently referred. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study to gain insight from paediatric oncologists into what enables or deters palliative care referral. Strategic solutions to develop integrated palliative care was a critical study theme. In this paper, we have explained and interpreted these strategic solutions through the lens of feedback intervention theory. The study findings were interpreted using Kumar's six-step approach that enabled systematic evaluation of a theory's appropriateness and alignment with the researcher's paradigm, methodology, and study findings. It also explained how theory informed analysis and elucidated challenges or the development of new models. The feedback intervention theory appraises the discrepancy between actual and desired goals and provides feedback to improve it. Strategic solutions generated from the study findings were coherent with the aspects elucidated in theory, like coping mechanisms, levels of feedback hierarchy, and factors determining the effect of the feedback intervention on performance. Paediatric oncologists suggested integrating palliative care providers in the team innocuously, improving communication between teams, relabelling palliative care as symptom control, and working with a skilled and accessible palliative care team. The paper proposes an infinite loop model developed from the study, which has the potential to foster integrated palliative care through excellent collaboration and continuous feedback. Applying feedback intervention theory can bridge the gap between actual and desired practice for integrated cancer palliative care in paediatric oncology.

<i>Strobilanthes circarensis</i> Gamble, a Synonym of <i>S. pulneyensis</i> C.B. Clarke (Acanthaceae)

Strobilanthes circarensis described by Gamble based on incomplete material is subjected to critical studies and its identity is compared with that of S. neilgherrensis Bedd, and S. pulneyensis C.B. Clarke. The reports of its rarity md its occurrence elsewhere after type collection are reviewed. It is now proved conspecific with S. pulneyensis and a detailed description with an illustration is included.