Historical Context Research Articles

Energy transition and sustainable development in Malaysia: Steering towards a greener future

In the evolving landscape of global energy dynamics, Malaysia stands as a pivotal example of a nation actively transitioning towards renewable energy and sustainable development. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Malaysia's energy sector transformation, underpinned by the government's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The objective of this research is to delve into the intricacies, opportunities, and challenges of steering Malaysia towards a greener future, with a particular focus on the shift from reliance on fossil fuels to the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. Employing a mixed-method approach, this study synthesizes existing literature, policy documents, and case studies to examine the current state and historical context of energy use in Malaysia, analyze government initiatives and policy frameworks, explore technological advancements, and assess the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the energy transition. Results indicate that despite facing challenges such as financial investment, technological advancement, and public acceptance, collaborative efforts between the government, private sector, and communities have led to significant progress in promoting renewable energy. The paper concludes that Malaysia's energy transition represents a critical step towards achieving a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation, setting a precedent for sustainable development in the Southeast Asian region. This transition is not only essential for climate change mitigation but also presents opportunities for economic diversification, energy security, and social inclusivity. The study ultimately calls for continued innovation, supportive policies, and international cooperation to overcome remaining barriers and fully realize the potential of renewable energy in Malaysia.

Exploring the Evolution of Media Landscape in South Sudan: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: This research paper aims to investigate the multifaceted role of mass media in the development of Sudanese society. Sudan, a country with a rich cultural heritage and a complex socio-political landscape, has undergone significant transformations over the years. Mass media, comprising various forms such as television, radio, newspapers, and digital platforms, holds immense power in shaping public opinion, disseminating information, and influencing societal norms and values. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this paper explores the historical context of mass media in Sudan, its evolution, challenges, and opportunities, and its impact on socio-economic development, political participation, cultural preservation, and national identity. Additionally, it examines the role of mass media in promoting social cohesion, fostering dialogue, and addressing pressing issues such as poverty, conflict, and healthcare. By analyzing the dynamics between mass media and societal development in Sudan, this paper seeks to provide insights into harnessing the potential of media for positive change and sustainable progress

From “Resist Manchus” to “Anti-Japanese”

Nationalist thought existed in ancient China, and the traditional nationalist thought in China, including the late Qing Dynasty, carried strong “racism” color, which was used by the ruling class to distinguish between “foreign and domestic” and justify orthodoxy. During the Anti-Japanese War, due to the unprecedentedly serious national crisis, the nationalist thought of nationalism continued to awaken. Both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party advocated national unity and encouraged the army and the people in their own different ways. So far, the historical context of clarifying nationalist thought has obviously shifted from the contradiction between “Han people and barbarians” to the contradiction between the Chinese nation and foreign invaders. Therefore, it is not difficult for us to glimpse a modern context from the evolution of modern nationalist thought during the two Sino-Japanese War.

Centring animal experience through comics-based research: The case of Pavlov’s dogs 

The focus of this article is the collaborative creation of Pavlov and the Kingdom of Dogs, a graphic nonfiction novel aimed at highlighting the lives of dogs experimented upon by Ivan Pavlov in late 19th and early 20th-century Russia. The novel delves into the intricate human-canine relationships within the context of St. Petersburg’s scientific, cultural, and political landscape. The collaboration between a researcher, a professional illustrator, and a script editor aimed to challenge anthropocentric narratives prevalent in historical representations of Pavlov and experimental science. Rooted in animal studies and psychology, this project explores the potential of arts-based methods to centre animals and their relationships within historical contexts. It aims to deepen depictions of animal experiences and agency while bridging the gap between human-animal studies and psychology, where attention to animal lives in research settings remains limited. By focusing on Pavlov’s experiments, the project seeks to redefine experimental animals as active historical subjects, contributing to broader discussions on human-animal relationships and ethical responsibilities. The article delineates the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the graphic novel, provides insights into the comics-based research process, and discusses the affordances and challenges of this approach. It concludes by reflecting on the potential of comics-based research to engage both academic and public audiences, ultimately advocating for a deeper understanding of human-animal entanglements and their implications in contemporary society.

[Family reconstitution and online genealogies to analyze the sex-specific differential mortality in the historical context].

Family reconstitution and data from online genealogies, such as FamiLinx, are two potential sources for investigating mortality dynamics for the period before official lifetables became available. In this paper, we use two of them, the family reconstitution of Imhof and the FamiLinx dataset based on geni.com, to estimate dynamics in life expectancy and discuss the sex-specific differential mortality in the German Empire. Sex-specific lifetables are estimated for the territory of the German Empire from the individual data of the family reconstitution and the online genealogies. On the basis of these lifetables, we estimate the conditional life expectancy and derive the corresponding sex-specific differential mortality. Findings are compared with the official lifetable of the German Empire in 1871-1910. The contribution of each age group to the differential mortality is determined using the stepwise-replacement algorithm. The family reconstitution overestimates conditional life expectancy less than FamiLinx after 1871, when official lifetables are available in the German Empire. However, both sources fail to capture the sex-specific mortality differentials of the official lifetables at the end of the nineteenth century and show ahigher life expectancy for males instead of females. The bias in sex-specific mortality rates is particularly pronounced in the age groups 15to45. Finally, we discuss possible explanations for the biased findings. Notability bias, the patriarchal approach to family trees, and maternal mortality are important mechanisms in the FamiLinx dataset. Censoring due to mobility serves as apotential reason for the bias in the family reconstitution.

The Loss of Wealth: An Embera Myth on the Origin of Races and Social Inequality

This article analyzes an Embera myth from northwest Colombia that sheds light on the origin of racial disparities and the poverty experienced by indigenous communities in comparison to “whites.” Methodologically, the myth was collected using ethnographic techniques in the Jaikerazabi community, located in the municipality of Mutatá, Antioquia. The interpretation involves identifying the myth’s structure and analyzing the historical and social context that perpetuates inequalities between the Embera and other groups. According to the myth, the subordinate status of indigenous peoples stemmed from their perceived weakness and the decree of the god Karagabí, who supposedly favored the abilities of whites and mestizos. The article concludes that this myth offers insights into racial hierarchies and socio-spatial, economic, and political dynamics resulting from colonization and the country’s development model. The myth legitimizes the historical domination over the Embera people by presenting modern rationality as canonical, diminishing the value of traditionally inhabited spaces and condemning indigenous people to poverty for not conforming to the Western model. However, it also serves as an attempt to comprehend and potentially transform these inequalities. The originality of the article lies in providing insight into Embera culture through the lens of myth to provide a perspective on how indigenous people perceive the inequality they experience. This approach also recognizes myths as evolving narratives that adapt to historical changes experienced by these societies.

Ambiguity and experience: ethics of action in early twentieth-century France

ABSTRACT This article examines the ethics of ambiguity formulated by existentialist authors in the 1940s, linking it to turn-of-the-century debates on ethics between philosophy and the social sciences. The underlying thesis is that, rather than representing a radical conceptual novelty, the ethical thought of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, strained between freedom and situation, constitutes a revisiting and updating of philosophical positions from the landscape of the Third Republic. To demonstrate this, the thought of Frédéric Rauh is examined. Indeed, anticipating what de Beauvoir would later call “ambiguity”, Rauh sought to develop an ethics of action that would constitute a third way between sociological objectivism and the empty abstractions of idealism and rationalism. By reconstructing the transitions from one generation and historical context to the next, the article shows how, and through which mediators, the existentialists were well aware of this debate and, in their own way, developed a philosophy of action, of ethical experience, similar to Rauh’s.

Unlocking the hidden realms: analysing the Ukrainian journal landscape with Ulrichsweb

AbstractAlthough Ukraine is one of the leading countries in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of its number of scholarly journals, most of these journals are not widely recognized by the scientific community. This paper presents an in‐depth analysis of scholarly journal publishing in Ukraine, using data from the Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. The study aims to provide insights into the quantity and characteristics of Ukrainian journals, with a specific focus on historical context, publisher diversity, language of publication, and subject distribution. The findings reveal that Ulrichsweb encompasses details on over 1,500 active Ukrainian journal titles, some tracing their origins back to the 19th century. Notably, 85% of these journals are disseminated by academic institutions, including universities and research organizations. This study exemplifies the utility of Ulrichsweb as a valuable tool for investigating national scholarly journals underrepresented in other databases.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Attendance to Well-Child Visit Recommendations during COVID-19

ObjectivesTo measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic disparities in attendance to well-child visit recommendations. MethodsWe used the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to compare pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020 and 2021) ratios of well-child visits to age-based recommendations, presenting both unadjusted and adjusted attendance disparities over time. We also used the 1996-2021 MEPS to place the pandemic changes in an historical context. ResultsAverage attendance decreased from 66.6% in 2018-2019 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 64.1, 69.1) to 58.6% in 2020 (95% CI: 55.5, 61.6), rebounding to 65.1% in 2021 (95% CI: 61.5, 68.7). The unadjusted disparity in attendance between White non-Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic children widened from 9.6 percentage points in 2018-2019 (95% CI: 2.8, 16.4) to 24.8 percentage points in 2020 (95% CI: 17.5, 32.2) and 21.4 percentage points in 2021 (95% CI: 11.2, 31.5). The unadjusted disparity in attendance between White non-Hispanic and Hispanic children widened from 14.8 percentage points in 2018-2019 (95% CI: 9.7, 19.8) to 26.3 percentage points in 2020 (95% CI: 19.9, 32.7) and 24.9 percentage points in 2021 (95% CI: 17.5, 32.3). Changes in disparities were large even when we controlled for health status, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health insurance, and state of residence. Magnitudes of the racial and ethnic attendance disparities during the pandemic’s first two years were unprecedented since before 1996. ConclusionsWidening attendance disparities during the pandemic highlight the need to build a more equitable healthcare system for all children. WHAT’S NEWUsing nationally representative household data we show that racial and ethnic disparities in attendance to well-child visit recommendations widened to unprecedented levels during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Negotiating faith in exile: Learning from displacements from and into Arua, North West Uganda

AbstractHumanitarians have recently championed faith actors as valuable resources in delivering humanitarian aid. Partnerships are increasingly promoted through international declarations and bespoke toolkits. Such approaches are abstracted from the historical and contemporary contexts through which faith is negotiated, and through which faith actors have become legitimate. This paper explores how faith has been entangled within the dynamics of two spatially connected crises: Ugandans fleeing post‐Amin reprisals in the mid‐1980s, and South Sudanese fleeing civil war from 2013. Drawing attention to the local‐structural engagements which have shaped forms of protection and the legitimacy of faith actors, this paper urges for a consideration of complexity in humanitarians' localisation calculations.

Incorporating equity, diversity, and inclusion into the epidemiology and biostatistics curriculum: A workshop report and implementation strategies recommendations.

There is an obligation among those teaching epidemiology to incorporate principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into the curriculum. While there is a well-established literature related to teaching epidemiology, this literature rarely addresses critical aspects of EDI. To our knowledge, there is no working group or central point of discussion and learning for incorporating EDI into epidemiology teaching in Canada. To address this gap, we convened a workshop entitled "Incorporating EDI into the epidemiology and biostatistics curriculum and classroom." The workshop discussed nine strategies to incorporate EDI in the epidemiology curriculum: positionality (or reflexivity) statements; opportunities for feedback; land acknowledgements; clarifying the purpose of collecting data on race and ethnicity, sex and gender, Indigeneity; acknowledgingthat race/ethnicity is asocial construct, not a biological variable; describing incidence and prevalence of disease; demonstrating explicit bias using directed acyclic graphs (DAGs); critical appraisal of study population diversity; and admission criteria and considerations. Key take-aways from the workshop were the need to be more intentional when determining the validity of evidence, particularly with respect to historical context and the need to recognize that there is no single solution that will address EDI.

The International Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Sleep Medicine of the Universities of Bern and Svizzera Italiana

Introduction: Sleep–wake circadian disorders (SWCDs) are very frequent and linked to major negative effects on the body, mental health, the brain, and on occupational and societal health. The prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of SWCDs and the promotion of sleep health require the sufficient education of general practitioners, specialists, and other health professionals. Unfortunately, education at pre- and postgraduate level is insufficient in most countries across the world. Aims and methods: This article describes the historical context, basic considerations, and methodological approach for the creation of the International Postgraduate Sleep Master by the University of Bern and Svizzera Italiana. Results: The postgraduate Master, which was launched in 2017, is a part-time, flexible course, taken over 2 ½ years, which targets health professionals, scientists, and technicians. After an initial introduction, which is the same for everybody (“common trunk”), the course can be individualized. The 12 modules of the Master include online lectures, schools, internships in a sleep center (in one of our 15 partner universities), case discussions and interactive sessions with students and internationally recognized experts from over 20 countries across the world, and culminates with a Master thesis. The program covers sleep–wake circadian biology; the management of SWCDs; disturbances of consciousness and sleep-related epilepsies; novel approaches in sleep medicine (e.g., clinical trials, telemedicine, data science, artificial intelligence); and topics of increasing relevance (e.g., neurodegenerative disorders, gender and diversity, sleep health, new technologies, artificial intelligence, professional and societal implications). Students are encouraged to also take “crash courses” in preparation for the national, European, and World sleep examinations. Conclusion: The Postgraduate University Sleep Master of the Universities of Bern and Svizzera Italiana offers a unique part-time, (mainly) virtual opportunity to acquire state-of the art knowledge, skills, and professional experiences to prepare for a clinical or scientific career in sleep medicine for physicians, scientists, and other health professionals.

Specifics of the Chinese National Brand as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy: structure and functions

The article analyzes the specifics of the Chinese national brand as a tool of cultural diplomacy. The concept of “soft power” is considered, which is part of the narrative about the cumulative power of states and the revival of the Chinese nation and occupies one of the significant places in modern Chinese politics. One of the tools of “soft power” is cultural diplomacy – a branch of public diplomacy based on the exchange of ideas, information, systems, values, beliefs, traditions and other aspects of culture to promote mutual understanding between people. The activities that are used to implement cultural diplomacy are given. The main goal of China’s “soft power” concept is to achieve the correct perception of national ideals by the world community. It is noted that Chinese “soft power” differs from the classical Western concept and is purely culture-centric, interpreted as a combination of Confucian political and social values, Chinese art and language, folk customs and traditions. China is working to globally scale its nation brand, which is based on the concept of nationalism, drawing on the country’s cultural capital. The specifics of the national brand from the perspective of macroeconomics and its structural elements are considered: exports, domestic and foreign government policies, population, culture and heritage, tourism and investment. It is noted that when developing a brand and international communications, the Chinese government actively uses the historical context as a tool of cultural propaganda. The features of the national image are identified, designed to form a positive attitude of society towards the country, contributing to increased trust in it. The objectives and instruments of China’s policy to form and maintain its own image in the international arena are given.

The persona of the early modern philosopher

This article provides a critical assessment of the scholarly analysis of the persona of the early modern philosopher. In particular, it examines the ways in which historians have tended to analyse the formation of philosophical personhoods in terms of spiritual exercises while at the same time subordinating this aspect of self-formation to larger institutional and sociopolitical contexts and levels of explanation. By presenting spiritual exercises as a prerequisite for or even as a means of shaping a self motivated to pursue and seize institutional and sociopolitical power, one risks trivializing the therapeutic function at the very core of those exercises’ significance. The article examines the intellectual traditions and assumptions that have paved the way for this interpretation and argues for a more thorough analysis of the therapeutic context, an analysis that raises other research questions and ultimately paves the way for a rather different understanding of what it meant to be and live as a philosopher in the early modern period. Although the article focuses on the persona of the early modern philosopher, it also invites readers interested in persona, identity formation and spiritual exercise in other historical contexts.

One Territory, Two Worlds

This paper analyzes Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphans is a literary work that critiques and examines colonial structures and their consequences: Ishiguro criticizes the colonization of Shanghai by showing the inherent power imbalance between the native population and the colonizers, the chaos and lawlessness outside of the Settlement as opposed to within, and the general understanding of Shanghai and the Settlement held by characters from Britain. As a work of historical fiction, the novel serves to explore a particular society at a particular point in time, and therefore, must be analyzed with close consideration to the historical period and context in which the novel is set. At the same time, this paper concludes, Ishiguro’s observations and critiques are highly relevant in today’s society.
  

Unveiling urban area growth dynamics: insights from a comprehensive study of urban area growth curves

ABSTRACT Amidst rapid global urbanization, comprehending urban area growth (UAG) dynamics is vital for urban planning and sustainability. Despite ample urban development research, the historical developmental patterns of UAG remain underexplored. Long-term UAG exhibits an initial acceleration followed by deceleration, thus, using 200-years UAG data from the U.S., we meticulously compare the S-shaped curve (Logistics and Gompertz models) with other time-series models, and unveil insights into UAG's intricacies by examining how S-shaped models perform across different urban stages. Notably, the Logistics model emerges as the more accurate modeling tool, boasting an RMSE of 0.019, which surpasses the Gompertz model's 0.032. Moreover, the parameters of the S-curve explicitly describe the fundamental properties of UAG, and we unveil the remarkable stability of the maximum growth rate in the S-shaped model through a thorough parameter analysis, which underscores its role as a reliable and universally applicable assessment tool for UAG. Fundamentally, this meticulously analytical research delves deep into the complexities of the UAG curve, robustly confirming the S-shaped trend as the ‘realistic’ consequence of UAG over time. Importantly, this enduring S-shaped trend remains consistent across historical and contemporary contexts. These findings significantly advance our understanding of UAG dynamics for informed urban planning and development.

An Electrochemical Perspective on Reaction Acceleration in Droplets.

Analytical techniques operating at the nanoscale introduce confinement as a tool at our disposal. This review delves into the phenomenon of accelerated reactivity within micro- and nanodroplets. A decade of accelerated reactivity observations was succeeded by several years of fundamental studies aimed at mechanistic enlightenment. Herein, we provide a brief historical context for rate enhancement in micro- and nanodroplets and summarize the mechanisms that have been proposed to contribute to such extraordinary reactivity. We highlight recent electrochemical reports that make use of restricted mass transfer to enhance electrochemical reactions and/or quantitatively measure reaction rates within droplet-confined electrochemical cells. A comprehensive approach to nanodroplet reactivity is paramount to understanding how nature takes advantage of these systems to provide life on Earth and, in turn, how to harness the full potential of such systems.

The first primer for the QuantCrit‐curious critical race theorist or psychologist: On intersectionality theory, interaction effects, and AN(C)OVA/regression models

AbstractModerated general linear modeling (MGLM) is a highly popular statistical approach in the social sciences, as it allows analysts to examine the separate and interactive effects of 2+ variables on a numerically‐measured outcome. Despite correspondences between MGLM and intersectionality theory, interdisciplinary cross‐communication is rare. Quantitative research can be strengthened when vetted through a critical race theory (CRT) framework. Also, qualitative intersectionality work can be complemented with statistics. To promote greater appreciation and usage of MGLM in CRT‐informed psychological research, it is argued that readers, reviewers, and editors should familiarize themselves with the basics of QuantCrit. Have all variables been accurately measured? Has the dataset been properly structured? Have all statistical assumptions been met? What data tables and figures are reported? How are the results interpreted? This primer addresses these questions while minimizing MGLM technicalities. After covering the historical context of QuantCrit, data from a houselessness dataset are examined to demonstrate the QuantCrit protocols. Limitations of MGLM, as well as QuantCrit‐based guidelines for reporting MGLM results, are discussed.

Mechanisms in sociology—a critical intervention

The notion of the mechanism is one of the most popular and widely used concepts in science and sociology is no exception. This paper problematizes the widespread and often uncritical use of the term “mechanism” in contemporary sociology. Drawing on the mechanistic worldview associated with leading figures of the scientific revolution, the paper emphasizes the impact of mechanistic thinking on the societal rationalization process identified by Max Weber and the Frankfurt School. The analysis suggests that mechanisms, when applied to sociological theories, may uncritically reproduce a cultural fetish of the rational society with potentially dehumanizing consequences. The author advocates for a critical reflection on the cultural and historical context of mechanisms, urging sociologists to view them not merely as analytical tools but as active contributors to the creation and shaping of social worlds erected on a belief in instrumental reason.

Disablism, racism and the spectre of eugenics in digital welfare

This article explores the historical ties between the digital welfare state and eugenics, highlighting how the use of data infrastructures for classification and governance in the digital era has roots in eugenic data practices and ideas. Through an analysis of three domains of automated decision-making – child welfare, immigration and disability benefits – the article demonstrates how these automated systems perpetuate hierarchical divisions originally shaped by ableist eugenic race science. It underscores the importance of critically engaging with this historical context of data utilisation, emphasising its entanglement with eugenic perspectives on racial, physical and mental superiority, individual and social worth, and the categorisation of data subjects as deserving or undeserving. By engaging with this history, the article provides a deeper understanding of the contemporary digital welfare state, particularly in terms of its discriminatory divisions based on race and disability, which are deeply intertwined.