Human Story Research Articles

Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank: Impacts on Startups & Global Financial Markets, Comparison Between Lehman Brother and Silicon Valley Bank Crises

The sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) sent shockwaves through the startup ecosystem and the global financial landscape. This research delves into the factors that led to SVB's downfall, exploring how its unique role in supporting tech startups became a double-edged sword. By examining the parallels between SVB's crisis and the infamous collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, we uncover important lessons about risk management and the fragility of financial institutions. The fallout from SVB's failure didn't just affect its immediate clients; it rippled through the entire venture capital community and beyond, prompting startups to rethink their banking relationships and funding strategies. We reflect on the broader implications for the financial industry and the lessons learned about the need for diversification and sustainable growth. Ultimately, this research is a reminder of the interconnectedness of our financial systems and the human stories behind the numbers. As we navigate an ever-changing economic landscape, the insights gained from SVB's collapse will shape the future of banking and entrepreneurship for years to come.

“I Was Born!”: Personal Experience Narratives and Tree-Ring Marker Years

This essay, co-written by a dendrochronologist (Nick) and a narrative theorist (Erin), considers how these two disciplines can meet to illuminate alternative narratives in tree rings. At the basis of our conversation is a desire to tease apart tree experience and the signification entangled within human practices of storytelling. First, Nick explains recent developments in dendrochronology and critical physical geography (CPG) that call attention to the ways in which tree-ring sciences often naturalize imperial narratives and demand alternative methodologies. Second, Erin dives into the imperial narratives of two case study tree bodies, throwing light upon the human and vegetal stories that these dominant narratives obscure and silence. Third, Nick turns to an experiment in critical participatory action research (CPAR) to suggest an approach to tree-ring dating—material dating—that takes its cues not from imperial histories but from a simultaneous interest in community engagement, anticolonial scholarship, and tree agency and signification. Fourth, Erin explains how material dating, via foregrounding personal experience, stands to produce a narrative more sensitive to a particular tree’s situated experience and better able to foment understanding among tree body viewers for the tree as a living and communicating organism. Finally, Nick and Erin use material dating to produce an alternative narrative for one of our case studies and provide directions for other scholars to replicate our process.

Fractured identities and wounded memories in Indian comics on partition: a decolonial reading of frame and panel

ABSTRACT Within the liaison of decoloniality studies and comics studies, this paper investigates how the decolonial visual style in the comics anthology This Side That Side (Ghosh 2013) has been used to locate the traumatised past and violation of human rights due to the ‘b/ordering’ practices of partition of India . ‘The Taboo’ by Malini Gupta and Dyuti Mittal, ‘An Afterlife’ by Sanjoy Chakraborty, and ‘Making Faces’ by Orijit Sen cultivate the stories of the inhumane condition of the migrants and victims during and after the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh-Pakistan partition. These narratives exemplify decolonised counter comics narratives on collective and personal memories inflicted upon and against the dominant partition discourse. They help churn out the human stories of the interminable psychological violence of partition and post-partitioned reality.

Sylvia Wynter's Decolonial Philosophy: How Being Human Needs an Origin Story

AbstractIn this article, Ingrid Andersson discusses the decolonial philosophy of Sylvia Wynter, with a special focus on addressing her concepts of the hybrid human and origin stories. Andersson shows how Wynter's philosophizing about the being of being human is premised on an entanglement of nature and culture that is on par with the posthuman understanding of the ontological inseparability of matter and discourse. She goes on to interrogate some productive tensions between Wynter's decolonial philosophy and posthumanism by pointing out how Wynter's hybrid human formulates an understanding of human nature that is different in itself and not solely in relation to other nonhuman entities. In the final part of the article, she proposes how we, with Wynter, can devise a pedagogical approach that seeks to counteract harmful taxonomizing practices.

Aboriginal Australian weapons and human efficiency

Aggression—and its role in human societal development—continues to be hotly debated within both the sciences and the humanities. Whatever the evolutionary origins and repercussions of interpersonal and intergroup conflict for the human story, cultures around the globe have invested significant time and effort into designing deadly hand-held weaponry. Here, we describe for the first time, how humans deliver a deadly strike using two iconic and widespread Aboriginal Australian weapons: the kodj and the leangle with parrying shield. We present the world’s first evaluation of striking biomechanics and human and weapon efficiency regarding this class of implement. Results demonstrate the leangle is far more effective at delivering devastating blows to the human body, while the kodj—a multi-functional tool—is more efficient for a human to manoeuvre and still capable of delivering severe blows that can cause death. Together, these data provide the beginnings of an in-depth understanding of how hand-held weaponry has impacted the human body throughout the deep past.

Front and Back Covers, Volume 40, Number 5. October 2024

Front and back cover caption, volume 40 issue 5ALGORITHMIC POLICING & AIThis image captures Roberto J. González's exploration of algorithmic policing in America in this issue. Cameras survey a stylized urban landscape, symbolizing the pervasive reach of artificial intelligence in modern law enforcement.González examines various technologies of surveillance: predictive policing platforms, facial recognition software and acoustic gunshot detection systems. Its algorithmic composition hints at the complex mathematical models underpinning these tools, which claim to forecast crime and identify potential offenders.Below, the cityscape appears as a mix of physical structures and data points, blurring the line between the tangible world and its digital representation. This visual metaphor represents the technologies that are reshaping our understanding of urban spaces, often reinforcing existing patterns of surveillance and control in marginalized communities.The ominous tone and starkness of the image echo the article's critical perspective on the unchecked expansion of algorithmic policing. The article raises questions about privacy, consent, and the potential for these systems to amplify biases and errors in law enforcement decisions.The human stories behind these technologies – from wrongful arrests to community distrust – are often obscured by promises of efficiency and safety. This reminds us of the need for anthropological scrutiny of these roboprocesses and their impact on social fabrics.The unseen digital infrastructure is increasingly shaping policing practices, reshaping the landscape of public safety and surveillance in America and beyond. This raises important questions about how venture capital, tech startups, and law enforcement agencies are transforming traditional notions of policing and civil liberties in the digital age.Back cover caption, volume 40 issue 5HANDS OF CHANGE: FARMER IDENTITYThis image of the weathered hands of a farmer, cradling rich soil, encapsulates the complex reality of modern European agriculture explored in Eimear Mc Loughlin's article. These hands, which have long symbolized the deep connection between farmers and the land they cultivate, now tell a more nuanced story of an identity in flux.According to Mc Loughlin, the traditional image of the farmer is vanishing because of new pressures that are becoming more intense. These hands, once primarily engaged in the tactile work of cultivating crops and tending to animals bred for food, now increasingly grapple with spreadsheets, regulatory paperwork and the invisible constraints of global markets. The soil they hold represents not just the promise of growth, but also the weight of environmental concerns, stringent regulations and societal expectations.Yet, this image also speaks to the enduring essence of farming that persists despite these challenges. It reminds us of the irreplaceable role farmers play in our food systems and national identities, even as their traditional image evolves. The rich soil suggests the potential for renewal and adaptation, mirroring Mc Loughlin's call for a reimagined agricultural future.As Europe's farmers protest and struggle with their changing identity, this image reminds us of what is at stake. It challenges us to consider how we can support a transition to sustainable farming that reflects the hands‐on work symbolized here while addressing pressing environmental and economic realities. In doing so, we might forge a path where the figure of the farmer does not disappear but evolves, maintaining that crucial connection to the land while navigating the complexities of modern agriculture.

Protesting the future: The evolution of the European farmer

Recent farmer protests across Europe demonstrate the complex challenges facing modern agriculture. This article examines the human story behind these protests. It explores how farmers’ roles have changed from respected innovators and providers to a group caught between environmental demands, economic pressures and shifting societal expectations. Neoliberal policies, green regulations and new workforce patterns have precipitated an identity crisis among European farmers. Their protests are not just about money but also about deep‐seated anxieties concerning their place in a rapidly changing world. Farmers struggle to balance traditions with new environmental imperatives, to maintain viable livelihoods in a global market and their unease with an increasingly diverse rural workforce. European farming is at a crossroads, pointing towards possible paths for a future.

In the collective pursuit for a better future: my reflection on the writing of Building for Oil

Reflecting on the reviews for Building for Oil, the author responds by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the book’s holistic approach. The author acknowledges the challenges of maintaining a balance among national, local and personal levels of events. Her response concludes by addressing questions of sustainability, drawing attention to the human stories within extreme situations of industrialization and modernization, and expressing gratitude for the thought-provoking questions raised by the reviewers. The author aims to engage a broader readership and provoke thoughtful consideration of the complexities surrounding the outcomes of extreme policies.

The explicit narrative proverb in the Holy Qur’an, a grammatical study The story of the owner of two gardens - an example

This study aims to identify one of the many and varied methods of the Holy Qur’an, which is the explicit narrative proverb in the Holy Qur’an. The method of stories is one of the methods that the Holy Qur’an paid special attention to, because of the element of suspense and excitement in it, in addition to taking advice, consideration, and lessons learned. Qur’anic stories are distinguished by advantages that are unique to human stories, including that Qur’anic stories are the truest, best, and most useful stories, due to the power of their influence in reforming hearts, deeds, and morals. In this research, we will take an example of this method, which is the story of the owner of the two gardens mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf, as it is a story that happened and is repeated. From time to time, here and there, at the level of the individual, the state, and the group, there is a perception of a state of arrogance and tyranny that occurs among some as a result of possessing one of the symptoms of this mortal world, such as money, prestige, or power, which makes him forget himself, and this state may push him to insult the believers, belittle them, and degrade them. In this research, we will discuss the verses contained in this story, a grammatical, descriptive, analytical, and statistical study of the sentence, its types, divisions, and position in the parsing.

Beyond the “Death of God”: The New Indestructible Humanity without a Model by Sarah Kofman

For many 20th century philosophers, the “death of God” became an opportunity to rethink the limits of the human, eliminating its claims to a transcendent foundation in order to start again, more modestly, “from below”. The new humanity, freed from the burdens of the old metaphysics, becomes able to reappropriate responsibility, rediscovering in the other an irreducible presence. The human and philosophical story of Sarah Kofman offers the possibility of following an original development in this sense, starting from the unspeakable event of the Shoah towards a new possibility for human kind.

Se la ricerca si fonde con l’esperienza sul campo: la formidabile eredità pedagogica di Enzo Catarsi

Based on the author’s view and the resulting interpretive perspective, this paper retraces some important moments in Enzo Catarsi’s biography, while placing them in the season of both turbulent and fruitful innovative vitality that marked Italian early childhood pedagogy at the turn of the century. The emergence of nursery schools and the recognition of their educational value, the integrated ECEC services, family education experiences, the passion for documenting and enhancing Tuscan educational experiences: all facts that represent a source of inspiration leading to uphold the value of a human and professional story, built on a combination of fieldwork and academic reflection that still offers testimony and example.

Avatars contemporains du conteur dans Le Petit Chaperon Uf de Jean-Claude Grumberg

Avatars of the Storyteller in Le Petit Chaperon Uf by Jean-Claude Grumberg. Since the 17th century, when the story became part of the written literature thanks to Charles Perrault, the fairy-tale Le Petit Chaperon rouge represents an inexhaustible source of inspiration for all art creators. Over time, the renewal stakes of this canonical history changed and, during the 21st century, the heroine of the marvelous universe enters the theatre stage and inscribes the recreative approach of the tale in a contemporary art that puts together aesthetics and ethics. One of the authors who successfully managed to reconcile ancient and contemporary culture by transforming the canonical scheme of this tale is Jean-Claude Grumberg. Being a contemporary writer who finds the creative substance of his work in his childhood memories and in the painful experience of the deportation of the Jews, Grumberg wrote in 2005 the play Le Petit Chaperon Uf in order to tell the Shoah differently and to propose alternatives to a possible recurrence of evil. In his process of cultural and generic adaptation of the tale, the storyteller has an essential role. Our study aims to answer to two questions: ''why the storyteller is metamorphosing?'' and ''who is his avatar?'' in the play Le Petit Chaperon Uf. Playing an essential role in the process of transmitting the tale over time, nowadays, he becomes part of the performance and his voice merges with the voice of other participants in the action. The wolf-storyteller and the heroine-storyteller try, each in turn, to tell the tale in order to impose their own version of the great [His]Story of humanity: the terrifying and monstrous, for the Nazi-wolf, and that of peace, for the little girl forced to wear the yellow hood. Keywords: fairy-tale, theatrical adaptation, hybridization, rewriting, contemporary literature.

Asking questions of nature: Art as a catalyst for ecological consciousness

The challenge of breaking through preconceived societal norms and narratives is a common hurdle in advocating for transformative ideas. Cultural conditioning and the expectations placed on individuals and institutions are powerful forces, and they often keep new ways of seeing — and ideas like Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) — trapped in conventional patterns of thought and behavior. This paper suggests alternatives for connecting to these alternative ways of seeing through artist-led exhibitions and interventions that not only ask questions of nature, but also allow nature to ask questions of us. We look at five projects by City as Nature studio, including “Forest is the Artist” an exhibition which gives agency to a Korean forest, and a concept restaurant “World's Slowest Restaurant” where the artist makes customers wait for 6–8 weeks for their meal to be grown. Common to all of the artworks explored in this paper, is the view of nature as a partner. This view allows us to start from an acknowledgment of the human disconnect from nature, and proceed to explore the transformative potential of mending this disconnect by collaborating directly with nature in various ways. To achieve this, we use art as a way of giving human beings new stories, new spaces, and new social permissions that allow us to question norms and explore our own connection to the natural world. The outcomes suggest that the process of seeing ourselves as “ecological beings” does not necessarily require complex or elaborate interventions, but merely the opportunity to pause, reflect, and interact with the world in more profound ways. Through the views, examples, and outcomes in this paper, we find simple methods available to both scientists and the public alike, that can help us adopt more sustainable and meaningful ways of seeing. A valuable perspective for NBS professionals, this paper also highlights how the success of NBS is tied not only to quantitative results, but also to each individual's ability to foster real relationships, a sense of belonging, awe, and reverence for and with all of nature. It also suggests that this is achievable.

Global perspectives on the burden of sexually transmitted diseases: A narrative review.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) pose a significant global health challenge with far-reaching social, economic, and public health implications. These infections have haunted humanity from ancient times to today, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. This article explores the multifaceted landscape of STDs, delving into their epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and global response strategies. The global prevalence of STDs is staggering, with millions of new cases reported annually. Prominent among these infections is HIV/AIDS, which remains a major global health crisis, affecting over 38 million people worldwide. Additionally, bacterial STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis continue to pose significant health risks, with millions of new cases reported yearly. Beyond the physical manifestations, STDs have profound social and economic implications. They can result in severe reproductive health issues, stigma, discrimination, and psychological distress, burdening healthcare systems and affecting individuals' quality of life. The global response to STDs has been multifaceted, with international organizations and governments implementing various prevention and control strategies, including sexual education programs and scaling up access to testing and treatment. However, challenges persist, including disparities in healthcare access, sociocultural factors influencing transmission, and evolving pathogens with increasing resistance to treatment. Through case studies and real-world examples, we illuminate the human stories behind the statistics, highlighting the lived experiences of individuals grappling with STDs and the complex interplay of factors shaping their journeys. Ultimately, this review calls for continued research, innovative strategies, and sustained global commitment to mitigating the burden of STDs and promoting sexual health and well-being for all.

Twins Standing in for Co-Twins: Explanation and Speculation/Twin Research Reviews: Single v. Multiple Embryo Transfer; Neurimaging of Twins with Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia; Twin Dietary Study; New Hungarian Text on Twins/Human Interest: Valedictorian and Salutatorian Twins; Twin Mother at Age Seventy; Twins Reunited by Tiktok; New Film on Twins with Selective Mutism; Becoming Twin Doctors.

An overview of circumstances in which twins take the place of their co-twin is presented. Various explanations and speculations are proposed for understanding twins' willingness to do so in certain situations. This section is followed by reviews of timely twin research, namely single versus multiple embryo transfer; neurimaging of twins with periventricular nodular heterotopia; a twin dietary comparison; and a new book of twin-related readings from Hungary. The final portion of this article concerns human interest stories that both inform and entertain. They involve valedictorian and salutatorian twins; a mother delivering twins at age seventy; twins reunited by TikTok; a new film about twins with selective mutism; and twins becoming doctors.

Uncolonialism/Bāb Art

How can we see beyond colonialism? And how might we be able to apprehend the work of those who saw themselves as living and creating the strictures of imperial control? This article argues for an uncolonial approach to knowledge creation, rejecting imperial history’s endless desire to uncover new bodies of evidence, which largely replicate our existing understanding of the ways in which Europeans subjugated Others. Instead, it argues for the ethical imperative of locating lost, forgotten, or erased scripts of Indigenous being and agency that lie largely unexcavated in our archives of the imperial moment. Using a case study of so-called “Bāb Art” from 1920s CE Algeria, the essay explores the manner in which unloved, rough, and ephemeral modes of art possess the potential to serve as touchstones through which we might see unconquered forms of thinking, imagination, and belief that presently lie outside the bounds of our human story. In considering the spiritual and aesthetic significance of these works, it is argued that we are able to open up new vistas, which allow for glimpses of futures that begin again from threads long thought lost to the past.

Reflections on Imageries of Seductive Sublimity

This essay presents a context for and appreciation of the works of Ethiopian artist Kebedech Tekleab in the exhibition Blue and Gray: This Era of Exile. Examining not only the author’s personal feelings and admiration for the works, the discussion shows how the selections strongly relate to contemporary issues, which are poetically anchored in relevant academic theories. This methodology complements the seductive beauty that infuses the array of colorful media and the aesthetic ideas contained therein. It also highlights the interpreted “truth” of well-grounded works of art. The background of Tekleab is integral to her aesthetic preferences. The colors and movements within her works reveal much about her Ethiopian/African cultural background in terms of harmony and sublime sensitivity. The shimmering quality of translucent light, rhythmic shapes, wavy forms, and musical Amharic sounds create a sense of transcendence, tapping into what the viewers “see” and “hear” when they allow themselves to delve into observing and enjoying Tekleab’s sublime art. Theories and concepts from philosophers, critics, and artists as varied as Plato, Clement Greenberg, Frank Stella, and John Cage are included as points of reference directing readers to the strengths of Tekleab’s achievements. Aiming not so much to authenticate her irrespressibly original works as to validate continuity between past and present in choice of topics and styles, the essay highlights the power of the artist in communicating the story of humanity and the unending struggle of people to survive.

Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois

Larry A. McClellan, drawing on a breadth of archival sources, brings an invigorating narrative to freedom seekers in Northeastern Illinois. McClellan’s compelling account tells the “complex and deeply human stories of freedom seekers” while underscoring “that the Underground Railroad did not shape the movement of freedom seekers.” Rather, as McClellan contends, their movements “gave shape to what became the networks known as the Underground Railroad.”

Attitude of Undergraduate Dental Students’ Toward Geriatric Oral Care in Davanagere City, Karnataka – A Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract Background: Population aging is a human success story. Getting older is associated with a higher incidence of chronic diseases which have proven to have oral manifestations. The future dentists should develop a positive attitude to provide care for elders. Objective: The objective of this questionnaire-based survey was to evaluate the attitude of undergraduate dental students’ toward elders in providing dental care to them. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 undergraduate dental students using a questionnaire including demographic characteristics and attitude sections. Data were fed into SPSS-20 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test (α <0.05). Results: The mean age of students was 20.91 ± 1.56, 76.2% were female students, and 63.4% of students were in the clinical stage of their studies. The students’ mean score of attitude was 55.04 ± 5.81 (34–73). The mean score of attitude was not statistically different based on gender, age, year of study, type of family and bonding with grandparents. The “clinical training and discrimination in healthcare,” “compassion,” “adaptation to modern society,” and “resource distribution” were the four major factors extracted using principal component analysis and varimax orthogonal rotation method to measure attitude toward elders’ dental care. Conclusion: From our survey, it can be concluded that undergraduate students have moderately positive attitude toward elder patients. The four main components are the main areas in which dental education can be improved to better prepare aspiring dentists to treat elderly patients with high-quality dental care.

Life Writing at the Terminus: Glacier Memoirs and Planetary Relationality

This essay examines the American glaciologist M Jackson’s While Glaciers Slept: Being Human in a Time of Climate Change and The Secret Lives of Glaciers; the British glaciologist Jemma Wadham’s Ice Rivers: A Story of Glaciers, Wilderness, and Humanity; and the Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason’s On Time and Water, all of which employ autobiographical discourse to convey the enormity of the climate crisis as it is manifested in the rapidly accelerating loss of Earth’s glacial ice. I discuss these writers’ accounts of their turn to life writing to augment the limited persuasive force scientific data, their scaling of the temporality of glacier recession to the time spans of their own lives, their attribution of sentience to glaciers through an engagement with non-Anglo-European worldviews, and their expressions of grief at the impending death of Earth’s glaciers. I suggest that these texts demonstrate how the distinctive truth claims, temporal modalities, subject-positioning strategies, and affective appeals of life narrative provide a particularly supple hermeneutic schema in which an understanding of the moral ramifications of humans’ mutually dependent relationships with more-than-human nature - what Amy J. Elias and Christian Moraru have described as ‘a planetary ethics of relationality’ - might be fostered.