Local Experience Research Articles

The Fall, Rise, and Fall of Faith: Catholic Lapsing, Belief, and the New Evangelisation in Japan

This paper explores the phenomenon of lapsing among young Japanese Catholics, highlighting how both local and translocal experiences of Roman Catholicism shape the ebbs and flows of faith for our interlocutors. While global Catholic events such as World Youth Day can reignite faith by fostering a sense of belonging to a larger, global Church, the contrast with the small and socially isolated Catholic community in Japan often precipitates lapsing. This study examines the influence of the New Evangelisation, which promotes active belief and translocal unity, and argues that this movement can both strengthen global Catholic identity and exacerbate feelings of alienation in local, non-Catholic societies. Ultimately, we stress, in the context of Roman Catholicism, that lapsing should not be seen as simply a rupture in faith but as part of a continuous, if turbulent, Catholic identity, mediated by translocal flows of belief and institutional authority.

A New Tool Supporting the Selection of the Best Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donor by Modelling Local Own Real-World Data

Background: The selection of the best donor for each specific patient is crucial for the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, there is debate on the choice of the best donor when multiple suitable donors exist. Methods: By using own data from two transplant centers, we have developed a calculator able to provide the patients’ 2-year overall survival (OS) associated with each of the potential donor options during the selection process, in order to support the transplant physician during the choice. Data on 737 HSCTs with HLA-identical siblings, and unrelated or related haploidentical donors from January 2010 to July 2022 have been retrospectively obtained. Results: Patients’ age, disease, comorbidity index, and donor type were found to be significant variables able to predict the outcome with robustness (concordance index: 0.677). Estimates are provided within an example in the text showing outcomes with four donor options for a specific patient. Conclusions: We present the prototype of a tool supporting the selection of the best donor, guiding transplant physicians during the delicate process of donor selection before HSCT. This approach relies on real data from the centers, reflecting their local clinical experience. Improvements are underway with a larger, ongoing multicenter study.

A Review of Contemporary Image Guidance Techniques in Head and Neck Cancer.

Traditional head and neck cancer treatment involves open surgery, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and conventional radiotherapy planning. Emerging techniques aim to improve precision and reduce associated toxicity and functional impairment in current practice. This review article describes four such adaptations in image guidance, tailored to next generation therapies. This is a review of current literature, including feasibility studies from our cancer center, relating to: saline-aided intra-oral ultrasound-guided retropharyngeal biopsy; intra-oral ultrasound guided trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS); ultrasound-guided injection of "directly injectedtherapies"; and magnetic resonance imaging-guided radiotherapy. Presented within the context of the wider literature, initial local experience and data indicate good technical outcomes and patient tolerance, and low technical complications in all four image guidance techniques. Initial findings suggest a potentially important future role for these four image guidance techniques, on which next generation therapies are reliant. The broader implications on cross-disciplinary collaboration are also explored herein.

Can Catering to Local Area Needs Through CSR Reduce Firm Risk?

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending to cater to the local area's needs (the area of business operations) in reducing the firm's risk in the mandatory CSR setting. Using a sample of 1677 Indian firms spanning the financial year 2009–2022, we present several interesting results. First, we demonstrate that the risk of the firms eligible under mandatory CSR law is higher than those not qualifying. Second, we find that the risk of firms that focus their CSR on the local area's needs is lower. In an additional analysis, we demonstrate that firms with higher spending on the local area experience lower contingent liability, legal expenses, and audit fees. We illustrate that focusing on the local area's needs in CSR efforts retains signaling value under a mandatory CSR regime.

Publics in local media reporting on harm reduction: Rightfully worried local witnesses or uneducated obstacles to change

BackgroundIn 2018, the planned opening of a second Needle and Syringe Exchange Program (NSP) unit in Stockholm, Sweden, was stopped with reference to protests from the public. Local Stockholm media cited stakeholders who claimed that the initiative was led by politicians with “zero knowledge about what makes citizens upset” and referred to reported public concern over a preschool located near the planned NSP unit. This case highlights the significant role of the public – and the idea of public opinion – in relation to political and medial aspects of alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. Our aim is to scrutinize how “the public” is produced in local print media reports on harm reduction measures such as the NSP, to illuminate how these representations operate and what reality/ies they co-produce. MethodsWe analyzed 171 articles reporting on harm reduction in local Stockholm print media from 2012 to 2023. The themes identified in the analysis emerged from a combination of data-driven empirical observations and a theory-driven approach grounded in the influential literature on publics and counterpublics by Michael Warner and Nancy Fraser. ResultsThe overarching articulation in the material is that of a singular and homogeneous public. Public opinion regarding local experiences of individual drug use and harm reduction is depicted as being driven by fear and worry over living alongside “messy others”, thereby producing a public of worried local community witnesses. This production of the public takes on two different meanings depending on the narrative of the articles: 1) as righteous and entitled, 2) as ignorant and irrational. As a result, the public comes to operate as either a consulted public deserving consideration in the implementation of harm reduction policies or as an uneducated political obstacle to change. Consequently, the public is assigned both a counterpublic and a dominant public identity. ConclusionsWhen the representation of the worried public is repeatedly echoed by the media, it becomes hard to ignore in policy-making processes. The implications of such media representations are significant, as they risk disguising the complex nature of publics as a diverse group of individuals while reproducing taken-for-granted ideas about local communities opposing harm reduction measures. In addition, the appropriation of a counterpublic identity narrows the discursive space for action. Taken together, the repetition of a singular worried public and the appropriation of the counterpublic position make it nearly impossible to imagine alternative public responses to harm reduction. As a consequence, this can limit well-needed policy responses to AOD issues.

An Impact-Based Flood Forecasting System for Citizen Empowerment

This work addresses the critical issue of flooding, a significant natural hazard, consistently ranked highest in the 2023 World Risk Index. The annual onslaught of tropical cyclones and the associated abnormal rainfall threaten lives, and destroy crops and property, thereby causing great economic damage, demanding urgent and science-based decision-making. We introduce an impact-based flood forecasting system as a proactive anticipatory action (i.e., AA) measure, linking climate services and disaster risk management to mitigate extreme weather impacts. Developed by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, the National Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, and Gerry Bagtasa of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, this system advances disaster resilience efforts, leveraging science-based forecasts to prioritize vulnerable barangays (villages). Unlike traditional early warning systems, the proposed automated system predicts flooding one day in advance and assesses exposure levels based on population distribution. By utilizing global weather forecast models locally calibrated for Philippine conditions and 100-year rain return flood hazard maps for the Philippines, the system forecasts river inundated areas, enabling local government units (LGUs) and humanitarian organizations to prioritize preparations for communities and allocate resources during flooding events effectively. This system enhances the efficiency of disaster response planning, fostering a proactive and impactful strategy to address the recurring threat of flooding in the country. The system also underscores the role of open data in disaster resilience, exemplified by NOAH’s system to disseminating big data, which aligns with open governance principles. By encouraging transparency and stakeholder collaboration, data exchange is promoted, providing actionable information that fosters collaboration between the LGUs, humanitarian organizations, and other stakeholders. Cognizant of the importance of community engagement in disaster resilience, the newly developed impact-based flood forecasting system encourages community involvement by providing easily accessible information, which can be used to validate the forecasts based on local knowledge and experience. This research contributes to the urgent call for anticipatory action in the face of escalating extreme weather events globally.

Delivering shared decision-making before transcatheter aortic valve implantation using digital and remote techniques to enhance patient engagement and convenience

Abstract Introduction Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for patients with aortic stenosis. However, the choice between TAVI, surgery, wait and watch or conservative management needs to be based upon multiple factors including comorbidity, life expectancy, anatomy, local experience and, critically, informed patient preference. In this context, engaging patients in a shared decision-making (SDM) process becomes essential, but this practice is generally underused. Purpose To comply with both international guidance and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) UK recommendations, in January 2023 we established a formal SDM pathway for TAVI, utilising digital solutions as much as possible to minimise the logistic impact for both hospital and patients. We aimed to quantitatively measure the compliance of the digital SDM meeting from the patients’ perspective with the NICE recommended essential and enhanced discussion standards. Methods Patients are contacted when the multidisciplinary heart team recommends TAVI, then offered digital or, where appropriate, physical patient decision aids and a link to a TAVI-specific explanatory video. One week later, patients are invited to a virtual comprehensive SDM meeting where a specialist nurse discusses aortic stenosis and treatment options with the patient as per the NICE recommended standards, allowing time for questioning and review. From December 2022 to June 2023, a custom developed questionnaire was administered to 20 patients prior to, and 28 patients after the implementation of the SDM meeting protocol, directly addressing the patients’ perception of adherence to the NICE standards. This was provided to the patients after the TAVI procedure via an online tool. The answers to the 12 core questions were converted into a Likert scale (1 to 5) and the global satisfaction scores for the 2 patient groups, reported as the average Likert score across the 12 questions, were compared with the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test. Results The global satisfaction score was significantly higher for the post-SDM group than for the pre-SDM group (mean 4.27 vs 3.55, p<0.001). The percentage of patients who gave positive (Likert 4-5) responses to each individual question was consistently higher in the post-SDM group. The percentage of patients giving negative (Likert 1-2) responses was substantially lower in the post-SDM group. Conclusions The SDM pathway and the virtual tools provided proved effective in delivering SDM in compliance with international guidance and NICE recommended standards from the patient’s perspective. A similar approach leveraging digital technology to minimise cost and enhance patient convenience could be implemented for other treatments and across other institutions.Questionnaire results

The Effect of Food Image, Food Satisfaction on Culinary Quality and Behavioral Intention in Sampang Regency

This study aims to explore how perceptions of local food (food image) and consumer satisfaction with culinary experiences (food satisfaction) influence the perception of the culinary quality of the area and how these factors influence consumer behavior, such as intention to revisit or recommend. This study was conducted in Sampang Regency, an area known for its rich culinary heritage. The study population was local culinary consumers who had visited Pak Salim's Bebek Songkem restaurant located in Sampang Regency. Purposive sampling was used to determine respondents with a sample of 193 respondents. Structural equations were used as the analysis method using Smart PLS 4.0. Data were collected through a survey distributed to consumers who enjoyed Bebek Songkem. The study findings revealed that food image had a significant positive effect on culinary quality, while food satisfaction played an important role in strengthening this perception. In addition, food image and food satisfaction significantly influenced behavioral intentions, with higher culinary quality leading to a greater likelihood of positive consumer actions such as revisits and recommendations. These results underscore the importance of improving the image and satisfaction of local culinary experiences to promote Sampang as a culinary destination. This research offers practical insights for local businesses and policy makers in developing strategies to enhance culinary tourism and culinary experiences in the region.

Clinicians' Perspectives and an Ethical Analysis of Safer Supply Opioid Prescribing.

In British Columbia, Canada, many physicians providing care to individuals with high-risk opioid use disorder adopted safer supply (SS) opioid prescribing in the spring of 2020 with the goal of facilitating public health measures for COVID-19. This prescribing practice continued after measures were lifted. This study aimed to explore prescribers' perspectives following several years of local experience in prescribing SS opioids, primarily in the form of hydromorphone tablets, and to apply ethical concepts to explore current challenges and ongoing sources of provider distress. Addiction medicine SS prescribers participated in individual or small group semi-structured interviews. Each interview was transcribed and analysed for recurrent themes. Themes were then integrated into a narrative ethics discussion. Eleven addiction medicine physicians practicing in various settings within Vancouver participated in this study. Six themes were identified: clinical assessment, clinician distress, gaps in care, models of safer supply, research, and special populations. Ethical dilemmas in prescribing SS are identified and explored through a discussion of biomedical ethics principles and the physician role.

A lens into the everyday: visual ethnographies and making a multi-storied film in North-eastern Sri Lanka

Film and visual methods have increasingly become significant focus areas of International Relations (IR) and feminist research. Feminist filmmakers have put particular emphasis on co-production and participatory filmmaking as more symmetrical approaches to research, which can provide visibility for marginalized voices and can challenge dominant perceptions. In this article, I reflect on my experience of making Hidden Voices, an eighty-minute documentary film about everyday experiences of living with disappearances in North-eastern Sri Lanka and the complex ways in which individuals and communities navigate legacies of violence and recovery. I emphasize the ethnographic value of film in bringing out the less visible relational and embodied everyday. As part of this, I discuss film as a type of ‘tour’, which can open opportunities for self-direction from participants and can offer a unique affective medium and way of seeing. While some present film narratives as a ‘microcosm’ of specific local experiences, I used Hidden Voices to explore diverse experiences and at times diverging standpoints. I also highlight the ongoing dialogical and didactic social value of film. While visual methods can be powerful tools for ethnographic research, I also discuss ethical and epistemological tensions inherent in making a research-based film.

Return of the Eurasian lynx: using local stakeholder knowledge and experiences to inform lynx conservation in the French Alps

Abstract Large carnivore conservation in human-dominated landscapes is a complex issue, often marked by the stark contrast between those who hold deep-rooted animosity towards these animals and those who welcome their presence. The survival of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in Europe relies on effective coexistence with humans in multi-use areas. We explored the experiences and perceptions of local hunters and pastoralists regarding the return of the lynx to the Giffre Valley, France, and mapped lynx distribution based on the probability of site use while accounting for detection probability. We conducted in-depth interviews with 29 respondents to gather data on lynx sightings, rationale for hunting and pastoralism, and perceptions of lynxes. We found that 45% of respondents had detected lynxes in the last 40 years, with an estimated site use of 0.66 ± SE 0.33 over the last decade, indicating there was a 66% probability of lynxes using the sites during that time period. Our results suggest that hunting and pastoralism in the region are rooted in a desire to carry on local traditions and connect with the natural world. Respondents generally tolerated the presence of lynxes, perceiving few threats to their livelihoods and activities, and expressing a willingness to coexist peacefully. However, some identified future challenges that could arise with the return of large carnivores to the valley and highlighted scenarios that could lead to a decline in tolerance. This study emphasizes the valuable knowledge of local hunters and pastoralists and their potential role in lynx population monitoring and conservation. Integrating stakeholder values in decision-making processes is crucial for inclusive and sustainable responses to promote biodiversity.

A methodology for prioritizing sustainable development goals targets at the local level: The case of Barcelona City Council

AbstractThe implementation of the 2030 Agenda relies heavily on the active involvement of local governments. The concept of “Localization”—the process of adapting and customizing the SDGs and translating them into local development plans and strategies—has gained prominence as governments address emerging challenges, necessitating innovative approaches. Practical insights from local governments are essential for guiding others in this process. A key debate focuses on “prioritization,” emphasizing the need to focus on a specific set of SDG targets based on available resources, the local government's experience with sustainable policies or the normative framework in which it operates. Prioritization is crucial to prevent fragmentation of efforts that could hinder the local government's contribution to the 2030 Agenda. This paper aims to introduce a methodology for prioritizing SDG targets within local governments. Using a multicriteria analysis tool, the paper shows the process undertaken by the Barcelona City Council to cluster the SDG targets around four priority groups based on four criteria: (i) distance to the goal, (ii) strategic coverage, (iii) normative competence, and (iv) budgetary effort. The prioritization approach contributes to a better monitoring and evaluation process to assess progress towards the SDGs and enhance collaborative efforts across municipal policy and management levels. The findings provide valuable insights and serve as a reference for other local governments aiming at contributing to the 2030 Agenda. The approach is adaptable and can be applied to different subnational governments by tailoring to their specific scope and requirements of the context of application.

War veterans’ retraining: development of educational programmes for economic recovery in Ukraine

ABSTRACT This article aims to analyse the world experience of retraining war veterans in order to restore the economy and consider possible ways of implementing the acquired knowledge and practices in the context of Ukraine. A study was conducted to identify the basic needs and challenges faced by veterans and examine the key aspects of the challenges that war veterans experience when entering the civilian labour market. The authors analyse effective approaches and programmes already applied in various countries, including the United States, in order to overcome these difficulties and promote veterans’ integration into society and the economy. These include at the local level, or with the patronage of non-governmental organisations, educational programmes for retraining veterans in Ukraine. The authors offer specific recommendations for the development and implementation of specialised educational programmes for retraining veterans in Ukraine at the state level, mainly based on advanced world practice and existing local experience. Finally, particular attention is paid to the aspects of adaptation and implementation of these programmes in Ukrainian realities at the national level.

Provincial Drag in the Philippine Tropics: Towards a Decolonial Queer Tropical Aesthetics

Drag, in its neoliberal permutation, has become the most consumed queer art form everywhere in the world. The popularity of drag is often attributed to the bourgeoning empire of the Drag Race franchise. While the cultural phenomenon that is Drag Race has constructed a platform for drag to thrive in the mainstream scene, it has also created a limited and hegemonic understanding of drag as simply glamour and superstardom. This essay problematizes what has become “homonormative drag” and outlines the need to turn to pluriversal drag aesthetic praxes. It is argued that deploying a decolonial queer tropical lens, following Rolando Vazquez’s decolonial aesthesis and Samantha Nöel’s tropical aesthetics, opens our understanding of drag to situated local experiences in the tropics. This essay, unpacks the aesthetics of what I call “provincial drag,” found in the digital content produced by queer subjects in the Philippine provinces, to illustrate and re-locate the critical function of drag not simply for gender subversion, but also to laugh at neoliberal and colonial projects.

Locally defined seasonal rainfall characteristics within the Horn of Africa drylands from rain gauge observations

Abstract Seasonal rainfall is critical to lives and livelihoods within the Horn of Africa drylands (HAD), but it is highly variable in space and time. The HAD rainfall seasons are typically defined as March-April-May (MAM) and October-November-December (OND). However, these three-month periods are only generalised definitions of seasonality across the HAD, and local experience of rainfall may depart from these substantially. Here, we use daily rain gauge data with a duration of at least 10 years from 69 stations across Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia to locally delineate key rainfall seasons. By calculating local seasonal rainfall timings, totals, and extremes we obtain more accurate estimates of the spatial variability in rainfall delivery across the HAD, as well as climatological patterns. Results show high spatial variability in season onset, cessation, and length across the region, indicating that a homogenous classification of rainfall seasons across the HAD (e.g. MAM and OND) is inadequate for representing local rainfall characteristics. Our results show that the ‘long rains’ season is not significantly longer than ‘short rains’ season over the period of study. This could be related to the previously documented decline of the ‘long rains’ rainfall totals over recent decades. Several rainfall metrics also vary spatially between seasons, and the rainfall on the most extreme days can accumulate to double the mean seasonal total. The locally defined rainfall seasons better capture the bulk of the rainfall during the season, giving improved characterisation of rainfall metrics, consistent with the aim of a better understanding of rainfall impacts on local communities.

Clapping the nation, or, from a global pandemic to national imaginaries via local solidarities

AbstractIn the early days of the COVID‐19 pandemic, people in England stepped outside their doors once a week to clap the National Health Service. What does this have to do with nationalism? On the face of it, nothing much: clapping exercised local, and not, national solidarities. I will show, however, that local solidarities performed in clapping rituals led to the regeneration of national imaginaries via the symbols on display and the national institutions through which pandemic experiences were channelled. My argument has three parts. First, I show that helping practices during the pandemic shaped local solidarities that found collective expression through clapping. Second, I explain how the local experiences of clapping merged with national imaginaries when performed on a national canvas with symbols that marked an imagined community of national clappers. Third, I argue that clapping was subsumed into a nascent national imaginary via nationally scoped institutions that were exercised to fight the pandemic. Whilst the local has long been appreciated as a site and source for nationalism, I have added how non‐national local practices can also be constitutive of nationalism. A global pandemic led to national imaginaries via the local solidarities that were formed by clapping for carers.

Development and Evaluation of the Telehealth in Motor Neuron Disease System: The TIME Study Protocol.

For more responsive care provision for motor neuron disease and caregivers, a digital system called Telehealth in MND-Care (TiM-C) was created. TiM-C sends regular symptom questionnaires to users; their responses are sent to health care professionals (HCPs). To enable people with motor neuron disease to participate in research studies more easily, a parallel platform was developed from TiM-C, called Telehealth in MND-Research (TiM-R). TiM-R can advertise studies, collect data, and make them available to MND researchers. This study has 4 work packages (WPs) to facilitate service approval, codevelop the TiM systems, and evaluate the service. Each WP aims to understand (1) what helps and hinders the approval of the TiM-C system as a National Health Service; (2) what aspects of MND care and research are currently unmet and can be addressed through the TiM-C and TiM-R systems; (3) how TiM-C influences MND care, from the perspective of people with motor neuron disease, their caregivers, and HCPs; and (4) the costs and benefits associated with TiM-C. WP1 will use semistructured interviews with 10-15 people involved in the approval of TiM-C to understand the barriers and facilitators to governance processes. WP2 will use individual and group interviews with 25-35 users (people with motor neuron disease, caregivers, HCPs, MND researchers, and industry) of TiM-C and TiM-R to understand the current unmet needs of these user groups and how TiM services can be developed to meet these needs. WP3 will use a process evaluation involving 5 elements; local context, engagement, user experiences, service impact, and mechanisms of action. A range of methods, including audits, analysis of routine data, questionnaires, interviews, and observations will be used with people with motor neuron disease, caregivers, and HCPs, both those using the system and those who declined the service when invited. WP4 will use data collected through the process evaluation and known costs to conduct a cost-consequence and budget impact analysis to explore the cost-benefit of the TiM-C service. Most data collected will be qualitative, with thematic and framework analysis used to develop themes from transcripts and observations. Descriptive statistics or t tests and chi-square tests will be used to describe and analyze quantitative data. This study has received ethical approval and has begun recruitment in 1 site. Further, 13 specialist MND centers will adopt TiM-C and the TIME study, beginning in July 2024. The study will conclude in November 2026 and a final report will be produced 3 months after the completion date. This study will facilitate the implementation and development of TiM-C and TiM-R and fully evaluate the TiM-C service, enabling informed decision-making among health care providers regarding continued involvement and contribute to the wider literature relating to how technology-enabled care services can affect clinical care. DERR1-10.2196/57685.

The Careful Project: Evaluating the acceptability of local virtual reality experiences as a leisure activity for residents in aged care.

The aim of this project was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of virtual reality (VR) as a leisure activity for people living in residential aged care. Virtual reality experiences may offer alternatives for residents with limited mobility, or during times when older people are unable to leave residential care. The intervention used VR videos delivered via a head-mounted device. Video content was created by a local artist specifically for use with older Western Australian adults and used local content. VR sessions were videotaped for analysis. The evaluation included structured observation of video content to assess mood and engagement and post-intervention interviews with participants. Mood and engagement scores indicated overall favourable mood and considerable positive engagement with the VR experience. Interview content analysis reflected the enjoyment participants took in visiting places they had once been and the surprising ways that the experience made them feel and act as though they were actually there. Videos featuring coastal visits were the most popular and videos featuring music were the most engaging. Some participants found the head-mounted device uncomfortable. VR was considered potentially beneficial for residents with limited mobility or living with cognitive impairment. Overall VR is a feasible and acceptable leisure activity for older people in residential care. The use of local content has the potential to prompt memories and generate new conversations. Future use of VR may consider different modes of video delivery and advancements in evaluation.

Voluntary Planning and City Networks: A Systematic Bibliometric Review Addressing Current Issues for Sustainable and Climate-Responsive Planning

Over the years, energy saving and climate change have sparked a challenge in developing innovative spatial and urban planning tools, methods, and approaches for urban areas and territorial management. This challenge has pointed out a gap in the traditional planning framework in tackling energy and climate issues, highlighting the need for renovated spatial planning practices. The current effective measures carried out by the complex network of stakeholders (public and private) are fragmented, and the role of city networks in shaping decisions and interventions has emerged. In particular, among the approaches for urban and territorial planning and the development of climate-responsive measures, this research adopts a specific focus on voluntary planning. The authors, through a literature review and an analysis of nine city networks, investigated how this approach addresses energy and climate issues and how it is linked to the city networks in designing investments and interventions within the urban context. From the authors’ perspective, city networks are the operative component in designing local experiences and applications, contributing to achievement of the global energy and climate targets according to the current policies. In this context, successful results with respect to climate and energy challenges is expressed in the degree of the awareness and the commitment achieved by the local communities. Moreover, reaching the climate and energy goals is a representation of the outcome of the interaction between the (public or private) actors involved and the degree of a city’s climate-responsiveness, rather than from a normative constraint or an institutional framework.

From “Living in History” to “Ghost Town”: Hasankeyf’s Lost Social Values

ABSTRACT In 2020, the Ilısu Dam partially flooded the historic town of Hasankeyf in southeast Türkiye. To mitigate the impact of flooding, the government launched a program to relocate the town’s residents, along with some historic monuments and archaeological remains, to a new town situated on the opposite shore. Hasankeyf’s heritage embodied strong social values for its residents and had a central presence in their daily, spiritual, and recreational lives. The mitigation efforts, however, failed to recognize these values, and the townspeople played no role in the decision-making processes. This article examines the adverse impacts of the Ilısu Dam project on Hasankeyf’s social values by bringing to the fore local relocation experiences and discussing the sociocultural and economic outcomes that have emerged in the post-relocation context. As the case of Hasankeyf illustrates, mitigation efforts that overlook local concerns might result in heritage destruction for dam-affected populations.