Northern Perspectives Research Articles

Decolonized Trauma: Narrative, Memory and Identity in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah

Abstract Even though literary works serve as excellent media for bearing witness to trauma, postcolonial and diasporic literary texts are often dismissed for their falsified accounts of traumatic life experiences. Recent studies on African American literature have stressed the need for a decolonized conceptualization of trauma that would not only disrupt the long-existing white Global Northern perspectives but also recognize feelings of empathy and solidarity among members of the community in these literary corpora. The present study adopts a hybrid analytical framework to examine the representations of trauma in the Nigerian American writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (2013). Specifically, we draw upon Gérard Genette’s narrative levels, Ron Eyerman’s collective memory, and Jeffrey Charles Alexander’s collective identity to argue that the novel defies conventional forms of narrative by depicting postcolonial and diasporic identities as volatile and dynamic constructs. The findings indicate the multiple ways in which the story presents diasporic Africans – that is, the female protagonist Ifemelu and her male lover Obinze – as capable of overcoming the adverse effects of traumatic memories by chronicling an authentic record of their experiences. The study also reveals that the leading female character, like the novelist Adichie, creates an empowering platform for migrants of various ethnicities to speak up about their traumatic experiences, and thereby establish what is called ‘cross-cultural solidarity’ in reconstructing a new community.

Southern Perspectives on Border Criminology

In this special issue, we explore the limits of existing theories for understanding migration governance from a Southern perspective and what the potential for rethinking border controls and their study, such as alternative epistemological and methodological approaches, might engender. We invited contributions to imagine what a ‘Southern perspective’ on the field of border criminologies would look like. In other words, what does it entail to study and theorise border control from the South? We organised a panel at the European Society of Criminology in September 2021 and then invited further authors. We sought to engage multiple disciplinary traditions and diverse case studies that speak to the various disciplinary perspectives and geopolitical dimensions of bordering. Many of the authors in this special issue are early career researchers who, through engaging with postcolonial theory and decolonial approaches, are fostering novel perspectives within border criminologies. Collectively, the articles bring together the different geopolitical, sociocultural and economic ways in which borders in the Global South are imagined, constructed, negotiated and reconstructed. The articles offer a wide range of epistemological and methodological insights for border criminologies to engage with, shifting our understanding from Northern perspectives.

Toward decolonial globalisation studies

ABSTRACT This article draws on the epistemologies of the South, namely decolonial theory, to point to the analytical and interpretive limitations of northern theories of globalisation. It gestures toward decolonial globalisation studies to provide an alternative reading of global justice movements, including university student movements in Latin America. Moreover, it maintains that situating university student movements geopolitically provides a valuable way out of the theoretical limitations of critical globalisation studies informed by northern perspectives. By adopting a geopolitical perspective, decolonial globalisation studies unsettles and provincialises the central myth of modernity, which portrays the emergence of modern institutions and globalisation as endogenous European and Anglo-American phenomena subsequently diffused to the Global South. Finally, this article addresses the need for decolonial globalisation studies to ground its theorisation in alternative sites of knowledge production.

Breaking borders: Launching a regional literary journal in times of arts funding uncertainty

A new literary journal of the Northern Territory, Borderlands, launched an online pilot edition in 2019 and an online print edition in 2020. The publication comes twenty years after its predecessor, Northern Perspectives, ceased publishing due to losing its Australia Council funding and support from Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University). As the editors of the journal, in this article we analyse how we funded and published the journal’s pilot editions against the backdrop of precarious arts funding and a ravaged arts sector, due in part to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide a cost breakdown of publishing the journal and analyse our approach and processes in order to offer some insight and transparency to stakeholders, patrons and others contemplating literary journal publishing. Despite the challenging landscape of arts funding in Australia, ultimately the benefits of pursuing literary publishing in the regions to foster regional writing as part of Australian literature are worth the obstacles encountered on the path to publication. Our research suggests there are four key pillars integral to a journal’s success and sustainability in an underfunded sector: a flexible approach, community support and engagement, early stakeholder consultation, and transparency surrounding the costs of literary journal publishing.

The Anti-sprawl Policies in Tehran and the Creation of Spatial Injustice

The proliferation of anti-sprawl policies across the cities in the Global South and North appears to be a legitimate backlash to an ever-increasing rate of urban growth and expansion in the 21st century. Questions remain, however, around the outcomes of sprawl-controlling plans, the extent to which the Northern perspectives dominate the anti-sprawl rhetoric across the globe, and whether transferring them to the rapidly expanding Southern cities is rational and feasible. It is essential to acknowledge that the incentives and, in turn, consequences of urban sprawl in the Southern cities are substantially different from their Northern counterparts. Such divergences call for a new approach towards ‘provincialisation’ (Sheppard, Leitner and Maringanti, 2013) of urban sprawl discourses. This paper examines the intersection of anti-sprawl debates and spatial injustice and incorporates both empirical and theoretical elements. The empirical element examines the historical development of anti-sprawl strategies in Tehran since the 1960s and scrutinises the consequences of the urban containment policies and plans, particularly in relation to the creation of peripheral spatial traps and through the lens of spatial justice, citizenship and the ‘right to the centre’ (Marcuse, 2009; Harvey, 2010; Soja, 2013). The theoretical element contributes to the debate on the ‘theory from the South’ by underlining the dialectical interplay of centre and periphery within the trajectories of urban growth in the Southern cities and arguing for the need to develop multiple urban epistemologies capable of explaining the complexities of multiple urban conditions in the South. The core argument of this paper is thus twofold. First and through an empirically supported argument, it contends that anti-sprawl policies and strategies in Tehran act as catalysts in the densification/sprawl dialectical transformation of the cities and intensify the creation of unjust geographies in the peripheral buffer zones through displacement and compromising the ‘right to the centre’ of (non)citizens. Second and from a wider perspective, the paper argues against theorisation of urban sprawl as a universally relevant and applicable category of urban transformation and calls for a reformulation of the concept, its drivers and materialisation, and the institutional responses given to it from the Southern perspective.

Rachel Ellehus/Colin Wall: Geopolitics and Neglected Arctic Spaces. Three Northern Perspectives on Balancing External Interests. Washington D.C.: Center for Strategic & International Studies, November 2020

Article Rachel Ellehus/Colin Wall: Geopolitics and Neglected Arctic Spaces. Three Northern Perspectives on Balancing External Interests. Washington D.C.: Center for Strategic & International Studies, November 2020 was published on April 1, 2021 in the journal SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (volume 5, issue 1).

Opportunities for Standards to Contribute to Health, Safety, Resiliency, and Environmental Protection in Canada’s North

The Northern Review 48 (2018): 33–50The objective of this research and article is to investigate potential opportunities for standards to contribute to increased health, safety, resiliency, and environmental protection in Canada’s North. Specifically, we focus attention on four key topic areas where there are both unique considerations in Canada’s North relative to the potential role for standards and also a number of identified challenges: the provision of clean and accessible water, the provision of adequate emergency response, having safe and resilient buildings to live and work in, and environmental protection and management. Fourteen different opportunities for standards have been identified across these topic areas. It is also highlighted that there are also needs and opportunities in terms of better allowing for the inclusion of northern perspectives and input into northern standards, and three distinct ideas for helping to achieve this are presented in the article. This article includes very minor edits made October 23 after original publication.

The Northern Voice: Listening to Indigenous and Northern Perspectives on Management of Data in Canada

The Canadian Cryospheric Information Network and Polar Data Catalogue (CCIN/PDC) provide: (1) a trusted archive to store data from Canadian cryospheric research and (2) a public access portal to this information. The CCIN/PDC has since expanded its collection to include data from health, ecological, social, and other sciences. Since its inception, CCIN/PDC has engaged Indigenous and northern Canadians to understand and meet their information needs. This paper describes three instances of such engagement and next steps for enhanced interaction and support. First, feedback from northern and Indigenous communities led to the development of PDC Lite. Compared to the full-featured online PDC Search application, PDC Lite accommodates slower Internet speeds and allows one to search by particular northern communities. PDC Lite continues to be improved by input from the people that it serves. Next, to facilitate discussion and strengthen collaborative relationships within the polar data community, CCIN/PDC co-hosted two major meetings in 2015. Emerging from both these events was a need to prioritize what has been termed human interoperability and the need to have Indigenous and northern community involvement at all levels of data management. Future plans for CCIN/PDC include more effective partnerships in which we work with and listen to northern and Indigenous Canadians to better understand their requirements for data management services and expertise. Our ultimate goal is to provide, through collaboration with partners, data, information, and expertise that facilitate northern and Indigenous Canadians’ access to publicly-archived data and enable and support management of their own data and resources.

Os sentidos da descolonização: uma análise a partir de Moçambique

Este artigo procura, a partir de uma análise multidisciplinar, problematizar os sentidos da descolonização a partir do estudo da produção de conhecimento em Moçambique, à luz das epistemologias do Sul, conceito avançado por Boaventura de Sousa Santos. O texto problematiza a dimensão epistémica do colonialismo moderno, mostrando como a imagem predominante do continente africano, parte do Sul global, é ainda reflexo de representações forjadas no centro de um saber de matriz eurocêntrica, que reforçam a permanência das perspetivas do Norte sobre o Sul. Como o artigo discute, descolonizar o conhecimento passa por uma revisão crítica de conceitos centrais, como o são o espaço e o tempo, hegemonicamente definidos pela racionalidade moderna – estrutura de saber que legitima a expansão do projeto civilizacional moderno ocidental no mundo. No campo ontológico, a descolonização passa pela renegociação das definições do ser e dos seus sentidos, aliando a democratização à descolonização. Este desafio epistémico contesta o privilégio epistémico do Norte global, abrindo o mundo a outros saberes, narrativas e lutas, contadas a múltiplas vozes.

Northern perspectives on medical elective tourism: a qualitative study.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes education to be necessary for doctors to provide culturally safe care. Communities in northern Canada have large populations of Aboriginal people and other marginalized groups. Our goal was to identify the elements of appropriate predeparture curricula for these medical trainees. We conducted our study in Kenora, Ontario. With the help of a core collaborative group and the support of the local Aboriginal Health Access Centre, we interviewed a purposive sample of community members about their interactions with trainees from southern Canada. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers with roots in northern and southern Canada brought perspectives to the inductive analysis. We conducted 17 semistructured interviews between February and March 2014. Participants felt that southern trainees were inadequately educated in northern politics, society and history. They identified 2 more themes: determinants of health affecting the local Aboriginal population, and provider and patient factors affecting delivery of culturally competent care. Participants also shared ideas on how best to implement this content into curricula. Providing culturally competent care to northern communities is a complex process requiring education. Using a collaborative method, we were able to delineate the experiences of members of a northern community and identify knowledge gaps of southern trainees travelling there. Our results provide a foundation for the content and structure of formal predeparture curricula to enable such trainees to provide culturally safe care.

Northern Perspectives in Deuteronomy and its Relation to the Samaritan Pentateuch

Northern Perspectives in Deuteronomy and its Relation to the Samaritan Pentateuch

Book Review: Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives

Book Review: Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives

Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives

Book Review| December 01 2010 Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives, Torill Nyseth and Arvid Viken. Christine Ingebritsen Christine Ingebritsen Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scandinavian Studies (2010) 82 (4): 485–486. https://doi.org/10.2307/25769050 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Christine Ingebritsen; Place Reinvention: Northern Perspectives. Scandinavian Studies 1 January 2010; 82 (4): 485–486. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/25769050 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressScandinavian Studies Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2010 Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study2010 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Introduction: the nature of cultural heritage, and the culture of natural heritage—northern perspectives on a contested patrimony

One's perspective on natural versus cultural heritage as a contested patrimony is, to some extent, governed by one's geographical position. By this I do not just mean a position on the globe, but a...

Research relationships between the South and the North: Cinderella and the ugly sisters?

There has been an increase in the size and range of North–South health research partnerships since the 1990s. Current literature tends to stress the need for partnership and associated principles, but recognises the difficult context of structural inequality and historical legacies. Critics point to continuing neo-colonialist attitudes to research, which are unhelpful for the development of mutually beneficial collaborations. Such dynamics have parallels with the European folktale of Cinderella and the Ugly Sisters, the latter using their advantage of wealth and position to exploit their step-sister. Little literature is available on how to address this situation for the principles of partnership to be integrated into project design, implementation and dissemination. This article examines processes and dynamics within North–South collaborations in health research through two different case studies presented from Northern perspectives. Each case study focuses on distinct aspects of research collaborations. The first, a North–South partnership project in Bangladesh, highlights issues of capacity building, use of data and publications. The second case, a Doctoral study in Thailand, examines the reliance on contributions by Southern partners, responsibility to the local setting and the practice of reciprocity. The article then turns to Southern researchers’ reflections, explored in semi-structured interviews, on themes identified by Northern researchers as important concerns in research collaborations. The authors conclude that advantage should be taken of the fact that Southern and Northern colleagues often share similar values regarding research collaborations, but difficulties exist in implementation partly due to historically rooted and current inequalities. Practical arrangements are suggested which may help to address the commonly assumed roles of the North as ‘provider’ of funding and ideas, and of the South as ‘receiver’ in an environment with little scope for action.

Adult day care: northern perspectives.

This qualitative study explores older adults', caregivers', and nurses' perceptions regarding adult day care (ADC). The study took place in two small towns and one small city in the northern interior region of British Columbia, Canada, with the intent to develop ADC programs that reflect the needs of older persons and their caregivers. The 32 participants contributed their perceptions in focus groups and individual interviews. The interviews, in this descriptive/exploratory study, were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive, qualitative techniques. The participants acknowledged ADC services as essential to the health and well-being of older adults and their caregivers. The major themes that emerged were need for respite; aging in place; ADC programming; program characteristics; staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes; and northern perspectives. The study participants identified a number of possible reasons for underuse of ADC programming in the north. This study provides information that can facilitate the grounding of ADC policy within the clients' perspectives and a northern context. The participants' thoughts also highlight areas of policy that have broad applicability to the provision of services to the elderly in any setting.

Marine and estuarine toxicity testing: A way to go? Additional sitings from northern and southern Hemisphere perspectives

Marine and estuarine toxicity testing: A way to go? Additional sitings from northern and southern Hemisphere perspectives

Northern Perspectives. Practice and Education in Social Work, par Margaret Tobin et Christopher Walmsley (dir.), Winnipeg, The Manitoba Association of Social Workers/The University of Manitoba Faculty of Social Work, 1992, 96 pages.

Northern Perspectives. Practice and Education in Social Work, par Margaret Tobin et Christopher Walmsley (dir.), Winnipeg, The Manitoba Association of Social Workers/The University of Manitoba Faculty of Social Work, 1992, 96 pages.. Un article de la revue Service social (Recherche et pensée critique) diffusée par la plateforme Érudit.

Fire in the Old World Fire in Ecosystem Dynamics: Mediterranean and Northern Perspectives J. G. Goldammer M. J. Jenkins

Fire in the Old World Fire in Ecosystem Dynamics: Mediterranean and Northern Perspectives J. G. Goldammer M. J. Jenkins

Strategies in northern development in Canada since the late 1960's

From the late 1960's onwards the northern part of North America has undergone the most significant social, political and economic transformation in its history. This paper will look at some of the main reference points in the political economy of northern Canada, and will overlay this with a review of the evolution of key development strategies, policy statements, and mega‐project impact assessments that have happened during the past two decades. Significant shifts in northern development perspectives have occured throughout this period; these will be analyzed and some important future trends and issues will be discussed.