post-World War Research Articles

Generative transcription: The interview in post-World War 2 anglophone African literary culture

ABSTRACT This article discusses the ways in which the interview form was deployed in the 1960s and 1970s as a means to engender and critique a pan-African anglophone literary public within the context of decolonization. In so doing, it argues that the transcribed interview becomes a troublesome signifier of the legacies of colonialism while also offering a generative means by which to constitute literary publics and models of authorship across a number of newly decolonized countries. To do so, the article draws on three collections: broadcast interviews produced by the BBC’s English-language African service with host Edward Blishen; broadcast interviews produced by the London-based Transcription Centre, an organization dedicated to promoting anglophone African culture and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency-backed Congress for Cultural Freedom; and satirical interviews published over several issues of the leading little magazine of African arts and culture, Transition.

Multi-criteria thermal resilience certification scheme for indoor built environments during heat waves

With climate change, the indoor built environment is expected to influence the occupant's safety and well-being significantly. A novel multi-criteria thermal resilience certification scheme for indoor built environments during extreme heat events is proposed in this paper. The certification scheme considers overheating, thermal comfort, heat stress, and hygrothermal discomfort in built environments. These criteria are quantified using key performance indicators like indoor overheating degree, hours of exceedance, wet-bulb globe temperature, and heat index, respectively. This scheme is developed based on existing best practices like standards, rating systems, and literature. The scheme is implemented on a benchmark building energy performance model for detached post-World War II dwellings in Belgium as a case study using weather data measured from the City of Brussels. The indoor overheating in the reference dwelling is assessed with a static threshold of 27°C for the bedrooms and adaptive thresholds for other areas. The analysis found that the building performance is within the defined threshold levels throughout the heat wave duration for all criteria. Therefore, the reference dwelling got a maximum attainable score of four points and is rated five-star for thermal resilience during heat waves. The proposed certification scheme is intended as a standardized framework and highlights the need for further revisions in building performance policies and guidelines.

Mapping a French Department in the northeastern Amazonia: The 1947 Oyapock mission in a context of Decolonization

This article delves into the interplay between the political, social, and cultural context and the material conditions of governing a cartographic mission within a French territory in the northeastern Amazon. It brings to the fore the collaborative endeavors involving a spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from local knowledge to various institutions, financial and technical resources, and human and logistical support. This research aims to offer an understanding of the cartographic mission during the period of departmentalization, with a specific focus on the situated and context-specific nature of knowledge production. By scrutinizing the fieldwork and the distinct labor regimes of local members of the mission in AEF and French Guiana, along with investigating the intra-imperial circulation of epistemic practices, it examines the colonial integration of cartographers through their trajectories. In a broader context, the article underscores the pivotal role played by geographical knowledge, enriching the landscape of research on the history of cartography during the transformation of the French colonial empire. Employing an approach encompassing material and social dimensions, this study shows the intricacies inherent in colonial cartography and illuminates its implications in the post-World War II era. In doing so, it unlocks fresh avenues for comprehending the geographical and colonial dynamics that characterize this period.

Olive grove landscape change: A spatial analysis using multitemporal geospatial datasets

This research examines the evolution of olive landscapes in Cartoceto, Italy, post-World War II. This study investigates the structural and functional attributes of two distinct olive cultivation models, mixed olive groves with a low tree density and high-density olive groves. The research employs remote sensing aerial imagery and land use cartography to reconstruct the past terrain and classify distinct categories of olive orchards. Landscape metrics are utilised to evaluate the impact of human and natural factors on the temporal development of olive landscapes across multiple spatial configurations, defined as Landscape-scale and sub-units or Landscape Units. The results indicate that olive landscapes have experienced noteworthy alterations, characterised by a reduction in the conventional large-scale system and an increase in specialised planting models of smaller sizes, classified as “high intensity”. The region surrounding Cartoceto's historic centre has conserved a greater variety of mixed olive heritage and has witnessed the emergence of novel high densities of trees compared to other areas. Obtaining these results has been facilitated solely by utilising diverse spatial configurations of smaller sub-units than the entire landscape. The outcomes of this investigation provide a foundation for forthcoming enquiries into olive terrains and the development of sustainable rural landscape strategies.

Trump Says the WTO Is a Disaster

In 2017, it was a challenge to assess the future of global trade. It was an open question whether the US financial crisis and the recession that it triggered would mark a turning point for the liberal post–World War II world order. If one looked toward Europe, China, Latin America, and Japan, there was a flurry of activity. New trade agreements were being completed and pursued. In Washington, DC, on the other hand, President Donald Trump seemed set on ripping apart and/or renegotiating any trade deal the United States was ever part of.This case explores Trump's opinions and emerging policy stance on trade, bilateralism, and the global economy, among others. It also gives an overview of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and asks whether the Trump presidency would constitute a major challenge to the WTO and what it stood for in 2017.

Bibliometric analysis of Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology (1947-1974).

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology is the oldest pharmacological journal, founded in 1873. This bibliometric analysis examines the pivotal transformations within Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology from 1947 to 1974, identifying significant shifts from a national focus to a period of extensive internationalization and English-language adoption. Employing Python and Beautiful Soup for data extraction from SpringerLink, the study maps the journal's trajectory through post-World War II development, highlighting the decline in publication rates due to its initial emphasis on German-language articles predominantly from Germany. The transition towards English publications in the late 1960s is marked as a turning point, catalyzing an increase in global citations, publications, and recognition. This period witnesses the journal broadening its scientific horizon, with a notable emphasis on the cholinergic, adrenergic, and dopaminergic systems, reflecting their central role in the journal's scientific discourse and citation prominence. The analysisdemonstrates how shifting to English for academic publishing played a crucial role in revitalizing the journal's impact and visibility on the international stage.

A Cultural Materialist Approach to Gender through Look Back in Anger

As John Osborne's Look Back in Anger illustrates, the Angry Young Men Movement centred mostly on male disaffection, reflecting the societal upheavals that occurred in Britain after World War II. Nevertheless, it mainly disregarded the particular challenges and cultural constraints that women encountered during that time. In addition to experiencing comparable psychological traumas from the war, women were compelled to return to constrictive domestic duties, which overshadowed their efforts and aspirations during the war. The movement's narratives ignored the complex difficulties women faced, such as the struggle for autonomy and the conflict with pre-war feminine norms, in favor of focusing on men's experiences, such as Jimmy Porter's existential problems. This omission draws attention to a critical weakness in the movement's analysis of post-World War II society and emphasizes the need for a gender-inclusive investigation of the psychological and cultural dynamics of this period. This paper attempts to examine Osborne’s Look Back in Anger in line with cultural materialist theory of Raymond Williams to analyze gendered power dynamics in the theater with a particular focus on the chosen play. The strategic portrayal of victimization within a gendered power system in the play is examined in this research. Using cultural artifacts and social conventions, it especially examines how the play's narrative and character interactions reflect and question the maintenance of gender hierarchies. The paper focuses on the interactions between male and female characters in order to dissect the intricate power struggles that are portrayed in the play.

Inventing Polio Care at the Colonie de Saint-Fargeau: Disability, Rehabilitation, and the Welfare State in Interwar France

Abstract In 1919, the polio survivor and Red Cross nurse Ellen Poidatz created the Colonie de Saint-Fargeau, France’s first residential rehabilitation facility for children and adolescents paralyzed by polio. This article examines the Colonie’s external politics and internal dynamics, showing how Poidatz framed her work within conventions of maternalist politics to secure private donations and public subventions to anchor the facility within France’s mixed economy of social welfare. Analyzing Poidatz’s contributions to rehabilitation medicine as it developed in the interwar decades and the varied experiences of children at the Colonie, this article illustrates how the provision of polio care remained fraught with tensions. Although Poidatz’s vision of providing physiotherapy, education, and vocational retraining in a single center was not fully realized, she played a critical, if unacknowledged role in the creation of the welfare state by turning the Colonie into a national model for polio care that endured into the post–World War II era.

Explaining Rural Conservatism: Political Consequences of Technological Change in the Great Plains

Rural areas are conservative electoral strongholds in the United States and other advanced capitalist economies. But this was not always the case. What explains the rise of rural conservatism? This paper argues that technological change transformed not only agriculture but rural political preferences during the twentieth century. It studies a natural experiment: the post-World War II introduction of new irrigation technologies, which enabled farmers to irrigate otherwise arid land in the Great Plains using groundwater. Difference-in-differences analyses exploiting the shock’s differential impact on counties overlying the Ogallala Aquifer—a pattern validated with remote-sensing data—show that technological change contributed significantly to the region’s long-term conservative electoral transformation. Additional analyses, including comparison of individual policy preferences inside/outside the Ogallala Aquifer boundary, suggest that this was due to the rise of capital-intensive agriculture and the growing power of agribusiness. The findings demonstrate how new technologies made new politics in rural America.

Growth of Carnation Lemon (Citrus limonia osbeck) seedlings in different levels of rock dust

The Cravo Limo (Citrus limonia Osbeck) is the most used rootstock in Brazil and the world, due to its main characteristic of resistance to water stress, and despite being originally from China, it has adapted very well to Brazilian soils. In a post-war world (Russia and Ukraine), there was a need to improve studies on fertilizers available in the country, namely rock dust (PR), which there are few studies on. With this comes the need to evaluate the development of the carnation lemon tree, using rock dust fertilization. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with seven treatments with 25 replications, with two controls and different levels of fertilization with PR from 25 to 125%, all treatments filled with sandy soil and commercial substrate, totaling 175 lemon seedlings. clove. The preparation of treatments was carried out seven months before transplanting the seedlings, due to the main characteristic of slow release of nutrients from PR. The evaluations were carried out by measuring the plants, measuring height in centimeters and number of leaves counted one by one considering those fully expanded, and after the first seedling reached 15 cm in height, the diameter measured in millimeters began to be measured until reaching the point of grafting. The results obtained through the height and number of leaves show that treatment two with 25% rock dust developed better, and reached the grafting point earlier than the other treatments

Dialectical Order-Making through Ambiguity: Contestation Is the Norm in International Peace and Security Maintenance

Abstract What kind of order and contestation dynamics emerge if the initial institutional bargain includes liberal, partially liberal, and nonliberal visions of order? This contribution to the special issue locates the liberal ideational and institutional properties within the crisis management domain and analyzes contestation dynamics and their impact. My argument is twofold. First, liberal visions of order (e.g., based on human rights and self-determination) have coexisted alongside other aspirations focusing on the right of nonintervention and privileged political communities because post–World War II conflict management is rooted in the legal ambiguity of the Charter of the United Nations (UN). This ambiguity (low legalized institutionalization) gives space to different interpretations of what counts as peace, enforcement, threat, and the relationship between the UN and regional organizations (low liberal embeddedness). Second, ambiguity and competing visions of order sustain persistent contestation, which produces dialectical ordering within and outside the UN. Within dialectical ordering, order-challenging contestation occurs when actors disengage from the global level or when their vision of order becomes globally hegemonic. While order-challenging attempts in the realm of crisis management exist, they have remained unsuccessful so far. Seen from this perspective, there has never been a liberal international order in conflict management—only liberal attempts to impose a liberal order on an ongoing dialectical order-making process. So far, other order-challenging attempts, such as Russia’s sphere of influence or China’s developmental peace approaches, have also remained unsuccessful. Contestation remains the norm.

White tides: The plastic nurdles problem

The proliferation of plastic pollution, particularly from nurdles (small plastic pellets used in manufacturing), poses significant environmental and ecological risks. Originating with the invention of Bakelite in 1907 and escalating post-World War II with advanced petrochemical technologies, nurdles are the second largest source of primary microplastic pollution globally. Each year an estimated 445,970 tonnes of nurdles enter the environment worldwide. Nurdle spills, such as those along Spain's Galician coast and other global incidents, underline the need for improved spill response, preventive measures, and international regulatory coordination. The environmental impact of nurdles, compared to more visible oil spills, is insidious and long-lasting due to their persistence and widespread dispersion. Current regulations, like the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) guidelines, reveal gaps in enforcement and fail to fully address the long-term consequences of spills. Recent technological innovations and policy interventions aim to mitigate risks, but there's an urgent need for coordinated global action, stricter controls, and investment in biodegradable alternatives to safeguard marine environments and ensure ecological sustainability.

Organizing Peace in the Americas: Collective Security versus International Adjudication

Abstract American states concluded two treaties to organize peace in the postwar world: the Rio Treaty (1947) and the Pact of Bogotá (1948). At first sight, they appear to reflect a division of tasks: the Rio Treaty would address threats to the peace and security of the Americas, and the Pact of Bogotá would help solve the disputes between American states. However, the Rio Treaty’s dominance during the Cold War calls this division into question. This paper first argues that American states pursued two projects of peace. The Rio Treaty was a defence pact with an autonomous enforcement mechanism, to which the United States was strongly committed. The Pact of Bogotá reflected Latin American states’ thinking that a comprehensive framework for solving disputes would mitigate regional power asymmetries. Second, it claims that the Rio Treaty’s vague provisions and the US support it enjoyed facilitated its dominance during the Cold War.

Naturalizing Sugar in the American Diet: Agribusiness, Science, and the Propaganda Arts

ABSTRACT This article traces the refined sugar industry’s post-World War II efforts to promote sugar as a necessary dietary component through an examination of its selective use of science and engagement with innovative documentary film making. It begins with the sugar industry’s efforts to promote sugar consumption in the early twentieth century, the period when nutrition science emerged and was popularized. It then moves on to analyze the evolving interplay of scientific knowledge and discursive practice in the sugar industry. The Sugar Research Foundation, Inc. (SRF), a group founded in 1943 by sugarcane and beet sugar business interests, provides the empirical case. The analysis focuses on the period from the SRF’s founding through World War II and its immediate aftermath. Evidence for the analysis was gathered from three archival collections. The article documents how the SRF developed “sponsored films” for mass audiences that employed scientists and scientific concepts to discursively construct refined sugar as a natural and necessary part of the American diet. The SRF combined state-of-the-art documentary film making and distribution with selectively chosen scientific findings to successfully defend its product against public health efforts to reduce consumption. The article makes the case that investigating the history of the refined sugar industry’s efforts to shape consumers’ food habits is an indispensable step toward understanding today’s challenge to address metabolic syndrome in public health.

DYNAMICS OF ROMANIA-CHINA BILATERAL TRADE: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW

This study explores the evolving bilateral trade between Romania and China from the 20th century to the present, highlighting significant growth and strategic economic cooperation despite global challenges. Initially bound by political alliances and mutual reconstruction efforts post-World War II, the relationship deepened with Romania's shift to a market economy and China's opening-up policy. Analysing trade data from 1992 to 2021, the research reveals an increase in trade volume, especially after 2000, with China maintaining a trade surplus. Key traded goods include machinery, electronics, textiles, and natural resources. Despite challenges, such as geopolitical considerations, the trade relationship offers opportunities for further growth and diversification. The study underscores the potential for enhanced cooperation in sectors like energy, agriculture, and technology, pointing to a promising future for bilateral economic ties between Romania and China.

Formation of new post-war housing in Ukraine: analysis of foreign practical experience

The article provides an in-depth exploration of international practices in residential development, focusing on the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom as case studies. It meticulously investigates the post-World War II evolution of residential architecture in these countries, highlighting pivotal aspects such as housing standardization, building typologies, material utilization in facade design, community engagement, and the influence of socio-political factors on shaping living spaces. Special attention is dedicated to the analysis of architectural-compositional and spatial-volumetric principles that define foreign residential structures. The paper thoroughly dissects these principles and trends, considering their alignment with each country's unique architectural traditions. Moreover, it systematically categorizes contemporary trends in Western European residential development, emphasizing the significance of compositional considerations and national idiosyncrasies in shaping post-war housing in Ukraine. The article underscores the critical importance of understanding contextual architecture and prioritizing human-centric design principles. It advocates for the integration of these guiding principles in shaping post-war residential architecture in Ukraine, promoting a balanced and people-centric approach to urban development. The author contends that these principles should serve as a guiding framework for the direction of new residential architecture post-war, fostering a cohesive and community-oriented urban environment that effectively addresses the needs and preferences of its inhabitants. The comprehensive analysis presented in the article aims to inform and inspire thoughtful approaches to residential development, encouraging a harmonious blend of international best practices with the rich architectural heritage of Ukraine.

The Roots of Ethnic Conflict in Post-World War II Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines

The impacts of colonial history on present-day ethnic relations in Southeast Asia, a region known for its cultural and ethnic diversity, remain significant in understanding the sociopolitical developments within the countries of the region. This paper examines the historical origins and contemporary implications of long-standing ethnic conflicts in Southeast Asia, focusing on Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I argue that these conflicts stemmed from colonial legacies and can be traced back to each country’s respective colonial periods, which took place at different points in history. From the imposition of territorial boundaries to racial classification and differential treatment, colonial policies resulted in enduring tensions between ethnic populations, which continue to shape ethnic relations in these countries today. British colonial rule in Myanmar fostered tensions between the Bamar majority and non-Bamar minorities, while in Malaysia, disparities between Malays and ethnic Chinese were fueled by British migration policies. In the Philippines, conflicts involving the Muslim minority in Mindanao originated from attempts by the Spanish at Christianization and subjugation, further exacerbated by American imperialism. Despite variations in colonial experiences and timelines, ethnic conflicts underscore the lasting impact of colonization on these countries’ present-day social and political dynamics.

Protection of Natural Environment and Cultural Property during Armed Conflict: An International Humanitarian Law Perspective

With the evolution and development of jus in bello, conflicts of both internal and international character have given due consideration to limit human casualties and minimize suffering. Post-World War trials in Nuremberg and Tokyo played a crucial role in influencing modern International Criminal Law. The international community soon realized the necessity to draft various international legal documents and establish the International Criminal Court to prosecute individuals for various categories of crimes including War Crimes. Article 8 of the Rome Statute has classified acts of destruction of the natural environment and cultural property within the ambit of the definition of War Crime. However, with a higher threshold required to prove the crime of destruction of the natural environment and a human rights approach taken in cases of destruction of cultural property, both areas seem to need much exploration and research. This paper scrutinizes the development of laws of war and dives deep into the jurisprudence laid down in various decisions of the ICC to protect these civilian objects during armed conflict. It further elucidates the lacunas in the law and explains how they may lose their protection guaranteed by humanitarian law and can be the target of attack if these civilian objects are used to achieve a military advantage. Based on the elucidation of various primary sources like legislations and case laws along with secondary sources like legal textbooks and commentaries, law review articles, and legal encyclopedias, the paper generated is descriptive with a slight element of critical analysis of the international legal framework.

Preservation of Cultural Sites and Artifacts During Wartimes

ABSTRACT This article is an overview of some of the foreign policies implemented regarding cultural heritage protection during wartimes, with specific focus on the Gulf Wars in Iraq and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This article follows historical examples prior and post-World War II, noting pertinent international laws such as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The author also highlights current technological advances that are being implemented to help survey and better understand the destruction of cultural sites. This article argues for an increased focus on cultural heritage protection and preemptive measures that should be put in place by cultural institutions to protect their heritage. Information professionals are stewards of cultural heritage and part of their mission should be disaster-preparedness to best preserve artifacts and heritage sites.

Commercialising everyday distress: neurasthenia and traditional Chinese medicine in colonial Hong Kong, 1950s to 1980s.

The persistent use of neurasthenia in Asia, an out-dated diagnostic category in modern psychiatry, has confounded many psychiatrists from the 1960s. This paper attempts to understand the prevalence of neurasthenia among the lay public in post-World War II Hong Kong. It examines the social history of psychiatry and focuses on the roles of traditional Chinese medicine in shaping public perceptions and responses towards neurasthenia. This research reveals that, when psychiatrists discarded the term as an ineffective label in the 1950s, practitioners and pharmaceutical companies of Chinese medicine seized on the chance to reinvent themselves as experts in neurasthenia. By commericialising everyday distress, they provided affordable, accessible and culturally familiar healing options to the Chinese public. A case study of neurasthenia, therefore, is not simply about changing disease categories but an important example to illustrate the tensions between traditional medicine and Western psychiatry in Asia.