Troubled Times Research Articles

The Fifth Kingdom, Yuri Buida’s Historiographical Metafiction: Mystification of Historical Conceptualisation

This article considers the trends that determine the development of Russian historiographical metafiction at the turn of the twenty-first century, examining its inclusion in the context of modern Russian literature. Also, the author reveals the specifics of the conceptualisation of history in historiographical metafiction and its interaction with the tradition of Russian conceptualism and the Western European tradition (U. Eco and P. Ackroyd). The article studies Yu. Buida’s The Fifth Kingdom as the most representative text that reflects the features of this phenomenon. An analysis of the novel makes it possible to draw a conclusion about the peculiarities of the functioning of the third wave of Russian postmodernism and consider the nature of the deconstruction of the traditional concept of historical knowledge in Russian literature of the turn of the century. The palimpsest in the structure of The Fifth Kingdom acts as the chief method of deconstructing the historical narrative and modelling a new concept of historical knowledge as “feeling into history”. The author reveals the peculiarities of the functioning of this technique in comparison with the general picture of its use in the literature of the time. The author’s appeal to the detective genre strategy consistently profanes the historiosophical approach to constructing the narrative of history, thereby exposing the failure of one of the most popular variants of the national episteme. The analysis focuses on the nature of the deconstruction of the concept of the Troubles, the main vectors being the profanation of the mythologemes the Fifth Kingdom and the Pretender, which form the core of the ideologeme of the Troubles, as well as the consistent textualisation of the historical narrative, exposing its “corporeal’ nature. The conclusion is made about Yu. Buida’s extensive use of the plot schemes of Western European historiographical prose and the simultaneous development of the traditions of Russian conceptualism. The first aspect is represented by the interaction of historical and detective genre strategies and the assimilation of the historical palimpsest model, which is relevant to P. Ackroyd’s work. In addition, the golemic plot also becomes one of the representations of P. Ackroyd’s “trace”. At the same time, the nature of the deconstruction of the concept of the Time of Troubles is built in the tradition of Russian conceptualism and – already – Socialist Art. At the same time, Yu. Buida avoids the predominant profaning of the system of ideological myths, emphasising them as the key markers of the national episteme of history.

Supporting the festival industry in troubled times: Higher education research and collaboration with festivals in South Africa during COVID-19

This case study presents a critical reflection on the way COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020-2022 brought the festival industry in South Africa closer to higher education (HE) via a new and innovative collaboration. The research design allowed an international team to facilitate knowledge sharing and research support during a very challenging time for the industry. The project saw the development of a collaboration with seven festivals across South Africa. During the 15 months project, the collaboration allowed participants to build a new knowledge base - and a collaborative network - to survive the challenging times. Rather than a more extractive, top-down approach that saw festivals as “research subjects”, they were involved as research partners. Cultural organisations and members of the South African team acted as intermediaries, who used their existing networks and reputations to build a collaborative, trust-based relationship between industry partners and researchers where mutually beneficial outcomes were possible. The project thus became part of the South Africa festival ecosystem, creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange between festivals, cultural producers and academic researchers. The outcomes of the research helped to build a stronger creative economy and support its future development.

Where the joy comes from: a qualitative exploration of deep GP-patient relationships

BackgroundRelationship-based, whole person care is foundational to quality general practice. Previous research has identified several characteristics of deep General Practitioner (GP)-patient relationships and their association with improved patient concordance, satisfaction and perceived health outcomes. Psychological attachment theory has been used to understand therapeutic relationships, but has only been explored to a limited extent in the general practice context. Additionally, evolving changes in sociocultural and commercial practice contexts may threaten relationship-based care. In view of this, we aimed to explore the nature and experience of deep GP-patient relationships, as identified by patients, from GP and patient perspectives.MethodsSemi-structured interview design. An initial survey assessed patients’ perceived depth of their relationship with their GP, using the Health Care Provider Attachment Figure Survey and Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship Scale. Patients who reported a deep relationship, and their GPs, were purposively selected for individual interviews exploring their experience of these relationships. A post-interview survey assessed interviewees’ attachment styles, using the Modified and Brief Experiences in Close Relationships Scale. Patient interviewees also rated the patient-centredness of their GP’s clinic using the Person-Centred Primary Care Measure. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThirteen patients and five GPs were interviewed. Four themes characterised deep relationships: the ‘professional’; human connection; trust; and ‘above and beyond’. Patient, GP and practice team all contributed to their cultivation.ConclusionsWe present a revised conceptual framework of deep GP-patient relationships. Deep relationships come to the fore in times of patient trouble. Like attachment relationships, they provide a sense of safety, caring and support for patients experiencing vulnerability. They can stretch GP boundaries and capacity for self-care, but also provide joy and vocational satisfaction. Patients may not always desire or need deep relationships with their GP. However, findings highlight the importance of enabling and cultivating these for times of patient hardship, and challenges of doing so within current healthcare climates.

On Making Good Trouble and More Time for Ourselves

On Making Good Trouble and More Time for Ourselves

A Comparative Study on the Compromise and Struggle Between the False Overlord and the Real Concubine in Farewell My Concubine Based on Hegels Tragedy Aesthetics

In the study of the text Farewell to My Concubine, most of the studies are on the interpretation of different characters and the direction of drama film art and Chinese literature. The author believes that the tragedy of Different characters in the Farewell to My Concubine tragic theory can be used as a novel and necessary research direction. Hegels Aesthetics Tragic Theory is based on his philosophical theory. He uses conflict and reconciliation, regarding the generation and solving of tragedy as an aliasing uniform dialectical process, having special historical value and research significance, used to analyze the Farewell to My Concubine, it can enable readers to understand and appreciate the tragedy while producing more profound thinking. The original book embodies the turmoil of the troubled times, the distinct time passages, the span of time. From the melee period at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the anti-Japanese period, to the Kuomintang rule period or the liberation War period, and finally to the Cultural Revolution period, and the new China period. Named after the Peking Opera name, it not only reflects the author Li Bihuas thinking about the traditional culture represented by Peking Opera, but also contains the emotion about the situation and fate of Peking Opera actors under the changing times. There is also the relationship between ideal and reality, which is often discussed in literature. In the later film remake, director Chen Kaige not only tells the content of the original well, but also uses the contrast of cold and warm colors from a visual point of view; Light intensity and side light and backlight; The joys and sorrows of musical tunes; In different scenes, the closed, framed, and Chinese-style composition, playsing the story alive.

Uncertainty in the association between socio-demographic characteristics and mental health.

Questionnaires are among the most basic and widespread tools to assess the mental health of a population in epidemiological and public health studies. Their most obvious advantage (firsthand self-report) is also the source of their main problems: the raw data requires interpretation, and are a snapshot of the specific sample's status at a given time. Efforts to deal with both issues created a bi-dimensional space defined by two orthogonal axes, in which most of the quantitative mental health research can be located. Methods aimed to assure that mental health diagnoses are solidly grounded on existing raw data are part of the individual validity axis. Tools allowing the generalization of the results across the entire population compose the collective validity axis. This paper raises a different question. Since one goal of mental health assessments is to obtain results that can be generalized to some extent, an important question is how robust is a questionnaire result when applied to a different population or to the same population at a different time. In this case, there is deep uncertainty, without any a priori probabilistic information. The main claim of this paper is that this task requires the development of a new robustness to deep uncertainty axis, defining a three-dimensional research space. We demonstrate the analysis of deep uncertainty using the concept of robustness in info-gap decision theory. Based on data from questionnaires collected before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, we first locate a mental health assessment in the space defined by the individual validity axis and the collective validity axis. Then we develop a model of info-gap robustness to uncertainty in mental health assessment, showing how the robustness to deep uncertainty axis interacts with the other two axes, highlighting the contributions and the limitations of this approach. The ability to measure robustness to deep uncertainty in the mental health realm is important particularly in troubled and changing times. In this paper, we provide the basic methodological building blocks of the suggested approach using the outbreak of Covid-19 as a recent example.

The association between physical activity and sleep in adult ADHD patients with stimulant medication use

BackgroundAdults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may experience sleep problems doubly suffering from the disease and side effects of stimulant medications. Physical activity (PA) is known to produce numerous beneficial effects in adults. However, it was not well-characterized whether PA would still be effective in this situation. The main objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between PA and sleep among adult ADHD patients who were using stimulant medications and quantify the form of this association.MethodsAdult ADHD participants with stimulant medications use condition from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database between January 1, 2013, and March 2020 (prepandemic) were included in the cross-sectional analysis. Weighted logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship between PA level and sleep. A restricted cubic spline model was used to relax the linear relationship assumptions and investigate the associations between the risk of trouble sleeping and time spent engaging in moderate-to-vigorous PA per week.ResultsA total of 162 eligible adult ADHD participants who reported using stimulant medicines were included. Participants who adhered to the general recommendation of guidelines in the US of 150 min per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA had a significant lower risk of complaining of trouble sleeping (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.10–0.67, p = 0.006), and this association was seen in men (OR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09–0.56, p = 0.002), but was not seen in women (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.27–1.88, p = 0.500). Restricted cubic spline analysis showed that the incidence of trouble sleeping gradually decreased after at least 105 min of moderate-intensity PA per week in participants (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.92–1.14). A significant difference appeared after 341 min (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76–0.99), and the curve leveled after 1,250 min (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.46–0.79).ConclusionOur findings observed associations between PA and sleep condition in the adult ADHD patients with stimulant medication use population. Moderate-to-vigorous PA may be beneficial to sleep in adults with ADHD who were using stimulants and thus should be recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle. Gender difference should be considered as an important factor for further studies to examine these associations and explore potential mechanisms.

Cash crop or food crop? socioeconomic and geopolitical factors affecting smallholder farmer crop selection in times of crisis in southwestern Tajikistan

Tajikistan's agricultural sector, primarily dominated by cotton cultivation, has experienced significant changes since the Soviet era. Although farmers introduced food crops into agricultural production to ensure food security after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the government still mandates that cotton cultivation occupy a considerable portion of Tajikistan's limited irrigated land. However, following the recent Covid-19 pandemic crisis, farmers have encountered the need to reassess their agricultural practices, given constrained governmental assistance and a range of socioeconomic considerations. This research adopts resilience as a conceptual framework to examine the coping strategies of smallholder farmers in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan, with a specific emphasis on the period spanning from 2019 to 2022. At the outset, our research employed the snowballing technique to increase respondent participation, later transitioning to a representative sample size that facilitated the collection of qualitative data from around 100 semi-structured interviews, 10 focus groups, and personal visits to agricultural fields over the course of four years. The paper not only demonstrates the overall creativity of Tajikistani farmers in growing and selecting non-cotton crops in this most recent period of crisis, but also points to wealthier farmers’ generally greater willingness to adopt technological innovations and gain new knowledge to apply to them. Although these strategies have been taken in order to address farmers’ immediate needs in troubled times against the backdrop of the existing state cotton policy, their sustainability remains uncertain. While the qualitative focus of this study bears certain inherent limitations, the data collected nevertheless show that this period of crisis has been generative for many farmers as they seek out new methods of subsistence.

Developmental pathways in youth anxiety disorders: potential mechanisms for (mal)adapting to crises and improving treatment - a commentary on Klein etal. (2023).

The ability to cope with threats is crucial in today's troubling times, especially for young people who are still developing coping mechanisms. Psychopathology and the development of anxiety disorders can be viewed as a failure to adapt to changing demands. We draw on a study by Klein etal. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023), which showed that anxious youths exhibited stronger conditioned fear responses and, during delayed extinction learning, greater electrocortical differences between threat and safety stimuli. Interestingly, these signatures of learning processes were also associated with treatment outcomes. We argue for developmentally sensitive research: Individual learning and associated cognitive-affective changes are strongly age-dependent and represent the key mechanism for both anxiety development and treatment. They also interact with social and environmental factors. Based on the call for age- and context-sensitive research, future research should focus on establishing reliable risk profiles that consider a variety of factors to enable evidence-based, individualized treatment decisions.

“For Rats Died in the Street; Men in their Homes:” The Pharmacology of the Human-Rat Relationship in Camus’s The Plague

Animals have always embodied the memory and trauma of troubled times in human history. The alienization of animals in terms of their non-human essence results in their gothification, resulting in irrational fears of animals that represent cultural anxieties and taboos. For instance, rats are the most culturally accepted symbol of the ravages of bubonic plague. Even though scientifically proven otherwise, the rat has become one of the indelible animal constructions of fear, Other-ness and the evil with-out, signifying the harbinger of the poison of untidiness and unsanitariness into an otherwise healthy society. This paper examines the sociopolitical conflicts in Albert Camus’s The Plague through the human-rat relationship. It uses the lens of Jacques Derrida and Bernard Stiegler’s conception of the pharmakon, where the pest becomes the pharmakon (a malign/benign entity) as well as the pharmakos (scapegoat) in a society riddled with the pestilence of cleansing the invasive Otherness. We have argued, through key theories in critical animal studies and the theories of pharmacology in discursive psychopolitics, that the rat becomes the Gothic icon in the narrative, exposing human foibles and affects our perception of chaos and order.

Volosts of Belaya in 16th-17th centuries: historical-geographical characteristic of the region on the Western border of The Russian State

The article presents the results of a historical and geographical study of the townships of Belaya in the XVI-XVII centuries. The objectives of the study included mapping the Belsky volosts and borders of the Belsky district on a modern geographical basis, studying their transformation in the XVI-XVII centuries. The main sources of the study are the materials of scribal descriptions of the Belsky and adjacent Toropetsky and Rzhevsky counties of the XVI-XVII centuries. The work was carried out using geoinformation technologies. A complete localization of the toponymy of the censuses of the Belsky, Rzhevsky, Toropetsky counties of the XVI-XVII centuries was made, which made it possible to map in detail the volosts of the county and its territory as a whole. Scribal descriptions allowed us to get an idea of the transformation of the territory of the Belsky Uyezd. The idea of the territory of the Belsky volosts in the period after their entry into the Russian state at the beginning of the XVI century was obtained. In the first half of the XVI century, the Toropets volosts of Rozhnya and Bibirevo were transferred to Belaya. In the second half of the 1560s, part of the Belsky Uyezd became part of the Rzhev Volodimerov Uyezd in connection with the formation of oprichnoi land ownership. After the Time of Troubles, the Polish-Russian border was established along the border of Toropetsky, Rzhevsky and Zubtsov counties with Belsky volosts. After the annexation of Belaya to the Russian state and the transfer to Rzheva Volodimerova of the former possession of the Catholic Church in the Zhukopov parish, the Belsky district acquired the outlines preserved in the XVIII century. Part of the territory of the county, as a result of confiscations from the Catholic Church and secular landowners, passed into the category of palace lands. However, the largest share of the territory of the county remained in the possession of the Smolensk and Belsky gentry.

The Bykasov Family in the Context of Political Investigation (Siberia, Late 16th Century)

This study of “words and deeds” as a type of crime began over a hundred years ago. This well-known formula proceeded from the public obligation of the population to protect the sovereign and their family from any evil intentions. This phenomenon began to develop on Russian soil as early as the mid-fifteenth century and is present in a wide range of documents: secured or affirmed deeds; the sovereign’s grants to Siberian foreigners; letters of commendation with a golden seal, issued to those who lived in the recently annexed territories with a predominantly non-Orthodox population, as well as territorial entities that were formally part of the Muscovite State; state oaths. It is believed that the cases of the sovereign’s “words and deeds” have been preserved since the seventeenth century, their mentions known since earlier times. However, the lists found in the materials of the Siberian Prikaz from the mandate letters of 1599 to the Tobolsk voivode stolnik S. F. Saburov about the investigation of the accusation of “words and deeds” of the Tobolsk children of the boyars Bykasov suggests that such materials from the sixteenth century are yet to be studied. However, to detect them, it is necessary to significantly expand the range of documents under consideration and not be limited, as before, only to the materials of the Razryad Prikaz. The materials analysed are the remains of the most ancient case identified on charges of sovereign’s “words and deeds”. The Bykasov family mentioned in it, served as the sovereign’s grooms in the tsar’s stables at least from the early sixteenth century. Andrei Timofeevich Bykasov was involved in the case of the Shuysky princes in 1586, for which all his relatives were exiled to Siberian cities. At the end of the Time of Troubles, A. T. Bykasov became a stable officer of the Stable Prikaz, which compensated him and his brothers for the trials that they had had to go through.

Human Resources Management in Trouble Time: Strategy to Increase Organization Agility for Digital Transformation in University

Digital transformation has become an urgent need for higher education in this contemporary era. In facing emerging challenges and opportunities, human resource management (HR) plays a central role in ensuring the successful adaptation of educational institutions to technological change. This research aims to identify key strategies in HR management that can increase the resilience of higher education organizations during periods of crisis, especially in the context of digital transformation. The research method used is a combination of literature study and empirical research. Through an in-depth analysis of theories and practices related to HR management, as well as case studies of several universities that have successfully adapted to digital transformation, this research identifies various effective strategies. The research results show that effective HR management in the context of digital transformation requires a holistic and adaptive approach. A strategy that includes developing digital skills and competencies, organizational flexibility, increasing employee engagement, and building a culture of innovation is the key to success. In addition, cross-departmental collaboration, transparent communication, and visionary leadership have also proven important in facing digital transformation challenges. This research provides a theoretical and practical basis for universities to design effective HR management strategies to increase organizational resilience in the face of technological change. The practical implications of this research can guide higher education leaders and HR practitioners to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the rapidly changing era of digital transformation.

Building Social Solidarity Through Mutual Trust

Cases C-156/21 and C-152/21 established that the implementation of solidarity is based on mutual trust. This reference is of significant relevance given that trust is essential when risky decisions are made in troubled times. In this context, this article analyses whether mutual trust could be decisive to tackle unexpected challenges, such as the pandemic (or the war in Ukraine). With this goal in mind, the article dwells on the role of mutual trust in the EU. The article then examines the link between mutual trust and social solidarity in the program Next Generation EU. Finally, it inquires which kind of social solidarity might derive from mutual trust. The goal is to assess if mutual trust is a transformative principle that may trigger an impulse towards social solidarity within the EU.

Reinterpreting Africa’s Presence in the Global: Afrotopia, Diaspora, Return, and Global Black Reappropriation

Reinterpreting Africa’s Presence in the Global: Afrotopia, Diaspora, Return, and Global Black Reappropriation

РОЛЬ И МЕСТО ЧУДЕС В ОСМЫСЛЕНИИ СОВРЕМЕННИКАМИ СОБЫТИЙ СМУТНОГО ВРЕМЕНИ В РОССИИ.

The article analyzes the concepts of miracle and the miraculous and the role they played in the ways people made sense of the events of the Time of Troubles in early 17th-century Russia. Many sources of different types (chronographs, “literary” works and hagiographic texts) from this period have been preserved, which allow us to assume that the results of their analysis from a selected research perspective are representative. The perception and description of miracles in these sources show an amazing combination of the supernatural and the real, which actually are indistinguishable and equally trustable both for the authors and for the readers. Historical persons and ordinary people who happened to experience all the hardships of the Time of Troubles were witnesses and participants in miracles. The Russians’ need for miracles and miraculous things grew at turning points and critical moments of history, when hope for human will and action alone was not enough. In such circumstances, miracles acquired the character of unusual events vividly imprinted in the memories of "eyewitnesses." Later on, after the acute moments passed, the same events often received different, more realistic interpretations. The article compares descriptions of miracles in the works from the Time of Troubles and those of the 1620s - 1630s, showing how challenges faced by their authors changed and so did their narrative strategies.

:Byzantium in the Time of Troubles: The “Continuation” of the “Chronicle” of John Skylitzes (1057–1079)

:<i>Byzantium in the Time of Troubles: The “Continuation” of the “Chronicle” of John Skylitzes (1057–1079)</i>

Beyoncé: At Work, On Screen, and Online

Beyoncé: At Work, On Screen, and Online

NATIONALISM AS A CONTEMPORARY MENACE: READING TAGORE’S THE HOME AND THE WORLD AS A COSMOPOLITAN TEXT

As the calls for global peace and peaceful coexistence grow louder, nationalism, often tearing apart the oldest and largest democracies, emerges as one of the formidable menaces to mankind today. It is a resurgent force in major democracies across continents. In Asia and particularly in the Indian subcontinent, it emerges in response to the colonial hegemony and the emulation of Western values. But it soon assumes a religious dimension. Tagore, in its rise as a global phenomenon, sees a threat to global peace and fraternity, an onslaught on human dignity, and calls it a 'destructive enthusiasm,' an 'epidemic of evil,' an edifice of illusions, and moral annihilation. Against the background of fragile peace and shattered human existence. This study investigates how nationalism dehumanizes people, kills a human character, distorts perceptions, divests them of moral ideals, reduces a man's life to a mechanical existence, and releases a demon of ethnonationalist violence by using text analysis as its research method. The study shows how the author's cosmopolitan vision is capable of guiding mankind in these troubled times. Besides, it shows how his vision can help people overcome this mass delusion and foster global understanding and peaceful coexistence.

No filter: navigating well-being in troubled times as social media influencers

ABSTRACT Social media influencers have the ability to impact the behaviours and attitudes of others (i.e. their followers), affecting people’s feelings of connectedness, and well-being. This has become particularly apparent during troubled times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the importance of relationships and social interactions for people’s well-being. However, less attention has been paid to influencers’ own well-being in a monetised attention economy, which imposes tensions between the desire for authenticity and the self-presentations of influencers in online interactions. Using in-depth interviews and netnography as methodology, in this study we examine how the decision to engage with the topic of COVID-19 on social media impacted influencers’ well-being during the pandemic. We build on self-determination theory to reveal how the contentious nature of the subject led to internal struggles of influencers’ self-presentation, and elucidate how influencers navigated the boundaries of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in a quest for well-being.