tag:theconversation.com,2011:/institutions/university-of-british-columbia-946/articlesThe University of British Columbia2024-03-25T21:15:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2246032024-03-25T21:15:49Z2024-03-25T21:15:49ZHow caste discrimination impacts communities in Canada<p>Many perceive caste to be a phenomenon that only exists in India. Yet, it is a part of Canadian society, and an issue that many in South Asian diasporas are contending with. </p>
<p>The late British Columbia-based poet and activist <a href="https://youtu.be/nDn-JBR0YMI">Mohan Lal Karimpuri</a> described caste as a system of high and low, a form of “social, economic, political, religious inequality” that takes away the power of the many and puts it in the hands of the few. It is the hierarchical ranking of people in accordance with an ascriptive identity, associated with family, lineage and hereditary occupation. </p>
<p>Those who are Dalit, like Karimpuri, are among the most marginalized by dominant castes, and historically systematically excluded in social, economic and cultural terms. Dalits are most vulnerable in India where violence and exclusion remain pervasive. In 2022, Amnesty International stated that “<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/india/report-india/">hate crimes including violence against Dalits and Adivasis [Indigenous Peoples] were committed with impunity</a>.” </p>
<p>But caste does not only exist in South Asia. In recent years, it has been formally recognized as a potential grounds for discrimination in the United States and Canada in diverse contexts in places like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158687243/seattle-becomes-the-first-u-s-city-to-ban-caste-discrimination">Seattle, Wash.</a> and <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/burnaby-council-votes-unanimously-to-include-caste-as-a-protected-category">Burnaby, B.C.</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2180604995628">Toronto District School Board</a>, the <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc%E2%80%99s-policy-position-caste-based-discrimination#:%7E:text=The%20OHRC%20takes%20the%20position,other%20grounds%2C%20under%20Ontario's%20Code">Ontario Human Rights Commission</a>, <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/13/caste-union-contract-activism/">Harvard University</a> and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-asia-education-california-discrimination-82963d9c6acdc6862173ab2959fd2a97">University of California, Davis</a> have recognized casteism as a form of discrimination. </p>
<p>In 2023, California lawmakers passed a bill that would explicitly ban caste discrimination in the state. However, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/us/california-caste-discrimination-bill-veto/index.html">it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom</a> who said it was “unnecessary,” arguing that caste discrimination was already banned under existing laws.</p>
<p>To truly understand what caste means and its impact, the stories of those who experience caste discrimination must be heard. All too often, the experiences of those marginalized within the caste system are treated as an addendum or aside to dominant caste narratives, and casteist perspectives persist in the public domain and remain unquestioned. </p>
<h2>Lack of visibility</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Rashpal Bharwaj.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In 2020, we initiated the <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/">Caste in Canada project</a> in partnership with Dalit civil society leaders in B.C. The project documented the lives of Canadians of Dalit ancestry through in-depth oral history interviews. We interviewed 19 people from an array of backgrounds impacted by caste. Fourteen of these interviews are now available on the project website.</p>
<p>One recurrent theme in the interviews was the issue of visibility. University student Vipasna Nangal, for example, expressed concern about how many Dalits mask their caste identity in Canada as a way of avoiding stigma. </p>
<p>As she notes, “<a href="https://youtu.be/0agL2hwZyCQ">in order to resist something you have to acknowledge it… and so you can’t have resistance without having visibility</a>.” Caste, therefore, is something that needs to be talked about and not hidden. The limitations of masking caste identity are eloquently addressed in the interview with journalist Meera Estrada. She poignantly describes the pain involved in pretending not to be Dalit and her own personal journey towards <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VNzahJ90Uw">publicly acknowledging her identity</a>. </p>
<p>Participants in the project voiced this as a common concern: that only by making the stories of Dalits more visible and accessible can we create domains for the recognition, and then obliteration, of caste and casteism, and the possibility of moving past caste divisions, for all. </p>
<h2>Challenging the social acceptability of casteism</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Vipasna Nangal.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Another important theme was the need to challenge the social acceptability of casteist discourse. Several participants emphasized the pervasiveness of casteist discourses in popular contexts, such as in music, where dominant caste perspectives are celebrated. </p>
<p>Participant Rashpal Singh Bhardwaj, founder of the Ambedkar International Social Reform Organization (AISRO), <a href="https://youtu.be/jd6ZnFMoaLw">described the organization’s work with local radio stations</a> to discourage playing music that celebrates dominant caste identities on the radio. </p>
<p>Caste discrimination is a part of the life experiences of many in Canada, both as a result of experiences in India, but also here in Canada. Participants <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/gurpreet-singh/">Gurpreet Singh</a> and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/kamaljit/">Kamaljit</a> described how people of South Asian heritage in Canada try to discover each other’s caste backgrounds — and the exclusion this entails.</p>
<p>It is, in short, a part of Canadian society, working on multiple levels and complicating our understanding of diversity in the Canadian context. </p>
<h2>Tackling caste</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Mohan Lal Karimpuri.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Given that caste is a continuing problem both in India and abroad, it is no surprise that Dalit Canadians have organized extensively to address discrimination. In B.C. there are several organizations, such as our project partner, the <a href="https://www.chetna.ca/">Chetna (“Awareness”) Association of Canada</a>, represented in our interviews by its executive director, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/jai-birdi/">Jai Birdi</a> — who played a key role in the project, and speaks in his interview about how to respond to caste discrimination with <a href="https://youtu.be/0tmGGiok3_8">power and resilience</a> — and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/surjit-manjit-bains/">Manjit and Surjit Bains</a>, Ambedkarite Buddhist activists.</p>
<p>Other important organizations include AISRO and its members <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/rashpal-bhardwaj/">Rashpal Singh Bhardwaj</a>, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/jogender-banger/">Jogender Banger</a>, and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/kamlesh-ahir/">Kamlesh Ahir</a> whom we interviewed for the project. There is also the <a href="https://www.aicscanada.ca/">Ambedkarite International Co-ordination Society</a>, represented in the project by <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/param-kainth/">Param Kainth</a>, who also speaks eloquently about the importance of the teachings of the Buddha for Dalits. </p>
<p>As the titles of these organizations make clear, they are inspired by India’s towering leader and architect of the Indian constitution, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bhimrao-Ramji-Ambedkar">B.R. Ambedkar</a>, who campaigned for the rights of South Asia’s diverse Dalit communities. His life and activism provide the model for millions of Dalits around the world as they seek to remake the world without caste. With the Caste in Canada project, we work with our Dalit colleagues to do the same in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224603/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Murphy and Suraj Yengde received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, with additional support from an anonymous donor to the Department of History at the University of British Columbia, in support of the "Caste in Canada" project.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>.</span></em></p>Casteism is commonly seen as a form of discrimination limited to South Asia. However, diaspora communities in Canada are also grappling with issues of caste.Anne Murphy, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of British ColumbiaSuraj Yengde, Postdoc, Harvard Kennedy School | Associate, Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2245942024-03-20T20:21:49Z2024-03-20T20:21:49ZHow ‘himpathy’ helps shield perpetrators of sexual misconduct from repercussions<p>Former U.S. President Donald Trump has faced <a href="https://19thnews.org/2023/10/donald-trump-associates-sexual-misconduct-allegations/">dozens of sexual misconduct allegations</a> over the decades. He’s the first president to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/09/verdict-trump-sexual-assault-trial-00096039">be held liable for sexual assault</a>, and in January, he was ordered to pay over <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/trump-ordered-to-pay-usd83m-to-e-jean-carroll-for-defamation.html">US$80 million</a> to E. Jean Carroll for defamatory statements related to her sexual assault claims. </p>
<p>Despite all this, many of Trump’s supporters anticipate his history of sexual misconduct will <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-sexual-abuse-verdict-2024-republicans-primary-rcna83609">not hurt his chances for re-election</a>. Some even believe he is a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-victim-base-sexual-assualt-jurt-1.6838878">victim of the allegations</a>. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville went so far as to say the sexual assault verdict made him <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jurys-joke-gop-senators-defend-232705069.html">“want to vote for him twice.”</a></p>
<p>In contrast, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/27/e-jean-carroll-testifies-about-online-hate-after-trumps-posts/">Carroll stated under oath</a> that she has experienced “almost an endless stream of people repeating what Donald Trump said — that I was a liar, I was in it for the money, I can’t wait for the payout…that I was too ugly to go on living.” In addition to the barrage of online trolling, she also received <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/10/the-more-women-accuse-him-the-better-he-does-the-meaning-and-misogyny-of-the-trump-carroll-case">death threats and was driven from her home</a>. </p>
<p>These outcomes are consistent with prior research that has found most men accused of sexual misconduct <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1818477116">rarely experience career setbacks</a> such as <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/317154">transfers or terminations</a>. In contrast, women who report such incidents often face significant consequences, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1993.1003">job loss, involuntary transfers</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1120.0753">ostracism</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1652">In our recent research paper</a>, we sought to understand why alleged perpetrators of sexual assault often escape repercussions while their accusers incur intense backlash in organizations. </p>
<h2>Responses to sexual misconduct</h2>
<p>Across five studies using real-world stories from organizations, social media responses to #MeToo claims, and experiments, we examined how third parties — people who learn of sexual misconduct claims but are not directly involved — respond to sexual misconduct accusations across several industries. </p>
<p>Our research found third parties tend to evaluate individuals involved in sexual misconduct claims based on their moral values as outlined by <a href="https://moralfoundations.org">moral foundations theory</a>.</p>
<p>This theory argues there are five global moral values: alleviating suffering (care), promoting equity and equality (fairness), being loyal and devoted to your groups (loyalty), showing deference to those in power (authority), and practising physical and spiritual cleanliness (purity). </p>
<p>Research has found that people value the five moral foundations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015141">to differing extents</a>. Some people tend to care more about the foundations of respect for authority, loyalty and purity, while others tend to emphasize care and fairness.</p>
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<img alt="A close-up shot of a man resting his hand on a woman's shoulder as she reaches a hand up to push him away" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582927/original/file-20240319-18-kw88ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Men accused of sexual misconduct rarely experience career setbacks, while women who report such incidents often face significant consequences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>People who highly value respect for authority, loyalty and purity tend to view behaviour that threatens the stability of groups and institutions as immoral. We build on this to suggest that sexual misconduct allegations against men in positions of authority could be offensive to those who endorse these values.</p>
<p>Our research indicates that moral concerns about loyalty, authority and purity can give rise to <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/kate-manne-on-the-costs-of-male-entitlement">‘himpathy’</a> — a term coined by philosopher Kate Manne that describes the excessive sympathy directed toward alleged male perpetrators and the anger directed toward accusing female victims. </p>
<h2>Moral drivers of ‘himpathy’</h2>
<p>In a study of 4,000 tweets from the #MeToo movement, we found tweets containing words related to authority, loyalty and purity were more likely to express sympathy toward alleged perpetrators and anger toward accusing victims. </p>
<p>We also found a similar pattern in stories people shared about witnessing or hearing about workplace sexual harassment. People who valued loyalty, authority and purity were more likely to feel sympathetic toward the person accused and angry toward the accuser.</p>
<p>Our studies showed that himpathy negatively impacts judgements about credibility and results in motivations to resolve injustice in favour of the perpetrator rather than the victim. This ultimately leads to a reduced inclination to punish the alleged perpetrator and a greater willingness to penalize the accusing victim.</p>
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<img alt="A group of protesters holding signs with #metoo and #timesup slogans written on them in front of a domed government building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582918/original/file-20240319-8759-a74m71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Women’s March protesters at a rally held in front of San Francisco’s City Hall in January 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>These moral concerns seem to flip the expected narrative on its head: when people care a lot about authority, loyalty and purity, they are more likely to construe the accused as the victim and his accuser as the villain. </p>
<p>Our findings suggest that a small yet influential subset of employees is prone to hostile moral reactions toward victims, which might motivate them to protect perpetrators and potentially allow for misconduct to continue.</p>
<h2>What leaders can do</h2>
<p>Although himpathy will likely continue to occur in political arenas and organizations, there are steps managers and leaders can take to prevent himpathy from protecting perpetrators and causing additional harm to victims. </p>
<p>In one of the experiments in our study, we found that leaders can contribute to increased backlash against victims when they question the victim’s morality in front of their co-workers who strongly value loyalty, authority, and purity. Thus, we recommend managers remain as neutral as possible to avoid facilitating premature, inequitable social consequences for either party involved in a sexual assault claim. </p>
<p>We further encourage organizations to hire third-party investigators not emotionally connected to the case. If this isn’t possible, leaders can build impartial investigative committees with employees holding diverse perspectives and values, which would help prevent anyone who may feel sympathetic to the accused from overly influencing disciplinary decisions. </p>
<p>Once an investigation has taken place, the appropriate actions can and should be taken. In doing so, organizations can reduce backlash toward victims who come forward, like Carroll, and ensure appropriate actions are taken when misconduct occurs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224594/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Dodson receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachael Dailey Goodwin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study examines why women who report sexual misconduct often experience retaliation while men who are alleged perpetrators of sexual assault escape repercussions.Samantha Dodson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Sauder School of Business, University of British ColumbiaRachael Dailey Goodwin, Assistant Professor of Management, Syracuse UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180912024-03-10T13:10:22Z2024-03-10T13:10:22ZThe world is not moving fast enough on climate change — social sciences can help explain why<p>In late 2023 the United States government released <a href="https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/">its Fifth National Climate Assessment</a> (NCA). The NCA is a semi-regular summation of the impacts of climate change upon the U.S. and the fifth assessment was notable for being the first to include <a href="https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/chapter/20/">a chapter on social systems and justice</a>. </p>
<p>Built on decades of social science research on climate change, the fifth NCA contends with two truths that are increasingly being reckoned with in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/climate/biden-environmental-justice.html">U.S. popular</a> and <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1816020116">academic conversations</a>. </p>
<p>The first is that climate change has the potential to exacerbate health, social and economic outcomes for Black, Indigenous, people of colour (BIPOC) and low-income communities. The second is that social systems and institutions — including governmental, cultural, spiritual and economic structures — are the only places where adaptation and mitigation can occur.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/it-is-not-just-heat-waves-climate-change-is-also-a-crisis-of-disconnection-210594">It is not just heat waves — climate change is also a crisis of disconnection</a>
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<p>We only have to compare <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-020-06081-w">mortality rates for the COVID-19 pandemic disaggregated by race, income, and other axes of inequality</a> to recognize that we are not all in the same boat, despite experiencing the same storm. Today, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sou120">race</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087403253053">income</a> similarly predict who is likely to be displaced permanently after a major hurricane — and forced relocation can have negative impacts on individuals and communities for generations. </p>
<p>Understanding how existing social systems influence, and are influenced by, climate change is key to not only slowing the effects of an increasingly warming Earth, but also ensuring that society’s transition to a new world is a <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-89460-3.pdf">just one</a>. </p>
<p>And there is no doubt that we are indeed facing a new world.</p>
<h2>Not moving fast enough</h2>
<p>Decades of scientific research have shown that <a href="https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/all-figures">increasingly devastating and rapid climatic changes</a> are ahead of us, including more intense hurricanes, droughts and floods. </p>
<p>Our recent levels of resource consumption — particularly in the Global North and countries with large developing economies — <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262681612/a-climate-of-injustice/">are untenable</a>. To be clear, the world <em>is</em> responding to these risks with the U.S. alone achieving a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/documents/us-ghg-inventory-1990-2019-data-highlights.pdf">13 percent decrease in annual greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2019</a>, but these responses are not good enough.</p>
<p>It is the purview of social scientists — the scientists tasked with studying human society and social relationships in all of their complexity — to ask why.</p>
<p>What is it about the ethics, cultures, economies, and symbols at play in the world that have made it so difficult to turn the tide and make change? Why do we — individuals, societies, cultures, and nations — mostly seem unable to curb emissions at the rates necessary to save ourselves and our planet?</p>
<p>These are questions that can only partially be answered by new information and technologies developed by physical scientists and engineers. We also need an understanding of how humans behave. Having new technology matters for little if you do not also understand how social, economic and political decisions are made — and how certain groups are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1818859116">able to develop habits around lower rates of emissions and consumption</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/telling-stories-of-our-climate-futures-is-essential-to-thinking-through-the-net-zero-choices-of-today-210326">Telling stories of our climate futures is essential to thinking through the net-zero choices of today</a>
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<p>We know that inequitable systems create <a href="http://thinkpunkgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lee_2021.pdf">unevenly distributed risk</a> and capacities to respond. For example, a hurricane’s intensity scale is less predictive of its mortality rates than the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27572097/">socio-economic conditions within the nation where the storm makes landfall</a>. Understanding these dynamics is the only way to respond to climate change in a way that does not entrench deep tendencies towards racist, sexist and classist landscapes of vulnerability. </p>
<h2>Empowering real change</h2>
<p>Recognizing that disasters and climate disruptions have the potential to make inequality worse also means that we have the opportunity to do better. </p>
<p>There are a range of outcomes that may stem from climate related disasters with a vast inventory of what is possible. There are also hopeful examples that point the way to rich collaborations and problem solving. For example, <a href="https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/departments/engineering-services/flood-control/flooding-history/">Tulsa, Okla.</a> was the most frequently flooded city in the U.S. from the 1960s into the 1980s, but a coalition of concerned citizens came together with the city government to create a floodplain management plan that serves as <a href="https://kresge.org/resource/climate-adaptation-the-state-of-practice-in-u-s-communities/">a model</a> for other cities. </p>
<p>In another example, Indigenous communities around the U.S. have some of the most <a href="https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH16">proactive planning</a> in place for adapting to climate change, despite histories of persecution, theft and violent exploitation.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A report on Indigenous-led bison conservations in the U.S., produced by the Associated Press.</span></figcaption>
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<p>There is an adage that says in order to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Make no mistake, climate change is the most urgent issue of our time. However, moving quickly and carelessly will serve only to re-entrench existing social, economic, political and environmental inequalities. </p>
<p>Instead, we must look at other ways of being in the world. We can repair and recreate our relationships with the Earth and the consumption that has gotten us to this point. We can <a href="https://theconversation.com/respect-for-indigenous-knowledge-must-lead-nature-conservation-efforts-in-canada-156273">pay attention and listen to global Indigenous peoples and others who have cared for this earth for millennia</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cop28-climate-change-theatre-and-performances-reveal-new-narratives-about-how-we-need-to-live-219366">COP28: Climate change theatre and performances reveal new narratives about how we need to live</a>
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<p>We must be more creative with our solutions and committed to ensuring that all, and not just a privileged few, are able to live in a better world than the one in which they were born into. Technological approaches alone will not achieve this goal. To build a better world we need the social sciences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Climate change is often seen as solely a technical problem. This is a misguided belief. Understanding how to build a better world begins, and ends, with understanding the societies which inhabit it.Fayola Helen Jacobs, Assistant Professor of urban planning, University of MinnesotaCandis Callison, Associate professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, University of British ColumbiaElizabeth Marino, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Oregon State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2248422024-03-04T19:48:49Z2024-03-04T19:48:49ZPierre Poilievre’s proposed mandatory minimum penalties will not reduce crime<p>In recent months, federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly voiced support for discredited “tough on crime” policies that will ultimately fail. In February alone, Poilievre vowed to introduce <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/mmp-pmo/p1.html">mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs)</a> for <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10284840/poilievre-extortion-mandatory-minimum/#:%7E:text=Poilievre%20said%20the%20Conservatives%20would,of%20gangs%20or%20organized%20crime.%E2%80%9D">extortion</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-bail-auto-theft-crime-1.7105046">auto theft</a> offences.</p>
<p>Generally, criminal offences have a range of sentencing options (e.g. release with conditions, community service, fines, restitution orders, parole, “house arrest” or imprisonment) with a maximum penalty set by the law. Judges then determine a fit sentence that reflects the degree of responsibility of the offender and gravity of what they actually did. </p>
<p>Instead, with MMPs, Parliament removes judicial discretion for any sentencing option other than imprisonment and imposes a minimum term of incarceration, regardless of the facts of the case. </p>
<p>As a criminal law professor and advocate for victims of crime, including a time advising former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I used to be a proponent of MMPs. But as I’ve learned more about the unintended consequences of MMPs and harshness of imprisonment in my research, including interviews with people who were incarcerated, I’ve become convinced that MMPs are a grave policy failure and cheap politics.</p>
<p>The evidence shows that MMPs are ineffective at reducing crime, may actually increase recidivism, are highly vulnerable to being struck down by the courts as unconstitutional, can increase delays in an overburdened system, and perpetuate systemic racism.</p>
<p>Criminological research has consistently found that harsher sentences have “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1147698">no effect on the level of crime in society</a>.” Alarmingly, MMPs have also contributed to <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/jf-pf/2017/oct02.html">higher rates of incarceration</a> of Indigenous people and Black Canadians, exacerbating already troubling trends.</p>
<p>In addition, research by <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/85-002-x/2017001/article/54844-eng.pdf?st=nRM6SFsI">Statistics Canada</a> found “no evidence that MMPs have deterred crime; rather, some studies suggest that MMPs can result in overly harsh penalties and disparities, that they increase costs to the criminal justice system as a result of higher levels of incarceration, and that lengthier sentencing may actually increase recidivism.” </p>
<p>In other words, Poilievre’s idea may actually backfire, leading to more crime in the long term.</p>
<h2>Supreme Court strikes down MMPs</h2>
<p>Poilievre’s MMPs are not a new idea. They’re an old, tired idea, exposing a lack of understanding of <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-from-tough-on-crime-to-a-new-transformative-vision-for-canadas-justice/">evidence-based policies</a> that will actually make us all safer.</p>
<p>In 1987, there were just nine MMPs on the books in Canada. Since 1996, they have proliferated, with the number of MMPs escalating significantly under the Harper government. With the adoption of the Safe Streets and Communities Act in 2012, the number of MMPs in the Criminal Code <a href="https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1235&context=sclr">approached 100</a>. </p>
<p>The Supreme Court of Canada continues to strike down numerous Harper-era MMPs and related tough-on-crime measures for violating the <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/">Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a>, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>In the 2015 case, <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/15272/index.do"><em>R. v. Nur</em></a>, which concerned mandatory minimum sentences for possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm, the court described MMPs as “a blunt instrument.”</p></li>
<li><p>In the 2016 case, <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/15859/index.do"><em>R. v. Lloyd</em></a>, then Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin made this damning observation: “The reality is that mandatory minimum sentences for offences that can be committed in many ways and under many different circumstances by a wide range of people are constitutionally vulnerable because they will almost inevitably catch situations where the prescribed mandatory minimum would require an unconstitutional sentence.”</p></li>
<li><p>In <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/19538/index.do"><em>R. v. Ndhlovu</em></a>, a 2022 case concerning mandatory lifetime registration in the national sex offender registry, the court stated that “mandatory registration of those offenders who are not at an increased risk of reoffending does not assist police.”</p></li>
<li><p>In the 2023 case, <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/19638/index.do?q=youth"><em>R. v. Hills</em></a>, a four-year mandatory MMP for discharging a firearm into or at a home was repealed after the appeal was heard, but the Court nevertheless ruled, finding it unconstitutional. The court’s majority opinion stated: “it would shock the conscience of Canadians to learn that an offender can receive four years of imprisonment for firing a paintball gun at a home.” </p></li>
</ul>
<p>However, in a companion case in <a href="https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/19639/index.do"><em>R. v. Hilbach</em></a>, the Court upheld mandatory minimum sentences for robbery since they were found to be “narrowly defined and limited in scope.” This case is an exception to the clear trend over the last decade of MMPs being struck down as unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Other Harper-era tough-on-crime measures have also been struck down in cases such as <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/17416/index.do"><em>R. v. Boudreault</em></a> and <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/19405/index.do?site_preference=normal"><em>R. v. Bissonnette</em></a>.</p>
<h2>MMPs increase delays in justice system</h2>
<p>Despite this raft of MMP losses, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-bail-auto-theft-crime-1.7105046#:%7E:text=%22My%20legislation%20is%20Charter%2Dproof,It's%20Justin%20Trudeau.%22&text=Former%20prime%20minister%20Stephen%20Harper,been%20overturned%20by%20the%20courts.">Poilievre insists</a> his “legislation is Charter-proof and constitutionally sound.” He’s made <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polievre-jail-bail-constitutional-experts-1.6847941#:%7E:text=Conservative%20Party%20Leader%20Pierre%20Poilievre,it%20would%20likely%20be%20unconstitutional">similar claims before</a> about other constitutionally suspect proposals. </p>
<p>If history is any judge, Poilievre’s MMPs may not be worth the paper they’re printed on. What’s worse, even if they do pass constitutional muster, they will only exacerbate the existential challenges facing the criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Former Justice Canada lawyer David Daubney <a href="https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1235&context=sclr">cautioned in 2012</a> about the expansion of MMPs at the time. His words ring true today:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The proliferation of mandatory minimum sentencing will lead to fewer guilty pleas, significant processing delays, big increases in the number of accused persons awaiting trial in already overcrowded provincial remand facilities and just plain injustice as discretion is moved from judges to prosecutors. There will be many more Charter challenges and acquittals. Canadians will be less safe.”</p>
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<p>While MMPs are widely believed to be popular with more conservative voters, there may be cracks among voters on this issue. <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/rg-rco/2018/mar02.html">A 2018 Justice Canada study</a> revealed 90 per cent of Canadians believed that judges should have the flexibility to impose a sentence that is less than the mandatory minimum. Participants described jail as an “inappropriate measure that would likely ‘do more harm than good’ and result in ‘better criminals’, rather than successfully integrating members of society.” </p>
<p>Politicians peddling flawed criminal justice policies like mandatory minimum penalties need to have their ideas publicly called out and confronted.</p>
<p><em>Prof. Benjamin Perrin is the author of Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial (UTP, 2023)</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224842/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Perrin receives funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia.</span></em></p>Pierre Poilievre’s “tough-on-crime” rhetoric relies on discredited ideas that can lead to overly harsh penalties and actually increase crime.Benjamin Perrin, Professor of Law, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2234342024-02-21T20:40:33Z2024-02-21T20:40:33ZUniversities should respond to cuts and corporate influence with co-operative governance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576047/original/file-20240215-18-62xlak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5615%2C3505&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall in Toronto, Ont. Universities must shift towards co-operative governance which fosters collaborative approaches to teaching, research and grappling with the crises we collectively face. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It doesn’t take much to see that today’s higher education system needs a restart. Colleges and universities across Canada face varying <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-the-real-cost-of-the-fiscal-crisis-hitting-canadas-universities/">degrees of financial crisis</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2023-0005">interference in research by corporations and governments</a>. At the same time, students are experiencing <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-funding-for-universities-puts-students-at-risk-for-cycles-of-poverty-especially-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-131363">growing inequitable access to higher education</a>.</p>
<p>That’s the bad news. The good news is there are proven alternative education models, but it requires moving from the current fixation on rankings to co-operation.</p>
<p>Post-secondary institutions spend too much effort boosting their university rankings, despite studies demonstrating that spending limited resources on the ranking race <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/j.ctv2sm3b3t">diverts resources</a> from improving education to the detriment of students and communities. </p>
<h2>What rankings miss</h2>
<p>Metrics used in major global university rankings often privilege wealthy institutions, but how they became wealthy and continue to be wealthy is not part of the equation. Many top-ranked American and Commonwealth universities, for example, are rich because of <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/ebony-and-ivy-9781608193837/">slavery</a>, the plantation economy <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-commonwealth-universities-profited-from-indigenous-dispossession-through-land-grants-185010">and colonial land grants</a>.</p>
<p>These same universities continue to amass wealth from donors who can, and often do, influence institutions, including by <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/whistleblower-allegation-harvard-muzzled-disinfo-team-after-us-500-million-zuckerberg-donation-1.6672862">stopping research</a> that is in the public interest. </p>
<p>We face unprecedented global crises. Making education a consumer good — accessible to those who pay top dollars through their own funds or increasingly through the burden of debt — is, at best, limiting the ability of higher education to expand public and policy conversations through education. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-universities-need-to-revisit-their-founding-stories-191048">National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Universities need to revisit their founding stories</a>
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<p>At worst, it’s contributing to the crises we face by sticking to a model that conflates individual wealth with ability. <a href="https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/nfrf-fnfr/edi-eng.aspx">Research is clear</a> that quality suffers when equity is overlooked in who produces knowledge and how it is <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-big-companies-fund-academic-research-the-truth-often-comes-last-119164">funded</a> and saps energy from innovating <a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenizing-universities-means-building-relationships-with-nations-and-lands-204613">sustainable and equitable research</a>.</p>
<p>The good news is that innovative higher educational models that emphasize equity and inclusion thrive. The key lies in reimagining the role of universities. </p>
<p>Instead of adhering to a corporate model based on individual achievement, we need to shift towards co-operative governance that fosters collaborative approaches to teaching and research, and grapples with the crises we collectively face. </p>
<h2>Equity through co-operative education</h2>
<p>The solidarity economy and co-operative sector can be the model to guide a new way of running an equitable, just and ethical university. </p>
<p>Central to <a href="https://ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity">co-operatives</a> is democratic governance, concern for community and education for members to, for example, responsibly carry out financial roles. There are co-operative universities, and corporate universities that have co-operatives on their campuses. </p>
<p>Spain’s <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/how-mondragon-became-the-worlds-largest-co-op">Mondragon Corporation</a> is a co-operative created in the 1950s during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. It now encompasses a network of over 81 co-operatives, employing over <a href="https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/about-us/">80,000 people</a>, which includes a co-operative university. </p>
<p>At the root of the co-operative education system is learning how we are interdependent and developing the knowledge and skills to participate in democratic decision-making. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Video on Mondragon co-operatives from Workplace Democracy.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Canada has a legacy of co-operatives, with credit unions like Desjardins, Vancity and Meridian, and insurers like The Co-operators. They demonstrate that prioritizing human development is not only possible but also profitable. </p>
<p>Credit unions support small businesses, microfinance and mutual aid structures, such as <a href="https://www.federationhss.ca/en/canadas-hidden-cooperative-system-legacy-black-banker-ladies">The Rotating Operating Savings and Credit Network</a>, a model that could immensely benefit students. </p>
<p>Integrating the study of economic, housing and educational co-operatives into university curricula and across disciplines would give students a broader understanding of their choices in how they work, live and learn with others. </p>
<h2>Co-operative governance</h2>
<p>We do not expect Canadian universities will become co-operatives overnight, but making steps towards a co-operative model is possible and needed. </p>
<p>As members of the <a href="https://africanaeconomics.com/">Diverse Solidarity Economies Collective</a>, we propose four changes to undo the bias for the status quo. </p>
<p>First, focus on co-operative economies on campus. For example, in Trinidad, the University of West Indies St. Augustine campus has its own <a href="https://www.uwicu.tt/frequently-asked-questions/">credit union</a> system rooted in respect and caring for community. This reflects the university’s commitment to social justice. Credit unions focus not on enriching shareholders but on their members and people-centred development.</p>
<p>A second structural change can be businesses on university grounds. More restaurants and shops run by student unions can ensure their members benefit. Vendors, catering and contractors at universities should support businesses owned by those from racialized and marginalized communities, and those defined as social purpose enterprises and co-operatives. </p>
<p>Increasingly, universities are seen as an <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/blackstone-world-s-largest-real-estate-investor-sees-significant-opportunities-in-canadian-student-housing-multi/article_0eba9440-4338-5ab3-bb88-59ae8da83e08.html">untapped market for real estate investors</a>, which further <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/universities-colleges-turning-into-real-estate-hedge-funds-higher-education-2023-3">increases costs for students</a>. Instead of building housing that is out of reach for the increasing number of <a href="https://forum.academica.ca/forum/housing-instability-amp-homelessness-in-the-student-population">housing-insecure students</a>, staff and faculty universities could look to <a href="https://campus.coop/">several successful</a> student <a href="https://neill-wycik.coop/">housing co-ops</a> in Canada.</p>
<p>There is a resurgence of interest in co-ops, yet they still form a small part of student housing. Reimagining university real estate investments through the lens of co-operative housing, intentional communities and land trusts would provide security and a sense of community that could address isolation and mental-health crises that are on the rise. </p>
<p>These models focus on keeping investments within the community, contrasting starkly with typical rental housing on campuses.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-students-can-foster-positive-mental-health-at-university-186455">5 ways students can foster positive mental health at university</a>
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<p>The third change is advocating for government funding that fosters an equitable system-wide approach to funding public education, rather than fostering inter-institutional competition based on rankings.</p>
<p>The fourth change would be adhering to the United Nations’ declaration that 2025 is the <a href="https://ica.coop/en/newsroom/news/resolution-calls-second-international-year-cooperatives-2025">Year of Co-operatives</a>. It’s time for universities, especially publicly-funded ones, to rethink their corporate model. </p>
<p>It will mean moving beyond the fixation on rankings towards a governance model built on solidarity, grounded in equity, ethical business and economic co-operativism aimed at preserving and protecting people and the planet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223434/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Shenaz Hossein receives funding from Canada Research Chair program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Stack does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Universities should shift toward co-operative governance structures that foster collaborative approaches to teaching and research, which can help tackle the crises we collectively face.Michelle Stack, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Studies, University of British ColumbiaCaroline Shenaz Hossein, Associate Professor, Global Development & Political Economy, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2189772024-02-15T22:07:25Z2024-02-15T22:07:25Z8 ways that stopping overfishing will promote biodiversity and help address climate change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576010/original/file-20240215-18-gqysb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3804%2C2545&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Schools of jackfish pictured in the ocean off Losin, Thailand. Overfishing is a contributing factor in global climate change.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Amid the escalating threats of a warming world, and with the latest annual United Nations global climate conference (COP28) behind us, there is one critical message that’s often left out of the climate change discourse. Halting overfishing is itself effective climate action.</p>
<p>This argument is the logical conclusion of a plethora of studies that unequivocally assert that stopping overfishing isn’t just a necessity, it’s a win-win for ocean vitality, climate robustness and the livelihoods reliant on sustainable fisheries.</p>
<p>The intricate relationship between climate change and ocean ecosystems was the subject of recent collaborative research — led by researchers at the University of British Columbia — that highlighted the crucial links between overfishing and climate change. </p>
<h2>Finding the connections</h2>
<p>Our collaborative team of international researchers applied a host of methodologies ranging from literature reviews to quantitative and quality analysis. The findings of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1250449">this research</a> illuminate eight key multifaceted impacts.</p>
<p>1 — Ending overfishing <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00523">isn’t merely an ecological imperative but a vital climate action</a>. Doing so would bolster marine life resilience in the face of climate shifts and reduce associate carbon emissions.</p>
<p>2 — Large subsidized fishing boat fleets can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm1680">actually be a burden on small-scale fisheries, leaving them disproportionately vulnerable to shocks</a>. In turn, overfishing not only depletes resources but also escalates carbon emissions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.768784">intensifying climate impacts on these fisheries and their communities, particularly women</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.802762">vulnerability of shellfish fisheries to climate stressors further underscores the importance of adaptive strategies</a> tailored to local conditions. </p>
<p>3 — Success stories, like the recovery of European hake stocks, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.788339">reveal a direct tie between stock recuperation and reduced emissions intensity from fisheries</a>. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stay-hopeful-in-a-world-seemingly-beyond-saving-210415">We must champion and also learn from these successes</a>.</p>
<p>4 — Ecosystem-based fisheries management reverses the “order of priorities so that management starts with ecosystem considerations rather than the maximum exploitation of several target species.” </p>
<p>Ecosystem-based fisheries management has considerable potential to enhance sustainable catches while fostering carbon sequestration. This is perhaps <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.879998">best exemplified by the successful implimentation of ecosystem-based fisheries management in the western Baltic Sea</a>.</p>
<p>5 — <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.770805">Heavy metal pollution in the ocean — such as mercury or lead waste — intensifies the negative impacts of warming and overfishing</a>. This pollution reinforces the need for developing multifaceted regulations based around ecosystem and ocean sustainability solutions. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/flipping-indigenous-regional-development-in-newfoundland-upside-down-lessons-from-australia-218298">Flipping Indigenous regional development in Newfoundland upside-down: lessons from Australia</a>
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<p>6 — Overfishing <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.597385">exacerbates climate and biodiversity threats</a>. Climate change contributes to less defined and predictable seasons <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-climate-change-induced-stress-is-altering-fish-hormones-with-huge-repercussions-for-reproduction-213140">and is causing reproductive challenges</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-further-reducing-fish-stocks-with-worrisome-implications-for-global-food-supplies-217428">propagation of diseases in fish populations</a> — among other issues.</p>
<p>Adding to these problems, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.07.001">overfishing itself is altering ecological dynamics, modifying habitats and opening new pathways for invasive species</a>. These compounding crises further exacerbate the impacts of overfishing on marine ecosystems while at the same time making fish populations more vulnerable to climate change.</p>
<p>The above factors all combine to reduce the catch potential in any given ecosystem. In turn, fishers are forced to venture farther and deeper in the ocean to fish — increasing carbon emissions, personal risk factors to fishers and <a href="https://www.greenmatters.com/p/what-is-bycatch">bycatch</a> concerns. </p>
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<img alt="A dead shark is seen tangled in a fishing net." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576013/original/file-20240215-24-d1h82g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Reduced fish catches can lead to fishers going farther, and deeper, out to sea to find fish — with a host of associated consequences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>7 — International fisheries management must play a central role in promoting biodiversity and retaining the ocean’s carbon sequestration potential. While 87 nations have signed the UN’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.764609">Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty</a> (also known as the High Seas Treaty), only one has ratified it. This treaty must be fully ratified and its effective implementation should be contingent upon the creation of marine protected areas that cover at least 30 per cent of the high seas.</p>
<p>8 — The ocean has huge carbon sequestration potential. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.800972">Shifting from the generally accepted maximum of sustainable yield management to maximizing carbon sequestration in fisheries management could further advance climate goals</a>.</p>
<p>Future regulations should allocate a percentage of the annual fish quota to maintain the carbon sequestration function of marine animals. Simply put, beyond just being food, fish stocks serve vital carbon sequestration and biodiversity services that directly benefit humanity. Future regulations should reflect this reality.</p>
<h2>A simple goal</h2>
<p>This joint collaborative research underscores the urgency of this issue. Ending overfishing isn’t just an ecological imperative but a linchpin for climate action. Furthermore, fisheries aren’t mere victims in these dynamics, but have real agency to play a pivotal role in either exacerbating or mitigating climate change.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-fishing-and-fish-and-the-health-of-the-ocean-hinges-on-economics-and-the-idea-of-infinity-fish-182749">The future of fishing and fish — and the health of the ocean — hinges on economics and the idea of 'infinity fish'</a>
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<p>An ideal governance framework would focus on managing ecosystems with considerations for their diverse benefits, based on the best evidence available. Regulation of fisheries, while controversial, is essential to not overly exploit such a valuable public resource.</p>
<p>As we gear up to the next COP, we would do well to remember these conclusions. Without nurturing ocean life, addressing climate change becomes an uphill battle. Sustainable fisheries management is not just an ecological necessity. It is also the cornerstone of a resilient, sustainable future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218977/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rashid Sumaila receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the non-governmental organization Our Fish.</span></em></p>Recent research shows how reducing overfishing is both an ecological imperative and a critical means to addressing climate change.Rashid Sumaila, Director & Professor, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2193632024-02-13T18:30:40Z2024-02-13T18:30:40Z‘Fortress’ conservation policies threaten the food security of rural populations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575435/original/file-20240213-28-bvlney.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5725%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pine trees reflected in smooth water of the lake. Waterlogged valley in the snowy Rocky Mountains.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Barriers created by “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2005.9666319">fortress conservation</a>” — as in the near-total sectioning off of land for conservation without human interference — are threatening important dietary diversity for the up to 1.5 billion people around the world <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00776-z">who rely on wild foods</a>, from bushmeat to wild vegetables and fruit. </p>
<p>Conservation, especially when modelled on notions of “pristine nature” — environments untouched by human influence — can create obstacles by limiting access to important food sources. We must shift from strict fortress conservation to more integrated, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104822">sustainable use of rural landscapes</a> if we are to achieve both biodiversity conservation and dietary outcomes. </p>
<p>Policymakers must take this into account and design policies that better inform global, regional and national commitments to food security and nutrition — especially in the context an ever-changing and unpredictable climate. </p>
<p>These policies must recognize people’s rights of access to these landscapes to ensure dietary diversity in rural settings. Policies for <a href="https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/hlpe/hlpe_documents/HLPE_Reports/HLPE-Report-11_EN.pdf">sustainable forestry</a> are also a key component of sustainable food systems.</p>
<h2>Settling down</h2>
<p>Human societies were nomadic for the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.102488">majority of our history</a>. In turn, traditional diets were mostly comprised of wild foods, both plants and animals, that were harvested from the surrounding environment. </p>
<p>However, over time, communities became increasingly sedentary and relied more and more on foods that were cultivated, rather than those collected from the wild. </p>
<p>This process dramatically accelerated in the last century with the <a href="https://www.treehugger.com/green-revolution-history-technologies-and-impact-5189596">Green Revolution</a> beginning in the 1940s, characterized by the increased dominance of monoculture agriculture. This shift is the greatest driver of forest and other habitat loss globally, resulting in the <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC64895">substantial simplification of our diets</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A tractor sprays pesticides on a soybean field." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575072/original/file-20240212-26-7iq9ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A tractor sprays pesticides on a soybean field. Monoculture farming can produce high yields, but at the cost of extreme fragility to external climatic and environmental shocks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>However, we have since learned that biodiverse wild and naturalized species are integral in rural food consumption, contributing to diverse diets, better nutrition and overall health and well-being, often for the poorest members of society. In other words, diversity in diets is linked with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00091-2">better nutrition and improved overall health</a>.</p>
<p>Up to 1.5 billion people globally <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00029">depend on wild foods for nutrition and dietary diversity, particularly in the tropics</a>. Building policies that protect people’s rights to access these landscapes is of paramount importance to ensure such dietary diversity in many rural settings.</p>
<p>We must devote attention to people living in rural areas around the planet, where their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605322000916">access to wild foods</a> — including those found in forests — has become limited. That’s cutting off important sources of healthy food and nutrition.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-culturally-appropriate-diets-can-be-a-pathway-to-food-security-in-the-canadian-arctic-209575">How culturally appropriate diets can be a pathway to food security in the Canadian Arctic</a>
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<p>Global initiatives to set aside land for biodiversity conservation can compromise such access and thus significantly reduce dietary diversity. </p>
<p>Current commitments, such as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02048-2">30 x 30 initiative</a>, in the name of conservation can result in the annexation of land and curtail the rights and access to diverse food sources by local people, despite <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0100-6">evidence that locally-led conservation can play an integral role in improving both ecological and human welfare</a>.</p>
<h2>Local stewards</h2>
<p>It is increasingly recognized that those who benefit from access — mostly Indigenous Peoples and local communities — are the best stewards of that land. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-food/about-right-food-and-human-rights">Food</a> is a fundamental human right, recognized by many international treaties and nation states. However, land annexation in the name of conservation, and loss of access to the natural resources they contain, continues unabated. </p>
<p>The major issue is that the notion of “pristine nature” does not exist in most landscapes, both tropical and temperate. Indeed, most environments are more a <a href="https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12322-260206">manifestation of human use and management than the product of natural forces alone</a>. The recognition of how humans have shaped and promoted biodiversity-rich landscapes is often missed in the implmentation of conservation. </p>
<p>It’s time for action on the evidence that forests and tree-based landscapes <a href="https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/iufro-series/ws33/ws33.pdf">can (and must be) a small but integral part of the solution to the global problem of food security and nutrition</a>. In essence, forests and trees should play a role in global food security strategies.</p>
<p>The role of wild foods in contributing to the United Nations’ <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/55601EBA11ED5027EF2901A3AE017744/9781108486996c2_48-71.pdf/sdg_2_zero_hunger_challenging_the_hegemony_of_monoculture_agriculture_for_forests_and_people.pdf">Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, has also been underscored</a> and there is considerable <a href="https://www.fao.org/interactive/sdg2-roadmap/en/">emerging evidence</a> on just how sustainable tree-based wild food systems could contribute to the overall 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. </p>
<p>Yet little real progress has been made in recognizing this at a functional or policy level, acknowledging the fundamental contribution of wild foods to dietary diversity. </p>
<p>The discourse of achieving global food security, with a focus on monoculture crops and industrial agriculture with all its environmental and nutritional deficiencies, remains dominant. This is resulting in continuing habitat loss, primarily within forests and other tree-based systems. </p>
<h2>The way forward</h2>
<p>The recent <a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/food-and-agriculture">Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action</a> at the COP28 climate summit goes some way to recognize the importance of “smallholders, family farmers, fisherfolk and other producers and food workers.” However, there is no mention of the role of wild foods in rural nutrition, nor the role that forests and trees play in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.01.012">supporting agriculture</a> through ecosystem service provision. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/flipping-indigenous-regional-development-in-newfoundland-upside-down-lessons-from-australia-218298">Flipping Indigenous regional development in Newfoundland upside-down: lessons from Australia</a>
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<p>This must change to allow sustainable use initiatives to play a critical role in complementing and supporting diverse and nutritious diets for the rural poor — without compromising biodiversity goals or climate change mitigation strategies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219363/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Terry Sunderland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Integrating local and Indigenous knowledge into conservation can help to support diverse diets without compromising biodiversity goals.Terry Sunderland, Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2228112024-02-13T17:20:38Z2024-02-13T17:20:38ZArtificial intelligence needs to be trained on culturally diverse datasets to avoid bias<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574857/original/file-20240212-30-3cdpyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C45%2C3840%2C2109&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is a growing need to address diversity in the datasets used to train artificial intelligence.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Large language models (LLMs) are deep learning artificial intelligence programs, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The capabilities of LLMs have developed into quite a wide range, from <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/i-had-chatgpt-write-my-college-essay-and-now-im-ready-to-go-back-to-school-and-do-nothing">writing fluent essays</a>, through coding to creative writing. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-sets-record-fastest-growing-user-base-analyst-note-2023-02-01/">Millions of people worldwide use LLMs</a>, and it would not be an exaggeration to say these technologies are transforming work, education and society.</p>
<p>LLMs are trained by reading massive amounts of texts and learning to recognize and mimic patterns in the data. This allows them to generate coherent and human-like text on virtually any topic. </p>
<p>Because the internet is still predominantly English — <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/262946/most-common-languages-on-the-internet/">59 per cent of all websites were in English as of January 2023</a> — LLMs are primarily trained on English text. In addition, the vast majority of the English text online comes from users based in the United States, home to <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/acs/acs-50.html">300 million English speakers</a>. </p>
<p>Learning about the world from English texts written by U.S.-based web users, LLMs speak <a href="https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/">Standard American English</a> and have a narrow western, North American, or even U.S.-centric, lens.</p>
<h2>Model bias</h2>
<p>In 2023, ChatGPT, upon learning about a couple dining in a restaurant in Madrid and tipping four per cent, <a href="https://chat.openai.com/share/2969f35f-8ee2-4bc0-a8a7-c44a7078037e">suggested they were frugal, on a tight budget or didn’t like the service</a>. By default, ChatGPT followed the North American standard of a 15 to 25 per cent tip, <a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/should-you-tip-in-spain-1644349">ignoring the Spanish norm not to tip</a>. </p>
<p>As of early 2024, ChatGPT correctly cites cultural differences when prompted to judge the appropriateness of a tip. It’s unclear if this capability emerged from training a newer version of the model on more data — after all, the web is full of tipping guides in English — or whether OpenAI patched this particular behaviour.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a screen showing text about ChatGPT Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574868/original/file-20240212-29-mz6yzd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Using data from English-language websites, which are predominantly U.S.-based, informs how LLMs respond to prompts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Jonathen Kemper)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Still, other examples remain that uncover ChatGPT’s implicit cultural assumptions. For example, prompted with a story about guests showing up for dinner at 8:30 p.m., it suggested <a href="https://chat.openai.com/share/3c8db9c7-7c37-4d45-80b2-a891c46fc4fd">reasons that the guests were late</a>, although the time of the invitation was not mentioned. Again, ChatGPT likely assumed they were invited for a standard North American 6 p.m. dinner.</p>
<p>In May 2023, researchers from the University of Copenhagen <a href="https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2023.c3nlp-1.7">quantified this effect</a> by prompting LLMs with the <a href="https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool">Hofstede Culture Survey</a>, which measures human values in different countries. Shortly after, researchers from <a href="https://llmglobalvalues.anthropic.com/">AI start-up company Anthropic</a> used the <a href="https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs.jsp">World Values Survey</a> to do the same. Both works concluded that LLMs exhibit strong alignment with American culture. </p>
<p>A similar phenomenon is encountered when asking <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-3">DALL-E 3</a>, an image generation model trained on pairs of images and their captions, to generate an image of a breakfast. This model, which was trained on mainly images from Western countries, generated images of pancakes, bacon and eggs. </p>
<h2>Impacts of bias</h2>
<p>Culture plays a significant role in shaping our communication styles and worldviews. Just like <a href="https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/">cross-cultural human interactions can lead to miscommunications</a>, users from diverse cultures that are interacting with conversational AI tools may feel misunderstood and experience them as less useful. </p>
<p>To be better understood by AI tools, users may adapt their communication styles in a manner similar to how people learned to “Americanize” their foreign accents in order to operate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/business/alexa-does-not-understand-your-accent/">personal assistants like Siri and Alexa</a>. </p>
<p>As more people rely on LLMs for editing writing, they are likely to <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-threatens-language-diversity-more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-our-differences-in-the-age-of-ai-198878">unify how we write</a>. Over time, LLMs run the risk of erasing cultural differences.</p>
<h2>Decision-making and AI</h2>
<p>AI is already in use as the backbone of various applications that make decisions affecting people’s lives, such as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/tutoring-firm-settles-us-agencys-first-bias-lawsuit-involving-ai-software-2023-08-10/">resume filtering</a>, <a href="https://www.open-communities.org/post/press-release-open-communities-reaches-accord-in-case-addressing-artificial-intelligence-communicat">rental applications</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/23/uk-officials-use-ai-to-decide-on-issues-from-benefits-to-marriage-licences">social benefits applications</a>. </p>
<p>For years, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241363/weapons-of-math-destruction-by-cathy-oneil/">AI researchers have been warning</a> that these models learn not only “good” statistical associations — such as considering experience as a desired property for a job candidate — but also “bad” statistical associations, such as considering <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1MK0AG/">women as less qualified for tech positions</a>. </p>
<p>As LLMs are increasingly used for automating such processes, one can imagine that the North American bias learned by these models can result in discrimination against people from diverse cultures. Lack of cultural awareness may lead to AI perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing societal inequalities. </p>
<h2>LLMs for languages other than English</h2>
<p>Developing LLMs for languages other than English is an <a href="https://txt.cohere.com/aya-multilingual/">important effort</a>, and many such models exist. However, there are several reasons why this should be done in parallel to improving LLMs’ cultural awareness and sensitivity. </p>
<p>First, there is a huge population of English speakers outside of North America who are not represented by English LLMs. The same argument holds for other languages. A French language model would be representative of the culture in France more than the culture in other Francophone regions. </p>
<p>Training LLMs for regional dialects — which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2012.05.007">may capture finer-grained cultural differences</a> — is not a feasible solution either. The quality of LLMs is based on the amount of data available, and as such, their quality would be worse for dialects with little online data. </p>
<p>Second, many users whose native language is not English still choose to use English LLMs. Significant breakthroughs in language technologies tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2022.emnlp-main.351">start with English before they are applied to other languages</a>. Even then, many languages — such as Welsh, Swahili and Bengali — don’t have enough text online to train high quality models. </p>
<p>Due to either a lack of availability of LLMs in their native languages, or superior quality of the English LLMs, users from diverse countries and backgrounds may prefer to use English LLMs. </p>
<h2>Ways forward</h2>
<p>Our research group at the University of British Columbia is working on enhancing LLMs with culturally diverse knowledge. Together with graduate student <a href="https://meharbhatia.github.io/">Mehar Bhatia</a>, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2023.emnlp-main.496">trained an AI model</a> on a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3543507.3583535">collection of facts about traditions and concepts in diverse cultures</a>. </p>
<p>Before reading these facts, the AI suggested that a person eating a dutch baby (a type of German pancake) is “disgusting and mean,” and would feel guilty. After training, it said the person feels “full and satisfied.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a pancake covered in berries" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574866/original/file-20240212-21-lmr4xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teaching an AI that a dutch baby was a dish changed its response to learning that someone had consumed one.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We are currently collecting a large scale image captioning dataset with images from 60 cultures, which will help models learn, for instance, about types of breakfasts other than bacon and eggs. Our future research will go beyond teaching models about the existence of culturally diverse concepts to better understand how people interpret the world through the lens of their cultures.</p>
<p>With AI tools becoming increasingly ubiquitous in society, it is imperative that they go beyond the dominating western and North American perspectives. Businesses and organizations throughout many sectors of the economy are adopting AI to automate manual processes and make better evidence-informed decisions using data. Making such tools more inclusive is crucial for the diverse population of Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vered Shwartz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The use of large language models like ChatGPT is growing globally. These technologies are trained on datasets that recreate biases — as their use increases, their datasets must become more diverse.Vered Shwartz, Assistant Professor, Computer science, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2214662024-02-07T21:17:33Z2024-02-07T21:17:33ZEndangered by the 49th Parallel: How political boundaries inhibit effective conservation<p>Canada is wasting scarce resources conserving species that are not endangered elsewhere.</p>
<p>Some Canadian scientists advocate for conservation efforts to focus on species unique to this country, while others argue for a more global focus. However, most ignore the fact that the U.S. – Canada border creates endangered species.</p>
<p>Scientists preserve their objectivity by excluding politics from their research. The truth is, however, that conservation science can’t help being geopolitical. We must consider the global context when designing Canadian endangered species, and biodiversity, protections.</p>
<h2>Time for a chat about Chats</h2>
<p>Take the <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat/id">Yellow-breasted Chat</a>, a <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Warbler/overview">charismatic warbler</a> <a href="https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2019&sL=e&sB=YBCH&sM=p1">listed as Endangered under the (Canadian) federal Species at Risk Act (SARA)</a>. The Canadian fragment of the Southern Mountain subspecies survives in a handful of sites in B.C. along the Okanagan and Similkameen rivers. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/plans/rs_yellow-breasted_chat_auricollis_southern_mountain_pop_e_final.pdf">2014 federal Action Plan estimated</a> the entire B.C. population to be 170 <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/breeding-pair">breeding pairs</a>. According to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22722057/138772425">International Union for Conservation (IUCN) Red List</a>, though, the global population is around 17 million across North America. </p>
<p>As a result the Chat’s status is “least concern”, the lowest in the IUCN ranking.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bird sings on a branch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574129/original/file-20240207-26-6mn8al.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Yellow-breasted Chat is found throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the majority populations found in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>The federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/yellow-breasted-chat-2011.html">says</a> the Southern Mountain subspecies “occurs at the northern edge of its range in Canada” as a peripheral to the huge American core population. </p>
<p>In other words, the Yellow-breasted Chat is listed as endangered in Canada because, in 1846, the British accepted that the <a href="https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-49th-parallel-our-defining-line/">border with the U.S. should lie at the 49th parallel</a>. </p>
<h2>Endangered, or not?</h2>
<p>The question then is, should conservation efforts be dedicated to tiny Canadian populations of otherwise healthy species? </p>
<p><a href="https://soscp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Yellow-breasted-Chat.pdf">Elder Richard Armstrong’s traditional story</a> illuminates why the Chat, which his people call xʷaʔɬqʷiləm’ (whaa-th-quil lem), matters to the transboundary Nsyilxcən speaking Peoples. This story is an example of the cultural values that always <a href="https://doi.org/10.7208/9780226358338-006">shape</a> conservation laws, both in Canada and around the world, and which provide good reasons for legal protection even of treasured peripheral populations. The First Nation’s special care for the Chat, in turn, makes it more likely that COSEWIC’s listing will help. </p>
<p>Not in every case, though. In <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/h13010038">our recent study</a> on the conservation status of transboundary mammal species in Canada and the U.S., Cardiff University doctoral student Sarah Raymond, Sarah Perkins from the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, and I, found just six species — including the polar bear, wood bison and two species of right whale — were listed by both COSEWIC and U.S. authorities. </p>
<p>Of 20 transboundary species listed in just one country, 17 were listed only in Canada. Fourteen of those were, like the chat, ‘Least Concern’ globally, while just one bat species, Myotis lucifugus, was universally assessed as endangered. </p>
<p>Other research supports our findings. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12430">recent study found</a> that 22 per cent of those species that straddled the U.S.-Canada border were only protected on one side – almost always in Canada. The authors, though, take it for granted that peripheral populations deserve to have high conservation status. </p>
<p>Another <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.03.001">study scored</a> 729 COSEWIC-listed species, subspecies and <a href="https://biologydictionary.net/population/">populations</a> to assess the global context of these conservation measures. The study questions the fact that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In many cases, … subspecies units (e.g. twelve kinds of caribou) and peripheral populations of globally secure species are being given high priority, while endemic and globally endangered species are neglected.” </p>
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<p>Sometimes isolated populations, like the <a href="https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/esr.do?id=17481">fishers</a> of the Columbia region, are valued because they are genetically distinctive, but these should be rare exceptions. Instead, Canada has so many peripheral populations marooned on the wrong side of the border that Fred Bunnell, a UBC forest ecologist, named the phenomenon <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/plants-animals-and-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/species-at-risk-documents/cf_primer.pdf">“jurisdictional rarity.”</a> Bunnell argued that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Efforts to conserve species that are locally rare but globally common often ignore the ecologically marginal nature of habitat and population. They engage in a fight with nature.” </p>
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<h2>Overcoming jurisdictional rarity</h2>
<p>I live in one of the skinny fragments of shrub steppe that snake up from the Columbia plateau in the U.S. through Osoyoos to Kamloops — an area which seems purpose-built for jurisdictional rarity. </p>
<p>Take the burrowing owl, a ground-nesting raptor with a vexed facial expression. </p>
<p>The bird, <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/plants-animals-and-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/brochures/burrowing_owl.pdf">while protected in B.C. since 2004</a>, is mostly absent from the province. Meanwhile, the IUCN’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689353/93227732">range map</a> for the burrowing owl (Least Concern), stretches from Alberta to Argentina. </p>
<p>B.C. has <a href="https://www.burrowingowlbc.org/">spent considerable resources reintroducing</a> the owl within the province. Ecologists might defend its role as a grasslands predator, and British Columbians might, given the choice, like to have the charming bird species thrive in the province. However, this choice, which is arguably ‘a fight with nature’, is never presented as a political one. </p>
<p>Public information about endangered species dodges jurisdictional rarity, leaving decisions to scientists and bureaucrats. </p>
<h2>Reframing the conversation</h2>
<p>Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (OESA) was <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12483">lauded by conservationists</a> because, unlike SARA, it gave scientists the power to impose automatic listing with no political interference. </p>
<p>Doug Ford’s government defanged OESA with its <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-108">More Homes, More Choice Act in 2019</a>, though it did include a sensible requirement that the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) consider jurisdictional rarity.</p>
<p>Scientists opposed to Ford’s pandering to property developers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0064">want the legislation restored to its former glory</a>, meaning COSSARO would list species “based on their status solely in Ontario, as was formerly done.” But why? </p>
<p>Over-listing shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Scientists may feel protective towards Canadian populations they know and love, but citizens won’t want limited resources wasted on conservation of un-endangered species. Scientific and political processes <a href="https://sierraclub.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/Species-at-risk-Recovery-Report-Brief_0.pdf">gummed up</a> with peripheral species make it less likely that critically imperilled species will be saved. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/environmental-laws-in-canada-fall-short-of-addressing-the-ongoing-biodiversity-crisis-162983">Environmental laws in Canada fall short of addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis</a>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2018-0042">Some biologists claim</a> that effective conservation needs tough laws that put scientists alone in charge of listing and protection (on public land, at least). I would argue, though, that legitimacy, not coercive power, is the most precious commodity in conservation. </p>
<p>Social science research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.11.014">shows that most Canadians, regardless of background, want species protected</a>, yet their support — vital in a vast nation like Canada — is fragile. It <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26269957">depends on a belief</a> that listing processes are democratically legitimate, and that listed species deserve protection. </p>
<p>Where good reasons exist to protect peripheral species, those arguments should be public and open to debate. </p>
<p>My field — environmental humanities — is generally better at asking awkward questions than proposing solutions. In this case, though, I have a simple recommendation: new conservation laws, such as B.C. is <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/biodiversity-habitat-management/draft_biodiversity_and_ecosystem_health_framework.pdf">considering</a>, should require that peripheral species be identified transparently, using agreed definitions, as ‘endangered in B.C.’, or ‘threatened in Canada’. If it does, I would vote for conservation of Okanagan chats regardless.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221466/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Greg Garrard's research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant no. 435-2020-1220. Sarah Raymond's research visit to UBC Okanagan was funded by UKRI-MITACS Globalink. </span></em></p>Canada is wasting resources, and legitimacy, conserving species that are not endangered elsewhere. Transparent cross-border considerations should inform all new conservation laws.Greg Garrard, Professor of Environmental Humanities, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180962024-02-06T14:23:24Z2024-02-06T14:23:24ZWomen fishers in Makoko, Lagos’s ‘floating slum’, are struggling as breadwinners: education and funding would make a difference<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569612/original/file-20240116-29-azy84l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C0%2C6000%2C3907&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Makoko women fish traders waiting to buy fish from fishermen. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/picture-taken-on-march-2-2019-shows-women-waiting-to-buy-news-photo/1193942119">Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Makoko, a coastal fishing community in Lagos, Nigeria, was <a href="http://participedia.prod.s3.amazonaws.com/25e8cc0d-6da8-4364-a9aa-f1e994725030_SlumSettlementsRegenerationinLagosMega-city-anOverviewofaWaterfront.pdf">established</a> by fishermen in the 19th century. It is considered the world’s largest “floating slum”. There are conflicting figures about its population but it is home to about <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/26/africa/nigeria-makoko-mapping-intl/index.html">a million</a> inhabitants living in poor and informal housing built on the Lagos Lagoon. </p>
<p>The main economic activities are fishing, sand dredging and salt making. Men in Makoko are mostly fishers. Some women also fish; others trade fresh or smoked fish or process other people’s catches. </p>
<p>The incentives distributed in Makoko by the government (such as fishing nets and powered engines) go <a href="https://sipanews.org/makoko-fisherwomen-seek-gender-equality/">mostly to the men</a>. </p>
<p>I was interested in how the women managed to keep their businesses going without much education, information or financial support. Understanding this could be useful in designing ways to help them, and others like them, to improve their lives.</p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08920753.2022.2022969">study</a> of the livelihood strategies, lived experiences and prospects of women in the Makoko fishing community found that their contributions to artisanal fisheries were rarely appreciated. Though most of them were breadwinners, they got little or no institutional or cultural support. Those who were married often had to hide their income from their partners. Access to capital to fund their businesses was limited. They depended on the local thrift collection system, called Ajo in the Yoruba language, to bank and save money. </p>
<p>I suggest that social capital and social networks are therefore the entry points for any interventions to help the women, such as literacy programmes and access to credit. Men also need to be part of the solutions.</p>
<h2>Surviving challenges that keep Makoko women down</h2>
<p>One hundred women in the Otodo Gbame and Oko Agbon fishing communities within Makoko and the nearby Asejere fish market participated in the study. </p>
<p>The education levels of the women interviewed ranged from no formal education to 12 academic years (secondary education). None had tertiary education. Among the women with no formal education, 51% were fisherwomen, 30% were fish processors, and 19% were fish traders.</p>
<p>Our study also revealed that most of the women were poor. Their working capital was as little as 50,000 naira (US$139). </p>
<p>The majority lived separately from their husbands. This was due to their partners being at sea or in a different fishing settlement, or because they were in polygamous relationships. </p>
<p>The women reported often being bullied by their husbands to hand over their money, or having to hide it from them. Mama Ola, a trader in Asejere fish market, shared her mother’s experience: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>My father often came to Asejere fish market to fiercely demand money for feeding from my mother and if he was not given, he would become hysterical, shouting at her in the local market, and on rare occasions he flogged her when she got home.</p>
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<p>Most of the women were financially constrained by inadequate working capital to pursue their fish business and insufficient state support. They lacked market information about cost, demand and supply of fish products. Contributing factors were low literacy levels and a lack of confidence in managing their finances.</p>
<p>Some relied on credit support from “fish mammies”: wealthier women who own equipment, or are wholesalers, creditors or intermediaries.</p>
<p>Women fisherfolk who could not access bank loans to expand their businesses also relied on local thrift collectors, called Alajo. The Alajo manage informal savings and loan groups. About 85% of the respondents belonged to and obtained their working capital from these groups. </p>
<p>Ajo group initiatives are mostly found in south-western Nigeria. They provide flexible opportunities to deposit money and to obtain credit at any time of the year. In one of the focus group discussions, a woman fish trader recounted how she safeguarded her earnings through ajo: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>My husband becomes more caring and very romantic every Saturday evening because he thinks I will bring a huge amount of money home after my weekly fish sales. I disappoint him by keeping my money with the local saver.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The study also revealed other difficulties the women faced: the depletion of fish stocks due to sand dredging; and fluctuating income based on fishing seasons. </p>
<h2>Pathways that can work for Makoko women fisherfolk</h2>
<p>The study identified pathways which could enhance resilience and reduce poverty. </p>
<p>Social capital and social networks can be entry points for policy advocacy and intervention. Formal and informal cooperatives or associations could be registered, making it easier to get recognition and support from the state. For this to work effectively, members would have to follow their cooperative’s particular social values, objectives and rules about loan repayment.</p>
<p>This requires the active participation of members in running the group and knowledge of financial management and book-keeping. </p>
<p>To empower the women economically, their literacy level must increase. Women can be targeted through adult literacy classes supported by the state or NGOs. </p>
<p>It is also important for women to benefit from assistance and empowerment programmes for micro and small-scale enterprises provided by the state or private sector. For example, I have observed a <a href="https://www.undp.org/nigeria">UN Development Programme</a> which succeeded in boosting agricultural productivity by providing skills training to women. An indirect option would be to use the Alajo as vehicles to create better access to financial services for the fisherfolk. This has been done for <a href="https://edepot.wur.nl/168049">women fish traders in Ibaka</a>, Delta State. </p>
<p>Improving access to financial capital and the social well-being of women fisherfolk should also focus on the limiting or harmful gender norms and relations deeply rooted in culture. Gradual changes must go beyond focusing on women alone. </p>
<p>Engaging both women and men is necessary to understand and adopt new perspectives. This will have better, long-lasting outcomes for fisheries and for the people who depend on them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ayodele Oloko receives funding from Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) -German Academic Exchange Service. </span></em></p>Women in Makoko, a floating slum in Nigeria, face challenges funding their fish trade. Literacy and financial inclusion programmes can make a difference.Ayodele Oloko, Researcher, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2218612024-01-30T23:08:05Z2024-01-30T23:08:05ZHere are some dos and don’ts to help tackle ableism<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/here-are-some-dos-and-donts-to-help-tackle-ableism" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When we met each other in Grade 11 in Alberta, we were far from the typical high school success story. Heidi has cerebral palsy and was seen as too disabled for regular schools, and Michelle was a chronic truant and an activist. </p>
<p>Soon, we became friends and made a pact to get our doctorates, which we did. Over the past three decades, we have researched, taught classes and given talks on disability and ableism. </p>
<p>Throughout the course of our careers and lived experiences, we have seen the daily ableism people living with disabilities contend with. As professors of education and disability ethics, we have put together the following list of dos and don’ts. </p>
<h2>The dos</h2>
<p><strong>1. Listen to feedback even if you’d rather not.</strong>
Giving people feedback on <a href="https://www.talilalewis.com/blog/working-definition-of-ableism-january-2022-update">ableism</a> isn’t our idea of a good time, but we’d like a society that isn’t ableist. Try to be mindful and understanding when someone tells you that your <a href="https://theconversation.com/disability-and-dignity-4-things-to-think-about-if-you-want-to-help-198993">words or actions are not helpful</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2. Listen to how people identify themselves.</strong>
Some disabled people use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-618X.2001.tb00967.x">identity-first language</a>: “I am disabled.” Others might use people-first language: “I am a person with disabilities.” This is a personal and political choice. The same goes for titles. When we teach, we use Dr. Janz instead of Heidi because it is often challenging for students and colleagues to see Dr. Janz as having academic expertise.</p>
<p><strong>3. Think about how often disability is used to denote something negative or as an insult.</strong>
Here are a few we’ve heard recently: blind to it, blindspot, deaf to it, schizo, manic, lame or when talking about a person who was challenging organizational norms as “definitely autistic.” </p>
<p><strong>4. Think about how you can be more inclusive of people with disabilities.</strong>
Excluding or minimizing the experiences of disabled individuals often leads to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00520">flawed research</a>, policy and <a href="https://www.c-q-l.org/resources/articles/most-disability-professionals-are-ableist/">education</a> of future professionals. It’s essential to integrate critical work by disability scholars for ethically sound, and socially relevant research and education.</p>
<p><strong>5. Commit to fair compensation.</strong>
We can’t tell you how many times it has been assumed that Michelle should be paid but that Heidi is happy as a clam to do work for free. Disabled people deserve compensation for their work like everyone else. </p>
<p>Their costs are often far higher than those of someone who does not travel with a personal care attendant and needs to use accessible transportation and accommodation — <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canadian-cities-accessibility-disabilities-research-calgary-ottawa-vancouver-1.7043923">when it is available</a>. But even if they didn’t need any of these things, the assumption disabled people should work for less or for free is downright insulting.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/working-from-home-has-worked-for-people-with-disability-the-back-to-the-office-push-could-wind-back-gains-209870">Working from home has worked for people with disability. The back-to-the-office push could wind back gains</a>
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<p><strong>6. Challenge the notion that people are better off dead.</strong>
Despite the opposition of major disability rights groups in Canada and concerns expressed by <a href="https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=26002">United Nations special rapporteurs on the rights of persons with disabilities</a>, Canada promised to expand Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/surge-in-medically-assisted-deaths-under-canada-s-maid-program-outpaces-every-other-country/article_29028f96-bc6b-11ee-8f67-03bf29ac7d34.html">people with mental health challenges</a>. </p>
<p>The expansion of MAID to include individuals with mental illness is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/medical-assistance-in-dying-mental-illness-delay-1.7098313">likely to be postponed</a> following more testimonies from mental health experts and advocates arguing that MAID as a solution for mental illness is problematic, especially considering the high number of people who are unhoused, living in poverty and unable to access supports including mental health and addiction treatment services. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/liks62ZcMK0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Heidi Janz providing expert testimony on MAID and ableism to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in November 2020.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>7. Understand the impact of your government’s policies on disabled people.</strong>
The UN estimates that about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liks62ZcMK0">9.7 million</a> people with disabilities are displaced because of conflict and war. The late associate professor of English, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/734125/landbridge-by-y-dang-troeung/9781039008762">Y-Dang Troeung</a>, and gender, race, sexuality and social justice professor <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-right-to-maim">Jasbir Puar</a> are two scholars who examine how ableism, racism and geopolitics connect.</p>
<p><strong>8. Think about who you see as leaders and why.</strong>
Democracy is founded on representation. <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/statcan-8-million-people-27-of-canadians-have-at-least-1-disability-1.6675303">Twenty-seven per cent of Canadians identify as having a disability</a>. Consider what government, workplaces, health care, education and the justice system would look and feel like if a commitment to dismantling ableism was a priority.</p>
<h2>The don’ts</h2>
<p><strong>1. Don’t tell disabled people you are their voice.</strong>
Watch the power tripping that comes with assuming you are a voice for a group you are not a part of, including disability. Is it that you are speaking for the voiceless? Or for people with clear voices about what needs to change — based on their lived experience and expertise — who are being ignored? Voices come in many forms — text, story, art, music, screams of frustration, love and laughter. </p>
<p>Similarly, don’t ask a disabled person to speak for all disabled people. Not all disabled people will agree with each other, just as not all individuals in any group share the same opinions. Learn to listen. </p>
<p><strong>2. Don’t ask disabled people and other structurally marginalized groups to be patient.</strong>
Consider what it is like for disabled people asking for the basics of life, such as accessible housing, education, health care and food security, to constantly be told to be patient while others decide what they think is best for you. It’s important to clarify that the issue does not lie with frontline staff, who are often overstretched and underpaid, but rather with the fair distribution of public resources to include disabled people.</p>
<p><strong>3. Don’t assume disabled people aspire to be your inspiration.</strong>
Telling someone you don’t know how they do it or that you just wouldn’t cope if disabled might seem harmless, but consider how such comments might sound to a disabled person. How should a person, who might view their life as pretty enjoyable, respond to a comment that assumes it is actually pretty awful? </p>
<p><strong>4. Don’t assume you know what a person’s quality of life is.</strong>
Dr. Janz, for example, always needs an advocate with her when in the hospital because, too often, those paid to care for her assume she wants to be a DNR (do not resuscitate). <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/09/patients-mental-illness-learning-disabilities-given-do-not-resuscitate/">Ableism is life-threatening</a>.</p>
<p><strong>5. Don’t displace your discomfort onto disabled people.</strong>
It is okay to be uncomfortable when you can’t understand someone’s speech, or you don’t understand why they are twirling or rocking back and forth. What isn’t okay is to blame disabled people for your discomfort. </p>
<p>Ableism goes beyond individual fear or prejudice. It influences who we see as having a life worth living and who is seen as a burden. That, in turn, impacts our practices and policies. We all have a role to play in challenging ableism, which may sometimes leave us feeling awkward or unsure if we’re doing and saying the right things. But, to our knowledge being awkward isn’t deadly. Ableism too often is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221861/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People with disabilities contend with daily challenges and ableism. Here are some dos and don'ts to help you be more mindful of those living with a disability.Michelle Stack, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Studies, University of British ColumbiaHeidi L. Janz, Associate Adjunct Professor of Disability Ethics, John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2204592024-01-29T23:20:17Z2024-01-29T23:20:17ZWhat’s unsettling about Catan: How board games uphold colonial narratives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567624/original/file-20240102-19-2tzi0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C254%2C5121%2C3165&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Catan experienced a revival over the pandemic. However, the most potent and painful relationship between Catan and our world today remains largely unexamined.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/whats-unsettling-about-catan-how-board-games-uphold-colonial-narratives" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The death of <a href="https://www.catan.com/catan-fans/news/we-mourn-passing-klaus-teuber">Klaus Teuber, creator of popular board game Catan</a>, marked the passing of a board game giant. </p>
<p>Teuber died on April 1, 2023, after a brief illness. The German-born <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65194096">dental technician-turned-game designer</a> invented the game, originally called Settlers of Catan, in 1995 while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/05/business/klaus-teuber-dead.html">managing a dental lab</a>. That same year <a href="https://www.polygon.com/23669496/settlers-of-catan-creator-klaus-teuber-dead-70-obituary">Catan won</a> one of board gaming’s most prestigious awards, the German <a href="https://www.polygon.com/22583960/spiel-des-jahres-2020-winner-micromacro-crime-city-in-stock">Spiel des Jahres</a>.</p>
<p>He once recalled in an interview <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/08/07/897271885/families-stuck-at-home-turn-to-board-game-catan-sending-sales-skyrocketing">how the idea began to percolate in 1963 as an 11-year-old in post-war Germany</a>. According to Teuber, Catan was <a href="https://www.polygon.com/23669496/settlers-of-catan-creator-klaus-teuber-dead-70-obituary">inspired by tales of Viking exploration</a>, and it places players together on a remote island, where they must competitively collect and cultivate territory through resource extraction, trade and expansion by building roads and settlement.</p>
<p>Since 1995, the game has sold <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65194096">more than 40 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages</a>. It fundamentally changed the board game industry, with dozens of spinoffs and new editions, including electronic versions.</p>
<p>In 2010, <em>The Washington Post</em> named Settlers of Catan the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR2010112404140.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_13">“board game of our time,”</a> and this is true in many regards. For example, during the early months of the pandemic, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898853332/sales-of-settlers-of-catan-skyrocket-during-coronavirus-crisis">Catan experienced a revival as sales skyrocketed</a>.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, however, the most potent and painful relationship between Catan and our world today remains largely unexamined.</p>
<h2>Settler colonialism</h2>
<p>In interviews, Teuber said he started creating games in the 1980s to help deal with the stress of his dental career. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-man-who-built-catan">“I developed games to escape,” he said. “This was my own world I created.”</a> The Settlers of Catan — <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/6/23/8661435/the-settlers-of-catan-has-a-new-name-new-look-for-5th-edition">renamed Catan</a> in 2015 — wasn’t really Teuber’s own world, it was a <a href="https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/bgs-2020-0004">playable version of the American dream</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man wearing a suit holds the Settlers of Catan board game. The game map is on a table in front of him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567612/original/file-20240102-25-uqfy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Klaus Teuber presents his game The Settlers of Catan in September 1995, in Frankfurt, Germany. Teuber created of the hugely popular board game in which players compete to build settlements on a fictional island.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer, File)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ultimately, through a set of game mechanics that motivates resource extraction in the name of settling a supposed empty land, the connection between the in-game narrative and the political histories of North America and other parts of the world is clear. As historian Lorenzo Veracini says, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/18380743.2013.761941">“the Settlers of Catan is really about settler colonialism.”</a></p>
<p>The success of Catan also codified a certain kind of game play that has similarly proliferated worldwide, one that’s invested in the specific historical, economic and political factors of settler colonialism.</p>
<p>This gaming rhetoric quickly began to shape the game mechanics and narrative strategies of not only European games but also <a href="https://edspace.american.edu/davidsonwilbourne/colonial-discourse-and-cultural-memory-in-eurogames/">global tabletop gaming culture</a>.</p>
<p>The Settlers of Catan was not the first time a board game touched on colonial or imperialist discourses. Risk, invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957, is an early example of how <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/material-game-studies-9781350202719/">discourses of conquest emerged in tabletop games</a>.</p>
<p>Here, players conquer their enemies’ territories by building an army, moving their troops in and engaging in battle. </p>
<p>However, because players in Catan explicitly take on the roles of settlers, this particular board game’s engagement in the rhetoric of settler colonialism set new precedents. And unfortunately, games that incorporate colonial histories and strategies into their narratives or game mechanic normalize these discourses through their status as a popular pastime.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The board game risk with game pieces on a map of the world." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569422/original/file-20240115-25-qshucb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Risk, originally released in 1957, is an early example of how discourses of conquest emerged in tabletop games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Decolonizing gameplay</h2>
<p>Since 1995, board games have continued to include themes of settler colonialism, with several games published globally that even concretely engage Indigenous presence during and after their first contact with colonial powers. </p>
<p>In these games, Indigenous identity, history, culture and sovereignty emerge as essential elements of world-building and game mechanics. In the game <a href="https://www.laboitedejeu.fr/en/neta-tanka/">Neta-Tanka</a>, for example, the Frostrivers tribe dwells along the Great Frozen River in harmony with nature, obeying the laws of the Four Elders and in turn, guided by the most venerable of the Elders, the Neta-Tanka.</p>
<p>However, these features often merge or misrepresent Indigenous cultures and traditions in problematic ways. <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/260201/manitoba">In the board game Manitoba</a>, players become clan leaders of the Cree tribe and try to become the chieftain of them all. But the iconography associated with this already problematic playable version of Indigenous resource management and spiritual guidance are totem poles, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-board-game-controversy-1.4816975">which are not part of the cultures of Indigenous Peoples in Manitoba</a>.</p>
<p>These games seek to create a compelling story at the expense of Indigenous traditional knowledge and contemporary lived experience, ignoring the contribution of Indigenous voices through consultation while missing opportunities to engage concretely with issues that impact global Indigenous Peoples.</p>
<p>At the same time, a small group of Indigenous designers and board game enthusiasts have begun to develop counter-discourses through board game development. Board game designer and <a href="https://www.harrisburgu.edu/about/our-people/faculty-staff/gregory-loring-albright/">Assistant Professor of Interactive Media Greg Loring-Albright</a> has shown with <a href="https://analoggamestudies.org/2015/11/the-first-nations-of-catan-practices-in-critical-modification/">First Nations of Catan</a> that it is possible to modify and decolonize gameplay by drawing attention to issues of Indigenous sovereignty.</p>
<p>Another excellent example of this is <a href="https://radiussfu.com/sinulkhay-and-ladders/">Sínulkhay and Ladders</a> by <a href="https://nahaneecreative.com/bio">Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee</a>, a Squamish decolonizing facilitator, creative director and Indigenous changemaker.</p>
<p>The design is based on Snakes and Ladders, but its goal is to teach players how to decolonize their actions and decision-making processes. </p>
<p>Similarly, the recent successes of the role-playing game <a href="https://coyoteandcrow.net/">Coyote and Crow</a>, by game designer Connor Alexander, and the board game <a href="http://nunamigame.com/index.php/en/">Nunami</a>, by Inuk graphic designer Thomassie Mangiok, demonstrate that board games can make valuable contributions to Indigenous self-representation in popular culture.</p>
<p>Players can also help to support Indigenous voices in the global game industry. For example, <a href="https://shop.pemetawe.com/">Pe Metawe Games</a> is an Indigenous-owned tabletop board game and roleplaying game store located on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton. They are dedicated to creating an inclusive space for anyone to enjoy the hobby.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220459/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Biz Nijdam does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Settlers of Catan codified a certain kind of game play based on the history of settler colonialism.Biz Nijdam, Assistant Professor, Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2203542024-01-29T18:13:31Z2024-01-29T18:13:31ZSpending too much time online? Try these helpful tips to improve your digital wellness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570536/original/file-20240122-20-unwge5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C0%2C7518%2C3301&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Impacts of excessive use of digital technologies range from physical problems to emotional concerns.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/spending-too-much-time-online-try-these-helpful-tips-to-improve-your-digital-wellness" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Using digital platforms is increasingly the only option to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26069191">manage our daily lives</a>, from filling out forms at the doctor’s office or government offices to ordering food, booking a cab, paying taxes, banking, shopping or dating. Often, people are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780419857734">coerced into using apps or online platforms</a> by the absence of any other options.</p>
<p>Our social lives are equally entrenched in social media platforms. While the availability of services and opportunities on digital platforms may offer easier access or create an impression of wider connections, it also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaa024">potentially harms our wellbeing</a>. </p>
<p>The adverse <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67716-9_13">impacts of digital use have grown since the pandemic</a>, as social isolation has increased dependence on these technologies. Impacts of excessive use of digital technologies range from physical problems such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12798">increasing eye strain or dry eye</a> to emotional concerns such as social media dependence. This in turn could trigger mental health issues due to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.06.020">online comparison and trolling</a>. </p>
<p>Other effects of platform dependence involve data privacy concerns with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3297646">artificial intelligence</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2019-0008">digital fraud</a>. Likewise, social media comes with <a href="https://highlandrambler.org/5563/feature/peer-pressure-is-now-global-thanks-to-social-media/">peer pressure</a>, including the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21611">fear of missing out</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.5152/eurasianjmed.2020.19076">social ostracism</a> for not following digital trends. These affect our physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. </p>
<p>Recognizing and managing digital problems can improve our digital wellbeing. </p>
<p>For some, <a href="https://www.compass.info/news/article/what-is-digital-autonomy-and-why-is-it-important/">digital autonomy</a> refers to being in charge of personal data or having the right to withdraw consent from digital platforms. For others, it may be the ability to turn away from digital use and access non-digital options. </p>
<h2>Digital independence</h2>
<p>Choosing to reduce or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0578">eliminate the use of digital platforms</a> might seem like a feasible option. However, the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4216">coercive nature</a> of these systems limits the availability of non-digital alternatives. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/11/in-canadas-battle-with-big-tech-smaller-publishers-are-caught-in-the-crossfire">Meta’s refusal to share Canadian news media content</a> had real impacts, highlighting people’s dependence on platforms for important news.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-canadian-wildfires-rage-facebooks-news-ban-reveals-the-importance-of-radio-211966">As Canadian wildfires rage, Facebook's news ban reveals the importance of radio</a>
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<p>The question of our autonomy as digital users is complex, as seen in the current conversation around <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tdsb-potential-new-cell-ban-policy-1.7054538">smartphone use and its potential ban</a> in classrooms. This touches on issues such as the relationship between self-regulation and government regulation. </p>
<p>Another example emerges in the choices of how schools integrate digital learning — access versus screen time for example. Schools sometimes provide devices to students, and although this bridges the digital divide, it raises the question of whether students should be constantly available on digital devices? </p>
<p>What alternatives can there be to digital platforms? How can we create an environment with varied choices while providing non-digital alternatives to accommodate individuals prone to digital addiction? Conversely, how might individuals averse to digital platforms or those lacking digital accessibility avail non-digital opportunities?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two men sit on a bench, both looking at their mobile phones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570540/original/file-20240122-27-5b0srw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Online platforms can offer opportunities for connection, but can also impact personal relationships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Achieving balance</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/your-well-being-more-than-just-a-state-of-mind-201303065957">Wellbeing comprises of creating a pleasant flow in all areas of life</a> including physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6480">Digital risks</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10080279">digital overload</a> can have detrimental effects on different areas of life including interpersonal relationships, productivity, sleep patterns and the quality of life. </p>
<p>Wellbeing in the digital space largely depends on how we navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by technology. This could mean taking actions like monitoring screen-time, refraining from random scrolling, partaking in offline activities and understanding the risks of digital overuse. </p>
<p>Focusing on balanced and ethical use of technology while addressing the potential negative consequences can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100436">help deflect negative impacts</a>.</p>
<p>Yet there are larger roles and responsibilities for platform creators and government bodies to protect us from digital dependence, such as offering non-digital options. While we do not yet have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951715621569">complete agency over our data privacy</a>, we can gain agency over our digital usage by encouraging opportunities for non-digital alternatives. </p>
<h2>Tools for digital wellbeing</h2>
<p>To manage digital dependence and overload, service providers can offer non-digital options. Engaging with technology without becoming dependent on it can contribute to physical, psychological, social and financial wellbeing. Incorporating some daily practices, creating new digital habits, and striking a <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300227017/mindful-tech/">healthy balance</a> between digital use and non-use can support wellbeing. </p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101778">Tracking</a></strong>
Paying attention to our daily digital usage and monitoring screen time helps us understand how, why and when we get drawn to our devices. Using the devices purposefully may assist in finding alternative activities.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/df688b33737c61643c01154dbc2d4fed/1">Taking screen breaks</a></strong>
Turning off notifications or completely switching off for some time each day encourages us to take notice of the surroundings. </p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221105428">Creating a digital curfew</a></strong>
Setting up a specific cut-off time for digital devices some hours before bedtime can improve sleep hygiene.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-022-00747-x">Tech-free days</a></strong>
Assigning a day in a week or month which is tech-free helps to unplug digitally, limit digital dependence and help regain a sense of autonomy. </p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445076">Assigning a specific space for devices</a></strong>
Allotting a space for all devices helps to keep them away from certain areas of the home which are meant for rest.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="someone sitting cross-legged on a forest floor holding green leaves" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570537/original/file-20240122-27-nzm0px.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spending time offline and in nature can help improve a sense of wellbeing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/6/141">Nature-based activities</a></strong>
Spending time in nature, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-015-0614-7">yoga</a> and relaxation offer several health benefits. Likewise, practising <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.006">mindfulness</a> helps reconnect with present surroundings.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.022">Forming offline social connections</a></strong>
Staying away from digital devices while meeting friends in person can curb digital usage and bolster social connections. </p>
<p><strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865814521224">Being wary of digital red flags</a></strong>
Learning how to identify a scam and validating websites before making online payments helps to avoid financial scams. Similarly, exercising due diligence when navigating online sites and social media platforms can help avert falling prey to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49570-1_24">cat-fishing</a> which can lead to both emotional and financial losses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220354/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mary Lynn Young receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bindiya Dutt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The growing absence of non-digital alternatives to everyday tasks, like government services and health care, is contributing to digital dependence. This, in turn, affects people’s wellbeing.Bindiya Dutt, Doctoral Candidate, Media and Communication, University of StavangerMary Lynn Young, Professor, School of Journalism, Writing and Media, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2183172024-01-28T13:53:44Z2024-01-28T13:53:44ZSport and physical activity alone can’t tackle health inequities in Indigenous communities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571313/original/file-20240124-17-du4die.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C40%2C6679%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">While there are many benefits to sports participation, overstating those benefits can obscure systemic issues.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/sport-and-physical-activity-alone-cant-tackle-health-inequities-in-indigenous-communities" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Organized sport is often positioned as a remedy for the many health issues that Indigenous Peoples face. While there are many benefits to sports participation, overstating those benefits risks obscuring the systemic problems they endure in trying to create their own visions for health.</p>
<p>While <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.51">research indicates that encouraging youth to be engaged in sport and physical activity</a> is essential for improving health outcomes, the relationship between sport participation and health in Indigenous communities is not so simple.</p>
<p>For instance, a recent literature review by the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health calls attention to a significant policy problem: <a href="https://www.nccih.ca/Publications/lists/Publications/Attachments/ISR/Indigenous_Sports_and_Recreation_EN_Web_2022-01-27.pdf">Indigenous youth are more physically active than non-Indigenous youth, and yet they self-report poorer health outcomes</a>. </p>
<p>This illustrates why using sport participation as a policymaking lodestar for affecting positive health outcomes is troublesome. Sport has historically failed to address the systemic issues that burden Indigenous Peoples and their communities. To address these deep-seated issues, a more comprehensive and culturally grounded approach to sport policy is needed. </p>
<h2>National sport policies</h2>
<p>National sport policies are important because they serve as a guide for how and why the federal government will invest in sport. Canada’s first sport policy, <a href="https://books.openedition.org/uop/699?lang=en">An Act to Encourage Fitness and Amateur Sport</a>, dates back to 1961. It mostly featured cost-sharing agreements with the provinces and territories to get people involved in sport for fitness and competition.</p>
<p>After that, the federal government began to focus increasingly on high performance sport. Since the 1970s, billions of dollars have been invested in athletes to win gold, silver and bronze medals, as if their accolades would stimulate greater physical activity among citizens. </p>
<p>The overall orientation of these policies is captured by the expression “<a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/role-sport-canada.html">from playground to podium</a>” — a fitting summary of the reach and ambition of most of them. </p>
<p>Now, a new national sport policy is on the immediate horizon, and with it will come a renewed discussion regarding the connection between health and sport in Canada. The <a href="https://sirc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SIRC-What-We-Heard-Report-FINAL-1.pdf">consultation report that forms the basis for the new policy</a> refers to sport as an “integral component of health and culture in Canada,” with quotes throughout that describe it as a form of health care. </p>
<h2>Sport and health</h2>
<p>The relationship between sport participation and federal policymaking is longstanding and rooted in the conventional wisdom that <a href="https://www.publicworks.com/doc/physical-activity-sport-recreation-sector-applauds-canadian-sport-policy-0001">encouraging youth to be engaged in sport reliably leads to better health outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>For instance, the first goal of the <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/pch/CH24-46-2002-eng.pdf">2002 Canada Sport Policy aimed to significantly increase the number of Canadians participating in sport</a>, saying sports participation “contributes to healthier, longer, and more productive lives.” </p>
<p>The <a href="https://sirc.ca/wp-content/uploads/files/content/docs/Document/csp2012_en.pdf">2012 Canadian Sport Policy</a> continued to highlight the positive health benefits of sports participation, saying it “strengthens their personal development, provides enjoyment and relaxation, reduces stress, improves physical and mental health, physical fitness and general well-being, and enables them to live more productive and rewarding lives.” </p>
<p>Clearly the 2012 policy meant health in a wide sense. These were grand claims, considering <a href="https://cflri.ca/sites/default/files/node/1135/files/CFLRI-B1.Sport%20Participation_2011_12.pdf">only 34 per cent of Canadians participated in some form of organized sport in 2012</a>. By 2023, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231010/dq231010b-eng.htm">that number rose to almost 50 per cent</a>, due in large part to return-to-play initiatives after the COVID-19 pandemic — <a href="https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/blogs/news/2023-state-of-sport-report-shows-rising-costs-threatening-access-to-sport">a trend that may be in reverse due to the rising cost of living</a>.</p>
<p>For Indigenous Peoples, there is <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5663/aps.v3i1-2.21707">no official survey that tracks Indigenous participation in sport in Canada</a>. This means assumptions about sport being a driver for Indigenous health may not be relevant for many segments of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations. It also means sport policy may exacerbate their existing health inequities, instead of addressing them.</p>
<h2>Social determinants of Indigenous health</h2>
<p>Although sport is an important and valued aspect of Canadian life, the relative impact it can have on the overall health of a community is tempered by many external factors — a point illustrated by the federal government’s public health resources.</p>
<p>Approaching sport from a <a href="https://www.nccih.ca/28/Social_Determinants.nccah">social determinants of Indigenous health perspective</a> would shed light on why and how this happens. The Canadian government currently uses <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html">the 12 social determinants of health and health inequalities</a> to guide its policies.</p>
<p>The social determinants of Indigenous health go beyond the government’s current approach to include assessments of other negative factors like settler colonialism, as well as positive factors like Indigenous culture and spirituality.</p>
<p>Likewise, <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524505883755/1557512006268">Call to Action 89 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a> urges decision-makers to embrace a broader perspective of sport that engages health. It states: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system, are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Dangers of sport evangelism</h2>
<p>Without critically considering how we frame sport’s role in Canadian life, any new policy risks the dangers of sport evangelism: the false belief that sport alone can provide a miraculous fix for social and structural issues. </p>
<p>The long list that makes up the social determinants of Indigenous health is a visible reminder of the need to understand sport in that complex matrix. </p>
<p>In both mainstream and Indigenous communities across Canada, sport is neither inherently good nor bad. Rather, it is a tool that must be used responsibly. This requires us to acknowledge both its potential and limitations for enriching the lives of its participants, especially those who we know face health inequities, as Indigenous Peoples do.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218317/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Taylor McKee receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janice Forsyth is affiliated with the Aboriginal Sport Circle, a national non-profit that focuses on Indigenous sport development in Canada. </span></em></p>In both mainstream and Indigenous communities across Canada, sport is neither inherently good nor bad. Rather, it is a tool that must be used responsibly.Taylor McKee, Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Brock UniversityJanice Forsyth, Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2217322024-01-23T21:54:31Z2024-01-23T21:54:31ZMaking emotional films: The enticing contradictions of Norman Jewison’s movies<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/making-emotional-films-the-enticing-contradictions-of-norman-jewisons-movies" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>How should we think about the late <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R7_sTeR6AA">Canadian filmmaker</a> Norman Jewison’s legacy?</p>
<p>Cinema studies professor Bart Testa’s opening for his insightful chapter “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9780888645289-009">Norman Jewison: Homecoming for a ‘Canadian Pinko’</a>” argues that “Jewison has not been highly regarded or carefully discussed by film critics, Canadian or American.” </p>
<p>This statement could not ring more true than on <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/norman-jewison-obit-1.7091304">the occasion of Jewison’s death</a>. </p>
<p>Although there are numerous obituaries listing Jewison’s high-profile films, including <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em>, <em>Moonstruck</em> and <em>In the Heat of the Night</em>, not all discuss <a href="https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2024-01-22/la-me-norman-jewison-dead-obit-moonstruck-director">the prolific nature and significance of Jewison’s career</a>. </p>
<p>With more than <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/norman-jewison-obit-1.7091304#">40 films and television shows</a>, <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/01/norman-jewison-dead-fiddler-on-the-roof-moonstruck-1235800983/">Oscar, BAFTA and </a> <a href="https://goldenglobes.com/person/norman-jewison/">Golden Globe</a> nominations and awards — and <a href="https://cfccreates.com/about/norman-jewison/">his establishment of the Canadian Film Centre</a> — Jewison’s legacy is notable. </p>
<p>And yet, as Testa’s analysis suggests, scholarly and critical attitudes towards Jewison have sometimes been marked by indifference or even dismissal for his blend of commercial and populist success. </p>
<p>Jewison has always been seen as a good director who made many enjoyable, socially pertinent films. But he should also receive his due as a varied filmmaker who succeeded in multiple genres, focused on actors and scripts and was innovative in musical and social justice genres. </p>
<h2>Effective writing, strong performances</h2>
<p>A Torontonian by birth who got his start in Canadian television, Jewison honed his skills <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057069/">working on Tony Curtis</a> and United Artists comedies. </p>
<p>He quickly turned to serious drama with <em>In the Heat of the Night</em> before making hit musicals <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em> and <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em>. </p>
<p>Canadian cultural historian George Melnyk characterized Jewison’s work as “<a href="https://utorontopress.com/9780802084446/one-hundred-years-of-canadian-cinema/">generally indistinguishable from other well-made mainstream American cinema</a>,” commenting on a perceived lack of an auteurist signature. </p>
<p>Director Quentin Tarantino assessed <em>F.I.S.T.</em> as a <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cinema-speculation-quentin-tarantino?variant=40461820756002">“bland epic” that plays like “a truncated ‘70s television miniseries</a>.” </p>
<p>In director Douglas Jackson’s National Film Board of Canada documentary <a href="https://www.nfb.ca/film/norman-jewison-filmmaker"><em>Norman Jewison, Film Maker</em> (1971)</a>, Jewison notes that he is “not an intellectual filmmaker” but an “emotional one.” </p>
<p>Although this description might seem self-evident to anyone familiar with Jewison’s many emotionally resonant films, it indicates an approach to film-making that focused on effective writing (many of his films were based on plays or Broadway adaptations) and strong performances. </p>
<p>As is evident in the Jackson documentary, filmed during the making of <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em>, Jewison was hyper-focused on the nuances, details and impact of actors’ performances. The documentary shows Jewison revelling in the minutiae of performance — where the pause, breath or accent hits in a line delivery. </p>
<p>This focus perhaps comes from his <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jewison-norman-frederick">early training as an actor</a> or his entry into comedy film-making, where timing is always everything. It’s a detail we see throughout Jewison’s films. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Big stars, film newcomers</h2>
<p>Jewison was able to manage big-star personalities such as Rod Steiger, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Nicholas Cage, Denzel Washington, Danny DeVito, Steve McQueen, Carl Reiner and Cher and direct them to more nuance. </p>
<p>At the same time, he was able to draw out strong performances from actors who were cinematic newcomers (like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/09/1162126272/chaim-topol-tevye-dies">Chaim Topol</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TedNeeley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Ted Neeley</a>). </p>
<p>Testa focuses on Jewison’s politics (liberal, anti-establishment, leftist) and his place in the industry of film-making at such a crucial time in cinematic history when the studio era was ending and independent filmmaking was on the rise. </p>
<p>Often working as both producer and director, Jewison had artistic freedom but also anxieties about budget. In the Jackson documentary, Jewison describes these as particularly “Canadian” concerns, but they were considerable for a director who worked in international locations and took risks on unknown actors the way he did.</p>
<p>Although award-winning and popular, Jewison was also on the edge of Hollywood: he was not American and not part of <a href="https://www.films.com/ecTitleDetail.aspx?TitleID=162936">the film-school generation</a> <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=anon%7E64c2bc61&id=GALE%7CA695169545&v=2.1&it=r&sid=googleScholar&asid=57a84e2e.">or Hollywood renaissance (1967-74)</a>.</p>
<p>The title of his 2004 autobiography in some ways says it all: <a href="https://variety.com/2005/more/reviews/this-terrible-business-has-been-good-to-me-1200521491/"><em>This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me</em></a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’</span></figcaption>
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<h2><em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em>’s cult fandom</h2>
<p>Although only passingly mentioned in some obituaries, I believe <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em> most clearly represents these contradictory strands of Jewison as a director. </p>
<p>At the time of the movie’s filming, Jewison had been nominated for and won key awards, making a name for himself in American cinema. </p>
<p>It was nonetheless a risky project: a rock opera starring unknowns, filmed on location in Israel and featuring a cast of actors with no or very little film experience. </p>
<p>It was also plagued by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/08/archives/superstar-film-renews-disputesjewish-groups-say-opening-could-stir.html">budget issues and controversy</a>. Surprisingly, it was not only a box-office success at the time, but continues to have a cult <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijpt-2018-0013/html">following that extends to the star of the film as well</a>. </p>
<p>The fandom for a film like <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em> show that assessments of Jewison as an indistinct but adequate filmmaker are misguided. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1749829444238467382"}"></div></p>
<p>My early exposure to the film was a chance viewing on TV with my father when I was about 11. My parents were not religious, not intellectuals and not cinephiles, but <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em> quickly became a family favourite. </p>
<p>At a time when theatres host <a href="https://riotheatre.ca/movie/grease/">group sing-alongs</a> for films like <em>Grease</em> and <a href="https://tiff.net/events/sing-a-long-a-the-sound-of-music"><em>The Sound of Music</em></a>, my particular set of friends opt for sing-along parties for <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em>. </p>
<h2>Jewison’s ultimate legacy</h2>
<p>This tension between cult, critical and popular appeal alongside a scholarly disregard is in fact Jewison’s most prominent legacy. </p>
<p>Bridging American, Canadian and English systems and industry cultures, Jewison can be viewed less as a merely skilled, socially minded filmmaker, and more as an enticing contradiction. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-look-back-at-norman-jewisons-stellar-directing-career-and-commitment-to-canadian-filmmakers-221742">A look back at Norman Jewison's stellar directing career and commitment to Canadian filmmakers</a>
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<p>He was both an insider and an outsider in terms of the industry, both Canadian and American in terms of sensibilities, both mainstream and progressive in terms of politics and independent and commercial in terms of film-making. </p>
<p>Perhaps Jewison’s distinctive indistinction is precisely his legacy. These contradictions allow for what Jewison notes in the Jackson documentary as an essential directorial quality — a lack of ego. </p>
<p>And in an industry full of ego, this distinction allowed him to be, as Denzel Washington says, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2024-01-22/la-me-norman-jewison-dead-obit-moonstruck-director">“a real actor’s director</a>,” shaping and nudging star performances in subtle and effective ways, drawing out what he saw as the emotional core of his films.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221732/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Coulthard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A tension between cult, critical and popular appeal is part of Norman Jewison’s most prominent legacy.Lisa Coulthard, Professor, Department of Theatre and Film, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2174272024-01-04T21:49:56Z2024-01-04T21:49:56ZCanada’s Nature Agreement underscores the need for true reconciliation with Indigenous nations<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canadas-nature-agreement-underscores-the-need-for-true-reconciliation-with-indigenous-nations" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>In late 2023, the federal government, British Columbia and the First Nations Leadership Council signed a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2023/11/government-of-canada-british-columbia-and-the-first-nations-leadership-council-sign-a-historic-tripartite-nature-conservation-framework-agreement.html">$1 billion Nature Agreement</a> to protect 30 per cent of B.C.’s lands by 2030. </p>
<p>The agreement stressed the full collaboration of Indigenous Peoples in alignment with the <a href="https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>. </p>
<p>The Nature Agreement follows a series of <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/nature-legacy.html">historic federal investments</a> in nature conservation over the <a href="https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2022/12/07/protecting-more-nature-partnership-indigenous-peoples">past several years</a>. Like the previous announcements, the 2023 Nature Agreement includes funding for <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/explainer-ipcas-canada/">Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas</a>, or IPCAs.</p>
<p>Environment <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-nature-agreement-2023/">Minister Steven Guilbeault</a> stated about the agreement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I think people will look at this agreement and say, ‘OK, this is how it needs to be done going forward now in Canada’… It’s nature, it’s conservation, it’s restoration, but it’s also about reconciliation.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, despite advances in Canadian conservation policy and practice, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2023.1286970/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Human_Dynamics&id=1286970">our research</a> has shown that First Nations advancing IPCAs can still face significant challenges. </p>
<p>Unless Canadian governments meaningfully address these challenges, the reconciliatory potential of IPCAs — and new funding agreements intended to support them — will be undermined.</p>
<h2>Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas</h2>
<p>IPCAs present vast opportunities for nature conservation and reconciliation. However, they also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108271">face multiple pressures</a>. Unlike regular parks and protected areas in Canada, IPCAs are established and maintained by First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments. </p>
<p>Indigenous governments establish IPCAs under their own Indigenous laws, while some also choose to <a href="https://www.landoftheancestors.ca/">pursue protection</a> under Canadian law.</p>
<p>IPCAs are varied, but typically support ecological restoration or protection and local economic development while centring Indigenous cultures, languages, knowledge and laws. At the heart of IPCAs is Indigenous governance over lands and waters for future generations.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qnhMlk0ykMI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An overview of the Mamalilikulla Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area produced by the Mamalilikulla First Nation.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Indigenous-led conservation movement in Canada is gaining momentum along with growing awareness of how wilderness conservation has disenfranchised Indigenous Peoples through <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/chr.89.2.189">displacement</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198177">criminalization</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12600">limiting access</a>. </p>
<p>Simultaneously, efforts <a href="https://nctr.ca/records/reports/#trc-reports">to advance reconciliation</a> in Canada <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/index.html">and recognize</a> inherent <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-13.html">Indigenous rights</a> are more widespread.</p>
<p>While a few First Nations in B.C. established the first <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10745-017-9948-8">tribal parks</a> in the early 1980s, IPCAs have been emerging across the country since 2018, some with support from federal funding programs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cop15s-global-biodiversity-framework-must-advance-indigenous-led-conservation-to-halt-biodiversity-loss-by-2030-195188">COP15's Global Biodiversity Framework must advance Indigenous-led conservation to halt biodiversity loss by 2030</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>In 2018, the <a href="https://www.conservation2020canada.ca/s/PA234-ICE_Report_2018_Mar_22_web.pdf">Indigenous Circle of Experts</a>, a national Indigenous-led advisory group, advocated for IPCAs as a solution for Canada to achieve its nature conservation targets while advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>Since 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada has funded <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/explainer-ipcas-canada/">59 Indigenous-led conservation proposals</a> and a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2022/12/introducing-the-new-first-nations-guardians-network.html">First Nations National Guardians Network</a>.</p>
<h2>Roadblocks to reconciliation</h2>
<p>One of the biggest challenges for IPCAs is the pressure of <a href="https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.4716">resource extraction</a>. Even once an IPCA is declared, it may not be safe from resource extraction, as was the case with <a href="https://theconversation.com/tsilhqotin-blockade-points-to-failures-of-justice-impeding-reconciliation-in-canada-120488">Dasiqox Nexwagwezʔan</a>, an IPCA in B.C.</p>
<p>Canadian governments continue to grant tenures and licences to companies for logging, mining, fish farms and other impactful activities inside IPCAs against the wishes of Indigenous nations. </p>
<p>These actions go against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and its foundational principle of free, prior and informed consent. <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/index.html">Canada</a> and <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples">B.C.</a> have both implemented legislation on the declaration. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/joEtIUQ1MuU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video produced by the Coastal First Nations articulating the importance of IPCAs for environmental protection and justice.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This dynamic is not surprising since many Indigenous nations establish IPCAs precisely because Canadian governments do not respect their governance and decision-making authority around extractive industry.</p>
<p>Indigenous governments are sometimes forced to compensate companies by <a href="https://www.trailtimes.ca/news/proposed-qatmuk-ipca-will-involve-buyout-of-glacier-resorts-ltd-s-jumbo-tenure-5040598">buying out tenures</a> to ensure protection of their IPCAs. </p>
<p>While there are examples of <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/jumbo-glacier-deal-enshrines-indigenous-protected-area-consigns-mega-resort-to-history">tenure buyouts</a> that enabled Indigenous nations to establish IPCAs, these are extremely costly, impractical and should not be considered the norm. </p>
<p>Another option is for <a href="https://www.conservation2020canada.ca/s/PA234-ICE_Report_2018_Mar_22_web.pdf">“cooling-off periods”</a> that pause resource extraction while IPCA planning and negotiations are underway.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-conservation-funding-must-reflect-canadas-true-debt-to-first-nations-inuit-and-metis-196772">Indigenous conservation funding must reflect Canada’s true debt to First Nations, Inuit and Métis</a>
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<p>These challenges are particularly acute in instances where IPCAs are not designated under Canadian protected area legislation. The vast majority of Canadian governments have not created new legislation or amended existing legislation to explicitly enable the designation and protection of IPCAs. </p>
<p>This means that Indigenous governments seeking additional legal protection for their IPCAs must make do with regular protected area designations that limit Indigenous authority, even under <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2022-0217">co-management</a> arrangements.</p>
<p>Indigenous governments establishing IPCAs also face financial struggles. Previous federal investments in Indigenous-led conservation revealed high demand for funds but resulted in only a small percentage of projects getting funding, sometimes due to IPCA visions <a href="https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.4716">clashing with resource extraction aims</a>. </p>
<p>A further issue is that funding is only for IPCA establishment and not ongoing stewardship.</p>
<p>At the core of these challenges are fundamental conflicts regarding the Crown’s continued assertion of its ultimate authority. This assertion is in spite of the <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/principles-principes.html">Canadian government’s own guidance</a> for reconciliation and <a href="https://www.bcli.org/wp-content/uploads/PRIMER-3-Legal-Pluralism-in-Canada.pdf">legal pluralism</a> — including the recognition of Indigenous rights and building equal relationships with Indigenous Peoples.</p>
<h2>Systemic change will advance reconciliation</h2>
<p>Canadian governments increasingly view IPCAs as a means of meeting their conservation targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity — especially the goal of protecting 30 per cent of Canada’s lands and waters by 2030. This requires roughly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2022-0118">doubling the total protected area</a> in Canada. </p>
<p>At the recent COP28 climate conference, parties underscored the need to take action on biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation in a “<a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/joint-statement-on-climate-nature">coherent, synergetic and holistic manner</a>.” This includes <a href="https://unfccc.int/news/cop28-agreement-signals-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era">cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent</a>, compared to 2019, by 2030 in order to keep global warming under 1.5 C.</p>
<p>While the most recent conservation funding announcement is commendable, it is unclear how the $500 million of new federal funding, which includes previously announced funds, will be distributed. Additionally, <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-nature-agreement-2023/">internal government records</a> allegedly show that B.C. may use the agreement to avoid federal efforts to protect species at risk in the province.</p>
<p>The challenges IPCAs surface can be embraced as catalysts for reconciliation. This involves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0083">changing mindsets</a>, behaviours, practices, policies and laws at multiple scales. It is the kind of transformative work that the <a href="https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf">Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a> called for in all sectors of society.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-peoples-across-the-globe-are-uniquely-equipped-to-deal-with-the-climate-crisis-so-why-are-we-being-left-out-of-these-conversations-171724">Indigenous peoples across the globe are uniquely equipped to deal with the climate crisis – so why are we being left out of these conversations?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>IPCAs offer tremendous potential for addressing the biodiversity and climate crises and repairing relationships with Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>As such, how Canadian governments and the conservation sector respond to the roadblocks encountered by Indigenous governments advancing IPCAs is crucial. Our responses matter not just for the success of IPCAs in supporting nature conservation, but also for advancing reconciliation in meaningful ways.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217427/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justine Townsend received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for her doctoral research. She is affiliated with the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership and the IISAAK OLAM Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin J. Roth receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (#895-2019-1019) and is the principal investigator and co-lead of the Conservation Through Reconciliation Partnership. </span></em></p>Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas face significant hurdles but nevertheless remain a key way to advance reconciliation and environmental goals.Justine Townsend, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British ColumbiaRobin J. Roth, Professor, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171842023-12-21T21:09:43Z2023-12-21T21:09:43Z‘The Whale’: Viewers need to examine how teens are represented in the Oscar-winning film<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-whale-viewers-need-to-examine-how-teens-are-represented-in-the-oscar-winning-film" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><strong>This story contains spoilers about <em>The Whale</em>.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/"><em>The Whale</em></a>, which <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/adrien-morot-oscar-win-makeup-the-whale-1.6779968">claimed Oscar wins in 2023</a> including for Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actress, is now on Amazon Prime in Canada. Those who are catching up on award winners from this year could consider it for holiday viewing. </p>
<p>When the film was released, much popular commentary focused on treatment of the main protagonist in the film, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), and how the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/opinion/the-whale-film.html">framing of his fatness</a> is likely <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/10/lindy-west-on-the-whale">to harm fat people</a> and seems one-dimensional, <a href="https://screenrant.com/whale-movie-fatphobia-controversy-brendan-fraser/">rendering him a symbol in a way that dehumanizes him</a>. </p>
<p>Feminist philosopher Kate Manne also took issue with how the film depicts Charlie’s daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), arguing, “<a href="https://katemanne.substack.com/p/the-whales-point-of-view">the film never advances her perspective more than a millimetre</a>.” </p>
<p>The film, which is set in <a href="https://theasc.com/articles/the-whale">the confined space</a> of one apartment, and which sees Charlie long for <a href="https://playbill.com/article/how-samuel-d-hunters-own-battle-with-self-loathing-inspired-the-whale">a hopeful outcome for his daughter even while he expresses self-hatred</a>, powerfully <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-whale-brendan-fraser-review_n_6392526ee4b019c6962069e8">and uncomfortably</a> asks viewers to consider the world from Charlie’s eyes. </p>
<p>I watched this film as a former secondary English teacher who has researched <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003131434">representations of adolescents in literature</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1786428">popular media</a>, and who is concerned with how literary and media representations shape teens’ and adults’ sense of adolescent lives — and how teens’ stories are reflected in media. </p>
<p>Here’s my breakdown of what I hope viewers might think about when watching <em>The Whale</em>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nWiQodhMvz4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘The Whale.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The silenced students</h2>
<p>As an instructor, Charlie’s passionate insistence on the importance of truth in writing demonstrates that he cares about how his students express their authentic selves on the page. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, his approach to teaching is concerning. First, there is the complicated background knowledge that Charlie’s late romantic partner, Alan, was a former student. While teaching his current class, he sends <a href="https://collider.com/the-whale-ending-explained/">an inflammatory</a> and emotional email to everyone that includes the line “Fuck these ridiculous essays,” which leads to his firing. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-whale-brendan-frasers-comeback-offers-rare-representation-of-the-fat-queer-male-body-on-screen-198943">The Whale: Brendan Fraser's comeback offers rare representation of the fat queer male body on screen</a>
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<hr>
<p>Before he is replaced, Charlie at last turns his online camera on after pretending it was broken. The students quietly appear to be a mixture of struck, amused and even voyeuristic; one appears to start recording. Charlie flings his laptop to the floor while still in session. </p>
<p>I hoped the film would return to students after this moment, wondering how this intense experience might impact their relationship to education. However, viewers don’t see them again. </p>
<h2>The mistreated missionary</h2>
<p>Then there is Thomas (Ty Simpkins), <a href="https://screenrant.com/whale-2022-cast-character-guide/">a church missionary</a> who seems to be a teenage runaway. Thomas repeatedly visits Charlie and tries to connect with him, but is put in difficult positions when Charlie has medical episodes but refuses professional help. </p>
<p>Instead, Charlie requests confusing <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-emotional-labour-and-how-do-we-get-it-wrong-185773">emotional labour</a> and care work such as reading Charlie’s daughter’s middle school <em>Moby Dick</em> essay aloud instead of calling 911. </p>
<p>Charlie’s friend and caretaker, Liz (Hong Chau), is also tough on Thomas in different ways. She critiques his church and vacillates between treating him like a pest and something of a punching bag while demanding he help Charlie around the apartment. Thomas seems an earnest and naive young person, constantly returning to Charlie’s apartment despite mistreatment. </p>
<h2>‘Evil’ Ellie</h2>
<p>Finally, there is Charlie’s teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). Viewers get a sense of Ellie’s character through a handful of intense, reluctant visits to her Dad’s apartment; she is angry with him for abandoning her years ago when he fell in love with Alan. </p>
<p>Ellie calls her father disgusting and drugs him. She posts disturbing images of dead dogs and Charlie on social media. </p>
<p>Maybe what most bothered me as a researcher who has examined sexist rape culture myths in texts representing teens, and how <a href="https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=atj;%20https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=feministpedagogy">teachers respond to youth trauma stories</a>, is how Ellie also threatens an in-recovery Thomas with a rape accusation unless he does drugs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hollywood-letters-of-support-for-danny-masterson-demonstrate-the-pervasiveness-of-myths-about-rape-culture-213508">Hollywood letters of support for Danny Masterson demonstrate the pervasiveness of myths about rape culture</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Although he seems to understand her threat as a twisted joke, he obeys. She then photographs the drug use and as his concern grows, she says she is “just fucking” with him. </p>
<p>All the while, Ellie glares, screams, stomps and slams doors. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BdKIY8oMI_c?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Clip from ‘The Whale.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At one point, <a href="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Whale-Read-The-Screenplay.pdf">Ellie’s mother even calls her “evil.”</a> Ellie seems to be the cruel foil to Charlie’s kind demeanour, despite his failures as a parent. </p>
<h2>Incurably bad girls?</h2>
<p>In all these cases, viewers are left with partial stories of youth and young adults, alongside a focus on more apparently important adult characters. </p>
<p>Ellie calls to mind feminist scholar <a href="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48638-jessica-ringrose">Jessica Ringrose’s</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353506068747">arguments</a> about the rise of interest in the universalized figure of the aggressive “mean girl” in popular discourse. Such aggressive young girls seem to be a normalized mainstay. </p>
<p>Although Ellie is perhaps not depicted as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2019.0025">sociopathic like the teen schoolgirls</a> that education and literary scholars like <a href="https://lled.educ.ubc.ca/caroline-hamilton/">Caroline Hamilton</a>,
<a href="https://www.sfu.ca/education/faculty-profiles/emarshall.html">Elizabeth Marshall</a> and <a href="https://lled.educ.ubc.ca/theresa-rogers/">Theresa Rogers</a> examine, the portrayal of her suggests she could be “incurably bad.” </p>
<h2>Don’t see nuanced youth perspective</h2>
<p>Actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5584750/">Sadie Sink</a> has said that despite Ellie’s negative character traits and actions in the film, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/awards/sadie-sink-the-whale-stranger-things-taylor-swift-brendan-fraser-1235462556/">Ellie is not a “dirtbag” teenager</a> especially if events are imagined from her perspective. </p>
<p>Yet viewers are repeatedly faced with <a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://fugitives.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Whale-Ending-Explained-2022-Drama-Film.jpg&tbnid=G6zKyJCfvh7-5M&vet=1&imgrefurl=https://fugitives.com/the-whale-ending-explained-2022-drama-film-darren-aronofsky-brendan-fraser/&docid=R4mGrPURgPy1yM&w=1200&h=674&itg=1&hl=en&source=sh/x/im/m1/1">Charlie’s wounded expression</a> that arguably feeds an understanding of Ellie as wretched. </p>
<p>Critic Lindy West took a direct and humourous perspective on the representation of adolescence by asking: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/10/lindy-west-on-the-whale">“More importantly, who reads Moby Dick in eighth grade!?”</a> </p>
<h2>What was missing?</h2>
<p>This past year, Ellie struck me as one of the more alarming recent portrayals of adolescent girlhood in popular media. </p>
<p>In an interview on CBC’s <em>Q</em> with Tom Power, <em>The Whale’s</em> director, Darren Aronofsky, said when he saw the original play the film is based upon he was struck by the draw of a complex character. He also noted <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/friday-dec-16-2022-darren-aronofsky-alfre-woodard-and-more-1.6685518/darren-aronofsky-on-the-whale-casting-brendan-fraser-and-fat-suit-criticism-1.6685521">film has the ability to immerse viewers into another character’s perspective</a>, to learn something about ourselves. </p>
<p><em>The Whale</em> makes a big ask of viewers if we are to extend our imaginations into adolescents’ perspectives with limited clues. </p>
<p>I hope viewers wonder what more should be understood about youth that is not shown on the screen, and how perhaps especially educators might interrogate assumptions about adolescent experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amber Moore has previously received funding from the Banting Postdoctoral Program, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), The Killam Trusts, and The University of British Columbia. </span></em></p>Adult actors in ‘The Whale’ won Oscars for best lead and supporting acting in 2023, but if you catch up with awarded movies this holiday, the film’s depiction of teens warrants scrutiny.Amber Moore, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Language & Literacy Education , University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2173502023-12-14T13:13:03Z2023-12-14T13:13:03ZWinter brings more than just ugly sweaters – here’s how the season can affect your mind and behavior<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562242/original/file-20231128-15-6g8udc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=672%2C84%2C5212%2C4063&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Short winter days can influence your brain chemistry.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/holiday-cottage-in-the-dark-in-winter-royalty-free-image/1443007227">Schon/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What comes to mind when you think about winter? Snowflakes? Mittens? Reindeer? In much of the Northern Hemisphere, winter means colder temperatures, shorter days and year-end holidays.</p>
<p>Along with these changes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231178695">a growing body of research in psychology</a> and related fields suggests that winter also brings some profound changes in how people think, feel and behave.</p>
<p>While it’s one thing to identify seasonal tendencies in the population, it’s much trickier to try to untangle why they exist. Some of winter’s effects have been tied to cultural norms and practices, while others likely reflect our bodies’ innate biological responses to changing meteorological and ecological conditions. The natural and cultural changes that come with winter often occur simultaneously, making it challenging to tease apart the causes underlying these seasonal swings.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=mbqOySoAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">With</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=InwaMwEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">our</a> colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GsJOu0sAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Alexandra Wormley</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7BGThtkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Mark Schaller</a>, we recently conducted an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231178695">extensive survey of these findings</a>.</p>
<h2>Wintertime blues and a long winter’s nap</h2>
<p>Do you find yourself feeling down in the winter months? You’re not alone. As the days grow shorter, the American Psychiatric Association estimates that <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/seasonal-affective-disorder">about 5% of Americans will experience</a> a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(98)01015-0">People experiencing SAD</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.146.7.829">tend to have feelings of hopelessness</a>, decreased motivation to take part in activities they generally enjoy, and lethargy. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1998.tb09954.x">Even those who don’t meet the clinical threshold</a> for this disorder may see increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms; in fact, some estimates suggest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810090065010">more than 40% of Americans experience these symptoms</a> to some degree in the winter months.</p>
<p>Scientists link SAD and more general increases in depression in the winter to decreased exposure to sunlight, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.65.9.1072">leads to lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin</a>. Consistent with the idea that sunlight plays a key role, SAD tends to be more common <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.149.9.1176">in more northern regions of the world</a>, like Scandinavia and Alaska, where the days are shortest and the winters longest.</p>
<p>Humans, special as we may be, are not unique in showing some of these seasonally linked changes. For instance, our primate relative the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.005">Rhesus macaque shows seasonal declines in mood</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man lying in bed in a room with dim daylight" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562243/original/file-20231128-17-e58d24.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It can feel hard to get out of bed on dark mornings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/side-view-of-a-tired-man-in-bed-royalty-free-image/1411640794">Lighthouse Films/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some scientists have noted that <a href="https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2007.9.3/rlevitan">SAD shows many parallels to hibernation</a> – the long snooze during which brown bears, <a href="https://theconversation.com/gut-microbes-help-hibernating-ground-squirrels-emerge-strong-and-healthy-in-spring-175610">ground squirrels</a> and many other species turn down their metabolism and skip out on the worst of winter. Seasonal affective disorder may have its roots in adaptations that conserve energy at a time of year when food was typically scarce and when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23071">lower temperatures pose greater energetic demands</a> on the body.</p>
<p>Winter is well known as a time of year when many people put on a few extra pounds. Research suggests that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwz087">diets are at their worst</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602346">waistlines at their largest</a>, during the winter. In fact, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.03.018">recent review</a> of studies on this topic found that average weight gains around the holiday season are around 1 to 3 pounds (0.5 to 1.3 kilograms), though those who are overweight or obese tend to gain more.</p>
<p>There’s likely more going on with year-end weight gain than just overindulgence in abundant holiday treats. In our ancestral past, in many places, winter meant that food became more scarce. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602346">Wintertime reductions in exercise</a> and increases in how much and what people eat may have been an evolutionary adaptation to this scarcity. If the ancestors who had these reactions to colder, winter environments were at an advantage, evolutionary processes would make sure the adaptations were passed on to their descendants, coded into our genes.</p>
<h2>Sex, generosity and focus</h2>
<p>Beyond these winter-related shifts in mood and waistlines, the season brings with it a number of other changes in how people think and interact with others.</p>
<p>One less discussed seasonal effect is that people seem to get friskier in the winter months. Researchers know this from analyses of condom sales, sexually transmitted disease rates and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9996-5">internet searches for pornography and prostitution</a>, all of which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00871.x">show biannual cycles</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1993.9940826">peaking in the late summer</a> and then <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/014107689909200204">in the winter months</a>. Data on birth rates also shows that in the United States and other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, babies are <a href="https://theconversation.com/tis-the-season-for-conception-106663">more likely to be conceived in the winter months</a> than at other times of the year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="woman with hand on man's shoulder at a holiday gathering" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562245/original/file-20231128-20-8a0vq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s more to a holiday bump in romance than just opportunity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/multi-ethnic-young-couple-in-love-enjoying-a-home-royalty-free-image/1424097623">RgStudio/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although this phenomenon is widely observed, the reason for its existence is unclear. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280810842120">Researchers have suggested many explanations</a>, including health advantages for infants born in late summer, when food may historically have been more plentiful, changes in sex hormones altering libido, desires for intimacy motivated by the holiday season, and simply increased opportunities to engage in sex. However, changes in sexual opportunities are likely not the whole story, given that winter brings not just increased sexual behaviors, but greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9996-5">desire and interest in sex</a> as well.</p>
<p>Winter boosts more than sex drive. Studies find that during this time of year, people may have an easier time paying attention at school or work. Neuroscientists in Belgium found that performance on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1518129113">tasks measuring sustained attention</a> was best during the wintertime. Research suggests that seasonal changes in levels of serotonin and dopamine driven by less exposure to daylight may help explain <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1518129113">shifts in cognitive function during winter</a>. Again, there are parallels with other animals – for instance, African striped mice <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0892-y">navigate mazes better</a> during winter.</p>
<p>And there may also be a kernel of truth to the idea of a generous Christmas spirit. In countries where the holiday is widely celebrated, rates of charitable giving tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.07.004">show a sizable increase around this time of year</a>. And <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2013.10.014">people become more generous tippers</a>, leaving about 4% more for waitstaff during the holiday season. This tendency is likely not due to snowy surroundings or darker days, but instead a response to the altruistic values associated with winter holidays that encourage behaviors like generosity.</p>
<h2>People change with the seasons</h2>
<p>Like many other animals, we too are seasonal creatures. In the winter, people eat more, move less and mate more. You may feel a bit more glum, while also being kinder to others and having an easier time paying attention. As psychologists and other scientists research these kinds of seasonal effects, it may turn out that the ones we know about so far are only the tip of the iceberg.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217350/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Varnum has received past grant funding from the National Science Foundation and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Hohm does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some of winter’s effects have been tied to cultural norms and practices, while others likely reflect our bodies’ innate biological responses to shorter days and colder weather.Michael Varnum, Associate Professor of Psychology, Arizona State UniversityIan Hohm, Graduate Student of Psychology, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2188212023-12-09T00:30:10Z2023-12-09T00:30:10ZInquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s death at an Ontario ‘super jail’ reignites calls for reform<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/inquest-into-soleiman-faqiris-death-at-an-ontario-super-jail-reignites-calls-for-reform" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Imagine your family member is experiencing a mental health crisis, but instead of being treated at a mental health facility, they are locked inside a <a href="https://www.kawartha411.ca/2019/10/24/eight-inmates-have-died-at-central-east-correctional-centre-in-less-than-two-years/">notorious provincial jail</a>. You go to help by bringing their medication and medical records but are turned away again and again. Days later, a knock at the door brings the devastating news that your loved one is dead.</p>
<p>The Faqiri family has been living this nightmare for the last seven years. They had come to Canada as <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-after-my-brothers-death-in-prison-my-family-has-lost-faith-in-the/">refugees from Afghanistan</a> in the early 1990s hoping for a better life. </p>
<p>On Dec. 15, 2016, 30-year-old Soleiman Faqiri died at the Central East Correctional Centre, a “<a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/why-wasn-t-soleiman-faqiri-sent-to-hospital-inquest-reveals-jailhouse-dysfunction-ahead-of-mentally/article_e0c8b78c-b381-535c-b798-346839d42aab.html">super jail</a>” in Lindsay, Ont. </p>
<p>He had been repeatedly struck by guards, pepper sprayed twice, his face covered in a “spit hood” and forced onto his stomach in a prone restraint position. He had earlier been arrested for allegedly stabbing a neighbour during a mental health episode. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/soleiman-faqiri-inquest-day-15-homicide-1.7053159">coroner’s inquest</a> into Faqiri’s death is concluding with Ontario coroner’s counsel calling his death a homicide and making 55 recommendations for jurors to consider to prevent further deaths. The inquest saw <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/soleiman-faqiri-video-inquest-1.7033938">graphic and disturbing</a> video evidence and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/soleiman-faqiri-inquest-day-12-thibeault-1.7049636">witness testimony</a> of the final days and moments of his life, and the brutal force used against him by corrections officers. </p>
<p>Coroner’s counsel Prabhu Rajan told jurors at the inquest that Faqiri’s death was a “preventable tragedy” and that evidence points in the direction of homicide.</p>
<p>In 2022, the Ontario Provincial Police told Faqiri’s family they would not be laying any charges against the guards involved in his death, saying there was “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/soleiman-faqiri-no-charges-1.6558485">insufficient evidence</a>” to do so.</p>
<p>The inquest has reignited concerns surrounding the use of force and deaths in custody of people experiencing mental health distress. This tragic case serves as a poignant reminder that our current approach to dealing with mental health issues within the prison system is deeply flawed, and demands immediate attention and reform from federal, provincial and territorial governments.</p>
<h2>Elevated risk of death in custody for people with mental health issues</h2>
<p>Faqiri’s death in custody is not an isolated incident. Studies have shown that a significant number of deaths in custody involve mental health issues. Tragically, federally incarcerated individuals are <a href="https://www.criminallegalnews.org/media/publications/canadian_deaths_in_custody_report_2007.pdf">eight times</a> more likely to die from homicide and suicide than the general population. </p>
<p>In one study, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2017.03.002">researchers examined 478 deaths</a> in custody in Ontario between 1996 and 2010. They found that around “half of all deaths in custody occurred among those with a history of mental illness or substance use and those deaths disproportionately occurred in local police or provincial custody.” </p>
<p>Canada has formally abolished the death penalty as a legal sanction, yet it effectively remains in place for many people with mental illness who are incarcerated.</p>
<p>Individuals with mental health issues face elevated risks in correctional facilities, where force is often used to control inmates. From restraint equipment to pepper spray, the arsenal of tools employed by corrections officers can exacerbate the trauma and distress of those already struggling with mental health disorders. </p>
<p>Moreover, the conditions of incarceration, including overcrowding and double-bunking, contribute to heightened stress, anxiety and incidents of self-harm and suicidal behaviour.</p>
<p>The 2020-21 annual report by the federal correctional investigator, Ivan Zinger, revealed that a staggering <a href="https://oci-bec.gc.ca/en/content/office-correctional-investigator-annual-report-2020-2021">41 per cent</a> of use-of-force incidents in federal prisons involve individuals with documented mental health conditions. However, this likely underestimates the true extent of the problem, as reliable data from the Correctional Service of Canada on mental health indicators is lacking.</p>
<p>Another disturbing aspect highlighted by Zinger is the overuse of pepper spray, a practice particularly cruel and traumatic for individuals with serious mental health conditions. He recounted a case where a certified individual undergoing a health procedure was subjected to two bursts of pepper spray, handcuffs and “physical handling.”</p>
<p><a href="https://johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Broken-Record.pdf">A report</a> from the John Howard Society found that common behaviour and symptoms of severe mental health disorders (like bipolar or schizoaffective disorder) can be misinterpreted by corrections staff, leading to increased disciplinary sanctions and use of segregation. </p>
<h2>Independent investigators</h2>
<p>While we have an independent corrections investigator for federal institutions, there is no comparably empowered independent watchdog for provincial jails. This must change. </p>
<p>Additionally, Canada has so far refused to join 90 other countries that have ratified the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/optional-protocol-convention-against-torture-and-other-cruel">United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment</a>. The protocol requires countries to open up all places of detention to independent national and international inspections. We need greater transparency and accountability, and to fundamentally change how incarcerated people are treated.</p>
<p>Faqiri’s death is a haunting example of the fatal consequences of the criminal justice system being used to address mental health issues. Despite the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/canada-s-prisons-are-failing-the-mentally-ill/article_a98ee7cb-22fb-583b-9bc6-558394d217a3.html">coroner’s report</a> detailing the severe mistreatment leading to his death, the lack of accountability so far is deeply troubling.</p>
<p>The systemic issues plaguing our correctional facilities need to be addressed and the mental well-being of those in custody must be prioritized. Reform should focus on providing medically and culturally-appropriate trauma-informed treatment, medication and therapies in a supportive environment, rather than in prisons that exacerbate the challenges faced by individuals with mental health issues.</p>
<p>Evidence-based community mental health services are also vital to better meet the needs of people with mental health issues while protecting society. Where such services are not provided, there is an elevated risk of harm. Prevention is key.</p>
<p>“People who have a psychotic illness who are treated have the same or lower rates of violence than the general population,” Sandy Simpson, chair in forensic psychiatry at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, explained in an interview for my book <em><a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487506278/indictment/">Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial</a></em>. “So, it’s treatable if care is available and acceptable and delivered in the right way to people in need.”</p>
<p>The tragic stories of those like Faqiri demand that we reevaluate our approach to mental health in the community and in prisons as we strive for a system that promotes healing rather than perpetuating harm. Faqiri’s death must not be in vain. His family deserves answers, justice and accountability.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218821/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Perrin receives funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia.</span></em></p>People with mental health challenges are more likely to die in custody. The coroner’s inquest into the death of Soleiman Faqiri in an Ontario jail is one such tragedy that calls out for reform.Benjamin Perrin, Professor of Law, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2174222023-12-05T17:50:44Z2023-12-05T17:50:44ZWant to know if your data are managed responsibly? Here are 15 questions to help you find out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563436/original/file-20231204-21-5svi2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5990%2C3506&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Organizations that gather information should establish a framework for responsibly managing user data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/want-to-know-if-your-data-are-managed-responsibly-here-are-15-questions-to-help-you-find-out" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As the volume and variety of data about people increases, so does the number of ideas about how data might be used. Studies show that many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0153-x">people want their data</a> to be used for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/276aaca8-en">public benefit</a>. </p>
<p>However, the research also shows that public support for use of data is conditional, and only given when risks such as those related to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/">privacy</a>, <a href="https://wellcome.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_One-Way_Mirror_Public_attitudes_to_commercial_access_to_health_data/5616448">commercial exploitation</a> and <a href="https://www.jmir.org/2021/8/e26162/">artificial intelligence misuse</a> are addressed. </p>
<p>It takes a lot of work for organizations to establish data governance and management practices that mitigate risks while also encouraging beneficial uses of data. So much so, that it can be challenging for responsible organizations to communicate their data trustworthiness without providing an overwhelming amount of technical and legal details.</p>
<p>To address this challenge our team undertook a multiyear project to identify, refine and publish a short list of <a href="https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i4.2142">essential requirements for responsible data stewardship</a>.</p>
<p>Our 15 minimum specification requirements (min specs) are based on a review of the scientific literature and the practices of 23 different data-focused organizations and initiatives. </p>
<p>As part of our project, we compiled over 70 public resources, including examples of organizations that address the full list of min specs: <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/data-repository-requirements/">ICES</a>, the <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d8b7b3eabff3c4f1954d802/t/63c9b2638614cc5609a3a0d3/1674163135114/hdc-minspecs.">Hartford Data Collaborative</a> and the <a href="https://www.unb.ca/nbirdt/data/privacy/index.html">New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training</a>.</p>
<p>Our hope is that information related to the min specs will help organizations and data-sharing initiatives share best practices and learn from each other to improve their governance and management of data.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a woman sitting on a sofa on a laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People want to know that organizations can responsibly gather and manage data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Minimum specification requirements</h2>
<p>We also think the min specs can help people know what to expect of responsible data stewards. To support people in using the min specs, we translated them into plain language questions that individuals can pose to the organizations that collect, use or share their data:</p>
<p><strong>Legal</strong></p>
<p>1) What laws, consent forms or other documents give you the authority to collect, use or share data?</p>
<p><strong>Governance</strong></p>
<p>2) Where do you publicly state the purpose behind your data-focused activities?</p>
<p>3) Which committee or group is accountable for important decisions such as who can use data and how they can use it?</p>
<p>4) How do you achieve transparency about your data holdings, data access policies and other information that people want to know about their data?</p>
<p>5) How do you acknowledge and respect <a href="https://www.stateofopendata.od4d.net/chapters/issues/indigenous-data.html">Indigenous Data Sovereignty</a>? </p>
<p>6) What measures are in place to ensure you adapt and respond to new threats and opportunities?</p>
<p><strong>Management</strong></p>
<p>7) What policies, processes and procedures do you have to cover the entire data life cycle from collection through to use, sharing and destruction?</p>
<p>8) How do you address cybersecurity and data protection?</p>
<p>9) How do you identify and manage risks related to data?</p>
<p>10) What data documentation do you have to help people understand the data you hold?</p>
<p><strong>Data users</strong></p>
<p>11) Is there mandatory privacy and security training that data users must complete?</p>
<p>12) What are the consequences if data users do things they are not allowed to do with data?</p>
<p><strong>Stakeholder and public engagement</strong></p>
<p>13) How do you engage with stakeholders such as the organizations that provide you with data and the organizations that use the knowledge you generate?</p>
<p>14) How can members of the public be informed and get involved in the decisions you make about data?</p>
<p>15) What special measures do you have to engage and involve groups who have a special interest in your activities or decisions?</p>
<h2>Transparent and trustworthy</h2>
<p>These min spec questions can serve as a framework to improve data governance and management practices.</p>
<p>It is our hope that the more that members of the public request this kind of information, the more that organizations will proactively make it available or adapt their practices.</p>
<p>In this way, the min specs can help increase the transparency and trustworthiness of data holding organizations, which can, in turn, lead to more support for data being shared and used for public benefit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>P. Alison Paprica has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Hawn Nelson receives funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donna Curtis Maillet receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberlyn McGrail receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael J. Schull receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Government of Ontario.</span></em></p>Responsible data stewardship must take many factors into account including legal requirements, data governance, cybersecurity and user privacy.P. Alison Paprica, Professor (adjunct) and Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoAmy Hawn Nelson, Research Faculty, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP), University of PennsylvaniaDonna Curtis Maillet, Privacy Officer, New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, Research associate, Faculty of Law, University of New BrunswickKimberlyn McGrail, Professor of Health Services and Policy Research, University of British ColumbiaMichael J. Schull, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.