Yarmouk minors: their situation and displacement… their agency through cultural forms,psychosocial activities and through daily life actions

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on exiled minors from Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp. It elucidates how the trauma of Yarmouk, resulting from the Syrian con?ict, evokes the Nakba of 1948 and the loss of Palestine. It explains generally how this trauma has a?ected minors of Yarmouk, but on the other hand how they are able to engage positively in such situations. Therefore, it focuses on the agency of Yarmouk minors, and explores it through investigating their cultural forms such as poem reciting and singing, as well as through focusing on their engagement both in psychosocial activities and daily life actions. Poems that emphasize the displacement from Palestine and Yarmouk as well as illustrate the imagination of the lost land. Daily activities and psychosocial that stress the pursuit for a normal life. Theoretical concepts borrowed from Anderson, Chatterjee and Hage are employed in order to enable us understand in which ways minors demonstrate their agency in order to maintain the daily survival. The data analysed in this paper stems from interviews with Yarmouk residents, both adults and minors, along with visual materials such as videos and photos provided by relief workers and activists.     

What determines poverty transition? An investigation of women livestock farmers in Bangladesh

This article evaluates poverty transition using self-assessment in a quasi-experimental framework. Data are drawn from a survey conducted in 2006 of 400 women who were the beneficiaries of a poverty-alleviation programme which involved longer-term interventions towards building the strength of government departments, participating organisations, and beneficiaries. During the survey, when the project was approaching its conclusion, about 50 per cent of these farmers were still in the programme. The article addresses a number of key questions related to pathways out of poverty through livestock-based activities, heterogeneity in livelihood choice and its impact on household welfare, and wider applications.     

Morality of Public Deficits: A Historical Perspective

This article examines the morality of public deficits through the views of political leaders, economists and public finance experts. It looks at the changing attitude about borrowing for the modern state and examines the ability of current generations to shift the debt burden to future generations. The article also explores whether the adoption of an organic or individualistic concept of the role of the state affects conclusions concerning the morality of public debt.     

Distribution of dimethoate in the body after a fatal organophosphate intoxication

Many organophosphate pesticides (OPs) such as dimethoate are used to eradicate household pests, and those occurring in agriculture and forestry sectors. Combinations of two or more different insecticides have been manufactured to increase their effectiveness. A case of death is presented as suspected organophosphates intoxication. Autopsy was unremarkable except for grayish fluid in the stomach, with garlicky odor. A systematic toxicological analysis on post-mortem specimens revealed high concentrations of dimethoate in blood 38 microg/mL, urine 0.47 microg/mL, brain 2.2 microg/g, myocardial muscle 7.6 microg/g, liver 4.6 microg/g, lung 7.6 microg/g, skeletal muscle 21 microg/g, kidney 55 microg/g and gall bladder 31 microg/g. Blood alcohol was 2.85 g/L, cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol were also detected in the blood but not quantified. The cause of death was determined as organophosphate intoxication.     

Ethnopolitical demography and democracy in sub-Saharan Africa

Ethnic fragmentation is largely presumed to be bad for democracy. However, many African countries belie this claim, as democracy has recently sprouted in several of its multiethnic states. We argue that African countries that have demographic patterns where the largest ethnopolitical group is at least a near-majority and is simultaneously divided into nested subgroups produce Africa's most democratic multiethnic societies. This large-divided-group pattern, which has gone largely unnoticed by previous scholars, facilitates transitions to democracy from authoritarian rule. The large group's size foments the broad-based multiethnic social agitation needed to pose a genuine threat to a ruling autocrat, while its internal divisions reassure minorities that they will not suffer permanent exclusion via ethnic dominance under an eventual democracy. We support our claim with cross-national quantitative evidence on ethnic fragmentation and regime type.     

The Impact of Mobile Phone Technology on Agricultural Extension Services Delivery: Evidence from India

This study examines the impact of mobile phone enhanced intervention in agricultural extension service delivery in India. Findings show that the amount, quality and speed of service delivery have improved significantly because of the intervention. There are also benefits in terms of greater knowledge and awareness of new agricultural practices, farmers’ aspiration to try new technology in the future and access to credit. The system does not discriminate against farmers from disadvantaged and low education backgrounds. Thus, a system of well-used technology, which is assisted by trained village youths, can serve as a tool for inclusive development.