Psychological and Cultural Treatment of Traumatized Subject(s): Reading Laleh Khadivi’s The Walking in Terms of Theories of Trauma

The present study aims to scrutinize the concept of trauma in Laleh khadivi’s work entitled, The Walking. The objective of the study is to examine how Khadivi’s work can be read through theories of trauma. The Freudian notion of trauma focuses on the remaining psychological wounds on subjects’ identity while Alexander’s concept, cultural trauma, concentrates on the cultural outcome of a horrendous event at the collective level. Traumas are not solely private psychological experiences and are restricted to one solitude individual as they can expose themselves as collective experiences. Literary works are valuable properties picturing the results and outcomes of trauma both at its individual and collective level. In the current paper, concepts related to traumas will be defined to examine the characters in Khadivi’s novel. The novel provides a set of chronological events that happened to a minority group during the Iranian revolution. The author chooses her characters of Iranians of Kurdish immigrants. The Walking, reminds us of events happening during 1976 in Iran, after The Islamic Revolution. The article will delineate that characters are psychologically traumatized after the revolution in Iran as well as experiencing cultural trauma during the twentieth century.

Community Health Worker Knowledge , Attitudes, and Practices Towards Epilepsy in Mozambique

Background: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in the world, affecting 50 million people, with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A major focus of epilepsy treatment in LMICs has focused on task-sharing identification and epilepsy care by community health workers (CHWs). The present study aimed to assess the KAPs of CHWs towards epilepsy in Sofala province, Mozambique. Methods: One hundred and thirty five CHWs completed a questionnaire that included socio-demographic characteristics and 44-items divided in six subscales pertaining to KAPs towards epilepsy (QKAP-EPI) in nine districts of Sofala Province, Mozambique. The internal consistency and factor structure were examined to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the QKAP-EPI, respectively. To examine correlates of KAPs toward epilepsy we evaluated the association between sociodemographic variables and QKAP-EPI subscales using linear regression models. Results: CHWs demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding epilepsy for medical treatment details (Mean=1.63, SD=0.28) and epilepsy safety/risks (Mean=1.62, SD=0.59). However, CHWs reported low levels of knowledge related to the causes of epilepsy, espousing stigmatizing attitudes, as well as cultural treatment, which is the perception in different cultures of how epilepsy should be treated. Knowledge about how to manage epilepsy during crisis varied across the different types of emergency care practices. Heterogeneity in the level of knowledge regarding epilepsy was observed among CHWs in the different districts of Sofala Province and when using different local names of epilepsy (Dzumba, Nzwiti).Conclusion: CHWs knowledge of medical treatment and epilepsy safety/risks were adequate. However, information on the causes of epilepsy, stigmatizing attitudes, cultural treatment, and some aspects of epileptic crisis response were low. These areas of poor knowledge should be the focus of educating CHWs in increasing their ability to provide quality care for patients with epilepsy in LMICs.

Community Health Worker Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Towards Epilepsy in Mozambique

Background: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in the world, affecting 50 million people, with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A major focus of epilepsy treatment in LMICs has focused on task-sharing identification and epilepsy care by community health workers (CHWs). The present study aimed to assess the KAPs of CHWs towards epilepsy in Sofala province, Mozambique.Methods: One hundred and thirty five CHWs completed a questionnaire that included socio-demographic characteristics and 44-items divided in six subscales pertaining to KAPs towards epilepsy (QKAP-EPI) in nine districts of Sofala Province, Mozambique. The internal consistency and factor structure were examined to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the QKAP-EPI, respectively. To examine correlates of KAPs toward epilepsy we evaluated the association between sociodemographic variables and QKAP-EPI subscales using linear regression models.Results: CHWs demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding epilepsy for medical treatment details (Mean=1.63, SD=0.28) and epilepsy safety/risks (Mean=1.62, SD=0.59). However, CHWs reported low levels of knowledge related to the causes of epilepsy, espousing stigmatizing attitudes, as well as cultural treatment, which is the perception in different cultures of how epilepsy should be treated. Knowledge about how to manage epilepsy during crisis varied across the different types of emergency care practices. Heterogeneity in the level of knowledge regarding epilepsy was observed among CHWs in the different districts of Sofala Province and when using different local names of epilepsy (Dzumba, Nzwiti).Conclusion: CHWs knowledge of medical treatment and epilepsy safety/risks were adequate. However, information on the causes of epilepsy, stigmatizing attitudes, cultural treatment, and some aspects of epileptic crisis response were low. These areas of poor knowledge should be the focus of educating CHWs in increasing their ability to provide quality care for patients with epilepsy in LMICs.

Book Review: Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture

Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture is a two-volume reference work that aims to educate readers about sleep and dream research. According to the editors, the work covers “evolutionary perspectives on sleep and dreaming to the most current research into the neuroscience, as well as current psychological theory, therapeutic application, and the artistic and cultural treatment of dreams” (xii). Intended for students and researchers interested in current understandings of dreams and how we study them, this is a valuable addition to the literature, as most dream reference guides focus primarily on artistic and cultural responses to dreams.

The Nativeness of Breton Speakers and Their Erasure

I discuss the nativeness of heritage speakers of Breton in the twentieth century. I present a syntactic test designed for Breton that sets apart its native speakers from its late learners, for whom Breton is a second language. Nativeness is revealed by a better tolerance to syntactic overload when sufficient linguistic stress is applied. Both heritage speakers of inherited Breton and early bilinguals whose linguistic input comes exclusively from school answer this test alike, which I take as a sign they are cognitively natives. The syntactic nativeness of children deprived of familial Breton input suggests there is many more young Breton natives among contemporary speakers than previously assumed. Taking stock of these results, I discuss the cultural erasure of Breton native speakers. I compare their cultural treatment with the figure of the ghost. I end by a discussion of the term new speaker.

O TRATAMENTO DA CULTURA EM DICIONÁRIOS DE INGLÊS

O TRATAMENTO DA CULTURA EM DICIONÁRIOS DE INGLÊSResumo: Este artigo analisa o tratamento cultural dado aos dicionários de inglês monolíngues, bilíngues e híbridos nas versões impressa e eletrônica. Identifica, por meio da pesquisa documental, as informações de caráter cultural associadas às palavras-entrada em tais dicionários. Além disso, destaca as contribuições das pesquisas lexicográficas, metalexicográficas e demais pesquisadores das ciências do léxico. Os resultados mostraram que as informações culturais estão presentes na macroestrutura e microestrutura dos dicionários.Palavras-chave: Lexicografia; Dicionários; Cultura; Inglês. TREATMENT OF CULTURE IN ENGLISH DICTIONARIESAbstract: This article analyzes the cultural treatment given to the monolingual, bilingual and hybrids English dictionaires in eletronic and printed version. Identifies by documental research the cultural information combined to entries in such dictionaries. Furthermore, highlights the lexicographic, metalexicographic and other lexical researches sciences. Results shown that the cultural informations are present in the micro structure and macro structure of dictionaries.Keywords: Lexicography; Dictionaries; Culture; English.EL TRATAMIENTO DE LA CULTURA EN DICCIONARIOS DE INGLÉSResumen: Este artículo analiza el tratamiento cultural dado a los diccionarios monolingües, bilingües y híbridos de inglés en las versiones impresa y electrónica. Identifica, por medio de la investigación documental, las informaciones de carácter cultural asociadas a las palabras-entrada en estos diccionarios. Además, destaca las contribuciones de las investigaciones lexicográficas, metalexicográficas y demás investigadores de las ciencias del léxico. Los resultados mostraron que las informaciones culturales están presentes en la macroestructura y microestructura de los diccionarios.Palabras clave: Lexicografía; Diccionário; Cultura; Inglés

The Poverty of Research

This chapter presents an argument about both the narrow and the wider meanings of the Social Support and Pregnancy Outcome study. It addresses the question of findings within three contexts. The first context is that of previous work on social support and health, and of the relations between social and material support; in other words, does befriending pregnant women make sense when their greatest enemy is not lack of social support but inadequate material resourcing of motherhood? The second context is the cultural treatment of women and reproduction; here the question is about the implications of the study for the routine provision of maternity care. The third context relates to the question of who listens, and attends, to the results of research; because of the problematic nature of this part of the process, the question is: does research make any difference to the ‘real’ world anyway?