In Search of Stability: Ben Bella’s Algeria Seen from the Italian Point of View

Based on unpublished documents from the recently declassified archives of the Italian Foreign Ministry, this article aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the facts that transpired during the presidency of Ahmed Ben Bella (1962–1965) in Algeria, from the Italian point of view. From the story and the point of view of Italian diplomatic representations in North Africa, three critical moments for the young independent state in the 3 years following the ceasefire of 19 March 1962 are analysed: the crisis of the summer of 1962, the Sands War of October 1963 and the coup d’état of Boumedienne of 19 June 1965. This article argues that Italian diplomats in Algeria were all intent on their mission, seeking with their analyses to understand when a certain stability in the country could be glimpsed, such as to allow the government of Rome to launch important investments and lasting technical and commercial collaboration agreements.

Autoethnographic Journey to Discover the Heart and Art of My Nursing Practice

<p>This thesis presents an autoethnographic study of the concept of 'compassionate listening' within my general and palliative care practice. I examined my care for people in critical life course moments to gain insight into the process of listening with compassion. This insight evolved through a process of layered reflection using a series of texts, particularly stories that captured critical moments in working with people who were facing crisis situations or who were dying. Writing and reflecting on these stories enabled me identify how I engaged with patients and their loved ones. I was able to explore how compassionate listening could be used to ascertain their needs, particularly when they were unable or unsure how to proceed. Compassion implies the capacity to acknowledge another human's suffering or predicament. Compassionate listening is a form of active listening that begins with the intention to be present for the person. It brings humanness, patience, an acknowledgement of one's own vulnerability and a willingness to interact with a person in a meaningful way that could alleviate some of their suffering. During this special encounter both nurse and patient reach an embodied knowing. In studying this aspect of caring I chose stories from my practice that were written over a number of years in different locations. I reflected again on these stories to gain deeper insight and asked colleagues to read some of the texts and give me feedback on my practice. Their comments were a valuable part of this layered reflective process. This thesis presents eight stories and a series of reflections on those stories and colleague's comments, which enabled me to explore compassionate listening as it evolved in my practice. This study contributes to an understanding of how the ability to develop refined awareness of meaningful interactions with people can enhance wellbeing for both the patient and nurse.</p>

Autoethnographic Journey to Discover the Heart and Art of My Nursing Practice

<p>This thesis presents an autoethnographic study of the concept of 'compassionate listening' within my general and palliative care practice. I examined my care for people in critical life course moments to gain insight into the process of listening with compassion. This insight evolved through a process of layered reflection using a series of texts, particularly stories that captured critical moments in working with people who were facing crisis situations or who were dying. Writing and reflecting on these stories enabled me identify how I engaged with patients and their loved ones. I was able to explore how compassionate listening could be used to ascertain their needs, particularly when they were unable or unsure how to proceed. Compassion implies the capacity to acknowledge another human's suffering or predicament. Compassionate listening is a form of active listening that begins with the intention to be present for the person. It brings humanness, patience, an acknowledgement of one's own vulnerability and a willingness to interact with a person in a meaningful way that could alleviate some of their suffering. During this special encounter both nurse and patient reach an embodied knowing. In studying this aspect of caring I chose stories from my practice that were written over a number of years in different locations. I reflected again on these stories to gain deeper insight and asked colleagues to read some of the texts and give me feedback on my practice. Their comments were a valuable part of this layered reflective process. This thesis presents eight stories and a series of reflections on those stories and colleague's comments, which enabled me to explore compassionate listening as it evolved in my practice. This study contributes to an understanding of how the ability to develop refined awareness of meaningful interactions with people can enhance wellbeing for both the patient and nurse.</p>

Combining interpretative phenomenological analysis and existential hermeneutic phenomenology to reveal critical moments of managerial lived experience: a methodological guide

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a complete guide to a qualitative method for capturing critical moments of managerial practice that combines interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and existential hermeneutic phenomenology (EHP).Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on the findings of extensive research and describes in detail the specific steps that must be taken for complete replication of research. The research uses methods of IPA and critically develops the EHP framework with an emphasis on the analysis of interpersonal relationships.FindingsDepending on the testing of the research method in practice, the article evaluates the IPA-EHP method as suitable for the research on critical moments of managerial lived experience, considering the causes of the crisis.Originality/valueThis article is based on demand from academics who would like to use this method to analyse managerial practice. Especially now, at a time associated with a number of challenging events, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative research is gaining in importance, even in management science. The original interpretative framework based on the phenomenology of Fink and Patočka is appropriate in this respect.

Elastic critical moment for monosymmetric beams under linear moment gradients

The present study documents some inconsistencies observed when applying the lateral torsional buckling provisions of the Canadian standards of steel structures to characterize the elastic critical moments for monosymmetric beams subjected to linear moment gradients. An overview of the underlying theoretical background is presented and the reasons behind the discrepancies observed between standard-recommended solutions on one hand, and theoretical/finite element solutions on the other hand are discussed. An improved solution is then developed by generating a parametric study based on finite element analyses and developing regression equations to estimate the critical moments for monosymmetric beams under linear moments inducing double curvature. The expressions are cast in a dimensionless form as a function of four parameters. The potential use of the proposed solution is subsequently illustrated through a design example.

La democracia y el Areópago en la segunda mitad del s. IV a.C.: del Areopagítico de Isócrates al caso de Hárpalo

In this article I address the question of whether, during the second half of fourth century B.C., the Areopagus was an institution opponent to democracy and, moreover, a refuge of Philip’s supporters or of the oligarchy. I will analyse our sources from Isocrates’ Areopagiticus (358 B.C.) to the Greek defeat during the Lamian War. Evidences lead to conclude that the Areopagus was an important advisory body, always subordinated to the Assembly, that was taken into account in critical moments when deciding to save the city.

Professional written voice “in flux”: the case of social work

Contemporary professional social work can be characterised by increased textualisation (after Iedema, Rick & Hermine Scheeres. 2003. From doing work to talking work: Renegotiating knowing, doing and identity. Applied Linguistics 24(3). 316–337) with written texts mediating most action. At the same time, writing, as a key dimension to social workers’ practice and labour, is often institutionally unacknowledged, becoming visible primarily when identified as a “problem.” This paper draws on a three year nationally funded UK-based research project to offer a situated account of contemporary professional social work writing, challenging dominant institutional orientations to writing in professional practice. The paper outlines the specific ways in which social work practices, including writing, can be characterised as being ‘in flux’. Drawing on ethnographic data and adopting a Bakhtinian (Bakhtin, Mikhail. 1981. Discourse in the novel. In Michael Holquist (ed.), The dialogic imagination. Four essays by M. Bakhtin, trans. C. Emerson and M. Holquist, 259–422. Austin: University of Texas Press; and Bakhtin, Mikhail. 1986. The problem of speech genres. In Caryl Emerson & Michael Holquist (eds.), Speech genres and other late essays, trans. V. W. McGee, 60–102. Austin: University of Texas Press) oriented approach to voice, the paper explores the entextualisation of three specific social work texts, focusing in particular on critical moments (after Candlin, Christopher N. 1987. Explaining moments of conflict in discourse. In Ross Steele & Terry Treadgold (eds.), Language topics: Essays in honour of Michael Halliday, 413–429. Amsterdam: John Benjamins; Candlin, Christopher N. 1997. General editor’s preface. In Britt Louise Gunnarsson, Per Linell & Bengt Nordberg (eds.), The construction of professional discourse, viii–xiv. London: Longman). These critical moments offer insights into key problematics of social work writing, in particular the tensions around professional voice and discourse. The paper concludes by arguing for an articulation of professional social work writing which takes account of the dialogic nature of language and the discoursal challenges experienced in everyday practice.