Changing Childbirth in Twenty-First-Century South Asia

This introduction sets out why childbirth is a salient and timely issue for South Asia—for example, continuing, relatively high maternal and child mortality rates; growing health inequities within the countries; and new and unprecedented government schemes. It discusses the old challenges and new paradoxes of childbirth in South Asia in a global context, by reviewing the main turning points of state policies of four South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh) over the last century. After offering an overview of some main policy reforms, the introduction explores the ambivalent effects of the introduction of new obstetrical technologies (including institutional practices) and the medicalization of childbirth. A third section reflects on the scope and the importance of rights-based approaches in maternal healthcare. The chapter concludes by explaining the structure of the book and briefly introducing each chapter.

The Matter of All Black Lives

Evoking the spirit of Toni Morrison, we were moved to view the work of the scholars in this special issue through the lens we used to frame a class we taught last spring— Black Lives Matter: A Multimodal Journey. The course was centered around Morrison’s notion of the Black Gaze and was designed to specifically ask the question: What becomes possible with regard to Black liberation when we center the Black Gaze? Our approach to the course purposely centered the beauty and brilliance of the Black experience through the work of Black artists, scholars, writers, entrepreneurs, and media producers. Furthermore, we organized our course by what one of our students, Sharina Gordon, called the “pillars” of Blackness (Gordon, 2021): Black Gaze, Black Genius, Black Joy, Black Healing, and Black Love. We found the Pillars of Blackness to be a useful construct as we read the articles in this special issue. In doing so, we highlight how the authors featured in such a timely issue center these pillars and offer them as a guide as we think about where we go next in our collective journey toward Black liberation.

Interaction Among Social, Cultural and Environmental Factors in Vernacular Settlements. The Case of Korogonianika, in Lakonia, Greece

The article presents the main findings of a research focusing on the unique attributes of vernacular architectural heritage of Southern Greece. Sustainable vernacular architectural solutions and contemporary challenges are presented so as to put in the forefront a timely issue that needs addressing. The peril of absolute desolation and the unnecessary interventions put not only in jeopardy the value of architectural heritage but also hinder socio-spatial cohesion and sustainability. The analysis of the crucial issues is based on literature review and field work. Field work involves original cartographic depiction, photos, drawings as well as participant observation and interviews. The production of space is being studied as a result of the interaction between social and environmental factors. This interaction is portrayed through the use of a pilot case study, the village Korogonianika which is a typical and representative example for all vernacular settlements of eastern Mani.

Metaphor in the Lab: Humor and Teaching Science

Using humor, empathy, and improvisation to make science more accessible to the average person, the center has helped many scientists communicate more effectively about what they do. In many cases, this involves taking science down from the metaphorical “ivory tower” and bringing it into the comfort zone of students and people who may not have had a positive experience in science classes. Avariety of metaphors are used to make science “come alive.” This is an interesting counter example to earlier theories of metaphor and comedy such as the “disparagement theory” (Mio and Graesser 1991) which described jokes as more successful if they relied on disparaging metaphors that build community through shared hostility. The metaphor approach builds community and creates inclusion through “social-facilitative functions of playful language” (Ritchie and Schell 2009). When a scientist helps a layperson or student understand humorous metaphors, it communicates the literal meaning of terms, but also the contextual meaning, research practices, and the laboratory social setting. This is argued through examples of humor, comedy, and metaphor-a timely issue given current political discussions in the United States.

Something Phish-y is Going On Here: A Teaching Case on Business Email Compromise

SUMMARY This case utilizes a real-world example of a U.S. public company that fell victim to a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme in which an employee inadvertently wired millions of dollars to fraudulent accounts based upon email instructions purportedly sent by a company executive and external legal counsel. This is a timely issue to examine given its rising prevalence and magnitude in the corporate world. The case allows students to examine a topic (phishing techniques and email scams) that they are likely to be familiar with on a conceptual level, through the lens of internal controls and external auditing. Examining the case information, SEC filings, and auditing guidance, students will gain an understanding of internal control issues related to BEC and critically think of ways to remediate or implement controls to reduce cybersecurity risk, as well as consider the external auditor's growing responsibilities related to technology and its associated risks.

Things that time forgot Native American objects in Danish Museums Problems and possibilities

We present a hitherto unresearched part of a shared Danish and American cultural heritage: Native American objects in Danish regional museum collections. Thus far, we have identified more than 200 Native American artefacts in 27 local museums, largely a result of Danes abroad privately collecting in the late 1800s and 1950s–70s. The majority of these artefacts, many of which are prehistoric in age, have never been displayed and have lingered in storage since they were accessioned, understudied and often unrecognised for what they are. Recent deaccessioning pressures from the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces potentially place these objects at risk of destruction, making the discussions presented here a timely issue. These Native American objects, like the unknown numbers of other non-Danish artefacts held by regional museums, hold tremendous potential to elucidate overlooked parts of Danish museum history, trans-Atlantic networks and interconnectedness in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as rich material cultures originating far from Denmark. We argue that this perspective is highly relevant and should be utilised in Danish museums, as it begets reflections on Danish glocal identity and society in a post-colonial world.

Spain and Islam Once More: Fundamentalism in Sainte Thérèse d’Avila

Julia Kristeva's Teresa, My Love: An Imagined Life of the Saint of Avila confronts us with the contemporary problem of violent forms of fundamentalism, especially Islamic, as it recreates the life of Saint Theresa. The novel's psychoanalytic perspective engages our emotions and sensations, and is also therapeutic for author and reader. But most of all, it engages our thinking and deals in depth with this compelling, timely issue.

Organizational Structure's Influence on Business-IT Alignment

Despite the long list of cumulative research, business-IT alignment remains to be evasive for practitioners and researchers. As organizations continue to spend a significant amount of their resources on IT to improve the variety and quality of services, achieving and maintaining business-IT alignment is a timely issue. Studies indicate that organizational structure, among other factors, plays an important role on whether organizations succeed in achieving business-IT alignment. A systematic literature review is conducted to provide an overview of previous studies as well as point out possible future research directions. A total of 31 articles were identified and included in the review. The findings indicate that there are few studies poised to address the lack of knowledge on how the formal/informal organizational structure's influence on business-IT alignment. The study presents a summary of previous findings on organizational structure's influence on business-IT alignment and identifies potential future research directions.