Beyond black and white: the role of media in portraying and policing migration and asylum in Italy

This paper investigates the media’s role in shaping perceptions and policies concerning the so-called migrant crisis as well as how this affects solidarity with newcomers, specifically focusing on Italy. The first part of the paper examines the coexistence of the humanitarian narratives of saving lives and the spectacle of militarised borders. It unveils how the daily transmission of sensationalist and stereotyped images of migrants contributes to their transforming into subjects and objects of fear, both experiencing the fear of being rejected and eliminated and inspiring fear in the resident populations. The second part addresses the need for innovative approaches in the construction of a positive public image of migrants and refugees. Through an analysis of several communication campaigns, realised by state and non-state actors for the promotion of social coexistence between citizens and newcomers, this paper calls for a fundamental shift in the way we communicate about migration. A concluding reflection on the challenges and opportunities posed by the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers in our societies, proposes that they should not only be perceived as objects of policies, but should be considered active partners of their own inclusion in the receiving societies.     

论资产阶级人道主义的历史局限性

通过文艺复兴运动、启蒙运动和费尔巴哈的人本学,资产阶级人道主义展现为一个动态的发展过程,其间贯穿着共同的精神内涵,这就是对人性和人的价值的高度肯定。资产阶级人道主义在历史上曾经发挥过积极作用,但也有不可避免的历史局限性,其整个理论都是建立在抽象人性论的基础之上的,是资产阶级的利益和要求在意识形态领域的反映,并且具有一定的欺骗性。     

The gendered experiences of local volunteers in conflicts and emergencies

ABSTRACT

This article explores the gendered experiences of local volunteers operating in conflicts and emergencies. Despite decades of progress to integrate gender issues into development and humanitarian research, policy, and practice, the gendered dynamics of volunteering are still little understood. To redress this, this article draws on data collected as part of the Volunteers in Conflicts and Emergencies (ViCE) Initiative, a collaboration between the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement led by the Swedish Red Cross, and the Centre for International Development at Northumbria University. Contributing original empirical findings on the intersection of gender, volunteering, and emergencies, this article offers new ways of thinking about how gender equality and women’s empowerment can be advanced in humanitarian crises, as seen through the experiences of local volunteers.     

Problem Formulation and Solution Mechanisms: A Behavioral Study of Humanitarian Transportation Planning

When dealing with urgent, ill‐defined problems, such as rapidly evolving emergency situations, operations managers have little time for problem formulation or solution. While the mechanisms by which humans formulate and solve problems have been described, mechanisms for rapid, concurrent formulating and solving are not well understood. This study investigates these mechanisms through a field study of transportation planning in a humanitarian response setting. The findings show that the problem is solved through greedy search and formulated through sensemaking, in which search enables updates to an evolving problem formulation, and the formulation directs and limits the search process. This study explores the implications of these findings for the development of better problem formulation processes and problem‐solving strategies for urgent and ill‐defined operations management problems.     

Vehicle Procurement Policy for Humanitarian Development Programs

This article aims to identify optimal vehicle procurement policies for organizations engaged in humanitarian development programs and to derive general insights on the characteristics of these policies. Toward that end, we follow an inductive approach. First, we study the operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in three representative countries: Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia. Using a linear programming (LP) model primed with field data provided by the ICRC, we calculate the optimal vehicle fleet size and compare it with the policies actually implemented. Second, drawing from results of the LP model, we develop a stylized quadratic control model and use it to characterize the general structure of the optimal policy under different demand scenarios and operational constraints. After demonstrating that the results of the control model are consistent with those of the LP model in the specific context analyzed, we discuss the optimal policies and the applicability of the former as a practical tool for strategic asset planning.     

Information Diffusion among Agents: Implications for Humanitarian Operations

The basis for this article is an information‐processing view of the UN's cluster approach. We use agent‐based modeling and simulations to show that clusters, if properly utilized, encourage better information flow and thus facilitate effective response to disasters. The article intends to turn the attention of the humanitarian community to the importance of sharing information and the role of cluster leads in facilitating humanitarian aid. Our results indicate that if cluster leads act as information hubs, information reaches its target faster, enabling a prompt humanitarian response. In addition, we show that information quality is critical for effective resource utilization—if cluster leads filter information, it moves faster. We also found evidence that the willingness to exchange information plays a larger role in transmitting information than that of an information hub, particularly during later stages of response operations.     

论托尔斯泰对老子“无为”思想的接受与变通

托尔斯泰高度评价老子思想,其思想中有与老子相近的观点,如"禁欲"和"无为"。他提出了自己的"勿以暴力抗恶"的主张,认为这与老子的"无为"相通,并以老子"柔弱胜刚强"佐证。他看到统治阶级的奢侈享受,和老子一样反对统治阶层扰民。但是,将二者比较后可以发现,托尔斯泰在接受老子思想的同时进行了带有浓厚博爱色彩的变通。老子"无为"是深谋远虑的治国之策,托尔斯泰的"无为"则带有悲天悯人的人文关怀。     

近年官场小说漫评

官场小说的繁荣是 2 0世纪 90年代中期以来国内文坛盛事之一。构成此胜景的关键性元素是作者分别从历史理性的重建、人文立场的固守、典型空间的现实性营构与隐喻象征化延伸等三个方面 ,对现实主义创作原则进行了切实把握并取得较大成绩 ;而此类小说的主要欠缺则在于艺术水准良莠不齐、过分追求可读性导致可写性与意义空间的部分丧失以及缺乏文化批判的自觉与深度     

连云港城市发展中人文精神的现代性转换

在区域地理学的视野中,桥头堡的文化精神资源与最直接传承了儒家文明的齐鲁文化保持着更多的血脉联系,与中国文明非主导形态的长江文明相距较远,而齐鲁文化在本质上是一种根源于农业文明的政治伦理人文,长江文明在本质上则是一种超越于意识形态与政治经济学之上的诗性人文,具有比伦理人文更高的审美价值,也是一种与当代语境中的现代化、城市化发展最接近的精神资源。在传统农业文明向现代市场经济必然转型以及苏北经济发展主动学习苏南模式的历史背景下,桥头堡城市发展中的人文精神面临着从政治伦理人文向审美诗性人文的转变。     

Shouting from the Bottom of the Well The Impact of International Trials for Wartime Rape on Women's Agency

This article critically examines the presumption that international adjudication of wartime rape cases advances the interests of survivors. It argues that just as national women's rights advocates recognize the futility of relying on court testimony alone for the production of a narrative that reflects women's experiences, promotes their agency and addresses their need for closure and healing, international women's rights advocates should explore the limitations of international tribunals and examine complementary and alternative mechanisms. Using the landmark "Foca case' as an illustration, the author explains that although women may still exercise agency in the context of the adversarial process, their ability to do so is stunted. Moreover, I argue that, although witnesses may actively resist the legal meta-narrative of Woman Victim, adversarial processes serve to reinforce gender essentialism and cultural essentialism. This analysis has important implications for women human rights advocates seeking to bring cases before all international courts, including the permanent International Criminal Court.