Search Results (235)

Since the end of the Civil War, Cambodia has pursued economic development to enhance livelihoods, particularly in rural areas, where land is a critical resource. Previous studies have indicated that the country has changed land use and land cover. However, they have not explained how these changes can improve the livelihoods of local communities, thereby mitigating their negative impacts through an asset-based approach. Battambang Province, in the northwestern region, was the battleground until political integration in 1996. Since then, the province has been home to immigrants exploring the lands for livelihood. Thus, this study aims to examine agricultural livelihoods in the villages of Dei Kraham and Ou Toek Thla, located west of Battambang Town. These were selected because of their common characteristics. Adopting a quantitative approach and a sustainable livelihood framework, this study employed stratified random sampling to select 123 families for interviews across three population subgroups: old settlers, new settlers, and young settlers. In situ information was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis tests to assess the livelihood assets underlying the physical, natural, human, financial, and social capital. The statistical analysis results reveal no significant differences (p-value = 0.079) in livelihood assets between the strata at the village level. Meanwhile, significant differences were observed in physical, human, and financial capital between old and young settlers when examining the subgroups (p-value 0.000). The extent of the land resources held by old settlers was associated with household income and livelihoods related to agriculture. Based on livelihood asset scores, nearly half of the new settlers (0.49–0.5) and a quarter of the young settlers (0.47) are vulnerable groups requiring support. The youth will soon face an uncertain future if they do not prioritize education. Full article

This paper investigates the complex relations between the Italian states, particularly Venice and Florence, and France at the beginning (c. 1560–1565) of the French Wars of Religion (c. 1560–1598). Focusing on the early years of the conflict, it highlights the “Italian” perception of France’s politico-religious upheavals and their profound implications for governance and state stability. Drawing on diplomatic correspondence and political reflections, the analysis reveals contrasting approaches among Venetian ambassadors: in particular, Giovanni Michiel advocated conciliatory policies to avert civil war, while Michele Suriano favored uncompromising anti-heresy measures. Niccolò Tornabuoni, serving as the Florentine ambassador in France, evolved from moderate criticism to a rigidly anti-Protestant position, mirroring Cosimo de’ Medici’s shift toward Counter-Reformation policies. This study situates these early reflections within the broader context of Venice’s internal tensions, marked by the diffusion of Reformation ideas and anti-papal currents, and Florence’s strategic alignment with Spain. It also underscores the role of these conflicts in shaping the politico-diplomatic strategies and reinforcing the perceived necessity of religious uniformity as a safeguard against political and social destabilization. The final part is directly linked to the sources and arguments as it contextualizes the diplomatic responses of Venetian and Florentine envoys within the broader political–religious transformations of the period. Full article

Applicable recommendations play a key role in improving training and procedures used in civil protection. Since 1 January 2025, the Law on Civil Protection and Civil Defense has been in force in Poland. It responds to the experience of current threats, including the war in Ukraine, the 2024 floods in Western Poland, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other crises. The Act systemically regulates the problem of building social resilience, which must be developed and applied regarding today’s modern threats. The primary actor in civil protection is the fire brigade system, in which volunteer firefighters are recruited from local communities and act for their benefit. In this context, it is interesting to ask whether and what solutions should be applied in order to improve the effectiveness of the training and exercise system of volunteer fire brigades (TSOs) in the field of civil protection and crisis management. The aim of this investigation was to develop evaluations and applicable recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the training system for volunteer firefighters based on a survey of volunteer firefighters in the Cracow Poviat. Two survey diagnostic techniques were used: expert interviews and questionnaire research. The findings were compared with the results of an analysis of source documents obtained in TSO units. The expert interviews covered all chief fire officers of the municipalities in the Cracow Poviat. The paper begins with an introduction and a systematic literature review. The conclusions consist of the proposal of applicable changes in the scope of basic, specialist, and additional training. Areas of missing training are also identified. The firefighters’ knowledge of crisis management procedures is verified, deficiencies are identified, and applicable changes in the organization of field exercises are proposed. Full article

This study examines around 350 handwritten letters from semiliterate soldiers during the Spanish Civil War, focusing on written orality and its interaction with scriptural conventions. The theoretical framework combines epistolography research (in which 20th-century popular correspondence reveals oral-like features) with studying the oral–scriptural interface. As detailed in the methodology, including the corpus compilation process, I present the selection criteria for the letters, which were segmented using the Val.Es.Co. model of discourse units. Segmentation facilitates my analysis, which addresses two aspects of the oral–scriptural interface: ritualized politeness in salutations and procedural devices that structure discursive moves. After summarizing the key findings, I discuss the hybrid nature of these letters, in which oral and written conventions intertwine. Full article

This article describes the case of the personal items found in common graves dated between 1939 and 1956 after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), located in Paterna’s cemetery (Spain). It was important in this study to know the state of the conservation of the objects and to obtain clues about their origin and use just as in a forensic study. This would allow the moral restitution of the historical memory of the victims of the war conflict. The multi-technique strategy has included light and electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Materials of the early 20th century used in pencil sharpeners, glasses, cutlery, lighters, rings, and buttons or medications contained in small bottles and boxes have been identified and have enabled the lives of their owners to be reconstructed during their imprisonment and execution. All these objects exhibited a thin layer of adipocere, a well-known compound in forensic science formed during the decomposition of human and animal corpses. Interestingly, rare corrosion processes have been identified in two of the objects analyzed, which are linked to their proximity to the decomposing corpses of the deceased. Copper sulfides and/or sulfates have been identified in the lighter, and scholzite, a zinc and calcium phosphate, has been identified in the glasses. Full article

Creole writer Sidonie de la Houssaye (1820–1894) registered the threat of anglophone dominance after the Civil War on behalf of a host of characters drawn from the geographies and ideologies in and around her home in Louisiana. Her little-known literary tales depict the period as a cultural and linguistic border zone. In addition to the texture of Louisiana French and Creole heritage, the tales depict the vexed social dynamics of prejudice and fragility. In the context of this special issue on good and evil, the poorly known children’s tales offer insight into these pernicious tensions that persisted under the surface of moral victory after the Civil War. La Houssaye’s lessons for children take up the moral panic of a Louisiana reckoning with its legacies of racial violence and cultural erasure. This article argues that morality in these tales takes shape in interpersonal practices that can be learned to heal social ills. What I have called La Houssaye’s “ethics of social life” relies on education rather than condemnation to redefine human bonds. If a broader lesson emerges from the stories taken together, it suggests that structural change is slow to heal cultural wounds. We must ourselves be the agents of a healthier community. Full article

The publication of the Puhui Canon began in 1943, was interrupted in 1955, and was ultimately completed in 1998, spanning three significant historical periods: the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949), and the early years of the People’s Republic of China. Its production was shaped by nationalism, Asian Buddhist interactions, warfare, and diplomacy. As the first Chinese Buddhist canon to incorporate Pāli texts, it reflects the legacy of Sino-Sri Lankan Buddhist exchanges since the late Qing dynasty. The Puhui Canon exemplifies a Pan-Asian vision, seeking to bridge Northern (Mahāyāna) and Southern (Theravāda) Buddhist traditions across Asia. Full article

Cultural Heritage (CH) represents the identity of populations; it is a heritage not only for the culture that produced it, but also for the entire human civilization. Still, preserving it is not an easy task; several factors hinder its preservation, from time and natural disasters to wars and neglect. Science can play a leading role in preserving CH, and among the different techniques available, Electromagnetic (EM) techniques are particularly suitable for this purpose because of their efficacy, safety for both people and materials, and their applicability to artifacts made from different materials and of complex and irregular shapes. Although usually associated with diagnostic applications, EM techniques also have a crucial role in restoration applications thanks to EM radiation treatments for the recovery and consolidation of materials such as wood, paper, parchment, stone, ceramics, and mummies. The state-of-the-art of radiation technologies shows efficacy for the elimination of pests, mold, fungi and bacteria, and for the consolidation of damaged or weakened artifacts. This paper aims to provide a useful tool for a first yet rigorous understanding of the contribution of EM techniques to CH recovery and lifetime extension, also comparing them with traditional methods and highlighting main issues in their application, such as lack of protocols and distrust, and potential risks in their application. Full article

The Nigeria–Biafra war (1967–1970) has been regarded as the first major civil war in post-colonial Africa, with an attendant and colossal loss of lives, property, and infrastructure. There are many representations of memories of the war in fiction, non-fiction, symbols, memoires, and post-war relics (usually found in museums) but the role of personal naming practices has been largely neglected in the literature and social narratives of the war history. This article, therefore, aims to investigate the performance of personal names as significant memorial sites that convey trajectories of post-traumatic experiences of the war and the desire for healing and reconciliation. The study adopts the theoretical lens of the socio-onomastic analytic framework, which explores the social contexts in which names are given and used. Drawing on ethnographic data sourced mainly from personal histories and semi-structured interviews with 30 participants in Nsukka (Enugu State) and Owerri (Imo State) in southeastern Nigeria, we argue that personal naming practices form essential elements of the war memory, which positively impact self-recovery and meaningful connection with the people. The study concludes that war-related names are based on name-givers’ lived experiences and life-altering situations that greeted the war and are useful in sharing and preserving collective memory of the war. Full article

Climate data consistently indicate a rising temperature trend and a simultaneous decline in precipitation across Syria. Empirical records confirm projections of intensifying drought conditions throughout the Middle East, including Syria, with an increasing frequency, severity, and duration of drought events. However, a major challenge in assessing climate trends is the significant spatial and temporal gaps in Syria’s meteorological records. These gaps stem from the uneven distribution of weather stations—primarily located in populated areas, often lacking automation—and the widespread destruction of stations due to the ongoing civil war, which has coincided with worsening climate impacts. To address these challenges, in this study, an integrated methodology was developed leveraging remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques to identify the regions most affected by rising temperatures. While previous research has primarily analyzed the overall trend of meteorological drought in Syria, this study uniquely focuses on temperature rise at a national scale, systematically identifying the most severely impacted areas. Our analysis reveals 23 highly affected regions covering over 31,000 square kilometers, with significant current and projected consequences. These hotspots currently expose over 2.5 million people to thermal drought and encompass approximately 25% of Syria’s agricultural land, intensifying food security vulnerabilities. Notably, some of these affected pockets are in historically settled areas—previously considered resilient to direct climate change impacts—such as the coastal region. Given that Syria has endured a protracted crisis for thirteen years, the compounded effects of climate change further exacerbate daily hardships for millions, driving both internal displacement and migration, particularly toward Europe. This study underscores the urgent need for climate-responsive policies to mitigate the socio-economic and environmental repercussions of rising temperatures in Syria. Full article

In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in the study of the spatial and temporal distribution of ancient sites and their influencing factors. As an integral component of the pluralistic unity of Chinese civilization, the ancient Shu civilization exhibits unique cultural characteristics and historical significance, rendering the Sichuan region a critical area for exploring the origins and development of Chinese civilization. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive compilation of archaeological sites across the entirety of Sichuan Province, and analyses of spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and their influencing factors often lack multi-scale and multi-dimensional perspectives. This study systematically compiles site data from Sichuan Province and employs GIS spatial analysis methods to examine the distribution characteristics of sites and their relationship with natural geographical factors from a geographical spatial perspective. The findings reveal that site distribution in Sichuan Province exhibits significant clustering, predominantly concentrated near rivers and in higher elevation areas. Factors such as altitude, slope, and proximity to water significantly influence site distribution. In terms of altitude, the elevation of sites’ distribution generally declined from the Stone Age to the Warring States period, dropping below 1000 m during the Shang to Spring and Autumn periods before rising again. Regarding proximity to water, a substantial proportion of sites across all periods are located within a 1 km buffer zone, with approximately 50% during the Stone Age and Warring States period, and up to 70% during the Shang to Spring and Autumn periods, indicating a preference for areas close to water for settlement and production. In terms of slope, most sites across historical periods are located in areas with slopes below 15°, with the highest number of sites during the Shang to Spring and Autumn periods. The evolution of human–environment relationships demonstrates a trend of site concentration shifting from plateau to basin areas from the Stone Age to the Warring States period, reflecting changes in population movement, economic development patterns, and socio-political structures. The research provides new insights into the evolution of human–environment relationships in the region and offers valuable references for related studies. Full article

This paper explores the dynamics of political competition, resource availability, and conflict through a simulation-based approach. Utilizing agent-based models (ABMs) within an evolutionary game theoretical framework, we investigate how individual behaviors and motivations influence collective outcomes in civil conflicts. Our study builds on the theoretical model developed by Basuchoudhary et al. (2023), which integrates factors such as resource availability, state capacity, and political entrepreneurship to explain the evolution of civil conflict. By simulating boundedly rational agents, we demonstrate how changes in resource availability can alter the nature of civil conflict, leading to different equilibrium outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of understanding individual motivations and adaptive behaviors in predicting the stability and resolution of conflicts. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on the use of agent-based models in evolutionary game theory and provides valuable insights into the complex interactions that drive civil violence. Full article

This article focuses intently on three pieces of civil war research and how they interact with each other to improve our understanding of the dynamic nature of warring actors. Patrick Regan’s book, entitled Sixteen Million One, delves into the conditions under which civil wars emerge by focusing intently on why individual actors take up arms to form a rebel faction. Research by Olson Lounsbery and Cook illuminates the challenge of these actors operating in a cohesive manner when they are faced with decisions to negotiate, while additional research by Olson Lounsbery presents the conditions under which previously splintered factions would once again unite. Each piece is presented through a systemist graphic approach. Doing so helps demonstrate how they interact with one another to improve our knowledge in the field of civil war studies. The article concludes with lessons learned through the application of systemism. Full article

In many human rights and criminal contexts, skeletal remains are often the only available samples, and they present a significant challenge for forensic DNA profiling due to DNA degradation. Ancient DNA methods, particularly capture hybridization enrichment, have been proposed for dealing with severely degraded bones, given their capacity to yield results in ancient remains. Background/Objectives: This paper aims to test the efficacy of genome-wide capture enrichment on degraded forensic human remains compared to autosomal STRs analysis. Methods: Six highly degraded human bones from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) were quantified with Quantifiler^™ Trio and amplified with GlobalFiler^™. Independently, partially UDG-treated double-stranded DNA libraries were generated and shotgun sequenced to screen for endogenous human DNA content. Subsequently, libraries were enriched with the Twist Bioscience “Twist Ancient DNA” reagent enrichment kit, which had not been previously tested for forensic purposes. Results: The results show that the samples behave similarly with both approaches (well-preserved samples yield good results). However, capture enrichment provides some new relevant insights, suggesting that its implementation in current NGS forensic platforms could be beneficial. Conclusions: Shotgun results show that the analyzed samples exhibit the same characteristics as ancient DNA samples in terms of DNA fragmentation and molecular damage, which may enhance the value of this approach when authenticating the endogenous DNA of forensic samples. Full article

Contemporary scholars share a common vision of the phenomenon of autocephaly as a virtue empowering a local Orthodox church independently to elect its supreme hierarch and run its domestic affairs without the endorsement of another church leader. While the academic discussion on this subject is concentrated on the canonical and theological aspects of autocephaly, the presented study shifts the focus to the involvement of civil authorities in the promotion and abolishment of this ecclesiastical status. It challenges the conventional perception of such interventions as something incidental or a feature of particular political formations. It aims to reveal that civil authorities have been a constant factor in the establishment of new autocephalies since the recognition of Christianity as an official religion in the Roman Empire. For this purpose, the focus falls on the Chalcedonian Eastern Orthodox churches which have centuries-old traditions in autocephaly-related practices from the Edict of Milan (313) to the end of the Cold War. It also takes into account the different legal frameworks within which civil authorities used to validate new autocephalies. On the grounds of this analysis, the concluding remarks reflect on the impact of this experience on the autocephaly-building process in post-atheist areas. Full article