Academic Reportage – Page 188 – MIL Submissions Engine

December 8, 2025

South Africa’s water, energy and food crisis: why fixing one means fixing them all

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Thulani Ningi, Research associate, University of Fort Hare

South Africa faces serious water, energy and food problems. Drought, overuse and ageing infrastructure strain water supplies. Coal-fired electricity is not sustainable in the long term and causes high greenhouse gas emissions. Tens of millions of people can’t afford enough food because of rising prices. These crises are interconnected: water is needed to grow food and cool power plants; and energy is needed to pump and treat water and grow food. Problems in one area affect the others. Agricultural economists Thulani Ningi and Saul Ngarava and environmental law specialist Alois Mugadza were part of a team that researched uncoordinated funding and planning in food, water and energy. They explain what needs to change.

What are South Africa’s water, energy and food problems?

Water: Millions of South Africans still don’t have reliable access to clean water, proper toilets, or steady electricity.

The country has limited water sources, and has experienced changing climate (floods and drought).

Energy: The country suffered from regular power cuts between 2007 and 2024.

A big part of the problem is that South Africa still depends heavily on coal for energy. The transition to green energy is slow and largely depends on individuals, businesses and families to buy solar systems. However renewables are now cheaper in many parts of the country.

Food insecurity: High levels of hunger, with about one in four families going to bed hungry, show how the system isn’t working well. About 23% of children in South Africa live in severe food poverty.

How are food, energy and water funded now?

Apart from receiving government funding, these sectors are funded by institutions like the World Bank, European Investment Bank and African Development Bank, as well as local institutions such as the Public Investment Corporation and Land Bank.

Our research found that funding decisions about water, energy and food are usually made separately.

This makes it difficult to get funding for projects that could solve problems across all three areas at once. For example, using solar power to pump water for irrigating crops could help with energy, water and food needs all at the same time.

Our research found that one of the main funding problems is that the current financing model is highly centralised. Decisions are taken in national offices about local projects. Big institutions like the Public Investment Corporation and Land Bank dominate decision-making.

Communities are rarely consulted, even though they understand their own challenges in managing drought or securing food best. They’re also not chosen to lead projects.

In addition, international funding tends to go towards big infrastructure projects, rather than helping local communities get basic services like clean water and toilets.

Another problem is that local municipalities sometimes lack the technical capacity, skilled personnel and financial management systems to deliver effectively. For example, a national plan to roll out solar-powered water pumps in small towns might not happen if the municipalities lack the ability to procure the pumps or maintain them.

Many municipalities are also mired in corruption and mismanagement, which undermines their ability to act on plans or use funds appropriately.

The current financing model slows down progress, wastes resources, and fails to build the resilience needed for a just transition, away from coal and towards renewable energy.

How should water, energy and food projects be funded?

Water, energy and food should be funded through financing hubs. These could pool funding from different sectors and sources specifically to support integrated projects.

Development finance institutions should also use blended finance, which means combining public and private money, to fund climate-friendly infrastructure. In practice, this works by using government or donor funds to reduce the risk for private investors. This makes solar energy, water systems, or sustainable farming projects more attractive to private investors.

We also suggest that decentralised funding instruments be set up. These include:

Provincial green funds – locally managed public funds that support environmentally friendly projects, like renewable energy or sustainable farming, within a specific province.
Local water, energy and food financing trusts – these would fund projects that meet the needs of specific communities.
Water, energy and food communities – there should be localised funding mechanisms allowing communities to self-finance and self-govern their own initiatives. Communities could come together and decide on projects, and finance these themselves. But a proper framework needs to be in place to prevent abuse of finance going to these initiatives.
Community development finance institutions – locally rooted financial organisations that provide loans and support to underserved communities for projects like small businesses, housing and basic services.

Banks and government agencies should check how big projects affect all three – water, energy and food – before approving a project in one area. Departments should share information, work together on projects, and keep track of money openly. These steps make the system clearer, fairer and easier to understand.

What needs to happen to get there?

Finance institutions must change how they work. Development banks should require different government departments to set up teams that work across departments. This will ensure that food, water and energy projects are rolled out in a coordinated way.

Local communities should have a say in how money is used. This helps make sure funding matches both national plans and the needs of local people. Community-based organisations like stokvels, cooperatives and catchment partnerships should be explored and developed as alternative funding structures.

Finally, development finance institutions should prioritise pilot projects involving women, youth and smallholder farmers. These can highlight how local leadership drives sustainability and equity.

Thulani Ningi received funding for his PhD studies from the South African National Research Foundation. He is also currently employed as a Socio-Economics Manager at Conservation International, working on Behavioural Incentives for Land Transformation and Natural Grasslands research.

Saul Ngarava receives funding from Project Groundwater funded by the Lincolnshire County Council and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), through the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, which is managed by the Environment Agency, United Kingdom.

Alois Mugadza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. South Africa’s water, energy and food crisis: why fixing one means fixing them all – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-water-energy-and-food-crisis-why-fixing-one-means-fixing-them-all-267374

December 7, 2025

Possible ancient artifacts are found in a B.C. thrift shop — and archeology scholars are on the case

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cara Tremain, Assistant Professor, Archaeology, Simon Fraser University

An unusual email arrived in the inbox of a faculty member at the department of archeology at Simon Fraser University in the spring of 2024.

This email was from a thrift shop, Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack, B.C. — unlike the many queries archeologists receive every year to authenticate objects that people have in their possession.

The shop wanted to determine whether items donated to the store (and initially put up for sale) were, in fact, ancient artifacts with historical significance. Shop employees relayed that a customer, who did not leave their name, stated the 11 rings and two medallions (though one may be a belt buckle) in the display case with a price tag of $30 were potentially ancient.

Thrifty Boutique wasn’t looking for a valuation of the objects, but rather guidance on their authenticity.

Eclectic collection

As archeology faculty, we analyzed these objects with Babara Hilden, director of Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Simon Fraser University, after the store arranged to bring the items to the museum.

Our initial visual analysis of the objects led us to suspect that, based on their shapes, designs and construction, they were ancient artifacts most likely from somewhere within the boundaries of what was once the Roman Empire. They may date to late antiquity (roughly the third to sixth or seventh century) and/or the medieval period.

The initial dating was based largely on the decorative motifs that adorn these objects. The smaller medallion appears to bear a Chi Rho (Christogram), which was popular in the late antiquity period. The larger medallion (or belt buckle) resembles comparable items from the Byzantine Period.

The disparities between the two objects, suggesting different time periods, make it unlikely they’re from the same hoard. We expect they were assembled into an eclectic collection by the unknown person (as of yet) who acquired them prior to their donation to Thrifty Boutique.

With the exciting revelation that the objects may be authentic ancient artifacts, the thrift store offered to donate them to SFU’s archeology museum. The museum had to carefully consider whether it had the capacity and expertise to care for these objects in perpetuity, and ultimately decided to commit to their care and stewardship because of the potential for student learning.

Officially accepting and officially transferring these objects to the museum took more than a year. We grappled with the ethical implications of acquiring a collection without known provenance (history of ownership) and balanced this against the learning opportunities that it might offer our students.

Ethical and legal questions

Learning to investigate the journey of the donated objects is akin to the process of provenance research in museums.

In accepting items without known provenance, museums must consider the ethical implications of doing so. The Canadian Museums Association Ethics Guidelines state that “museums must guard against any direct or indirect participation in the illicit traffic in cultural and natural objects.”

When archeological artifacts have no clear provenance, it is difficult — if not impossible — to determine where they originally came from. It is possible such artifacts were illegally acquired through looting, even though the Canadian Property Import and Export Act exists to restrict the importation and exportation of such objects.

We are keenly aware of the responsibility museums have to not entertain donations of illicitly acquired materials. However, in this situation, there is no clear information — as yet — about where these items came from and whether they are ancient artifacts or modern forgeries. Without knowing this, we cannot notify authorities nor facilitate returning them to their original source.

With a long history of ethical engagement with communities, including repatriation, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is committed to continuing such work. This donation would be no different if we’re able to confirm our suspicions about their authenticity.

Archeological forgeries

Archeological forgeries, while not widely publicized, are perhaps more common than most realize — and they plague museum collections around the world.

Well-known examples of the archeological record being affected by inauthentic artifacts are the 1920s Glozel hoax in France and the fossil forgery known as Piltdown Man.

Other examples of the falsification of ancient remains include the Cardiff Giant and crystal skulls, popularized in one of the Indiana Jones movies.

Various scientific techniques can help determine authenticity, but it can sometimes prove impossible to be 100 per cent certain because of the level of skill involved in creating convincing forgeries.

Copies of ancient artefacts

Other copies of ancient artifacts exist for honest purposes, such as those created for the tourist market or even for artistic purposes. Museums full of replicas still attract visitors, because they are another means of engaging with the past, and we are confident that the donation therefore has a place within the museum whether the objects are authentic or not.

By working closely with the objects, students will learn how to become archeological detectives and engage with the process of museum research from start to finish. The information gathered from this process will help to determine where the objects may have been originally uncovered or manufactured, how old they might be and what their original significance may have been.

Object-based learning using museum collections demonstrates the value of hands-on engagement in an age of increasing concern about the impact of artificial intelligence on education.

New course designed to examine items

The new archeology course we have designed, which will run at SFU in September 2026, will also focus heavily on questions of ethics and provenance, including what the process would look like if the objects — if determined to be authentic — could one day be returned to their country of origin.

The students will also benefit from the wide-ranging expertise of our colleagues in the department of archeology at SFU, including access to various technologies and avenues of archeological science that might help us learn more about the objects.

This will involve techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, which can be used to investigate elemental compositions of materials and using 3D scanners and printers to create resources for further study and outreach.

Mentoring with museum professionals

Local museum professionals have also agreed to help mentor the students in exhibition development and public engagement, a bonus for many of our students who aspire to have careers in museums or cultural heritage.

Overall, the course will afford our students a rare opportunity to work with objects from a regional context not currently represented in the museum while simultaneously piecing together the story of these items far from their probable original home across the Atlantic.

We are excited to be part of their new emerging story at Simon Fraser, and can’t wait to learn more about their mysterious past.

Cara Tremain receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Sabrina C. Higgins receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

– ref. Possible ancient artifacts are found in a B.C. thrift shop — and archeology scholars are on the case – https://theconversation.com/possible-ancient-artifacts-are-found-in-a-b-c-thrift-shop-and-archeology-scholars-are-on-the-case-267064

December 7, 2025

Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace deal would leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By James Horncastle, Assistant Professor and Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations, Simon Fraser University

United States President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and a key adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, recently agreed to a 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Such an agreement, on the surface, would be cause for good news. The human toll of the conflict, although shrouded in secrecy by both Russia and Ukraine, is high.

Just one problem: the U.S. and Russia did not include Ukraine in the deliberations. Not only is that patronizing, no matter how the Trump administration has sought to spin it, but it means the agreement reflects Russian demands and goals for the war.

As such, not only is the deal a non-starter, but it also puts Ukraine in the unenviable position of saying no to a mercurial American president.

The search for peace

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several initiatives seeking peace.

One of the earliest efforts took place in Turkey soon after the invasion. Despite Russia’s efforts to portray Ukraine’s withdrawal from the talks as being American-led, what ultimately scuttled the peace process were revelations of Russian atrocities in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

In the aftermath of this failure, both Russia and Ukraine reverted to pursuing their own goals for the conflict. For Ukraine, this meant the complete restoration of its territory from Russian occupation. Ukraine’s failed summer 2023 counter-offensive, however, dashed hopes for a quick victory.

Since this failure, both Ukraine and Russia have accepted that a war of out-manoeuvring one another for a rapid victory is unlikely. Instead, the war in Ukraine is now a protracted, attrition-based conflict.

In such a scenario, the role of outside support is critical. Ukraine has advocated for American participation in peace negotiations, but the talks leading to the 28-point peace plan signalled the Americans were siding with Russia and acceding to Russian demands.

Ukrainian officials have since met with both European and American officials to chart another path forward.

The peace plan’s many problems

Ukraine’s supporters have rightfully argued that the 28-point peace plan heavily favours Russia. The plan’s bias was so evident that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told senators it represented a Russian “wish list,” although he later denied saying that.

There are multiple provisions that make the deal unworkable from a Ukrainian perspective.

The first is that under the plan, Ukraine must cede all of Donetsk and Luhansk in the eastern reaches of the country to Russia. While Russia has seized Luhansk in its entirety, key portions of Donetsk remain under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine’s control of these parts of Donetsk goes beyond symbolic value. These areas consist of terrain and fortifications that are ideal for defensive operations. If Ukraine surrendered this territory to Russia, central Ukraine would be left vulnerable to rapid Russian assaults in the future.

Accepting a bad deal?

Ukrainian officials have struck a delicate balance since Trump announced his peace plan. If Ukrainian officials outright reject it, Trump will probably abandon Ukraine at a moment of need. If Ukraine fully acquiesces, it will be left vulnerable to future aggression. It’s also doubtful any officials who sign the Russia-friendly agreement will survive politically.

Ukrainian officials have consequently cultivated their ties with European officials while playing for time on the more contentious issues in the plan. Specifically, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the territorial aspects of the proposed agreement are the most troublesome.

Realistically, Ukraine isn’t likely to recover areas like Crimea. But Trump asking Ukrainian officials to surrender territory they have not yet lost in Donetsk is a bridge too far.

Unfortunately, Trump appears desperate to reach an agreement, regardless of the cost, judging by the people he has placed in charge of negotiating with Russia — Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.

Witkoff and Kushner are most notably involved when Trump wants results, regardless of the consequence.

Since entering politics in Trump’s first term, Witkoff has been an apologist for Russia and its actions. This stance has not changed in Trump’s second term. In fact, it appears Witkoff coached Russia on how to ingratiate itself to Trump, seemingly placing Russian interests above American.

Kushner’s past diplomacy efforts appear to have enriched him personally, something that does not bode well for the required neutral stance in Russia-Ukraine talks.

A lost moment

Unfortunately for Ukraine, these peace plan complications could not come at a worse time for their war efforts. While Russia pummels Ukrainian cities and is claiming it’s seized the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainians are simultaneously making sustained attacks on the Russian energy industry.

Direct disruption of Russian energy is perhaps the one area where Ukrainian pressure could affect Putin’s war efforts.

Trump’s attempts to achieve a peace deal at any cost, however, could scuttle any Ukrainian breakthroughs.

James Horncastle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace deal would leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-ukraine-peace-deal-would-leave-the-country-vulnerable-to-future-russian-attacks-270556

December 7, 2025

Ontario’s Bill 5 erodes good governance in the province

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kristen Lowitt, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Ontario

Ontario passed Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, in June 2025. The omnibus bill amended environmental laws and proposes “special economic zones” where the government can decide what laws will or won’t apply.

The bill eliminates key environmental protections and grants the provincial government sweeping powers to fast-track development with little to no oversight. This risks undermining the rights of Indigenous communities, the public and nature.

As stated by Michel Koostachin, founder of the Indigenous grassroots group the Friends of the Attawapiskat River: “The government is using the ‘tariff war’ as an excuse for greed, to advance personal and private gain.”

Bill 5 is an affront to Indigenous rights and natural law because it authorizes the government to potentially cause irreparable harm to lands and waters without the free, prior and informed consent of affected First Nations and community members.

Despite widespread opposition from First Nations, the public, municipalities, environmental organizations and labour groups across the province, the government continues to advance the policies, amendments and regulations that could further entrench the regressive legal reforms ushered in by Bill 5.

3 concerning proposals

A series of proposed regulations, amendments and policies were posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for public comment for 45 days, with the comment periods closing in mid-November. The government now has to consider these comments before deciding whether to approve the proposals.

We highlight three proposals of particular concern:

Special Economic Zones criteria

This proposed regulation sets out criteria to designate special economic zones. No objective or measurable criteria are provided. Rather, the regulation grants the government discretionary power to decide where, and to whom, legal safeguards that are key to protecting Indigenous rights, nature and the public interest will or won’t apply.

Archeological assessment exemption

This proposed regulation will exempt sites that the government deems economically significant from undergoing archeological assessment. Allowing projects to go ahead without considering the archeological value of a site threatens the protection of cultural heritage and jeopardizes Indigenous cultural sovereignty. It allows government to evade their constitutional duty to consult, as it is often these assessments that trigger that duty when a sacred site or artifact is found.

Species Conservation Act

Proposed regulations, amendments and policies under this new legislation would further weaken the protection of species at risk and their habitats. It would remove the public’s right under Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights to have a say in decisions that could have serious ecological impacts.

Undermining good governance

Processes like environmental assessments and opportunities for the public to participate in decision-making are in place for a reason. They are essential safeguards for public health, safety and the environment. Allowing governments to disregard them sets a dangerous precedent for decisions to be made without transparency and accountability.

With allied individuals and organizations, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND), a non-profit environmental law organization, has been calling on elected officials to uphold Indigenous rights, treaty promises and environmental justice in the wake of Bill 5. LAND represents and works directly with Indigenous land protectors from Treaty 9 — the very lands where the Ring of Fire mining project is proposed and where the government wants to establish the first special economic zone.

The Ring of Fire is the name given by mining companies to a mineral-rich area in the Hudson-James Bay lowlands. The proposed Ring of Fire project has implications for all of us.

The Hudson-James Bay lowlands in Treaty 9 territory is a region of profound cultural and ecological significance that has been declared protected by Indigenous organizers under their laws.

This region is a refuge for wildlife, an immense carbon sink and the homeland for thousands of Omushkego people who have relied on it since time immemorial. Its protection is needed if Indigenous communities are to continue practising their inherent and treaty rights to live, hunt, fish and protect their lands and waters — and for the government to do their part in combating climate change and biodiversity loss.

Significantly, the impacts of Bill 5 and special economic zones aren’t limited to the North. There is no assurance that the Ontario government won’t set up more special economic zones in the future if it decides it’s “strategically important to Ontario’s economy.”

Overriding human rights and environmental health to advance economic interests is unacceptable. We must continue to urge our elected officials to repeal Bill 5.

Kanisha Acharya-Patel, a staff lawyer with Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND), co-authored this article.

Kristen Lowitt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

– ref. Ontario’s Bill 5 erodes good governance in the province – https://theconversation.com/ontarios-bill-5-erodes-good-governance-in-the-province-270424

December 7, 2025

AI is perpetuating unrealistic body ideals, objectification and a lack of diversity — especially for athletes

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Delaney Thibodeau, Post-doctoral researcher, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto

What does it look like to have an “athletic body?” What does artificial intelligence think it looks like to have one?

A recent study we conducted at the University of Toronto analyzed appearance-related traits of AI-generated images of male and female athletes and non-athletes. We found that we’re being fed exaggerated — and likely impossible — body standards.

Even before AI, athletes have been pressured to look a certain way: thin, muscular and attractive. Coaches, opponents, spectators and the media shape how athletes think about their bodies.

But these pressures and body ideals have little to do with performance; they’re associated with the objectification of the body. And this phenomenon, unfortunately, is related to a negative body image, poor mental health and reduced sport-related performance.

Given the growing use of AI on social media, understanding just how AI depicts athlete and non-athlete bodies has become critical. What it shows, or doesn’t, as “normal” is widely viewed and may soon be normalized.

Lean, young, muscular — and mostly male

As researchers with expertise in body image, sport psychology and social media, we grounded our study in objectification and social media theories. We generated 300 images using different AI platforms to explore how male and female athlete and non-athlete bodies are depicted.

We documented demographics, levels of body fat and muscularity. We assessed clothing fit and type, facial attractiveness like having neat and shiny hair, symmetrical features or clear skin and body exposure in each image. Indicators of visible disabilities, like mobility devices, were also noted. We compared the characteristics of male versus female images as well as the characteristics of athlete and non-athlete images.

The AI-generated male images were frequently young (93.3 per cent), lean (68.4 per cent) and muscular (54.2 per cent). The images of females depicted youth (100 per cent), thinness (87.5 per cent) and revealing clothing (87.5 per cent).

The AI-generated images of athletes were lean (98.4 per cent), muscular (93.4 per cent) and dressed in tight (92.5 per cent) and revealing (100 per cent) exercise gear.

Non-athletes were shown wearing looser clothing and displaying more diversity of body sizes. Even when we asked for an image of just “an athlete,” 90 per cent of the generated images were male. No images showed visible disabilities, larger bodies, wrinkles or baldness.

These results reveal that generative AI perpetuates stereotypes of athletes, depicting them as only fitting into a narrow set of traits — lacking impairment, attractive, thin, muscular, exposed.

The findings of this research illustrate the ways in which three commonly used generative AI platforms — DALL-E, MidJourney and Stable Diffusion — reinforce problematic appearance ideals for all genders, athletes and non-athletes alike.

The real costs of distorted body ideals

Why is this a problem?

More than 4.6 billion people use social media and 71 per cent of social media images are generated by AI. That’s a lot of people repeatedly viewing images that foster self-objectification and the internalization of unrealistic body ideals.

They may then feel compelled to diet and over-exercise because they feel bad about themselves — their body does not look like AI-fabricated images. Alternatively, they may also do less physical activity or drop out of sports altogether.

Negative body image not only affects academic performance for young people but also sport-related performance. While staying active can promote a better body image, negative body image does the exact opposite. It exacerbates dropout and avoidance.

Given that approximately 27 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 have at least one disability, the fact that none of the generated images included someone with a visible disability is also striking. In addition to not showing disabilities when it generates images, AI has also been reported to erase disabilities on images of real people.

People with body fat, wrinkles or baldness were also largely absent.

Addressing bias in the next generation of AI

These patterns reveal that AI isn’t realistic or creative in its representations. Instead, it pulls from the massive database of media available online, where the same harmful appearance ideals dominate. It’s recycling our prejudices and forms of discrimination and offering them back to us.

AI learns body ideals from the same biased society that has long fuelled body image pressure. This leads to a lack of diversity and a vortex of unreachable standards. AI-generated images present exaggerated, idealized bodies that ultimately limit the diversity of humans and the lowered body image satisfaction that ensues is related greater loneliness.

And so, as original creators of the visual content that trains AI systems, society has a responsibility to ensure these technologies do not perpetuate ableism, racism, fatphobia and ageism. Users of generative AI must be intentional in how image prompts are written, and critical in how they are interpreted.

We need to limit the sort of body standards we internalize through AI. As AI-generated images continue to populate our media landscape, we must be conscious of our exposure to it. Because at the end of the day, if we want AI to reflect reality rather than distort it, we have to insist on seeing, and valuing, every kind of body.

Catherine Sabiston receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program

Delaney Thibodeau and Sasha Gollish do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. AI is perpetuating unrealistic body ideals, objectification and a lack of diversity — especially for athletes – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-perpetuating-unrealistic-body-ideals-objectification-and-a-lack-of-diversity-especially-for-athletes-268735

December 7, 2025

Apparent ancient artifacts are found in a B.C. thrift shop — and archeology faculty are on the case

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cara Tremain, Assistant Professor, Archaeology, Simon Fraser University

An unusual email arrived in the inbox of a faculty member at the department of archeology at Simon Fraser University in the spring of 2024.

This email was from a thrift shop, Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack, B.C. — unlike the many queries archeologists receive every year to authenticate objects that people have in their possession.

Thrifty Boutique wasn’t looking for a valuation of the objects, but rather guidance on their authenticity.

Eclectic collection

Ethical and legal questions

Learning to investigate the journey of the donated objects is akin to the process of provenance research in museums.

Archeological forgeries

Archeological forgeries, while not widely publicized, are perhaps more common than most realize — and they plague museum collections around the world.

Well-known examples of the archeological record being affected by inauthentic artifacts are the 1920s Glozel hoax in France and the fossil forgery known as Piltdown Man.

Other examples of the falsification of ancient remains include the Cardiff Giant and crystal skulls, popularized in one of the Indiana Jones movies.

Copies of ancient artefacts

Object-based learning using museum collections demonstrates the value of hands-on engagement in an age of increasing concern about the impact of artificial intelligence on education.

New course designed to examine items

Mentoring with museum professionals

We are excited to be part of their new emerging story at Simon Fraser, and can’t wait to learn more about their mysterious past.

Cara Tremain receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Sabrina C. Higgins receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

– ref. Apparent ancient artifacts are found in a B.C. thrift shop — and archeology faculty are on the case – https://theconversation.com/apparent-ancient-artifacts-are-found-in-a-b-c-thrift-shop-and-archeology-faculty-are-on-the-case-267064

December 7, 2025

Charles Fourier, ce penseur du XIXe siècle qui voyait le travail comme un plaisir

Source: The Conversation – France (in French) – By Bernard Guilhon, Professeur de sciences économiques, SKEMA Business School

L’inventeur du phalanstère parie sur l’association libre des attractions entre les êtres humains pour atteindre l’harmonie, y compris dans la sphère professionnelle. Plaisir et travail ne doivent pas être opposés. Wikimediacommons

Charles Fourier (1772-1837) est l’un des premiers auteurs à développer une critique du capitalisme libéral. Un philosophe dénigré par Karl Marx pour son socialisme utopique. Considéré tantôt comme un être fantasque, tantôt comme un inventeur encombrant, il exerce une carrière de commerçant durant une grande partie de sa vie. Une de ses réflexions résonne dans notre actualité : qu’est-ce qui peut motiver l’individu à l’égard de son travail ?

Il est probablement l’auteur le plus original parmi les socialistes français du XIX^e siècle, considérés comme utopiques, tels Claude-Henri de Rouvroy de Saint-Simon (1760-1825) ou Étienne Cabet (1788-1856). Les travaux que j’ai menés dans le cadre d’une thèse d’État sur les socialistes utopiques ont mis en évidence l’idée que, chez Charles Fourier, le travail n’était pas l’élément premier, mais une activité entraînée par des motivations, une « attraction passionnée ».

L’idée principale qui se dégage de son œuvre ? Les transformations des structures de production nécessitée par les crises, le chômage et la misère, doivent prendre la forme d’un collectivisme décentralisé. Ce dernier repose sur une propriété associée dont l’élément central est constitué par « la phalange » ou commune sociétaire.

Les nouvelles relations sociales sont analysées notamment dans la Théorie des quatre mouvements et des destinées générales (1808), le Nouveau Monde industriel et sociétaire ou invention du procédé d’industrie attrayante et naturelle, distribuée en séries passionnées (1829), la Fausse Industrie morcelée, mensongère et l’antidote, l’industrie naturelle, combinée, attrayante, véridique donnant quadruple produit (1835-1836). Ces ouvrages mettent l’accent sur l’aliénation économique, doublée d’une aliénation affective qui ne peut être dépassée qu’en libérant l’individu de toutes les contraintes qui l’empêchent de se réaliser.

Dans ce nouveau système, par quoi les travailleurs et travailleuses sont-ils motivés, en dehors de l’argent ?

Motivations non pécuniaires

L’existence de rapports humains dans la production implique pour Charles Fourier la prise en considération des motivations non pécuniaires. Il critique dans le premier tome de la Théorie de l’unité universelle « les méthodes qui laissent dans l’oubli la plus vaste, la plus nécessaire des études, celle de l’Homme, c’est-à-dire de l’attraction passionnée ». Une organisation doit reposer sur l’association libre des attractions entre les êtres humains pour atteindre l’harmonie. Plaisirs et travail ne sont pas opposés, mais promus.

L’étude du monde du travail doit être « celle de l’homme social » centrée sur le « social et le passionnel », en d’autres termes sur l’analyse des motivations. L’unité de production, en tant qu’organisation, est commandée à la fois par les impératifs économiques et techniques de la production, mais également par les besoins psychologiques des travailleurs.

Luxe des ateliers et bagne de l’usine

Le point de départ de sa réflexion est celui de l’adaptation physiologique, du corps, de l’individu à son travail. Charles Fourier insiste sur la nécessité d’usines harmonieuses, « le luxe des ateliers » et sa conséquence sur la santé des travailleurs. Une usine ne doit pas être un bagne. Il met l’accent sur l’importance des couleurs, des peintures souvent refaites, des conditions de température et de propreté des ateliers.

Charles Fourier est le penseur du phalanstère, contraction de phalange et de monastère, le regroupement organique des éléments considérés nécessaires à la vie harmonieuse d’une communauté appelée phalange.
Wikimedia

L’organisation du travail doit s’attacher à réduire les distances entre les postes de travail. Une opération de production va échoir à plusieurs groupes de travail et être décomposée en « éléments distincts ». Dans le Nouveau Monde industriel et sociétaire, il souligne que cet « exercice parcellaire en fonctions » va favoriser le passage d’un poste de travail à l’autre. Il s’agit de permettre « au travailleur exécutant » de replacer cette opération dans le tout de la production.

Papillonner contre la monotonie

Le passage d’un poste de travail à l’autre satisfait le besoin de variété, analysé sous le nom de « papillonne ». Les attitudes désignées sous le nom d’ennui, liées « à la monotonie d’un travail sans diversion » soulignées dans La Fausse Industrie, peuvent être réduites par l’alternance des tâches. Ces dernières nécessitent un fractionnement de la journée de travail et l’introduction de pauses.

« Le but serait manqué si cet enchaînement de plaisirs ne coopérait pas au bien de l’industrie active » dit-il dans le tome III de la Théorie de l’unité universelle.

Pour Charles Fourier, le temps de travail doit être découpé en séances de deux heures. Cette division quotidienne pas à négliger les aspects économiques, tels que l’accroissement de la production et de la productivité.

« Perfection du tout » dans le travail en groupe

Premier volume de la *Théorie des quatre mouvements*.

Il y a chez Charles Fourier l’idée que l’organisation du travail possède des propriétés sociales et psychologiques indépendantes de la technologie. Le machinisme ne peut répondre aux besoins des humains. C’est dans cette perspective qu’il faut développer le sentiment de coopération, d’appartenance à un groupe et l’émulation en favorisant le travail collectif.

C’est là que réside la profonde originalité du socialiste utopique. Son analyse rompt absolument avec l’hypothèse de la foule, associée à la perte du sentiment de responsabilité de l’individu, lorsqu’il rappelle dans le Nouveau Monde industriel et sociétaire que le groupe est « une masse liguée par identité de goût pour une fonction exercée ». Des hommes et femmes avec la même « attraction passionnée ».

Le groupe n’est pas une simple collection d’individus. Selon Charles Fourier, il implique des relations stables entre sept à neuf personnes. Il est analysé comme un moyen d’expression des motivations individuelles. Le travail en groupe satisfait le besoin de comprendre la signification de la tâche. La compréhension du but aiguise le besoin de contribuer à « la perfection du tout », le besoin d’achever.

Sens de la vie

La motivation est dénommée par l’auteur « composite ». Dans ce contexte, les considérations affectives deviennent aussi importantes que les considérations économiques comme le taux de salaire, les horaires, etc.

« Le lien ne serait que simple s’il se bornait à exciter l’émulation industrielle par appât du gain. Il faut y joindre des véhicules tirés d’autres passions comme les rencontres amicales », précise Charles Fourier dans la « Théorie de l’unité universelle ».

Les relations affectives, faites de coopération et d’émulation, au sein du groupe de travail sont analysées sous le nom de « cabaliste ». Bien entendu, la motivation pécuniaire existe, mais l’aspect relationnel a pour conséquence de rendre plus complexe l’interprétation du comportement humain. « Les membres du groupe sont entraînés au travail par émulation, amour-propre, et autres véhicules compatibles avec celui de l’intérêt » rappelle-t-il dans la Théorie des Quatre Mouvements.

L’amour-propre nous amène à tenir compte d’autrui. Cet échange réciproque satisfait le besoin de dignité, d’être reconnu dans son travail.

De Charles Fourier se dégage l’idée actuelle que l’accroissement de la productivité est souvent le résultat de la double exigence de la production et de la recherche d’un bien-être de l’individu. « Pour découvrir notre fin, il était deux conditions à remplir, la première de créer la grande industrie, fabriques, sciences et arts ; quand la grande industrie est créée, il reste à remplir la deuxième condition, la recherche du sens de notre vie » rappelle-t-il.

Bernard Guilhon ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Charles Fourier, ce penseur du XIXe siècle qui voyait le travail comme un plaisir – https://theconversation.com/charles-fourier-ce-penseur-du-xixe-siecle-qui-voyait-le-travail-comme-un-plaisir-269665

December 7, 2025

À cent ans, « Gatsby le Magnifique » continue d’attirer lecteurs et… critiques

Source: The Conversation – France (in French) – By Pascale Antolin, Professeure de littérature américaine, Université Bordeaux Montaigne

Le film de Baz Luhrmann (2013) a réactivé le mythe de Gatsby.

Le 10 avril 2025, « Gatsby le magnifique » (« The Great Gatsby », en anglais), roman de l’Américain Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), célébrait son centième anniversaire. Bien qu’il ait déjà fait l’objet d’une bonne centaine d’ouvrages ou d’articles critiques, ce court récit continue d’inspirer les chercheurs.

Aux États-Unis, tout le monde connaît Gatsby, car les jeunes Américains étudient le livre au lycée. Il présente en effet l’avantage de ne compter que cent soixante-dix pages et d’être, à première vue, relativement simple.

Il a aussi donné lieu à des adaptations diverses qui ont contribué à sa popularité : un ballet, un opéra, des productions radiophoniques et théâtrales, et surtout cinq films. Parmi eux, deux ont connu un succès international : le film réalisé par Jack Clayton en 1974, avec Robert Redford dans le rôle de Gatsby et Mia Farrow dans celui de Daisy Buchanan, et celui de Baz Luhrmann, en 2013, avec Leonardo di Caprio et Carey Mulligan.

Un monument des lettres américaines

Gatsby le Magnifique, c’est l’histoire d’un amour malheureux entre une garçonne (flapper, en anglais) à la voix « pleine d’argent », comme le dit le héros, et un gangster très riche (le fameux bootlegger de la prohibition). C’est aussi le rêve américain et ses limites, la tragédie du temps qui passe, la débauche des années vingt, [l’« âge du jazz », comme l’a appelé Fitzgerald]), avec ses soirées extravagantes, ses excès de musique, de danse et surtout d’alcool. On n’a jamais autant bu que pendant la prohibition, aurait dit Fitzgerald. Et il savait de quoi il parlait !

Gatsby, c’est aussi un récit ciselé, sans un mot de trop, où le destin du héros finit par se confondre avec celui de l’Amérique. Le roman est devenu une sorte de monument des lettres américaines, « la chapelle Sixtine de la littérature américaine », écrit l’autrice, universitaire et critique littéraire, Maureen Corrigan dans un ouvrage de 2014, So We Read On : How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures (Little Brown and Company) (non traduit en français, nldr), où elle analyse justement la pérennité du récit. Selon elle, chaque fois qu’on lit Gatsby, on le trouve meilleur encore. En tout cas, on découvre des détails nouveaux, des indices, comme dans un roman policier (car c’en est un aussi, avec trois morts violentes), qu’on n’avait pas repérés auparavant.

Lors d’une conférence à la Librairie du Congrès à Washington à l’occasion de la sortie de son livre, Corrigan insiste sur l’influence qu’a exercée sur Fitzgerald, pendant l’écriture du livre, ce qu’on appelle, en français comme en anglais, la fiction hard-boiled, sous-genre de la fiction policière américaine qui met en scène des « durs » (hard-boiled). Elle demande aussi « Que reste-t-il à dire ? » sur Gatsby aujourd’hui.

À l’occasion du centième anniversaire du roman, un des chefs-d’œuvre de la littérature américaine, il m’a semblé opportun de publier un recueil d’articles académiques en anglais pour faire le point sur la critique fitzgeraldienne des deux côtés de l’Atlantique. C’est ainsi que F. Scott Fitzgerald. A Hundred Years after Gatsby (ouvrage non traduit en français, ndlr) est paru en septembre 2025 aux Presses universitaires de Bordeaux. En lançant ce projet, je ne cherchais pas du tout à répondre à la question de Corrigan tant j’étais convaincue qu’on ne me proposerait pas d’article sur Gatsby, qu’on avait déjà tellement écrit sur ce court roman que le sujet était comme épuisé. J’imaginais que les chercheurs américains, britanniques, français et suédois que j’ai sollicités me soumettraient plutôt des articles portant sur des nouvelles ou des textes peu connus.

Je me fourvoyais complètement.

La pérennité de Gatsby

Sur neuf articles, cinq sont consacrés à Gatsby le Magnifique, deux à Tendre est la nuit (Tender Is the Night, publié en 1934) et deux autres à des récits autobiographiques. Quatre sur les cinq ont été rédigés par des Américains, le dernier par un Britannique. Si la plupart des Européens répugnent désormais, semble-t-il, à revenir à Gatsby, les Américains n’ont pas les mêmes réserves. Et le pire, c’est qu’ils arrivent encore à faire parler le texte.

Un de ces cinq articles, signé James L. W. West, relève de la « critique génétique » et compare des versions plus anciennes du roman à celle qui a été publiée en 1925. Il se concentre, en particulier, sur un bal masqué que Fitzgerald a supprimé. Le passage montrait la différence profonde, une différence de classe et de culture, entre Daisy et Gatsby. Le nouveau riche avait invité des stars de cinéma, des gens à la mode, croyant faire plaisir à la jeune femme. Dans son monde à elle, cependant, celui des vieilles fortunes (old money), on ne s’intéresse pas aux célébrités. En supprimant cet épisode, Fitzgerald a donc privilégié l’implicite, l’allusion. Tout au long du récit, en effet, il appartient au lecteur de décoder ou de déchiffrer les rares indices qui lui sont donnés.

Un autre article (écrit par Dominic Robin) analyse l’œuvre au prisme du réalisme magique, sans craindre ni l’audace ni l’anachronisme d’une telle lecture, même si l’auteur reconnaît volontiers que son approche n’est pas sans faille. La formule « réalisme magique », forgée en 1925 par un critique d’art allemand, désigne d’abord la peinture avant de s’appliquer à la littérature sud-américaine dans les années 1960. Gatsby ne se révèle donc ni vraiment magique ni réaliste non plus, disons plutôt entre les deux.

Un troisième article (signé Tom Phillips) lit le roman à la lumière, ou plus exactement au rythme du jazz, et soutient que Fitzgerald a fait de la syncope, au fondement du jazz, son mode d’écriture. Ainsi, il dit les choses sans avoir l’air de les dire. Il appartient au lecteur, par exemple, de déceler l’identité métisse du personnage de Jordan Baker (l’amie de Daisy, ndlr).

Le quatrième article (celui d’Alan Bilton) compare l’art de Fitzgerald dans le roman à celui des thanatopracteurs. Sous le vernis de surface, entre grimage et camouflage, le romancier dissimulerait et dévoilerait tout à la fois différences sociales, corruption, et matérialisme.

Gatsby et les présidents américains

Quant au cinquième article (Kirk Curnutt), sans doute le plus novateur, il analyse la présence de Gatsby, ou plutôt celle de son nom dans le discours politique américain, plus particulièrement celui qui concerne les présidents des États-Unis.

Alors que Gatsby n’est pas un texte politique (à l’exception des allusions de Tom Buchanan, le mari de Daisy, aux questions de race et d’immigration), il a été utilisé, récupéré sans arrêt, pour qualifier les présidents, républicains ou démocrates, à commencer par Richard Nixon au moment du scandale du Watergate, au début des années 1970.

Il faut dire que la démission de Nixon en 1974 a coïncidé avec la sortie de l’adaptation cinématographique du roman réalisée par Clayton, laquelle a donné lieu à une campagne publicitaire féroce. Les deux noms, celui de Nixon et celui de Gatsby, se sont donc retrouvés dans les médias au même moment. Par la suite, la plupart des présidents américains ont été qualifiés de Gatsby, y compris Barak Obama et Donald Trump. Si on peut s’approprier ainsi son nom, avance aussi l’article, c’est sans doute en raison de l’identité incertaine, ambivalente même du personnage, à la fois idéaliste et gangster, naïf et pragmatique.

Robert Redford et Mia Farrow dans le *Gatsby*, de Jack Clayton (1974).
Allociné

À la lumière de ces approches différentes et non moins fascinantes du roman, il apparaît que la critique littéraire traditionnelle, centrée sur le texte, est désormais condamnée au silence ou, pire encore, à la répétition. Gatsby le Magnifique semble devenu plutôt un « objet culturel », produisant de plus en plus de discours extérieurs au domaine littéraire, celui de la politique, de la musique… ou de la cosmétique funéraire, par exemple. C’est pour cette raison que les critiques américains, moins enfermés dans leur discipline sans doute, arrivent encore à produire des analyses nouvelles et novatrices de ce court récit.

*F. Scott Fitzgerald. A Hundred Years after Gatsby*, sous la direction de Pascale Antolin, a été publié en septembre 2025 aux Presses universitaires de Bordeaux (ouvrage en anglais).

Pascale Antolin ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. À cent ans, « Gatsby le Magnifique » continue d’attirer lecteurs et… critiques – https://theconversation.com/a-cent-ans-gatsby-le-magnifique-continue-dattirer-lecteurs-et-critiques-270995

December 7, 2025

Cœur : pourquoi les athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance ont-ils un risque plus élevé de fibrillation atriale ?

Source: The Conversation – France in French (3) – By Ben Buckley, Senior lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University; University of Liverpool

Des problèmes cardiaques peuvent survenir chez les athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance, après de longues périodes d’entraînement intensif. TetianaKtv/ Shutterstock

Pratiquer une activité physique est l’une des meilleures façons de garder un cœur en bonne santé. Pourtant, des travaux de recherche ont révélé que les athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance à très haut niveau ont jusqu’à 4 fois plus de risques d’être atteints de fibrillation auriculaire (aussi appelée fibrillation atriale). Or, cette affection augmente le risque d’insuffisance cardiaque et d’accident vasculaire cérébral.

Si s’entraîner régulièrement et être en bonne forme physique réduit les risques de nombreuses maladies chroniques et préserve la santé mentale comme la santé physique, pourquoi est-ce que les gens qui sont le plus en forme sont plus à risque que les autres de développer des troubles cardiaques potentiellement mortels ? Les recherches suggèrent une piste d’explication : en matière de santé cardiaque, il se pourrait qu’il vaille mieux ne pas abuser des bonnes choses.

Lorsque nous nous penchons sur les indices rassemblés par les scientifiques, il apparaît clair que la pratique d’une activité physique joue un rôle clé dans le maintien en bonne santé du cœur et dans la diminution du risque de fibrillation auriculaire pour la majorité de la population.

Ainsi, une analyse menée sur plus de 400 000 personnes a révélé que les individus qui déclaraient pratiquer 250 à 300 minutes d’activité physique d’intensité modérée à vigoureuse chaque semaine présentaient un risque de développer une fibrillation auriculaire diminué de 10 à 15 % par rapport au risque encouru par les individus inactifs .

Des niveaux d’activité physique plus élevés pourraient n’avoir un effet protecteur que chez les femmes. En effet, l’étude a également révélé que lorsque les niveaux d’activité physique étaient jusqu’à trois fois supérieurs aux recommandations, le risque de fibrillation auriculaire était réduit d’environ 20 % supplémentaires chez les femmes, mais pas chez les hommes.

L’exercice physique apparaît également comme un traitement fondamental pour les patients déjà atteints de fibrillation auriculaire. Une méta-analyse menée par mes collègues et moi-même a montré que chez les patients atteints de fibrillation auriculaire, l’exercice physique réduisait le risque de récidive en matière d’arythmie de 30 %. Il améliorait également les symptômes, la qualité de vie et la condition physique desdits patients.

Il s’est cependant avéré difficile de déterminer quelle quantité d’activité physique pouvait être optimale pour la rééducation, car la durée du programme, la fréquence des exercices et la durée des séances variait considérablement d’un participant à l’autre.

Si nos conclusions confirment bien que l’activité physique joue un rôle important dans la santé cardiaque, elles soulignent également notre manque de connaissance quant à la quantité d’exercice nécessaire pour optimiser cet effet protecteur. Or, le savoir est une condition sine qua none pour la mise en place d’interventions de « médecine personnalisée ».

En outre, étant donné la popularité croissante des épreuves d’endurance, qu’il s’agisse de marathons classiques ou d’ultra-trails en montagne, il est important de déterminer à partir de quels volumes d’exercices des conséquences délétères pour le cœur peuvent survenir.

La dose fait-elle le poison ?

Nos précédentes recherches ont démontré que la relation entre activité physique et risque de fibrillation auriculaire suit une courbe « en J ». En d’autres termes, cela signifie qu’augmenter son niveau d’activité physique jusqu’à atteindre les niveaux recommandés dans les directives des autorités sanitaires est associé à une réduction significative du risque de fibrillation auriculaire. Cependant, lorsque ces recommandations sont très largement dépassées, en pratiquant par exemple dix fois plus d’activité physique que ce qui est recommandé, une augmentation du taux de fibrillation auriculaire est constatée.

De nombreuses études ont mis en lumière que les athlètes qui s’astreignent à de longues et intenses périodes d’entraînement ciblant l’endurance peuvent développer des problèmes cardiaques.

Par ailleurs, des analyses d’imagerie menées sur des cœurs d’athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance à haut niveau ont également révélé que certains d’entre eux présentaient des traces de cicatrices sur le myocarde (le tissu musculaire du cœur), lesquelles peuvent être un signe avant-coureur de fibrillation auriculaire ainsi que d’autres troubles cardiaques.

Une méta-analyse a par exemple montré que les athlètes avaient un risque près de quatre fois plus élevé de fibrillation auriculaire que les non-athlètes. Cette analyse incluait des personnes qui ne présentaient aucun signe ou symptôme d’autres problèmes cardiaques. Il est intéressant de noter que les athlètes plus jeunes présentaient un risque plus élevé de fibrillation auriculaire que les athlètes plus âgés. Ce constat souligne la nécessité de mener des recherches complémentaires pour comprendre la cause de cette situation.

En outre, hommes et femmes semblent présenter des profils de risque différents. Ainsi, une étude portant sur 402 406 personnes a révélé que les hommes qui déclaraient faire plus de dix fois la quantité hebdomadaire recommandée d’activité physique présentaient un risque de fibrillation auriculaire accru de 12 %. Ce risque ne semblait en revanche pas plus élevé chez les femmes qui s’entraînaient de la même façon. Pour avoir un ordre d’idée, ce niveau d’activité physique équivaut à peu près à sept heures d’exercice physique intense (course, vélo pratiqué à haute intensité) par semaine.

Ce risque moins important, à quantité d’exercice égale, chez les athlètes féminines pourrait être dû au fait que leur cœur subit moins de changements structurels et électriques en réponse à l’exercice. Cela pourrait s’expliquer par leurs taux plus élevés d’œstrogène, une hormone connue pour ses propriétés « cardioprotectrices » : celle-ci stabiliserait les adaptations cardiaques (en réponse à l’entraînement physique ainsi qu’au repos).

Autre point à souligner : il semblerait que le risque de fibrillation auriculaire chez les athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance ne soit pas uniquement lié à la quantité d’exercice, mais également à la combinaison entre la charge globale d’entraînement et son intensité, sur le long terme.

Ainsi, une étude suédoise portant sur environ 52 000 skieurs de fond a révélé que les sportifs qui participaient à un plus grand nombre de courses présentaient un risque de fibrillation auriculaire supérieur de 30 % par rapport aux autres. Le fait pour des athlètes de réaliser les chronomètres les plus rapides à l’arrivée était également associé à un risque accru de 20 %.

Or, le nombre de courses auxquelles un athlète participe et le temps qu’il met pour les terminer reflètent probablement la charge et l’intensité de son entraînement. On peut imaginer que plus il participe à des courses, plus sa charge d’entraînement est importante, et plus il termine les courses rapidement, plus son entraînement est intense. Ce constat suggère que la quantité et l’intensité de l’exercice sont deux éléments clés en matière de risque de fibrillation auriculaire.

Les scientifiques ne comprennent pas encore pleinement les mécanismes qui sous-tendent cette relation entre exercice physique et fibrillation auriculaire. Celle-ci s’explique probablement par plusieurs facteurs qui agissent simultanément. Ainsi, après de nombreuses années d’entraînement très intense, le stress subi par le cœur peut entraîner une hypertrophie des oreillettes (les deux cavités supérieures) ainsi qu’une augmentation de la pression sur leurs parois, ce qui peut produire des cicatrices (un remodelage pathologique du tissu cardiaque).

Même après un unique marathon en montagne, les scientifiques ont observé des pics d’inflammation courts et fréquents dans le cœur des athlètes, ainsi qu’un ralentissement transitoire de la conduction électrique dans leurs oreillettes cardiaques.

Au fil du temps et de la répétition des entraînements ainsi que des événements sportifs, ces contraintes subies par le cœur pourraient mener à l’augmentation de la taille des cavités cardiaques et à la formation de cicatrices, ce qui augmenterait le risque de fibrillation auriculaire.

S’il est peu probable qu’un coureur « normal » voit son risque de fibrillation auriculaire augmenter s’il ne prépare qu’un seul marathon, il est tout de même important de s’entraîner intelligemment.

Il faut notamment tenir compte du volume et de l’intensité de son entraînement, en particulier s’il est pratiqué durant plusieurs heures chaque semaine. Cela pourrait contribuer à réduire le stress cardiaque et donc à diminuer le risque de fibrillation auriculaire.

Pour conclure, soulignons que la fibrillation auriculaire peut être traitée et prise en charge efficacement. Afin de bénéficier d’un traitement approprié, il est essentiel de savoir en détecter les symptômes : un pouls irrégulier, des palpitations ou un essoufflement.

Ben Buckley a reçu des fonds de recherche à l’initiative des chercheurs de BMS/Pfizer, Huawei EU, NIHR, MS Society et Research England.

– ref. Cœur : pourquoi les athlètes qui pratiquent l’endurance ont-ils un risque plus élevé de fibrillation atriale ? – https://theconversation.com/coeur-pourquoi-les-athletes-qui-pratiquent-lendurance-ont-ils-un-risque-plus-eleve-de-fibrillation-atriale-271485

December 7, 2025

Nigeria has jailed Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu: why it risks backfiring

Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Onyedikachi Madueke, Teaching Assistant, University of Aberdeen

The terrorism conviction and life sentence handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, brings an end to a ten-year legal battle. But it opens up a larger political and security question for Nigeria.

Kanu has long championed the secession of Nigeria’s south-east region, a demand the Nigerian constitution forbids. The last major attempt at secession, in 1967, triggered a 30-month civil war that killed over one million people, mostly Igbo civilians.

Kanu’s campaign for Biafra as an independent Igbo state is rooted in decades of perceived political marginalisation and unresolved historical grievances of the Igbo.

The Igbo are one of Nigeria’s three largest ethnic groups – the other two are the Hausa and the Yoruba. Yet no Igbo person has held the presidency or vice presidency since 1999.

Additionally, Igbos feel marginalised because of the way in which Nigeria has organised its regional political groups. The south-east geopolitical zone that the Igbo live in encompasses only five states. The Hausa and the Yoruba have geopolitical zones that are made up of at least six states each. This structural imbalance is widely seen to weaken the south-east region’s political influence and reduce its share of federal resources and representation.

Such perceived marginalisation is what has driven the Biafra separatist movement.

In protest against Kanu’s arrest in 2021, armed groups linked to the movement have imposed and violently enforced “sit-at-home” orders. A report shows that between 2021 and 2025 over 770 lives, including civilians and security personnel, have died in the subsequent violence.

This has contributed to the region’s transformation from one of Nigeria’s most peaceful zones into a centre of insecurity.

As a scholar researching security and separatist conflicts in Nigeria, I argue that a court judgement cannot resolve the political, economic and psychological grievances that underpin the Biafra separatist sentiment in Nigeria.

The region’s demands extend beyond any single personality. They include calls for greater political inclusion, equitable federal representation, improved infrastructure, economic revitalisation, and a national reckoning with the legacy of the civil war.

Until these issues are addressed, the ideology of Biafra will continue to resonate.

In fact, Kanu’s life sentence is more likely to escalate than de-escalate the Biafra agitation, for three reasons. Firstly, by providing an opening for more extremist leaders to emerge. Secondly, by turning Kanu into a martyr for the Biafran cause; and lastly, by potentially opening the door to greater violence.

Leadership removal rarely ends insurgencies

The expectation that harsh punishment will end the Biafra agitation misunderstands how separatist or insurgent movements behave. Decades of global research show that removing a charismatic leader, whether through imprisonment, exile or execution, does not necessarily weaken a movement. In many cases, it produces the opposite effect.

Nigeria’s own history with Boko Haram is an example. After the group’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed extra-judicially in police custody in 2009, Boko Haram did not collapse. Instead, it radicalised under Abubakar Shekau, who adopted a more extreme ideology and militarised the group’s structure.

The same pattern can be seen elsewhere. Research by Jenna Jordan and Ulaş Erdoğdu shows that Islamic State (ISIS) survived multiple leadership losses. Other terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab, the Taliban and the PKK have all endured and adapted despite strikes to remove leaders.

These cases demonstrate that leadership removal often fragments the organisation, empowers hardline commanders and intensifies violence.

Kanu’s life sentence risks producing similar dynamics. The Indigenous People of Biafra has already splintered into factions, some captured by criminal networks.

A life sentence may remove the last figure capable of restraining extremist or opportunistic actors. Before Kanu’s arrest, his organisation had no major factions, and south-east political leaders engaged directly with him to calm tensions.

Kanu alleged that he had set out conditions for ending the agitation, which the Nigerian government did not honour. His imprisonment removed this central point of contact. Meaningful engagement by the Nigerian government could become more difficult.

In addition, when movements lose central authority, they tend to fracture into smaller, less accountable groups, each pursuing its own agenda.

Elevation to martyrdom

Kanu is not the first leader of the Biafra agitation. Before the Indigenous People of Biafra emerged, Ralph Uwazuruike’s Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, founded in 1999, had mobilised thousands using largely non-violent methods. In 2010, the Biafra Zionist Front was formed by Benjamin Onwuka.

The sentiment that fuels these movements has persisted for more than five decades. Leaders emerge, are repressed, and are replaced by new voices.

What Kanu’s sentencing may do, especially if he dies in prison, is to elevate him to the status of martyr, a symbolic role far more powerful than that of an active leader. Martyrdom transforms political grievances into moral ones. When a community perceives a leader as unjustly punished, that figure becomes a rallying point for collective identity and resistance.

For example, the Niger Delta environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was extrajudicially executed by Nigeria’s military junta in 1995, and became a lasting symbol of regional marginalisation and injustice.

Many political stakeholders in the south-east now perceive Kanu’s sentencing as unjust, reinforcing existing grievances.

The ruling may worsen insecurity

The south-east is already experiencing its worst instability in decades. Armed groups, some ideological, others purely criminal, have used the emotive appeal of Biafra to justify assassinations, kidnappings, extortion and attacks on state institutions.

Kanu’s sentencing could intensify these trends.

Factions seeking to avenge him may escalate attacks on security forces or political figures.

Splinter groups may interpret the verdict as proof that peaceful agitation is futile.

Confusion surrounding Kanu’s future may weaken the few actors still capable of influencing extremists.

Criminals will likely expand operations under the guise of political resistance.

Pathways towards de-escalation

The conclusion of Kanu’s trial should have opened a window for political reflection. Instead, it risks deepening the mistrust between the south-east region and federal authorities.

Nigeria must consider three steps.

First, federal authorities should open structured political dialogue with south-east stakeholders.

Second, the government should develop a plan for the region that combines security and development. Development, not coercion, weakens separatist sentiment.

Third, Nigeria must confront the trauma of the civil war through a national truth-telling and reconciliation process. Without acknowledging past injustices, nation-building remains impossible.

Onyedikachi Madueke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Nigeria has jailed Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu: why it risks backfiring – https://theconversation.com/nigeria-has-jailed-biafra-separatist-leader-nnamdi-kanu-why-it-risks-backfiring-270643