Administrators despite their wish: the professors of botany and zoology of Russian universities and creation of laboratories in the 1860–70s

The creation of laboratories and the introduction of practical training in botany and zoology at the universities of the Russian Empire took place in the 1860s and 1870s and was the result of professorship fellows at foreign universities at the period of the late 1850-s and the 1860-s. But after returning home the professors faced problems, the result of which in some cases was the impossibility of putting their ideas into practice. In this article, the author analyzes information about fellowships in the late 1850–1860s, considering the main vectors of movement of scientists, and talks about the difficulties faced by university professors in organizing classrooms and laboratories and compares their efforts to supply microscopes in relation to the number of students of the natural sciences departments.

From east to west and back again: the effects of reverse culture shock on female Saudi Arabian university students studying abroad

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Saudi Arabian university students returning home after having spent time away studying internationally. The investigation focused exclusively on female students who for diverse reasons were unable to complete their studies abroad. Design/methodology/approach A thematic analysis was applied to analyze the seven in-depth interviews conducted by the authors. By using an open coding method analytic patterns across the entire data set were identified and then analyzed. Findings The findings suggest that the students experienced reverse culture shock reintegrating and assimilating into their former lives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its conservative culture. This was especially surprising considering not one of the participants experienced culture shock when they first traveled to their host country – the USA, Canada or England. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to a small group of seven female undergraduates who are comparatively well educated and come from a middle and upper socioeconomic demographic. As a result, without additional research, the findings cannot be extended to groups outside of this demographic. Practical implications Students who have studied abroad need improved academic and social support networks when they return home, according to the findings. The authors want to raise awareness about the difficulties that students face upon their return. Teachers, counselors, and advisors need to be on the lookout for the symptomatology associated with these types of problems. Social implications Female Saudi students returning home after an extended period of study abroad face a variety of problems. They must fit into a restrictive, partriarchal culture in which they are not legally equal to men. Originality/value To date, there are no studies that shed light on reverse culture shock for students who returned to Saudi Arabia without a degree. Due to the large number of Saudi scholarship holders who study in English-speaking countries with government support, the study is the first attempt in this direction.

Administrative and Teaching Activities of Archpriest Vsevolod Shpiller in Moscow Theological Schools

Статья посвящена малоизученной деятельности известного московского пастыря протоиерея Всеволода Шпиллера в московских духовных школах с 1950 по 1951 г. Вернувшись на родину из Болгарии в начале 1950 г., протоиерей Всеволод был радушно принят священноначалием Русской Церкви. Сразу же по возвращении его назначили преподавателем в Московские духовные школы и настоятелем Ильинского храма в Загорске (Сергиевом Посаде), а через непродолжительное время утвердили в должности инспектора Московской духовной академии. Несмотря на большое доверие патриарха Алексия I (Симанского) и председателя Учебного комитета митрополита Григория (Чукова), протоиерей Всеволод не смог выстроить нормальных, рабочих отношений с руководством и преподавательским составом Академии, что, естественно, привело к отставке с должности инспектора, а впоследствии к увольнению из Академии. В статье предпринята попытка на основании архивных данных и воспоминаний современников восстановить картину деятельности протоиерея В. Шпиллера, уточнить некоторые факты из его биографии этого периода. The article is devoted to the little-studied activity of the famous Moscow pastor Archpriest Vsevolod Shpiller (1902-1984) in Moscow theological schools in 1950-1951. Returning home from Bulgaria in early 1950, Archpriest Vsevolod was warmly received by the hierarchy of the Russian Church. Immediately after his return, he was appointed a teacher in Moscow theological schools and abbot of the Ilyinsky Church in Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad). And after a short time, he was approved as an inspector of the Moscow theological academy. Despite the great trust of Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky) and the president of the Educational Committee, Metropolitan Grigory (Chukov), Archpriest Vsevolod was unable to build normal, working relations with the leadership and teaching staff of the Academy, which naturally led to his resignation from the post of inspector, and subsequently to dismissal from the Academy. The article will attempt to restore the picture of Archpriest V. Shpiller's activity on the basis of archival data and memoirs of contemporaries, to clarify some facts from his biography of this period.

Becoming Québécois: Édouard and the Duchesse de Langeais between Old Worlds and New in the work of Michel Tremblay

Our identity is formed in large part by the way we see others and the way others, in their turn, see us. This is true both of Québec and of Édouard, one of the principal characters of the fictionalised Montréal universe of Michel Tremblay. A representative of the pre-1970s socio-economic inequality of French-Canadians, Édouard is further marginalised by his homosexuality. In his transvestite persona as the Duchesse de Langeais, a revised version of a Balzacian heroine, he undertakes a mocking critique of the injustices of his society from the ‘external’ point of view of this supposed French aristocrat before seizing the opportunity of an actual visit to France, hoping to find there a freer and more equitable society. But the Old World turns out to be unwelcoming and antiquated, making Édouard more aware of the hitherto unperceived advantages of his life in Montréal. Returning home, his only option is to resume his role as a provocative duchess, preparing the ground for the advent in 1976 of a modern Québec, a francophone society of the New World, internationally recognised for its openness of mind and its cultural dynamism.

Perception of agroforestry adopter and non-adopter on volcano risk and hazard: a case in Mt. Merapi, Java, Indonesia

Rozaki Z, Rahmawati N, Wijaya O, Khoir IA, Senge M, Kamarudin MF. 2021. Perception of agroforestry adopter and non-adopter on volcano risk and hazard: a case in Mt. Merapi, Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3829-3837. Agroforestry is an agricultural system that many people use in mountainous areas. Some experts have proven that this system can become the mitigation strategy in volcano areas. This study analyzes the risk and hazard perception of agroforestry adopters and non-adopters in the Mt. Merapi prone area. 139 agroforestry adopters and 130 non-adopters were randomly taken from four different areas in Mt. Merapi. Results show that both adopters and non-adopters show different perceptions regarding hazards and risk. The effectiveness of agroforestry practice for mitigation strategies needs to be studied more. The awareness of hazards and risks in the Mt. Merapi prone area is essential to save more lives during the eruption. The challenge is how to persuade agroforestry adopters and non-adopters to flee when the big eruption comes. Even though they flee, they still insist on returning home to take care of their livestock, farm, and protect properties. Mitigation education is needed; also, the infrastructure is important in supporting the mitigation efforts.