Dismantling Baathist Iraq : foreign occupation and cultural destruction

This paper examines the systematic efforts to dismantle or destroy the symbolic dimension of the Baathist regime in Iraq since 2003. It argues that while the Baath were undeniably cruel and oppressive, they did undertake one of the twentieth century’s most robust attempts to utilise the political power of historical memory to create a unified Iraqi national identity. However, while many have examined the militaristic or bureaucratic dimensions of de-Baathification, no such attempts have been made to examine the destruction of the symbols and monuments of the Baathist state and the consequences it has had for Iraqi national identity. This paper addresses this paucity and concludes that with the symbolic destruction of the Baathist state has come a near complete erosion of the Iraqi brand of nationalism that the Baath had managed to promulgate to varying degrees of success since the late 1960s.

A review of the literature exploring the occupation of contemporary pilgrimage

Contemporary pilgrimage is a multi-dimensional, diverse and evolving occupation, not limited to overtly religious intentions or practices, which has not been explored in the occupational science literature. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the scholarly discourse as an important initial step toward understanding the occupation of pilgrimage and its impact on well-being. The discovery process within the literature was strategically refined yielding occupational science's first view of this expanding field of enquiry. This paper introduces the scope of the topic, defines key terms and explores the range of participation in contemporary pilgrimage. International evidence of increased popular interest and participation in pilgrimage is discussed, and the interdisciplinary evidence of the benefits to health and well-being experienced by pilgrims is summarised. This paper argues that occupational science could take a leading role in investigating the relationship between participation in pilgrimage and the experience of well-being for a range of people and populations.

Suicide by occupation: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Previous research has shown that those employed in certain occupations, such as doctors and farmers, have an elevated risk of suicide, yet little research has sought to synthesise these findings across working-age populations. Aims To summarise published research in this area through systematic review and meta-analysis. Method Random effects meta-analyses were used to calculate a pooled risk of suicide across occupational skill-level groups. Results Thirty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Elementary professions (e.g. labourers and cleaners) were at elevated risk compared with the working-age population (rate ratio (RR) = 1.84, 95% CI 1.46-2.33), followed by machine operators and deck crew (RR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.22-2.60) and agricultural workers (RR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.19-2.28). Results suggested a stepwise gradient in risk, with the lowest skilled occupations being at greater risk of suicide than the highest skill-level group. Conclusions This is the first comprehensive meta-analytical review of suicide and occupation. There is a need for future studies to investigate explanations for the observed skill-level differences, particularly in people employed in lower skill-level groups.

The soviet occupation of Germany: hunger, mass violence and the struggle for peace, 1945-1947

This is a major new account of the Soviet occupation of postwar Germany and the beginning of the Cold War. Dr Filip Slaveski shows how in the immediate aftermath of war the Red Army command struggled to contain the violence of soldiers against German civilians and, at the same time, feed and rebuild the country. This task was then assumed by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG) which was established to impose order on this chaos. Its attempt, however, intensified the battle for resources and power among competing occupation organs, especially SVAG and the army, which spilled over from threats and sabotage into fighting and shootouts in the streets. At times, such conflicts threatened to paralyse occupation governance, leaving armed troops, liberated POWs and slave labourers free to roam. SVAG's successes in reducing the violence and reconstructing eastern Germany were a remarkable achievement in the chaotic aftermath of war.

Violence and xenophobia as means of social control in times of collapse: the soviet occupation of post-war Germany, 1945-1947

This article explores an overlooked aspect of the Soviet occupation of post-war Germany, namely, the influence of wartime violence on German behavioural patterns during the post-war period. Whilst many historians have noted that violent Soviet conduct in Germany merely encouraged the intensification of existing anti-Soviet attitudes therein, few have attempted to thoroughly investigate its influence on German behaviour. The conclusions made by those few historians who have done so are unsupported by the Soviet archival evidence drawn upon in the article. Using this evidence, the article highlights the tentative links between the violent repression of an occupation force and the muted responses of its subjects. It concludes that the nature of the repression and of the broader occupation landscape in which it developed, was integral in ensuring that the characteristically docile behaviour of the German population toward the Soviet occupier continued unabated throughout much of the occupation period.

New opportunities for occupational therapy through the occupation of contemporary pilgrimage

Twenty-first century pilgrimage is a journey of great personal significance not limited to traditional religiosity. The transformative potential of this diverse and evolving occupation is increasingly evidence based. This opinion piece explores the definition of contemporary pilgrimage and underlines the relevance of this occupation to occupational therapists and their clients. The exceptional accessibility of contemporary pilgrimage is described, suggesting limitless opportunities for the use of pilgrimage as a therapeutic tool. Interdisciplinary examples of promoting wellbeing through contemporary pilgrimage are then presented. This opinion piece seeks to inspire a local response to this global phenomenon.

Introduction : The Iraq legacies: intervention, occupation, withdrawal and beyond

This chapter examines the various and complex legacies of the Iraq War of 2003. In follows the trajectory of these legacies back to the earliest days of the US intervention and examines the extent to which key decisions and errors of judgement on the part ofthe Coalition and the Iraqi political elite have had unexpected and devastating consequences for Iraq today. The chapter documents how the war dramatically altered the lives of ordinary Iraqis and led to many of the most deep-seated and intractable problems facing Iraq, the region and the world today. In discussing these legacies, this chapter also points to the root causes of the rapid turn of events that transpired after the dramatic advance of ISIS in mid-2014. The argument here being that the Iraq War of 2003 has left behind a sequence of deeply felt but rarely examined legacies and that together these legacies have served as the catalyst of Iraq’s current chaos. Therefore, this chapter is not only timely, but it also addresses a significant lacuna in academic and policy debates by addressing a series of urgent questions concerning the legacies of Iraq.

Does gender explain the relationship between occupation and suicide? Findings from a meta-analytic study

This report investigated whether suicide risk by occupational groups differed for males and females. We examined this using a sub-set of articles examined in a recent meta-analysis and stratified by gender. For certain occupational groups, males and females had a similar risk of suicide (the military, community service occupations, managers, and clerical workers). There was some indication of gender differences for other occupations (technicians, plant and machine operators and ship’s deck crew, craft and related trades workers, and professionals), although these did not reach statistical significance. These findings highlight the complexity of the relationship between occupation and suicide and suggest the possible role of a range of individual, work-related and social-environmental risk factors that may differ for males and females.

Freedom of choice of occupation and academic freedom in Hong Kong

This chapter discusses two unrelated topics which are successively provided for in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Administrative Region (HKSAR). These are the right of Hong Kong residents to a freedom of choice of occupations (art..33) and the right to academic freedom of Hong Kong's academic institutions and by implication of their academics (art.34). The first section of this chapter will focus on art.33, while the second section will focus on art.34.