Coastal and marine cultural heritage (CMCH) is at risk due to its location and its often indefinable value. As these risks are likely to intensify in the future, there is an urgent need to build CMCH resilience. We argue that the current CMCH risk management paradigm narrowly focuses on the present and preservation. This tends to exclude debates about the contested nature of resilience and how it may be achieved beyond a strict preservationist approach. There is a need, therefore, to progress a broader and more dynamic framing of CMCH management that recognises the shift away from strict preservationist approaches and incorporates the complexity of heritage’s socio-political contexts. Drawing on critical cultural heritage literature, we reconceptualise CMCH management by rethinking the temporality of cultural heritage. We argue that cultural heritage may exist in four socio-temporal manifestations (extant, lost, dormant, and potential) and that CMCH management consists of three broad socio-political steering processes (continuity, discontinuity, and transformation). Our reconceptualisation of CMCH management is a first step in countering the presentness trap in CMCH management. It provides a useful conceptual framing through which to understand processes beyond the preservationist approach and raises questions about the contingent and contested nature of CMCH, ethical questions around loss and transformation, and the democratisation of cultural heritage management.
MULTIFILE
Light profoundly impacts many aspects of human physiology and behaviour, including the synchronization of the circadian clock, the production of melatonin, and cognition. These effects of light, termed the non-visual effects of light, have been primarily investigated in laboratory settings, where light intensity, spectrum and timing can be carefully controlled to draw associations with physiological outcomes of interest. Recently, the increasing availability of wearable light loggers has opened the possibility of studying personal light exposure in free-living conditions where people engage in activities of daily living, yielding findings associating aspects of light exposure and health outcomes, supporting the importance of adequate light exposure at appropriate times for human health. However, comprehensive protocols capturing environmental (e.g., geographical location, season, climate, photoperiod) and individual factors (e.g., culture, personal habits, behaviour, commute type, profession) contributing to the measured light exposure are currently lacking. Here, we present a protocol that combines smartphone-based experience sampling (experience sampling implementing Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, KSS ratings) and high-quality light exposure data collection at three body sites (near-corneal plane between the two eyes mounted on spectacle, neck-worn pendant/badge, and wrist-worn watch-like design) to capture daily factors related to individuals’ light exposure. We will implement the protocol in an international multi-centre study to investigate the environmental and socio-cultural factors influencing light exposure patterns in Germany, Ghana, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey (minimum n = 15, target n = 30 per site, minimum n = 90, target n = 180 across all sites). With the resulting dataset, lifestyle and context-specific factors that contribute to healthy light exposure will be identified. This information is essential in designing effective public health interventions.
MULTIFILE
With regard to the increasing global competition for highly-skilled labour, the group of mobile international students is becoming more and more prominent in the considerations of national policy-makers. One concrete idea is to develop policies in order to bind international students and foreign knowledge workers and make them valuable contributors to the country, economically but also in terms of social and cultural aspects. The Dutch government has put this issue on the agenda and emphasized their interest in binding international talent to the Netherlands. Therefore, it is crucial to learn about the factors, which are decisive in staying and going and which are particularly appealing or unappealing about the Netherlands. In order to contribute to this process, a study was done among international students, alumni, and staff at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. This study's findings have been validated and enriched by the results of a broader survey which has been conducted among the talented international students participating in the Nuffic NL4Talents conference of 4 February 2013 in The Hague. This study suggests that two principal reasons are relevant in residence decisions: career perspective and personal factors, such as having a Dutch partner or circle of friends. Additionally, a number of further factors seems to influence whether internationals want to stay in the Netherlands. All these factors are classified in four groups: those related to the Netherlands in general, to the region/city of residence, personal aspects and aspects related to the university. With regard to the Netherlands, appealing factors appear to be the standard of living, the socio-political environment in the Netherlands and the supposedly welcoming Dutch culture. There are, however, people - in particular those who cannot fully enjoy all rights of the EU citizenship - who feel underprivileged in terms of administrative procedures and in their everyday life in the Netherlands. When it comes to the regional aspects in The Hague, appealing factors are apparently the clean and safe environment to live as well as the availability of several offers for leisure time, including an attractive cultural agenda. Here, the housing situation - more precisely the cost and quality of accommodation - appears as a rather unappealing aspect. In terms of personal considerations, the family-friendly environment in the Netherlands has been rated as particularly appealing. Also having a Dutch partner or Dutch friends may encourage international students to stay and work in the Netherlands. The findings suggest, however, that international students are more embedded in an international circle of friends than linked with the locals. Only few respondents felt being actively excluded from Dutch circles, but a majority agrees that it is difficult to establish bonds with the local population. At the same time, it has been raised that international students voluntarily live in their expat bubble. Lastly, the university experience can contribute to retaining international students. Here, appealing factors were the international study environment which makes the foreign student feel at home, as well as the level and focus of education at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. By contrast, critical views have been raised in relation to a suggested lack of career counselling and support in learning the Dutch language at university. Based on these findings, the report concludes with some recommendations which might serve as a springboard to develop strategies to bind international talent. As the discussion of findings shows, the insights of this study can be validated by insights of a related study that has recently been conducted by Agentschap NL and the advice of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands. Based on the findings, the report concludes with a number of recommendations outlining how national, regional, local authorities as well as universities can help to retain more international talent in the Netherlands.
