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Timur explores how China tried to marry capitalist growth and prosperity with communist politics. Image description: Rowan Walker's collage was made in the initial lockdown and uses a combination of imagery that evokes themes of state power, relations of power, privacy and a state of confinement. While the artwork was inspired by the lockdown, the imagery of state power is connected to the role of the Mandate of Heaven in contemporary China and its role as an international economic superpower. Milton Friedman was described by The Economist as "the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century ... possibly of all of it". Throughout the 1980s, the preeminent economist sang the praises of capitalism. He explained, that no other system had a comparable capacity to lift people out of poverty and drive progress. He, as many of us would, chose the United States as his primary model. However, in his book Free To Choose, the true paragon of the system was, in his eyes, Hong Kong: “The modern exemplar of free markets and limited government”. The simple tax code, barren regulation, low public expenditure, and even its first “Executive” – billionaire CEO Tung Chee-hwa - were all hallmarks of capitalism as less of an economic environment and more as a dogma. In its re-appropriation of the country, it is then an added challenge for China to subjugate this quintessentially free-market loving city-state while retaining Hong Kong’s inherent economic might and worth. More broadly, there is an intrinsic paradox to China in the eyes of western audiences. How does it marry its communist, one-party principles with the prosperity of its companies? How does it retain tight control of its politics under the one-party system, all the while continuing the fabled Chinese economic growth curve, led by powerful companies that could eventually serve as political opponents? For a long time, the veneer of a free market was maintained by China, for its benefit amongst other nations wanting to do business and tap into its huge market. This was typified, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where China portrayed the image of an amicable, open-minded and welcoming host country, at what was essentially its graduation ceremony into the world’s superpowers. This now long-held perception of what it meant to be a Chinese company was, however, questioned and suddenly thrown into the limelight in May 2019, when then-President Trump banned Huawei products across the US due to suspected (but unproven) espionage by Beijing in its 5G offering. As one might expect from a country whose peers historically had to employ especially Chinese-versed diplomats (called sinologists) to de-obfuscate Chinese diplomatic strategy, China’s economic system is complex. It subtly underplays capitalist bubbles under the permission of a communist government. Central to the Chinese economy are the six Chinese Special Economic Zones (SEZs), of which Macau and Hong-Kong are also both considered members. Created in August 1979, just a year after Mao Zedong’s death, due to an ailing Chinese economy compared to its Asian rivals, these SEZs provide the economically bleak communist provinces of rural China with typically inner-city, hyper-modernized, free-market relief. Here, flexible municipal policies encourage foreign and domestic trade and investment. It is no wonder, therefore, that some of China’s largest companies, including two of its three internet giants (commonly referred to as BAT – Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) are headquartered in SEZs (much of Tencent’s success, can, in fact, be attributed to its relocation to Shenzhen in 1984, likewise for Huawei in 1987). A map of China’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) One might assume that the largest Chinese companies are simply so big due to the insularity of the world’s largest market, which is not entirely false. They gain their meteoric status through favour with the Chinese government, which eventually opens them up to global markets. However, to understand their size, one must also appreciate that Chinese companies are a complex intermesh of power and economics. Who Owns A Chinese Company? In the West, the question is generally not as simple as one might imagine, especially with holding companies, deliberately confusing bylaws and dual-class shares. In China, it’s even more complex. In Huawei’s case, there is a permanent record of the company’s bylaws and shareholders kept behind glass at his Shenzhen headquarters. However, the Chinese government, CCP and National Congress are not mentioned once in this document - potentially odd for a communist state. Let’s examine the case of Huawei LLC. It is owned by Huawei Investment & Holding. Huawei Investment & Holding itself is owned by the CEO of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei (1.15%), and The Union of Huawei Investment & Holding (98.85%). Huawei claims that this means, per its glass-shielded book, that its employees own the company, as they are also partially paid in equity. However, on closer examination, this “stock” owned by the employees is synthetic equity. This means it cannot be sold and has no power within the company, and the right to equity is revoked upon leaving the company. Balding and Clarke, in their 2019 publication on the company, saw it as “…purely a profit-sharing incentive scheme”. So, who actually makes up the union which owns Huawei Investment & Holding? Chinese law states that such local unions are subsets of their branches, which as you might guess, progresses up through the local and provincial unions, to The Secretariat of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the chairman of which (Wang Dongming) just so happens to sit in the CCP’s national people’s congress, and so it goes for all Chinese companies. It is this ownership model that also explains why the Chinese market is full of extreme monopolies (such as Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei and Baidu), encouraged by the CCP, as it can control larger market portions with less political action. The Winding Hierarchy of Huawei Ownership This “authorisation” of the Chinese government extends to foreign companies that want to do business in China, as they have to, by law, either use a Chinese partner or proxy. For example, Tencent’s WeChat, which acts as a Chinese bypass to the IOS rules, allows the downloading of other apps within the app, meaning it has a near-monopoly on the Chinese app market. It acts, just as the other Chinese monopolies do, as a gatekeeper to the market. Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald's, Uber and Costco have all had to partner with WeChat to even enter China, let alone “compete”. However, the opposite is not true for Western companies. China can, and has, used its companies as a proxy to challenge America’s economic might, without any openly aggressive actions. For example, Tencent alone owns large stakes in/part-owns: Tesla, Snapchat, Lyft and Spotify. Why Does China Act This Way? The first and most obvious answer would be due to its core, one-party, communist ideals. I would like to present a second, potentially culturally relevant perspective. The Mandate of Heaven was the Chinese counterpart to the European Divine Right of Kings. Its most stark, and relevant, difference here was that it did not confer an eternal right to rule and that it had no definitively hereditary properties. It instead stated that, when a ruler assumed power, they had been given the Mandate of Heaven due to their “just right” to rule. Crucially, however, the ruler could lose the Mandate of Heaven due to unjust governance. Central to the Mandate of Heaven was, therefore, the right to rebellion and for anyone to claim that the ruler had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The right to rebellion being nothing innovative, however, China stood alone in that it codified the right to rebellion within its value system. It would be akin to the American constitutional right to form militias, as part of the Christian value system it was founded upon. While this concept does not dictate the modern CCP chairman’s actions, it goes a long way to explain the mentality and precariousness associated with power, at least to a western observer, in the Confucian-centric value system that still permeates Asia. Ultimately it is a concept Xi Jinping himself may be acutely aware of, particularly given his post-party purge struggles. By convolutedly owning every major company, the CCP provides China with the growth rate to rival many capitalist nations, while retaining a tight stranglehold on political dissent. Alibaba, arguably one of China’s most famous exports on the global stage, was deliberately made an example of how no one is above the party. As the Chinese internet retail giant grew, its founder, Jack Ma, began to make increasingly, un-CCP friendly statements, culminating in a now-infamous speech. His criticisms were mainly levelled at Chinese banks and regulations (though occasionally he also strayed into civil liberties), to which Xi Jinping is said to have personally responded by cancelling the launch of Ma’s Ant Group IPO. The former poster boy of China’s technologically entrepreneurial spirit – Jack Ma, giving his now notorious speech against Chinese regulators and banks. After the speech, he was feared dead as he did not make another public appearance for several weeks. The Mandate of Heaven was, historically, lost specifically through disasters (both natural and man-made). China sees a few standing before it that are far beyond the scope of its article, and by clamping down on its monopolies Xi Jinping might be shoring himself, or his successor, up for the turmoil ahead. The first and foremost being the precariousness and fragility of China’s real estate market, the cracks of which are already beginning to show. One can therefore see that from a party perspective, China’s post-Mao style of communism manages a very real threat. By curbing the power of its companies in such a fashion, the greatest believer of Milton Friedman approved (and frequently misunderstood), American truism “The freer the market, the freer the people.” might ironically be the Chinese government.

'Done correctly, online sex work can be a big fuck-you to the thousands of us who have had personal photos leaked or our boundaries encroached upon...but creators need a strong understanding of the job description.' mage Description: In this piece titled the ‘Pink Lady’ I explore themes of loss and vulnerability, especially within the stages grief. Painting has always been an extremely cathartic process for me, so in a way creating this artwork was a coping mechanism for dealing with the struggles in life. While shows like Euphoria can glamorise sex work for the barely legal, iOnly Fans, Web-camming, and porn, in general, should not be the shameful or exploitative industry it has been for decades. If the business is in the hands of the people who make the content, then in theory it should be a relatively safe job for those that partake. But the popular culture surrounding sex work and platforms like Only Fans are marketing it towards the wrong age group. Sex work is not an entry-level, weekend job for minors and the barely legal. It is a job that can only be properly performed when the creators have resolute boundaries and a strong understanding of the job description, which shows like Euphoria and wealthy celebrities do not demonstrate accurately to their young fans. The recent trend towards the popular legitimisation of sex work as a ‘real job’ is a welcome one, allowing creators and those in front of the camera more autonomy over their own bodies, prices, and their boundaries (1). Done correctly, online sex work can be a big fuck-you to the thousands of us who have had personal photos leaked or our boundaries encroached upon. Sex-work instead allows (predominately women) to capitalise on the very things we are told are shameful, charging the same boys from school who would leak our photos up-scale prices for the pleasure of viewing them. In all honesty, it’s grossly satisfying. I cannot speak from a place of experience, but hundreds of women who have started Only Fans often speak about the empowering nature of the job. However, no matter how empowering, we cannot allow platforms like Only Fans to become exploitative, as they so often do. In a place where creators are their own bosses, it seems paradoxical that people can ‘exploit themselves’, but that is exactly what seems to be happening amongst teenagers. It’s a tricky topic to speak on from a privileged position such as mine, especially as speaking out against sex work can often be viewed as slut-shaming or straight-out misogyny; this is not my objective at all. The glamorisation of sex work, especially Only Fans, and the ‘easy-money’ it can make has been skewed to look like the best option for young girls for as soon as they reach eighteen (or even before). The idea of selling photos for money seems easy, fun, and relatively safe since it’s all online, and trends on Tik-Tok, shows like Euphoria, and the many celebrities on the app, like Bella Thorne and Cardi B, only encourage this narrative. If a person decides to partake in Only Fans with full knowledge of what that could entail, then all power to them. However, the thousands of girls as young as fourteen who are joining the app illegally seems to suggest that this isn’t the case. Out of the 130 million subscribed to Only Fans, and the 2 million creators on the platform, only the top 1% of the accounts make 33% of the money, and the average earnings are only around $180 a month (excluding tips), thereby not making it a career that an individual can live on sustainably, despite that being the prevailing narrative. Yet the ease at which underage users can create accounts with fake IDs or even passports of family members is worrying, and an individual does not even need a creator account to ‘unofficially’ sell explicit videos and photos by advertising their services in their bio. The tolerance Only Fans have for underage accounts, and its leniency in moderation only exacerbates the problem and encourages more underage girls to flock to the app. The popularity of Only Fans and platforms like it aren’t popular amongst teenage girls just for the financial incentive alone. The platform can also act as a 3 in 1 problem solver for the regrettably common issues teenage girls face: a lack of self-confidence, a need for independence (which money can provide) and a desire for validation (male or not). While we can agree that sex work is not a safe space for girls to work through these issues (even if the issues they face are sex-driven), for many teenagers Only Fans is a quick fix. We can see this manifest itself in the character of Kat in the popular HBO show Euphoria, now as much a part of this generation’s shared cultural psyche as Skins was of the mid-2000s (although more sparkly than its predecessor). I really enjoyed Euphoria and could sing its praises for its queer representation and depiction of drug abuse. However, Euphoria reached millions of teenagers, many of whom saw Kat’s storyline only as one of sexual empowerment and body positivity, which it was, but with some major obstacles. First Kat loses her virginity through the coercion of three boys, of which she is outnumbered, which is then filmed and leaked onto Pornhub. Now it's not screaming ‘Girl Power!’ but Kat’s reaction to seeing the comments on the video praising her looks drives her to start her own Webcam. It is good to see that Kat isn’t reduced to the victimised, ‘Fat Best-Friend’ trope, and instead is a desirable and empowering character. Yet Euphoria seems to completely ignore the fact that Kat is also a 16-year-old girl. While it’s a refreshingly positive outlook on sex-work, the fact said sex-worker is an underage, sexually inexperienced girl is not so remarkable. It also mistakenly makes sex work look ridiculously easy. Kat replies to messages throughout the day, Webcams now and then yet still earns hundreds a day through her ‘Cash-Pig’. The millions of young people who watch the programme would see a job that is low-stakes, high reward, and incredibly accessible, making it a more lucrative trade than it really is. While Kat’s camming is one that allows her to earn money and take ownership over their body, it also stems from her insecurity and need for male validation. It’s arguably a reactive decision to her video getting leaked without her consent, rather than a proactive decision towards empowerment that many girls would take at face value to be. Another uncomfortable issue arises when you can see how ready audiences are for teenage girls to ‘come of age’ and start selling pictures of themselves. Danielle Bregoli (the Cash Me Outside Girl) made an Only Fans account on her 18th Birthday, making $1,030,703 in just six hours as nearly a million subscribed to her page. The knowledge that a large proportion of her male audience was waiting to legally sexualise her is unpleasant yet unsurprising. Similarly, Tik-Tok trends are saturated with similar promotions of Only-Fans. In one video a girl shows her increasing outgoings, with the caption, “This is your sign to get started”, in reference to her Only-Fans account, yet one look at her bio tells us she is just seventeen. Another quick scroll through Tik-Tok’s hashtags shows multiple videos of Sugar Babies showing off their payments, or tutorials for ‘How-To become a Sugar Baby’ or ‘How-To grow your Only Fans’, despite Tik-Tok’s major fanbase being pre-teens and teenagers. Tik-Tok and its creators can be a great place for education and reality-checks, but these are not the videos that the algorithm promotes, and they’re not the videos teenage girls looking to make money want to see. Only Fans, Web-camming, and porn, in general, should not be the shameful or exploitative industry it has been for decades. If the business is in the hands of the people who make the content, then in theory it should be a relatively safe job for those that partake. But the popular culture surrounding sex work and platforms like Only Fans are marketing it towards the wrong age group. Sex work is not an entry-level, weekend job for minors and the barely legal. It is a job that can only be properly performed when the creators have resolute boundaries and a strong understanding of the job description, which shows like Euphoria and wealthy celebrities do not demonstrate accurately to their young fans. References Cameron Cory, ‘Legitimizing Sex Work- Legal and social appeal to dismantle state-justified victimization of prostitutes’, Public Seminar, 18.12.2017, accessed 10.09.2021, https://publicseminar.org/2017/12/legitimizing-sex-work/

Isabelle Coates dives into ‘slacktivism’, black squares and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, questioning if people post on social media about social issues to appear a certain way rather than in pursuit of real action. She also highlights its benefits and how it’s far reaching messages can affect real change. Image description: Everyone is confused when it comes to social media activism, what will actually help the cause, are we passively showing support... its a confusing subject to wrap our heads around. The figure here is surrounded by collage, ink swirls, and watching eyes, but they raise their hands to their face to block out the mass amount of information around them. They are trying to see clearly in their environment where they can barely distinguish their path forward. Just like the person in the painting, we must attempt to forge the right path and understand what step forward is doing the best for our cause. Most people will probably remember the ALS ice bucket challenge. It became popular when I was a naive thirteen year old in the throes of my first engagement with social media. Like all of my friends were doing, I filmed myself pouring a bucket of cold water over my head, posted it online encouraging three of my friends to do the same, and then promptly forgot all about it. Whilst I vaguely remember knowing that ALS was an illness, it was only years later that I understood that ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a seriously debilitating neurological disease that affects the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement, progressively causing the loss of control over voluntary movements. The intention of the ALS ice bucket challenge was therefore not, as my thirteen-year-old self thought, to create a hilarious video of yourself and post it for the amusement of your friends. Instead, it was to temporarily experience the muscle stiffness experienced by ALS sufferers by temporarily submerging yourself in icy water Now, almost 10 years later, and living in a world far more steeped in social media and online content, I can’t help wondering whether everyone engaging in social media activism actually understands the issues they are posting about, or whether they, like my younger self, just want to join the trend. As a generation, we are constantly bombarded with online content and creating content of our own and it is somewhat troubling that posts about activism can be scrolled past in the same way as the customary barrage of pictures of nights out. Social media platforms themselves are used as arenas for relentless self-promotion, within which posts promoting activism arguably lose some of their impacts. Furthermore, the sheer amount of media we consume on a daily basis conditions us to quickly move past content. This raises the issue of the longevity of people’s engagement with online activism and therefore, the sustainability of social media activism. Social media activism has also been criticised for what is known as ‘slacktivism’, a term defined by the Urban Dictionary as “the self-deluded idea that by liking, sharing, or retweeting something you are helping out”. This refers to social media users sharing content without necessarily fact-checking or understanding it, out of a short-lived desire to appear a certain way and relieve their consciences rather than be motivated by a longstanding desire for real action. Other issues with social media activism came to light in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The hashtag #BlackOutTuesday began in the music industry, aiming to bring the industry to a halt for the day as a gesture of solidarity. Major music companies such as MTV, VH1 and Spotify added various moments of silence throughout the day and featured ‘blackout’ designs. However, the day also attracted major criticism, many pointed out that since new music is typically released on Thursday/ Friday, the silent Tuesday required little sacrifice from the industry and was more of a PR stunt than a commitment to real change. Many labels were also criticised for releasing generic statements pledging solidarity rather than outlining plans for action. Furthermore, as the movement spread to social media, many users posted a black square, often with the caption #BlackLivesMatter. This also drew criticism from activists, who could no longer use the hashtag in order to circulate information and updates; they found the hashtag saturated with blackout squares. These posts have been criticised as substitutes for meaningful action, with critics noting that there have been 28.5m Instagram posts using the #BlackoutTuesday hashtag compared with 13m signatures on the petition calling for justice for Floyd. However, there are many examples of the successes and benefits of online activism. For example, social media can act as an equalising force; it allows those excluded from spaces of privilege like politics or academia to engage with different issues and access resources. Especially during the pandemic, when the majority of people were incredibly physically restricted in activism, social media allowed people to still engage with protests, even if not in person. It allows for the quick circulation of material so that movements can grow, individual posts can quickly go viral, and other actions can be encouraged. For example, the Hawaiian grandmother whose tweet expressing her outrage at Trump’s election sparked the women’s march movement in which an estimated seven million people attended marches across the globe. Thus, there is the hope that as a generation we are learning how to be better social media activists and understand the consequences of the digital tactics we use. There is a growing understanding of strategies that can be used in online activism: the mass circulation of email and phone templates to use to contact people in power, google docs with lists of resources, webinars on how to inform yourself, and the use of hashtags to compile updates and relevant information to name a few. As New School politics Professor Deva Woodly states, the recent social media outcry over BLM demonstrates the growing understanding of social media activism’s ability to create “the headline”. Whilst Woodly acknowledges that online representation can never substitute for concrete action, or represent the depth and nuances of issues, the social media format helps “codify the message”, making it engaging and accessible to a wide audience and prompting them to take further, potentially offline action. Thus, whilst criticisms of ‘slacktivism’ and performative activism are valid and troubling, social media platforms are also an incredible tool, which we are only just learning how to use in order to affect real change as well as post our holiday snaps.

Hannah Shaw reviews the film Quo Vadis, Aida? and explains how it has been a springboard into learning about the Srebrenica massacre, where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered during the Bosnian conflict in the early to mid-90s. Image description: The Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide. Quo Vadis, Aida?, from start to finish, is an honest and painful portrayal of the massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys during the Bosnian conflict in the early to mid-90s. It follows the progression of the Serbian army into what had been promised a secure UN area - Srebrenica. The detail offered by the perspective of the protagonist, a Bosniak translator for the UN, is invaluable. As the viewer watches Aida, the translator, clammer to save her husband and two teenage sons, the narratives of her family and friends who were stuck inside and outside of the United Nations base are also explored. From shots of Aida’s family and friends flashing by at a party in times before the conflict, to those same people shown on opposite sides of the atrocities in 1995, Quo Vadis, Aida? shows how different Srebrenica became, and how quickly this change took place. This film demonstrates what must have been an unimaginable disaster before the massacre took place. Srebrenica is the largest genocide to take place on European soil since the Holocaust, but nobody talks about it. The film’s director, Jasmila Zbanic, said in a New York Times article in March that responses have been mixed, and that she had hoped somebody else would have covered the atrocity. Just over 25 years since Srebrenica’s atrocity, some Serbian nationalists still deny its definition as genocide at all, and in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, let alone beyond the region, the subject is hugely undertaught. Zbanic invited over 100 young people, some of whom were Bosnian Muslims, others who were ethnic Serbs, to the film’s premiere in Srebrenica. Could such a film have the power to both educate and reconcile? This film moved me immensely; it felt important to watch and needed to be made, but why had my knowledge of Europe’s second-largest atrocity been so limited? 1995 does not seem all that long ago, and I don’t think it was covered once at school. Perhaps this is simply because no one expects something like this to happen in Europe anymore? Or was it the catastrophic failings of the United Nations and its Dutch battalion stationed in Bosnia at the time? To cover the whole story, the failings of the UN needed to be highlighted. This began with declaring Srebrenica a UN ‘safe zone’, and promising airstrikes and military intervention if the Serbian army was to enter Srebrenica. This never happened, and Quo Vadis, Aida? demonstrates well the urgency of the situation and the panic that the Dutch soldiers, too, must have felt. Even in Srebrenica itself, schools in 2019 stated they would not teach 1995’s disaster. Many Bosnians have, since the massacre, returned to the city they were driven out of, and mothers, wives and daughters search through unidentified remains in an attempt at some form of closure. This was also one of the final scenes of Quo Vadis, Aida? as Aida loses all three of her male family members. Republika Srpska still exists. It lies in the northern enclave of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bosnian Serbs here decide on all school curriculums, and education policies - purposeful forgetting seems to be the aim here. The atrocities of General Mladic’s army in Srebrenica (and elsewhere) cannot be forgotten. This film leaves little untouched, and so offers significant insight into how quickly a city was divided, evacuated and robbed of its men and boys. If not least to honour the lives of the lost men and the efforts and resilience of the women left behind in nation-building processes, this is a topic that ought to be taught and discussed in educational contexts.

Kate Charlton explores the potentially harmful double standards regarding charity shop bulk-buying by the same people criticising the unsustainable model of fast fashion. Image description: This image was taken in Armstrong's, a student staple in Edinburgh, which sells vintage and preloved clothing, defining the eclectic experimental aesthetic synonymous with Edinburgh students. "Babe Squad" is a musing on when playful fashion coincides with capitalist consumer culture. Olivia believes in the power that clothing has to convey personal individuality, political affiliation and sexual identity, but questions our reliance on an industry that contributes so heavily to the climate crisis, poor working conditions and body dysphoria. On the other hand, the article challenges the role of charity shops today in promoting and incentivising gentrification. Both instances must be taken in consideration when assessing charity shops within the city. Trends dictate the way we dress, and the students of Edinburgh are not immune. Although originality and going against typical trends are considered ‘cool’, this is nonetheless a trend in itself. With trends, comes the dangers of over-saturating markets, thus driving up prices and often pricing other people out to retain this ‘exclusivity’ we crave in fashion. Students as a demographic are often the people who are outspoken about issues plaguing our society, proponents of saving our environment and justice for the underdogs. Quite rightly, this encompasses the issues of fast fashion, both in its lack of sustainability and its exploitation of garment workers. I’m not here arguing that this criticism is in any way unjustified, but I won’t be exploring this injustice in this article, today. Instead, I want to point to the subtle hypocrisy that can follow when people fail to apply this same logic to their other spending habits. However, I don’t want to place firm blame on the individual because, as we know, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism; no one can be held to this perfect ideal. Rather, if anything is achieved from this article, I hope that it is simply a raised awareness of the issues of trends and how they can affect wider society, to encourage more conscious consumption. Charity shopping and thrifting is undeniably the biggest trend in student fashion today. For good reason, too, as they give us vintage and original pieces for lower prices when we’re on a student budget. I love charity shopping and I will continue to do so. However, when faced with so much choice I often find myself buying things just for the sake of it, never wearing them and then giving them away. This is a dangerous cycle to enter because it internalises the idea of the expendability of clothes. Not only does it take these items off the shelves and away from someone who really wants or needs them, but it also creates a market and demand that encourages the hike in prices of these shops. Thus, this prices out people who rely on charity shops for their needs. Buying bulk hauls from charity shops, therefore, is falling prey to the same issues we have with fast fashion and over-consumption. We can’t stand there criticising people who buy cheap clothes from fast-fashion retailers when we’re behaving in the same way, having potentially forced them into it due to pricing them out of sustainable fashion. I went into several charity shops in different parts of Edinburgh to look at varying prices of similar ticket items. Unsurprisingly, similarly branded items in areas like New Town and Stockbridge were higher than those in Newington. For instance, the average pair of jeans being £6/£7 or so against the £4/£5 in Newington, based on my experience*. Of course, there is the argument that the clothes in wealthier areas are nicer so are more expensive, but I generally looked at unbranded or cheaper branded items for comparison. I have also worked in an Oxfam charity shop many times and have been involved in the pricing of items, witnessing the steady rise in prices over the years. I’m not arguing this isn’t inevitable as ultimately it is a business, but it does point to the fact that it is a consumer business. Therefore, the argument that bulk buying from a charity shop is doing them a favour because it would ‘go to waste’ or is ‘for charity’ isn’t necessarily valid. This gentrification of charity shops is unfortunately inevitable and I am a participant, but an awareness of not over-consuming is vital if we want to keep second-hand shopping’s integrity intact. I implore consumers to consider only buying things that they really want or need, rather than needlessly buying random items because they are a ‘steal’ and certainly not buying things to upsell on Depop. With this, we need to also not look down on people that do buy clothes from fast-fashion retailers. Bulk purchasing has every right to be critiqued, but when fast fashion becomes the more affordable option we must look to the institutional issues at play as opposed to blaming the individual whose hand has been forced. Also, people deserve to have nice clothes and to buy what makes them happy, not just the basics to survive simply because they have less disposable income. *This wasn’t an in-depth or scientific investigation but rather a generalised observation about typical price trends and I’m not claiming this is the case 100% of the time.

This article is the accumulation of an A4 sheet of paper’s description of the Myanmar crisis, a room of students studying different degrees and what happens when women collaborate and cooperate to find solutions to global problems. It was written earlier this year during the height of the emergency. We do not claim to be experts or even impose our ideas on the people of Myanmar. We seek to share and contribute to the debate of approaches to solving the rapidly changing and evolving Myanmar crisis. Image description: Katherine states that the artwork "shows a sense of loneliness, a basic human emotion that leaves us with a sense of alienation that I feel is best shown through the surreal". While the gas mask may be an allusion to the military coup in Myanmar, the striking sense of alienation that the artwork portrays draws a connection with the world turning a blind eye on the daily oppression of the Rohingyas and the population of Myanmar. The people of Myanmar are at the centre of this turbulent situation, with their lives increasingly in danger. This crisis stems from Myanmar’s complex political history, which endured the gruesome British colonisation period between 1824 and 1948. This was followed by the assassination of Bogyoke Aung San, the leader of the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League, and arguably since these events, political instability has never left Myanmar. This, alongside changing power dynamics, reveals the delicate nature of this situation. The military claimed alleged widespread election fraud as a motivation for the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The subsequent control of democratic power suggests significant cracks in Myanmar’s political situation and disproportionate military power. According to a BBC article on the political constitution of Myanmar, the military hold 25% of the seats reserved in parliament; they have veto powers over constitutional amendments and they hold access to key industries such as Jade and Ruby. We believe that some of the key tenets of democracy are opposition parties and the separation of executive, judicial and legislative branches of the state. How the Myanmar military is structured undermines these tenets. The US and UK have used strong rhetoric signalling their disapproval of the coup and have implemented targeted sanctions on military generals. However, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Ton, appealed for tougher sanctions and actions from the international community to restore democracy as “time is of the essence”. Although these more focused sanctions are better than imposing general sanctions which could isolate Myanmar, their effectiveness won’t be enough to solve this crisis. For example, this is the same strategy taken in response to the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims which remains an ongoing atrocity. Despite considering a foreign intervention, sanctions and other forms of international interference as our solution to the Myanmar crisis, these were all rejected. The reason being that history is not short of examples of the negative long-term effects of foreign intervention. Previous examples have clearly shown that political systems propped up by intervening countries are considerably weaker and much more susceptible to collapse and corruption. One needs to only look to Latin American countries after the Cold War or to the Middle East in the 21st century; the West must learn from these mistakes. Furthermore, there is considerable evidence to suggest that sanctions cause more harm to the people than to governments. According to the US congressionally mandated report (submitted on April 28, 2004) regarding trade sanctions against Burma, trade sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) in 2003 created an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 loss of jobs, showing that sanctions have not been successful in the past and are therefore unlikely to be so in the future. Our proposed solution to the Myanmar crisis was two-fold, consisting of short term and long term action, stemming from the country’s people. In the short term, the resources of the military’s power would be targeted to eliminate influence and control over the people. The protests across the country for several months have made it abundantly clear that the people want democracy reinstated. The implementation of collective action and civil disobedience have been used successfully before in India against British control and Poland with the solidarity movement opposing the communist rule. Therefore, we believe that by understanding how it is that the military continues to control the people, those sources of power can be eliminated. As we later discovered, the people of Myanmar have already begun to target military-owned industries such as Jade, Ruby, and boycott military products. In this way, it is possible for the will of the people to triumph. However, this is not the first time that the military has taken power and control over the country. Our second element works to ensure the permanence and long term security of the country's democracy and therefore requires that three key changes are made. Firstly, there must be an emphasis on the separation of powers within the structuring of the country's democracy. Institutions must hold each other to account to make it impossible for one institution (in this case it is the military) to take absolute control. Secondly, the overall power of the military must be drastically reduced. It must be structured and purposed towards seeking to serve the people rather than seeking power. The third element is to change how we conceptualise and understand the military’s role in Myanmar’s society. The definition of gender expectations within society has been largely dictated by justifications for the demands of the military. Military demands have dictated what it means to be ‘a male’ or ‘a female’ in society. Drawing inspiration from Cynthia Enloe’s book ‘The Morning After’, for years society has cultivated the notion that ‘men must protect their women’ and used heroic ideals of honour and pride to justify the taking of millions of lives. Economic benefits lay at the heart of these military expeditions rather than any moral justifications are given. We hope that by changing the expectations of the military to better reflect peacekeeping and people-serving roles, it can become a more inclusive environment. It could encourage greater participation of women in the military and overall reflect a more healthy form of militarisation within a nation. This reckoning between the military and civilian political power raises questions about the reality of democracy within Myanmar, as issues within the political system have been revealed. Especially, considering the terrible abuses suffered by groups within Myanmar like the treatment of Rohingyas, highlighting the essential question of how to reinstate democracy. This presents the need for democratic reform alongside a reduction of military power in creating an inclusive, representative form of politics. The previous events of the brutal 1988 coup in Myanmar’s history underline the hostility between military power and democracy. However, with the rapidly changing political climate in 2021, there is perhaps hope for an end to military suppression and violence. The role of social media has created greater global awareness of these protests. It is this awareness that individuals across the globe must rally around for change to help resolve the distressing situation in Myanmar. The goal to encourage equal democratic representation and the continuation of civilised political opposition is necessary globally. But, particularly in creating a democracy that works for and is unique to Myanmar. As without intervention to this military regime, the future of Myanmar, alongside the future of countries across the globe, is looking increasingly alarming. This article was written in collaboration with the Women in Politics and International Relations Society at the University of Edinburgh.

the edi magazine sets out to document Edinburgh's quintessential style, interviewing its people and seeking advice for its newcomers. One Saturday morning, we set out in search of the most stylish Edinburgh individuals, strolling through the Meadows and into George Square to spot who caught our eye. We looked for colours, textures, and creativity that stood out in the hysteria of Freshers’ Week. Dozens of photographs later, we have curated what we think to be the perfect selection of what Edinburgh fashion represents. It’s striking to see the change that Edinburgh’s people have undergone from a pre-Covid world; the impact that national lockdowns and isolation have had on what we value in fashion and self-expression was easy to see in the outfits and responses alike that we got around the city. We noticed just how prominent thrift shopping is in Edinburgh, and the importance placed on ethical, sustainable shopping by its students and other residents alike. Throughout our search for style, we asked each person a few questions about where they source outfit inspiration, where they buy their clothes, and any advice they have for incoming Edinburgh students. We met a range of people, from first-years to graduates, to tourists visiting the city, all of whom contribute to the collage that is Edinburgh. Heads up: Clicking the links will take you to similar pieces available online! Imo Hacking, 4th Year, The Meadows My inspiration... "I love Cher, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks; they’re my three. My main thing is never shopping fast fashion. I only ever go for charity shops, Depop, buying individual pieces, because I like thinking I’m the only one with something. I go for uniqueness." Where I got it... "Charity shops. Newington, Morningside, Stockbridge charity shops are all my go-to's. I also have a few Edinburgh-based Depopers that I buy from, like Tamara Hawkes and Fifth Season vintage. They’re so great." My advice... "For me right now, I dress however I want to dress, and I don’t care if I think I’m too dressy; the dressier the better. If I want to wear a dress, I’ll wear a dress. I used to dress just for convenience, whereas now I dress for confidence. Every time I leave the house, I want to feel my best; fuck no to trakkies, do you know what I mean? They make you feel a bit lazy, and sometimes that’s great if it’s what you’re into, but I want to feel like a bad bitch all the time. Dress for confidence, not convenience." Olivia, 3rd Year, Mid-Meadow Walk. My inspiration… "I’d have to say Pinterest at the moment; I had a lot of time over summer to look at outfits and everything and see what I liked. My style’s also changed a lot since moving to Edinburgh, so I’d say [I draw inspiration] from walking around the city and from Pinterest, mainly." Where I got it... "Literally Vinted, that’s where I get everything from, all my clothes." My advice... "During Freshers, what I didn’t do was go to every single society event or every single pres that I could, so I didn’t make the most of the social opportunities that I had, so I’d say go to everything you can, and try and meet as many people as you can. Really." Ross, 4th Year, Mid-Meadow Walk. My inspiration... "Ooh. I go around charity shops quite a lot and anything that just stands out from there I try and pick up, because they’re quite cheap and sustainable, so that’s fun. And then obviously being queer, I have a lot of queer friends and they inspire my fashion a lot because they do great things! So it’s probably friends and charity shops and secondhand places. I mean, the fashion that Billy Porter wears is just incredible, and I very recently got into skirts after seeing Billy Porter and all the fabulous embracing of the feminine and things like that. A lot of drag queens as well, like Bimini, Alice Rabbit, Rayna Destruction, and all those people; queer artists are fabulous." Where I got it... "When I first came to uni, it was high-street shops, and then as I got more comfortable, it moved towards charity shops and secondhand shops. I get a few bits from Armstrongs, too; they’re quite fun and have some nice pieces. With jumpers and stuff, I tend to get them off the Facebook ads; they have some fun jumpers, if more pricey and rare." My advice... "I’d say you’ve just got to wear what makes you feel confident. If you’re not comfortable in it, that’s going to come across and people are going to see that. I think you can kind of wear what you want, so long as you’re confident in it and you look like you’re enjoying yourself." Louis, 2nd Year, George Square. My inspiration… "I’m from France, and I grew up in France, so it’s probably what people in France wear compared to the UK. I wouldn’t dress more like English guys wearing things like Nike TNs. It’s probably mostly that, to be honest." Where I got it… "I love Carhartt. Where I live in France is Biarritz, on the sea, where there is this fat Carhartt outlet and you can buy anything for dirt. There and Depop, maybe. Oh, and Stockbridge." My advice… "Umm... I need probably more advice myself than I can give, but I’d say just get stuck in." Jasper, 2nd Year and Rosie, student, Mid-Meadow Walk. My inspiration… Jasper: "Oh man, whatever is eyeing in my wardrobe." Rosie: "I think sometimes just the fit of things or how I feel in them. And then also I just really like secondhand shopping, or, you know, if my mates are like: ‘Do you like this, do you want it?’ Or even getting things secondhand and then seeing how I can change them." Where I got it… Jasper: "My brother… my older brother quite a bit, and then other random places around here. Rosie: Probably just charity shops, mates, family, my gran, you know, random stuff like that. I do enjoy shopping sometimes, but it’s usually trying to shop on Vinted or Depop. If I do go to the shop I usually try to look up the shop; there are different websites you can look up where there are different ratings, like Good For You. I use that. " My advice... Jasper: "This neighbourhood [the Meadows] is pretty good for meeting people, and getting to know people here is pretty fun." Rosie: "For people moving to a new place, it’s so easy to just go for everything and be involved in everything, but also just take care of yourself. Take that time for yourself to kind of figure out what you like rather than what everyone else is liking. I find that helpful because I remember when I started uni how there was absolutely everything on; people are doing this, people are doing that. I just kind of burnt out a bit, and it just gave me space to figure out what I am about and what I care about. I’d say don’t wait till burnout; incorporate self-care from the beginning." Laura and Cem, Edinburgh Locals, Grassmarket. My inspiration… Cem: "I like Vintage stuff. We’ve just been into Armstrong's, so anything vintage really for me. Laura: I’m the same, anything secondhand or vintage. And 70s rock stars for sure." Where I got it… Cem: "From Armstrongs." Laura: "Or Vinted, this jacket is from Vinted." My Advice… Cem: "If you’re coming to Edinburgh, it’s a student city, so there are lots of people to make friends with; that's my experience, anyway. And then go and try all the thrift shops." Caroline, Edinburgh Graduate, and Georgia, London Art Student, Mid-Meadow Walk. My Inspiration… Caroline: "I think my style kind of changed quite a bit over the years. I’m currently really enjoying outfits that can be worn by anyone. I wore this outfit the other week and my friend and I swapped clothes, he’s a boy, and he looked so good in it that I realised, wait, I quite like this. So I’ve just been leaning towards things that anyone can wear." Georgia: "I’d say I’m similar, like kind of androgynous. I quite like boxy cuts and things that are flowy. For me, it also comes from being a girl and just not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention." Where I got it… Caroline: "So, this shirt was thrifted, and the trousers are my mum’s. I get a lot of clothes from my mum, a lot. But otherwise, when I really need stuff or even staples, I’ll go to Asos. It’s more that if I need something specific I’ll go to Asos, but if I’m just having fun looking for clothes I’ll go to charity shops." Georgia: "Probably just random vintage shops and charity shops. I am not really into anything expensive. All of what I’ve bought is thrifted." My advice… Caroline: "I think uni is quite a great thing to find yourself in, and I am a different person from when I started. I think that when you’re a teenager, you think you’re all grown up, and then you get to uni and go through the four years and realise, ah, actually I’ve learnt a lot more about the world and myself now." Georgia: "I feel like when I went into uni because I’m at art school in London, I went wanting to look a certain way, and to be perceived as a certain person. But then you kind of find who you are and what you like. So just wear what you want, it doesn’t matter; don’t dress with the idea of what other people are gonna think. Just whatever makes you feel good and comfortable." Spencer, non-student, Grassmarket. My inspiration... "I feel like over the pandemic I started doing a lot of thrifting, and I think thrifting means that you have to be decisive because you have so many different options in terms of clothing. You have to know exactly what you want. In terms of choosing a garment, when I put it on I have to have that feeling immediately; I’m not going to spend money on something unless I’m feeling that it’s doing something for me, you know?" Where I got it... "I’d say mostly thrifting." My advice... "You’re at an age where you’re so susceptible to so many different influences, so really ride on that and don’t try to dress like anyone else. University is a perfect time to find your style, and, honestly, I think that looking different is a good thing. Even if you feel crazy, just leave your house and do it for a day as an experiment. You never know what could happen the next day - you’ll feel more empowered to try something else out." Patience, non-student, Grassmarket. My inspiration... "I’ve been listening to a lot of Mazzy Star and that kind of era music. I’m an illustrator so [I get inspiration from] a lot of illustrations." Where I got it... "There’s a really good row of charity shops on Newington High Street that I get a lot of clothes from. I moved from London three months ago and got a lot from there." My advice... "Roll with it. The people that you live with will probably not be your friends next year, so you don’t have to get along with them the whole time." Thea and Anna, 1st Years, George Square Campus. My inspiration... Thea: "I follow a lot of people on Instagram that I like - there’s a girl called Olivia Halle who I like, and also Iris Law. I’m from Manchester, and when I walk around the Northern Quarters there are loads of cool outfits. And my friends as well, I always copy what they wear. " Anna: "I’m from Brighton, which is very fashion-obsessed, so I think that’s the main thing for me. Depop, also, is the best place ever." Thea: "Before lockdown I bought most of my stuff from Primark, but now I feel like I’ve done a full 180 in what I wear. Lockdown made you look at yourself more, rather than looking at other people, and I think I gained a lot of confidence. Now I just wear what I want." Where I got it... Thea: "A lot of my stuff is secondhand. I like Depop and vintage shops. I don’t buy that much stuff firsthand, anymore. It’s quite nice because I usually find a piece that I like that’s a bit cooler, and then I build stuff around that." Anna: "I completely stopped buying fast fashion two years ago, so literally, everything I buy has to be secondhand. I go on charity shop crawls, and use Vinted and Depop." Thea: "I love donation stuff, where you can go and donate stuff and pick other bits." Anna: "Loads of car boot sales, too. Always the cheapest!" This article was written by Ana King and Frankie Moses. All pictures were taken by Anna Bentham Wood.

Kirsten Provan recounts everything (from Netflix to YouTube) that has been helping her procrastinate writing her Masters dissertation. She explains her theory that all US sit-coms are inherently terrible, and delves into why we’re all so obsessed with other people’s mental health. Image description: In the words of the author "We are just another product of society, we end up being all the same losing our true selves". Procrastination is something that comes easily to me. I’m quick to get distracted and love nothing more than fostering a new obsession. It isn’t necessarily bad—it helps keep me up-to-date with current culture and stops me from getting burnt out—but right now, with dissertation deadlines looming, it’s hindering my productivity. To make myself feel better, I’ve compiled a list of everything that has been keeping me occupied over these unproductive weeks in the hopes of successfully distracting you too. Feel Good Comedian Mae Martin has created something special here. Their two-series comedy-drama, which came first to Channel 4 then was renewed by Netflix, explores queer love, identity, and the bumpy road of drug addiction recovery. Heavily inspired by Martin’s own life, the topics dealt with are weighty and deeply personal, but it’s this honesty, as well as the intricate love story at its core, that makes this series worth watching. There’s no denying that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has done wonders for alternative, female-centred comedies, but this is no Fleabag rip-off. Feel Good hits with its nuanced portrayal of addiction, its inclusion of infuriatingly loveable characters, and its incredibly deft exploration of trauma. It’s a show about figuring yourself out, learning to love healthily, and taking time to grow from past mistakes. If that wasn’t enough, Feel Good is also beautifully shot and acted, with Martin and Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts; Fresh Meat) confidently at the helm. I watched the whole thing in two days (top procrastination there), and honestly, I’m a bit bereft now that it’s over. Feel Good is streaming now on Netflix. Trigger warnings: drug and alcohol abuse; addiction; homophobia; gender dysphoria; implied sexual assault. Superstore I have a theory that all sit-coms are terrible. For me, the reason we love them is that they are so formulaic and once you watch enough episodes, it becomes easy to switch your brain off and passively consume. That’s my experience with Superstore anyway. If you watched just one episode at random, it might be a genuinely awful show, but I’ve become obsessed. Following a ragtag group of shop assistants working in a giant American superstore, you get all the drama and laughs that come with disrespectful customers and volatile co-worker relationships. Anyone who has worked a minimum wage retail job, Superstore will either make you feel vindicated or hit far too close to home. Seasons 1-5 of Superstore is streaming now on Netflix. Inside Bo Burnham’s stand-up specials are something to behold. Before watching his latest instalment Inside, I went back to relive the brilliance of what. and Make Happy. However, the contrast between these specials is a little scary. If you’ve never seen Burnham before, he’s a musical comedian offering astute observations about society under the guise of farcical songs. With Inside, Burnham’s latest endeavour, filmed alone throughout lockdown, his earlier silliness has given way to a kind of mania. And yet, I couldn’t look away. Burnham has always hinted at his struggles with mental health but never have they been laid so bare. Over an hour and a half, we watch him have a breakdown, set to a jaunty tune, accompanied by colourful lights. While Burnham’s signature humour is there, I wouldn’t go into this expecting laughs; it’s more of an artsy documentary than anything. Afterwards, I was left feeling quite hollow. It made me wonder why we are all so obsessed with each other’s mental health, why we feel the need to shout our problems into the void that is the internet. I’m still unsure, but what I realised, ultimately, is that Inside is about processing our collective, inner pain. When the lockdown was wrenching apart all our scabbing wounds and opening them up to the air, the only way to stitch ourselves back together was with words and honesty. Burnham’s vulnerability is inspiring and thought-provoking. He achieves what he set out to do with intelligence and artistry, leaving us with the message that, after the tough year we’ve had, catharsis is on the cards for us all. Inside, Make Happy, and what. are all currently available on Netflix. No More Jockeys Throughout the pandemic, renowned English comedians Alex Horne, Mark Watson, and Tim Key have been playing No More Jockeys. The rules are simple enough: you name a famous person and a category—for instance, Bo Burnham: no more people over six foot—and then every subsequent person named must not fall into any of the preceding categories. Not only is the game one you’ll want to adopt as your own and play down the pub, but the trio also aren’t afraid to ask the big questions, such as: are birds animals? and, does a spider have a heart? Undoubtedly, it’s just chaotic nonsense, but No More Jockeys has been one of the main things keeping me entertained throughout the pandemic. Horne, Watson, and Key have been mates for decades, playing this game for decades, and their chemistry—and various levels of drunkenness—make for hilarious viewing. New episodes of No More Jockeys are available on their YouTube channel every Friday. Diss Won’t Do: A Rundown of Everything That’s Been Distracting Me from Writing My Dissertation by Kirsten Provan Just kidding. I’m not about to get all meta. Although, I have been prioritising this article over everything else. I’m hoping that it’ll clear some brain space and allow for top-quality dissertation writing to ensue. We’ll see…

Pranavi Hiremath investigates Honour cultures and how they differ from cultures of law, deriving an evolutionary perspective on the origin of Honour killing. TW: sexual violence Image description: This artwork has many interpretations, but it generally talks about how we are seen by others and how we really are. Linked to the article, the artwork may reflect how the non-confirming and unaccepted identity and choices of an individual along with their very existence is shattered to pieces in honour killings and its deeply entrenched patriarchal power relations and notions. Honour vs. Love “I screamed, I wept With all my lungs I called for help But was silenced by hands Pressed against my mouth By the same hands that once held me As I let out my first cry Arms that kept me safe And I felt loved Now they are covered with My blood The first person I saw As I opened my eyes for the first time Is the same person I see As I close my eyes for the last The only difference There was once love Now there is honour” This poem is about the horrifying experience of a victim to honour killing; the agony they might experience during the last moments of their life is unimaginable. Honour killing is the murder of a family member with the intent to protect family honour. The offender believes that the victim has brought dishonour by not adhering to principles often set by the community or religion. Such a person is believed to bring dishonour if they are a victim of sexual assault, engage in premarital or extramarital sex, choose to get a divorce, engage in non-heterosexual relations or denies having children or forced marriage, for example. Although the rationale behind murder can vary, questions that come to mind are: Why did the happiness of the person you love become the intent behind taking their life? What makes love lose over honour? What is the point? To answer these questions might require an in-depth understanding of the cultural influences behind cultures of ‘honour’; how we see ourselves in a community and the feeling of needing to ‘belong’ to it can shape how we think and act. Notably though, despite cultural influences, these practices by some cannot be used to stereotype a whole community. It is vital to begin with establishing how cultures of honour differ from cultures of law. In cultures of law, the citizens are expected to obey the laws set by the government. If anyone fails to adhere to them, they are subjected to punishment. Here the punishment is dependent on the extremity of the crime committed. This is in fact in contrast with cultures of honour where the community or individual enforces social norms. These cultures are dominated by ‘reputation’. In these circumstances, it is important to maintain an honourable reputation since it establishes trust and ensures your goodwill in the community. Dishonour can expose an individual or family to rejection by the community they belong to as punishment for their ‘undesirable behaviour’, providing an incentive to others to not commit the same mistakes. Another aspect of some of these cultures is that they are often patriarchal. A woman is considered a commodity and is seen for her reproductive potential. She is seen to be an individual who needs to be protected or owned and controlled by the male members of the family. She must obey the male member responsible for welfare. It is a form of dishonour to the male member if he fails to control the women of the family. This concept of women as property and honour is so deeply ingrained that many women in these cultures support these rituals. Any women who fail to follow these rituals are subject to violence or even honour killing. It has also been seen over the years that honour killing is disproportionately violent against women. An evolutionary perspective to honour cultures is that violence acts as a ‘theft deterrent’. Violence is believed to be a ‘reputation maintenance mechanism’ and a way to protect one’s resources in lawless environments. These beliefs are transferred to the next generation as psychological dispositions in the form of cultural norms. Honour cultures have been argued as illustrations of how “socio-ecological conditions shape human psychology via cultural transmission”. However, they are not always culturally determined as suggested by the meme theory. According to this, behaviours or skills are transferred from one person to another through the process of imitation. Despite the presence of centralised authority, honour killings persist. In these honour cultures, kin is seen as important than honour. Kin selection is an evolutionary strategy that favours the reproductive succession of an organism’s relatives; an organism engages in altruistic behaviour to protect one’s kin. Honour killings seem to contradict this hypothesis. As discussed, this may be because of social and cultural influences: how survival of the fittest can be seen as an honour, how women are seen socially and portrayed culturally. Believing that protecting one’s property can ensure survival; assuming that conformity to cultural norms ensures acceptance and prevents rejection from the community. Honour killings are a serious concern, even today. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that the number of honour killings (worldwide) is 5,000 per year. Although some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) estimate as many as 20,000 honour killings annually worldwide. There are very limited statistics available; these are estimates only for the number of girls and women that are killed. These killings occur everywhere regardless of social class, age, wealth, education or location. It is therefore imperative to understand what systems are in place that enables honour killing to then establish stricter laws that mean we can put an end to them. Spreading awareness about this crime is our responsibility and what we can do as individuals to help end honour killings. Further material on honour killing: A short film: Banaz - A Love Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VepuyvhHYdM Netflix anthology series on honour killings: Paava Kadhaigal Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MteHcVk-_jo Prevention and what has been done in the UK: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/social-care-social-work/how-can-honour-killings-be-stopped This article was written by Pranavi Hiremath and edited by Tamara El-Halawani.

Lia Al-Khalaileh shares her tips for new and old students entering university for the first time post-Covid restrictions. Image description: The figure in this image is not unlike a student in the midst of a new year. Trying to find a bit of peace in the chaos of work, socialising, and even new environments is a hectic task. With a little bit of advice, we can try to find stability, and balance, just like our little blue friend in this beautiful collage has. Many universities are returning to in-person teaching, integrating in-class with online tutorials in the new semester. This may be worrying for most students who have spent their time studying and taking exams online during the pandemic. Remember: it is perfectly okay to feel nervous when meeting new people and starting the new year, or perhaps when entering classes for the first time in a while. Here are a few helpful tips you could practice composing yourself for the new academic year after Covid-19. 1. Prepare Yourself for the Academic New Year Every student’s post-covid academic year might be nerve-wracking for several reasons. Whether it is because of meeting new people or entering a class filled with strangers, a method you could practice coping with those situations that are outside of your ‘comfort-zone’ is by preparing yourself and coming up with a strategy you can incorporate when talking with others. Just like a job interview, you prepare yourself beforehand to increase your confidence and feel less anxious. Depending on the situation that makes you most nervous, you could incorporate a similar method. For example, if you feel anxious meeting new people, you could prepare yourself by thinking of some conversation starters beforehand like, “Tell me about yourself” or, “What are you most excited about now that Covid is easing up?” Having those questions in mind when talking with strangers is a confidence booster as you will know what you are going to say; if there is ever an awkward pause between you and the other person, you then will have a question in mind to hand. Coming up with your own strategy for anxiety-inducing situations can be very helpful. By starting to practice these methods, you will soon become a pro and overcome what makes you most apprehensive! 2. Put Yourself Out There At times, starting a new academic year or university for the first time can feel quite intimidating. Many of you may be moving to a new city or country for the first time too. Through different social media platforms, or using university student associations, you can find unique ways to branch out and try something new. Perhaps a sport or society will catch your eye, or maybe you could reintroduce some old hobbies you may have? As they say, ‘The world is your oyster’ and if you don’t push yourself too far, then there are endless possibilities to create a new safe environment to connect with people. 3. Be Patient with Yourself It is always important to keep in mind that most things do not happen overnight. We must be patient with ourselves and remember that the best things happen with time. This is key to keep in mind when starting university again since we can feel like we are stuck at times or that things aren’t going the way we had planned or would want. When this is the case, remember that it might be for the best. Trying to stay positive is so important although it can be very hard. Exercising positive affirmations and patience is one way to incorporate this into your daily life. As students, particularly, when starting a new year in our education, we need to be patient with ourselves. Remember that, whatever it is we are dealing with, it will become better with time! 4. Always Remember, You Are Not Alone At difficult times, we tend to feel alone and in a state of ‘limbo’. However, you are never alone. Every student is probably feeling the same way, whether it is starting university and leaving home for the first time, being afraid of making new friends, or starting a new course, you will always find someone going through circumstances. So, to reiterate, you are never alone. Discuss with those you trust about what you are dealing with; talk with as many new people as possible as you might find someone who is dealing with the same concerns you may have. If you are stuck with a certain subject, talk with your tutor or university for help. Always remember that there are people there for you if you need help. This article was written by Lia Al-Khalaileh, a third-year International Business Management student at Heriot-Watt University. The artwork in this piece was sourced by Ana King, a fourth-year History of Art student from the University of Edinburgh and edited by Tamara El-Halawani, a fourth-year Molecular Genetics (Biological Sciences) student also at the University of Edinburgh.

Kirsten Provan reviews this semi-autobiographical novel about a young Glaswegian boy growing up in the Thatcher era, which explores oppression towards women, the working class, and the LGBTQ+ community. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart is tipped to win the 2020 Booker Prize. But that’s not why you should read it. You should read it because it’s a Scottish tour de force with an anorak-wearing protagonist for the ages. The novel follows Shuggie, from young boy to teenager, charting his attempts to survive 1980s Glasgow with a broken, alcoholic mother and the ever-increasing weight of his own difference. This is a book in which the kids very much aren’t alright and the parents aren’t doing so well themselves either. Functioning like Scottish Billy Elliot but without the crowd-pleasing ending and toe-tapping soundtrack, Shuggie Bain is a novel that holds nothing back. Being a Scottish text, the dark, sarcastic humour comes in droves. Whether it’s teenage, supermarket-worker Shuggie bitterly fantasising about spearing his rudest customers and roasting them like rotisserie chickens or the image of young Shuggie’s desperate, frantic dance moves, there is comic relief hidden here. However, sometimes it’s hidden deep within and the moments of Shuggie Bain that are without humour are often very heavy indeed. The novel is semi-autobiographical, with Douglas Stuart himself having grown up in Glasgow and faced many of the same issues and prejudices as his young protagonist. Readers be warned, there is a fair amount of violence and suffering throughout but Stuart seems committed to telling the most accurate tale he can, warts, bruises, and all. Functioning like Scottish Billy Elliot but without the crowd-pleasing ending and toe-tapping soundtrack, Shuggie Bain is a novel that holds nothing back. It’s a story about a boy whose only friend is his mother, their relationship acting as the emotional through-line of the novel. What is so heartbreaking is that however much the mother loves the boy, a lifetime of poverty and abuse has worn her down and forced her to look for an escape at the bottom of several lager bottles, as well as a few half bottles of vodka for good measure. Let’s not beat around the bush here: this is not a happy book. If you’re looking for escapism, sunshine, and rainbows, I would not recommend. It is raw and unflinching. It is at times quite disgusting. Frequent, rambling descriptions of the colour and texture of phlegm were really not something I was missing from my fiction and yet, for some reason, Stuart goes to town. Indeed, at times, perhaps because of the abundance of phlegm, the book is quite difficult to swallow. We very much get bogged down in the doom and gloom of working-class life. The journey through poverty, sadness, and aggression screams the failures and inhumanity of the Thatcher era. Through the exploration of alcoholism, abuse, sexism, and homophobia, we see how those working-class men emasculated by the state sought less powerful individuals (namely, women and the LGBTQ+ community) to assert their dominance and maintain the illusion of superiority. Stuart perfectly outlines how we as humans will always find ourselves punching down. The journey through poverty, sadness, and aggression screams the failures and inhumanity of the Thatcher era. While this novel does offer a heart-breaking and all-too-familiar LGBTQ+ storyline, it ultimately doesn’t matter whether Shuggie Bain is queer or not. The people surrounding him don’t know him and they don’t care to know him. He is looked upon by everyone around him as ‘no right’ because he prefers to play with dolls and cares about the way he looks. Though the book is set in the 80s and 90s, it serves as a stark reminder for how gendered society still is. I’d forgotten what hope was as I neared the end of this book. There was no way you could have convinced me that there was any light at the end of that dark, dark tunnel. However, the note the book ends on completely changed how I felt about the entire thing. Somehow in that very last sentence, Stuart manages to turn a book that I felt was important and thought-provoking but nonetheless bleak and joyless into something profoundly moving. As I put the book down, came out of that world, and allowed myself to feel it, I realised that Shuggie Bain had my heart firmly in his grasp. As I put the book down, came out of that world, and allowed myself to feel it, I realised that Shuggie Bain had my heart firmly in his grasp. Wee Shuggie Bain is certainly one of those great literary characters that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your days. He is someone you want to protect; someone you want to keep safe; someone you want so much more for. But, against all the odds, his constant failure to be anything other than his whole, true self is something that will make you proud to have known him for those four-hundred-and-thirty pages. Kirsten is a Creative Writing MSc student at the University of Edinburgh.

Clara Sablitzky provides some tips on how to look after our bodies and minds during midterms, winter weather and the current pandemic. Artwork caption: Throughout the pandemic, I have allowed myself a small £2 bouquet of carnations and a regular supply of crosswords when I order groceries. As someone on the Shielding List, it's the little things once taken for granted that have really helped to keep me sane. (Acrylic on canvas.) As midterms hit and winter sets in, this time of the uni year is always the hardest. Add the global situation on top and it’s easy to see why many of us are struggling right now. Some days are better than others, but sometimes we just need to look after ourselves. Here are some tips to do on the days when you just need to get through the day. 1. Take a Minute Uni is a lot at the best of times. Seniors have honours to deal with and Freshers are trying to navigate a completely new life, but this time amid a pandemic. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and let things build up in your head without knowing what to do about it. Meditation: Taking a minute, or ten, every morning to sit and breathe with no distractions can help with mood, stress and focus. Daily meditation requires nothing apart from you, your body and your brain, but if you do want guided practices to get you into it there are apps, like Headspace and Calm, or thousands of YouTube videos to choose from (I like Michael Sealy and Jason Stephenson, but it’s important to find what you prefer). As you learn to observe, rather than react to your thoughts, it should become easier to manage those days where your brain feels like it’s going a million miles an hour. Learning to meditate is basically just learning to apply the brakes and take a breather. Journaling: Dumping your thoughts and feelings on paper can often help you look at them from a new perspective, as well as being an incredibly cathartic exercise when something’s really wound you up. Over time, daily journaling can help us become more self-aware and make it easier to identify when we might be slipping into old habits or a lower mood, and the more self-aware we become the easier it is to deal with off days. It’s also fun to journal the good days, so there are amazing memories to look back on when our uni days are far behind us. *While meditation and journaling can help relieve feelings of anxiety and low mood, it is so important to reach out to people you feel comfortable with if you feel like you really need help. No issue is too small. If you need professional advice, please have a look at these resources: · Samaritans · Calm · YoungMinds · MIND · BEAT · Or go to your GP 2. Move Your Body Exercise releases endorphins, endorphins make us happy.. We know this but sometimes it is easier to close our eyes and pretend we do not see it and spend a couple more hours in bed scrolling on TikTok. While the gym is open, it’s understandable if it’s not exactly appealing at the moment and going for a run in this weather might not be your ideal Monday morning either. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be beneficial – even stretching is better than nothing. Yoga and Pilates are about as uni-room friendly as exercise goes, and if you’re not bothered about your downstairs neighbours you could try a body-weight home workout (actually, please do be considerate). Again, YouTube really is the gift that keeps on giving if you’re stuck for ideas. Even just having a one-man dance party in your bedroom counts and is probably the most fun out of all of these options. (Not house parties though, please don’t have house parties right now…) 3. See Friends We may have lost the Pear Tree and the Library Bar for the moment but at least we still have Black Medicine and good old Amphion to serve us decent coffee and give us somewhere to meet our friends. While a Sunday studying in Teviot isn’t quite the same as a Saturday night at Big Cheese, getting out and spending time with people you like is an easy way to feel better. There’s still time to join a sports club or society too if you haven’t already (I reckon Zoom socials are actually better than a Wednesday night in WhyNot). It’s easy to shut yourself off when you’re not feeling great - sometimes being on your own is actually the best thing for you in the moment. However, if you’re finding yourself withdrawing beyond your normal level, maybe try organising a movie night with your flatmates or a coffee with your uni friends or a call with your home friends. It’s important to really be there for the people you love, and the people you love will be there for you too. 4. Get Outside I know, I know, telling you to get outside in Edinburgh in Winter to help you feel better seems counterproductive, but I promise you it helps. Sometimes getting out of your house is the best way to get out of your head, so you can completely walk away from whatever’s bothering you (literally). We are so lucky to have beautiful parks and beaches that make you feel like you’re out of the city completely. Holyrood Park and Blackford Hill are stunning walks if you’ve got more energy in you and walking around the Meadows just isn’t cutting it anymore. You could even take a trip to Portobello or Cramond Beach - not quite the summer holiday we’d all hoped for but it’ll do. Even the five minutes of sun we get during Edinburgh Winters can make all the difference (I have a SAD lamp, that’s always an option too.) 5. Do Something Else Sometimes the best thing to do is just close your laptop and put your phone away and just do something else for a bit. How can you expect to do your best work when you’re sat stressing that you’re stupid and you can’t do it and you might as well just drop out now and become a goat farmer in the Andes? 1. You’re not stupid, 2. I reckon you probably know a lot more about your degree than goat farming, and 3. There are easier things to do to take your mind off things than move to Peru. Now the pubs are closed, I’ve started doing crosswords to relax in the evening (yes, I am a grandma) and I love to read in my spare time. My flatmate knits (another grandma) but honestly it doesn’t matter what you do to switch off. Drawing, painting, singing, dancing, running, walking, crocheting, baking, sudoku-ing (that’s definitely not a word), poetry-ing (yeah, that’s not either), writing, playing music, skating, cycling, colouring, windowsill gardening, jewellery making, video gaming, literally anything you can think of that you enjoy doing, just do it. You don’t even have to do it well. Just do it because you want to. Clara is a third year French and German student at the University of Edinburgh.