A study based on fieldwork undertaken in 1975. Conclusion: Whilst an incipient working-class consiousness exists amongst the Ashanti Goldfield Corporation miners, the cumulative effect of the co... Show moreA study based on fieldwork undertaken in 1975. Conclusion: Whilst an incipient working-class consiousness exists amongst the Ashanti Goldfield Corporation miners, the cumulative effect of the co-existence of various modes of production, the constant confrontation of miners with the value systems and ideologies of the dominant classes in society, and the absence of a radical or revolutionary leadership and ideology makes gradual and sustained mobilization of class consciousness exceptionally difficult and thereby limits working-class actions, collective action is likely to continue to take the form of local wildcat strikes, because economic actions often arise out of a deeply-felt resentment against the present inegalitarian status quo. Such action, however, can be broken by management through dismissals, and by the State through a show of force Show less
The revolt of the Menalamba occurred over a wide area of central Madagascar, mostly in the kingdom of Imerina, in the two years following the French invasion of Madagascar in 1895. A mysterious... Show moreThe revolt of the Menalamba occurred over a wide area of central Madagascar, mostly in the kingdom of Imerina, in the two years following the French invasion of Madagascar in 1895. A mysterious aspect has always been the question of who, if anyone was its leader. The official version (of the French government) was that the movement was inspired or directed by a number of magnates at the old Merina court. Recent research in previously unopened archives has thrown new light on the question: the role of the old oligarchy in the uprising was virtually nil. Notes, French sum Show less
A partir d'une "étude de cas" au niveau micro, cet article se propose de montrer la nature des relations qui existent entre, d'une part, les paysans (notammant ceux de Birkama, village balante de... Show moreA partir d'une "étude de cas" au niveau micro, cet article se propose de montrer la nature des relations qui existent entre, d'une part, les paysans (notammant ceux de Birkama, village balante de Casamance, Sud-Sénégal), d'autre part, le capitalisme et l'Etat. L'auteur prend comme point de départ une activité subsidiaire, la pêche des crevettes. A partir de la situation conflictuelle (comprenant les mouvements de grève) qui est apparue en 1975 dans l'industrie de la pêche des crevettes en Casamance, une analyse est faite sur la nature complexe et constamment changeante des relations existantes entre les diverses classes (paysans et pêcheurs, industrie, intermediaires et représentants du gouvernement). Show less
In order better to present these cults in their interrelation with other institutions, the author introduces an additional analytical concept: the shrine cult, calling a shrine "a spot which is... Show moreIn order better to present these cults in their interrelation with other institutions, the author introduces an additional analytical concept: the shrine cult, calling a shrine "a spot which is singled out and treated in a very special way because of its close association with events by which entities believed to exist somewhere outside this visible order can manifest themselves within this order - and where, therefore, humans can communicate with these entities". The concepts of territorial cult and shrine cult largely overlap, but neither is a subset of the other. The territorial cult in the Zambian context - Shrines, ecology and the community - Chiefs and shrines in Zambia's history - Conclusion Show less
The present paper explores the interplay between local popular Islam and the repeated introduction of formal Islam in Khrumiria, North-western Tunisia, against the background of its social and... Show moreThe present paper explores the interplay between local popular Islam and the repeated introduction of formal Islam in Khrumiria, North-western Tunisia, against the background of its social and political structure and the radical changes the latter underwent in the colonial and post-colonial era. The dynamics underlying the relation between the two versions of Islam in Khrumiria should be interpreted primarily by reference to supra-local political and economic incorporation processes, i.e. to ultimately non-religious factors. Show less
The case history is based on the health experiences of a boy in the first years of his life. The author aims to shed some light on one of the crucial medical problems of the Third World: the... Show moreThe case history is based on the health experiences of a boy in the first years of his life. The author aims to shed some light on one of the crucial medical problems of the Third World: the interplay between cosmopolitan (i.e. western, modern) medicine, and such other forms of medicine as exist locally. He argues that the health behaviour of the people involved in the case are rational and understandable. In a postscript (pp. 87-90) he explains his position on the role of cognition more fully. Show less
Deux des limitations majeurs des études sur les migration en Afrique Noire sont leur orientation axée vers l'analyse des caractéristiques et motivations individuelles des migrants et la négligence... Show moreDeux des limitations majeurs des études sur les migration en Afrique Noire sont leur orientation axée vers l'analyse des caractéristiques et motivations individuelles des migrants et la négligence de l'évaluation des conséquences sur les lieux de départ. Ce rapport, résultat d'une recherche menée en 1974 et 1975 par des chercheurs de l'Afrika-Studiecentrum dans quatre villages de Basse Casamance (Sénégal) vise à partiellement corriger ces carences. Pour ce faire, les auteurs adoptent une approche multidisciplinaire intégrée, tenant compte aussi bien des élémants micro- et macroéconomiques que de la stratégie de développement du pays et de ses effets de toutes natures. Ils mettent en lumière la multiplicité des facteurs entrant en jeu dans l'explication du phénomène migratoire et montrent la complexité de leurs interrelations. Ils analysent aussi les conséquences sur les lieux de départ. Show less
Gerold-Scheepers, J.F.A.; Binsbergen, W.M.J. van 1978
In the more sophisticated studies on migration in tropical Africa aiming at explanation of migratory phenomena the major distinctions have been those between structural and methodological... Show moreIn the more sophisticated studies on migration in tropical Africa aiming at explanation of migratory phenomena the major distinctions have been those between structural and methodological-individualist approaches, and, within the structural approach, between recent marxism on the one hand and structural-functionalism on the other, the latter having dominated the social-scientific study of African migration since the 1950s. The A's discuss the structural approach, in both its marxist and non-marxist versions, in the light of the question linking migration and rural development: does migration foster rural development by bringing about an optimal distribution of human resources, or, on the contrary, does migration constitute a drain on the labour and material resources of rural areas? They concentrate on anthropological and sociological studies. Sections: Introduction - The structural-functionalist approach - Marxist approaches - Conclusion. Show less
Introduction to a volume of papers delivered during the 1977 conference of the Afrika-Studiecentrum in Leiden with the theme of 'Migration and rural development in Tropical Africa'. The... Show moreIntroduction to a volume of papers delivered during the 1977 conference of the Afrika-Studiecentrum in Leiden with the theme of 'Migration and rural development in Tropical Africa'. The geographical coverage of this volume includes West- and Southern Africa, bu does not extend to East or Central Africa. Th papers discuss the main problems of migration in Tropical Africa, namely: 1. The definition of migration, 2. Description of migration streams, 3. Forces behind migration; structure versus individual motivation. 4. The nature of the sectors between which migration takes place, 5. The historical processes by which these different sectors have emerged. 6. The political and economic processes by which the differences between sectors are perpetuated, 7. The social processes by which the different sectors are connected, 8. Migration and rural development. The A's in part 3 end with the general problem that relates to the subjective appreciation of contemporary African conditions, among researchers. Show less
Economists have long neglected changes in labour use in the different sectors. They were primarily interested in the 'most growth inducing production factors' of which capital formation was... Show moreEconomists have long neglected changes in labour use in the different sectors. They were primarily interested in the 'most growth inducing production factors' of which capital formation was thought to be the most effective. However, the record of groving urban unemployment and growing imbalances in ruralurban income and job opportunities has forced economists to reconsider their rigid adjustment models of efficient allocation of the production factors between sectors leading to, in the end, equal seetoral marginal productivities. This paper provides a description of the changes in the approach and the interpretation of labour transfers between sectors and regions (which is in fact what labour migration is about) in economic development theory. Furthermore the A. determines whether these academic studies have led to a more effective migration policy as pursued by the governments of the underdeveloped countries. Show less
In the first part of this essay the development of the study of African history is sketched, and the historical studies written by professional African historians from 1955 to 1972-3 are analysed.... Show moreIn the first part of this essay the development of the study of African history is sketched, and the historical studies written by professional African historians from 1955 to 1972-3 are analysed. Special attention is paid to the manisfestoes of the 1960s, programmatical declarations of what African history should be and how it should be written. Part two traces in detail what historical studis were actually produced in the fifteen years that followed independence in one particular West African country, Nigeria Show less
Leiden : African Studies Centre (ASC Research report, no. 5), p. 242, 1977. This preliminary survey provides, in a reference format, a compendium of legislation potentially affecting the growth,... Show moreLeiden : African Studies Centre (ASC Research report, no. 5), p. 242, 1977. This preliminary survey provides, in a reference format, a compendium of legislation potentially affecting the growth, distribution and composition of thepopulation in Senegal. It starts with an introduction to the characteristics ofthe population and then centres itself on the description of legislation affecting morality, migration and fertility. Among regulations reviewed are those governing health facilities control, health insurance and medical assistance, educatin and licensing of health professionals, production, importation and distribution of medicines, environmental protection, nationality, civil registration, internal population movement, immigration and outmigration, status of women, marriage, family planning, child and public welfare, inheritance, military service and penal institutions. Show less
A generic relation holds between two types of cult of affliction in formerly Barotseland. Cults of one type, the non-regional, form a substratum out of which cults of the other type, the regional,... Show moreA generic relation holds between two types of cult of affliction in formerly Barotseland. Cults of one type, the non-regional, form a substratum out of which cults of the other type, the regional, may spring forth under certain conditions, and into which they submerge again under different conditions. The author compares in some detail, to a large extent based on oral-historical data, the development of two regional cults in order to make clear the presumable importance of two series of variables: characteristics of idiom and internal organizational structure, of the cult, and the structural characteristics (the demographic pattern and the occurence of other formal interlocal organizations) of the geographical area which the cult transforms into a cultic region. Show less
Review of Robert H. Bates, Rural Responses to Industrialization: A Study of Village Zambia, New Haven & London, 1976. Even though this book is important because it is a major step towards... Show moreReview of Robert H. Bates, Rural Responses to Industrialization: A Study of Village Zambia, New Haven & London, 1976. Even though this book is important because it is a major step towards asking the right questions concerning the transformation of Central-African society, the reviewer argues that most of Bates' answers to the emerging questions are wrong. Sections: Introduction - Structure and method - Tribute to Francis Bacon: Bates' quantitative analysis - Occam and the limits of income maximalization - Conclusion: towards an alternative. Notes, tables Show less
States that formal Local Courts did exist all right, but they were peripheral rather than central to the judicial process, and to the conflict-regulatory process in general, and such conflictws as... Show moreStates that formal Local Courts did exist all right, but they were peripheral rather than central to the judicial process, and to the conflict-regulatory process in general, and such conflictws as most deeply concerned and aroused local communities, were hardly subject to formal litigation in these courts. First argues these statements concerning the Nkoya legal system, qualifies them in the light of the actual occurrence of Local Court cases under specific conditions. After an attempt to interpret the Nkoyal legal situation against the dynamics of their village society, the Nkoya to the Central Lozi and other Central African groups are briefly compared. Notes Show less