Ordinary social violence, - i.e. recurrent mental or physical aggression occurring between closely related people - structures social relationships in Africa, and in the world. Studies of violence... Show moreOrdinary social violence, - i.e. recurrent mental or physical aggression occurring between closely related people - structures social relationships in Africa, and in the world. Studies of violence in Africa often refer to ethnic wars and explicit conflicts and do not enter the hidden domain of violence that this book reveals through in-depth anthropological studies from different parts and contexts in Africa. Ordinary violence has its distinctive forms embedded in specific histories and cultures. It is gendered, implicates witchcraft accusations, varies in rural and urban contexts, relates to demographic and socio-economic changes of the past decades and is embedded in the everyday life of many African citizens. The experience of ordinary violence goes beyond the simple notion of victimhood; instead it structures social life and should therefore be a compelling part of the study of social change. Show less
Cette thèse de doctorat montre la manière dont des femmes originaires de la République démocratique du Congo, dans une période de crise et dans le contexte de la mondialisation, au Congo et dans la... Show moreCette thèse de doctorat montre la manière dont des femmes originaires de la République démocratique du Congo, dans une période de crise et dans le contexte de la mondialisation, au Congo et dans la diaspora congolaise, retrouvent leur identité propre parmi ou en dépit des nombreuses contradictions qui affectent leur situation. Le travail de terrain qui sous-tend cette recherche a été centré sur une filiale d'un mouvement charismatique kinois, "Le Combat Spirituel". Les données ont été rassemblées parmi des groupes de prière du "Combat" aux Pays-Bas, en Belgique, et dans de moindres proportions, en République démocratique du Congo. L'aliénation et les contradictions qu'éprouvent les individus dans leur vie quotidienne créent pour ceux-ci des conflits existentiels, et font qu'ils se mettent à la recherche d'une structure qui correspond mieux au contexte dans le quel ils vivent. Les questions centrales de l'ouvrage sont: quels projets culturels propose le mouvement du "Combat" à ses membres, et quels sont les facteurs qui le rendent si attirant pour des femmes des classes économiques moyennes? Le rituel thérapeutique du "Combat" révèle une dynamique culturelle et les grands processus de changement au Congo. Il a aussi un rôle de médiation dans diverses situations conflictuelles. L'auteur constate l'absence d'une rupture avec le passé. Grâce à une sélection de références au Nouveau et à l'Ancien Testaments, les femmes produisent un univers culturel qui fonctionne comme une confirmation de ce qu'elles connaissaient déjà. [Résumé ASC Leiden] Show less
The central tenets of this paper are that genocide and crimes against humanity are learnt practice, and that the seeds of the genocides that occurred in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 were sown in... Show moreThe central tenets of this paper are that genocide and crimes against humanity are learnt practice, and that the seeds of the genocides that occurred in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 were sown in the Congo in the late 19th century. The paper argues that the violence perpetrated by German officers in the service of the Belgian King Leopold in the Congo Free State was formative for the manner in which German colonial forces came to wage war in Tanzania, Namibia and China. In addition it argues that this violence was qualitatively different there where it could be and was checked by the intervention of civil society. [Book abstract, edited] Show less
The author concentrates on virtuality, which he has come to regard as one of the key concepts for characterizing and understanding the forms of globalization in Africa. Chapters 1 and 2 define... Show moreThe author concentrates on virtuality, which he has come to regard as one of the key concepts for characterizing and understanding the forms of globalization in Africa. Chapters 1 and 2 define virtuality and globalization and provisionally indicate their theoretical relationship. The problematic heritage of an anthropological tradition obsessed with locality provides the analytical framework within which virtuality makes an inspiring topic, as argued in Ch. 3. Ch. 4 offers a transition from theory to empirical case studies by examining the problem of meaning in the African urban environment. Ch. 5 evokes an ethnographic situation (urban puberty rites in present-day Zambia) that illustrates particular forms of virtuality as part of the globalization process. Ch. 6 applies the emerging insights into virtuality and the virtual village to Ren‚ Devisch's notion of villagization as a major process of societal transformation in the Zairian capital, Kinshasa. Ch. 7 explores the applicability of the same concepts to recent patterns of witchcraft and healing as studied, at the national level in Cameroon and Malawi, by Peter Geschiere and Matthew Schoffeleers respectively. The author's own earlier work on the Kazanga festival as an instance of virtuality in the rural context of western central Zambia is summarized in Ch. 8, after which a conclusion rounds off the argument. Show less
This article deals with the partitioning of Central Africa between 1875 and 1885. The first part presents a brief summary of the process and the rivalries between the actors involved, the ensuing... Show moreThis article deals with the partitioning of Central Africa between 1875 and 1885. The first part presents a brief summary of the process and the rivalries between the actors involved, the ensuing territorial conflicts and the diplomacy which led to the treaties between the European powers. The second part discusses thirteen theories, all dealing with the causes of the partition of Africa (or late 19th-century European imperialism in general). The theories are grouped under four headings - economic explanations, political explanations, ‚litist explanations, and explanations rooted in local African circumstances. The author concludes that none of these theories is able to explain why, at the end of the 1870s, a process of European territorial expansion started in Central Africa. However, the theories are useful in explaining the outcome of this imperialistic process. By analysing the processes of European territorial expansion, moreover, political geographers can make a useful contribution to the understanding of late 19th-century imperialism, in particular in those cases where territorial rivalries were involved. Show less
Deze studie beschrijft een politiek-historisch proces en vormt een bijdrage aan de systematische studie van internationale territoriale conflicten vanuit het gezichtspunt van de politieke... Show moreDeze studie beschrijft een politiek-historisch proces en vormt een bijdrage aan de systematische studie van internationale territoriale conflicten vanuit het gezichtspunt van de politieke geografie. Tevens worden aspecten van het Europese imperialisme van de late 19e eeuw nader verklaard. De conflicten tussen Frankrijk en de Association Internationale du Congo (AIC) en tussen Portugal en de AIC over de opdeling van Centraal-Afrika, een proces dat plaatsvond in de periode 1875-1885, dienen als voorbeelden. Het boek bestaat uit drie delen. In deel 1 komen de theoretische en methodologische aspecten aan de orde. Deel 2 bestaat uit de case-study. Hoofdstuk 3 behelst de beleidsbepaling. De hoofdstukken 4, 5 en 6 behandelen de beleidsuitvoering van de factoren die rechtstreeks bij de territoriale conflicten betrokken waren: Leopold II, Frankrijk en Portugal. In hoofdstuk 7 staat de conflictoplossing centraal. Deel 3 bestaat uit ‚‚n hoofdstuk. Eerst wordt nagegaan in hoeverre de theorie‰n van toepassing zijn op dit onderdeel van de opdeling van Afrika. De conclusie is dat ze meer zeggen over de afloop van dit stukje opdelingsgeschiedenis dan over het ontstaan ervan. Die afloop betreft het gehele proces van de opdeling van Centraal-Afrika, en wordt geanalyseerd met behulp van de begrippen en modellen uit hoofdstuk 2. Show less
