Focusing on the relationship between people and transport, this paper presents an overview of the manner in which transport was organized before and after the introduction of the motor vehicle in... Show moreFocusing on the relationship between people and transport, this paper presents an overview of the manner in which transport was organized before and after the introduction of the motor vehicle in what has become the central African State of Zambia. It describes the forms of human muscle powered transport that existed prior to the introduction of mechanized transport, such as portage and waterborne transport, as well as the use of animal traction outside the tsetse fly belts. It further deals with the use of steam (trains), bicycles, and motorcycles before discussing the implications of the introduction of motor vehicles for central African societies. The paper concludes that Zambian rural impoverishment in the course of the 1920s and 1930s was a consequence of a change in the modes of transport and the collapse of long-distance trading networks based on human labour power. [ASC Leiden abstract] 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 papers in this volume were earlier presented at the conference 'Globalization and new questions of ownership', which was held in Leiden, The Netherlands, from 26-27 April 2002. The volume... Show moreThe papers in this volume were earlier presented at the conference 'Globalization and new questions of ownership', which was held in Leiden, The Netherlands, from 26-27 April 2002. The volume challenges the dominant view that globalization is a primary threat to African societies. Instead, it emphasizes African agency in situating globality, that is, in selectively and creatively appropriating elements of the emerging global culture. Contributions: Situating globality: African agency in the appropriation of global culture (Wim van Binsbergen, Rijk van DijkandJan-Bart Gewald); Global and local trends in media ownership and control: implications for cultural creativity in Africa (Francis B. Nyamnjoh); Global media and violence in Africa: the case of Somalia (Jan-Bart Gewald); Can ICT belong in Africa, or is ICT owned by the North Atlantic region? (Wim van Binsbergen); 'Man will live well': on the poetics of corruption in a global age (Sanya Osha); 'Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia': Pentecostal Pan-Africanism and Ghanaian identities in the transnational domain (Rijk van Dijk); Global connections, local ruptures: the case of Islam in Senegal (Roy Dilley); How is a girl to marry without a bed? : weddings, wealth and women's value in an Islamic town of Niger (Adeline Masquelier); The social life of secrets (Senegal, Ferdinand de Jong); The persistence of female initiation rites: reflexivity and resilience of women in Zambia (Thera Rasing). [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This introductory chapter sketches globalization and Africa in broad theoretical terms, examining the meaning of the term globalization; the impact of globalization on daily life in Africa in... Show moreThis introductory chapter sketches globalization and Africa in broad theoretical terms, examining the meaning of the term globalization; the impact of globalization on daily life in Africa in economic as well as sociocultural terms; globalization as a historical phenomenon; the political aspects of globalization; its spatial dynamics: migration and transmigration, and the relationship of transnationalism with the emergence of new religious forms; and the contribution of anthropology to the field of globalization studies. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
Encounters between foreign tourists and people of different cultural background become very common in a globalized world. The nature of this exchange in cultural terms relates questions of... Show moreEncounters between foreign tourists and people of different cultural background become very common in a globalized world. The nature of this exchange in cultural terms relates questions of identity construction and the emergence or creation of difference. This article addresses tourist-'native' encounters in a semiotic perspective, which helps to reveal its essentially contested aspects. The empirical study relates to the Suri people of southern Ethiopia, a small ethnic group of agropastoralists only recently 'discovered' by tourists and displaying notable aggression towards them. Suri reject their role in the 'tourist game' of creating a realist experience of the Other, and staunchly assert their own identity and would-be equality vis-á-vis these affluent visitors Show less
This collective volume discusses social change and ecological and cultural adaptation among the Fulbe of West Africa. The introduction is by Victor Azarya. Part 1 (Ethnicity) contains chapters by... Show moreThis collective volume discusses social change and ecological and cultural adaptation among the Fulbe of West Africa. The introduction is by Victor Azarya. Part 1 (Ethnicity) contains chapters by Roger Blench (the question of why there are so many pastoral groups in East Africa whereas in West Africa the Fulbe are the only major pastoralist group); Al-Amin Abu-Manga (diversity among the Fulbe of Sudan); Anneke Breedveld (prototypes and ethnic categorization: on the terms 'Pullo' and 'Fulbe' in Maasina, Mali); Catherine Vereecke (ethnic change and continuity among the Fulbe of Aadamaawa emirate, Nigeria); Thierno Diallo (sociopolitical structure of the traditional society of Fuuta Jaloo). Part 2 (Ecology and politics) contains chapters by Thomas J. Bassett and Zu‚li Koli Bi (Fulbe livestock raising in C“te d'Ivoire); Jean Boutrais (improved veterinary techniques in Aadamaawa, Cameroon); Antje van Driel (Fulbe relations with Dendi agriculturalists in Benin); Youssouf Diallo (Fulbe-Senufo relations in C“te d'Ivoire); Han van Dijk (ecological insecurity in the Niger Bend). Part 3 (Social transformation) contains chapters by Philip Burnham (social change in Fulbe society); Mirjam de Bruijn (insecurity in Fulbe society in Mali); Thierno Bah (decline of pastoralism in Fuuta Jaloo); Jean Schmitz (the eviction of Fulbe from the Mauritanian Senegal River bank in 1989); John Hanson (historical analysis of Fulbe presence in Kaarta, Mali). The contributions by Thierno Diallo, Jean Boutrais, Youssouf Diallo, Thierno Bah and Jean Schmitz are in French Show less
In response to the need for further conceptual development in the field of anthropological globalization studies, this article concentrates on the concept of virtuality, arguing that this... Show moreIn response to the need for further conceptual development in the field of anthropological globalization studies, this article concentrates on the concept of virtuality, arguing that this constitutes one of the key concepts for a characterization and understanding of the forms of globalization and provisionally indicates their theoretical relationship. The problematic heritage of a locality-obsessed anthropological tradition (as explored in the article) then provides the analytical framework within which virtuality makes an inspiring topic. The transition from theory to empirical case studies is made by examining the problem of meaning in the African urban environment. Finally, an ethnographic situation is invoked (urban female puberty rites in the towns along the 'Line of Rail' in present-day Zambia) which illustrates particular forms of virtuality as part of the globalization process. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum 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
Over the past few years (1985-1991), the Suri of the far southwest of Ethiopia have lived through a deep ecological and social crisis without substantial external aid from either the Ethiopian... Show moreOver the past few years (1985-1991), the Suri of the far southwest of Ethiopia have lived through a deep ecological and social crisis without substantial external aid from either the Ethiopian government or international aid agencies. They have experienced drought, cattle disease and an increasing level of violent conflict with their southern neighbours, the Nyangatom, leading to severe disruption of their traditional agropastoral subsistence system and settlement pattern. Through migration, the exploitation of gold resources and investment in automatic weapons, however, they have virtually managed a full recovery of their economy and society 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
