As an undergraduate in cultural anthropology at Leiden University in 1964, Hans van den Breemer was asked to participate in a research project on the most efficient distribut¡on of new water wells... Show moreAs an undergraduate in cultural anthropology at Leiden University in 1964, Hans van den Breemer was asked to participate in a research project on the most efficient distribut¡on of new water wells in rural Niger. This brought him unforgettable contact with Hausa people and to some extent also with Fula and Touareg. A second defining experience was his research, from 1972 * L974, on agr¡cultural innovation among the Aouan of lvory Coast. This resulted in his doctoral dissertation "Onze Aarde houdt niet van Rijst" (Our Earth does not like Rice). The third phase of his anthropological career began in 1986 with his role in organ¡zing and supervising the research trainings ¡n Senegal and The Gambia for cultural anthropology and development sociology studenE from Leiden University. This participation led to close contacts w¡th Mandinka people predominantly, but also with people of Diakhanke, Fula, Wolof, Soninke, Serer and other origins. This book focuses on the third and last phase of his professional career. The dual aim of his participation in the training - coaching students and doing research himself- is reflected in this book. Van den Breemer shares the training staff's ideas and his personal motivations and exper¡ences with regard to the superuision and coaching of young students embarking on the¡r first anthropological research in an unfamiliar culture. He also offers his personal reflections on rural society in Senegal, its structure, social processes and problems. In an account sure to engage anthropologists and non-anthropologists alike, Hans van den Breemer reveals the realities of anthropological fieldwork and the kinds of understandings it may lead to. Show less
This book is based on Adriaan Steyn’s Master’s thesis 'A new laager for a new South Africa: Afrikaans film and the imagined boundaries of Afrikanerdom', winner of the African Studies Centre, Leiden... Show moreThis book is based on Adriaan Steyn’s Master’s thesis 'A new laager for a new South Africa: Afrikaans film and the imagined boundaries of Afrikanerdom', winner of the African Studies Centre, Leiden’s 2017 Africa Thesis Award. This annual award for Master’s students encourages student research and writing on Africa and promotes the study of African cultures and societies. Because the Afrikaans language no longer receives preferential treatment from the state like it did under apartheid, many are concerned about the language’s possible demise. However, at the same time, the Afrikaans culture industry seems to be flourishing in all its facets. Nowhere is this better illustrated than with the burgeoning Afrikaans film industry. After entering a period of hibernation at apartheid’s end, the Afrikaans film industry was revived in 2007 and subsequently entered a period of rapid expansion. This study is an attempt to make sense of this industry’s seemingly surprising recent success and also to consider some of its consequences. It shows how Afrikaans filmmakers, by tailoring their films to white Afrikaansspeakers, continue to affirm the imagined boundaries of Afrikanerdom and allow their audience to imagine themselves as members of the same collectivity or laager. Show less
