This book is based on Enid Guene Master's thesis 'Copper, Borders and Nation-building: The Katangese Factor in Zambian Economic and Political History', runner-up in the African Studies Centre,... Show moreThis book is based on Enid Guene Master's thesis 'Copper, Borders and Nation-building: The Katangese Factor in Zambian Economic and Political History', runner-up in the African Studies Centre, Leiden's 2014 African 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. The Copperbelt has, for about a century, formed the economic backbone of the two countries that host it: the Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Zambian and Congolese Copperbelts share long-standing economic, social and political ties, resulting in their histories being peppered with points of interconnections. Yet, there exists no integrated history of the Copperbelt. This tendency to see the Copperbelt as not one but two entities has to do with several factors, at the root of which is the Copperbelt’s distribution over two countries. This created an artificial division in the eyes of many observers, a division which, crucially, was reflected in academic research. The Zambian and Congolese Copperbelt have traditionally belonged to two distinct academic traditions, one English-speaking and the other French-speaking. As a result, there has been a tendency to overlook the actual interplay that existed between them. This interplay is what the present narrative proposes to investigate, going from pre-colonial linkages to the circumstances in which the border was set up and the patterns of migrations that the appearance of two competing and neighbouring mining centres engendered. The influence of these processes on Zambian political development will also be considered. Show less
Comment imaginer la forme de l'Etat dans sa gestion de la cohabitation ethnique sous un angle positif pour l'Afrique aujourd'hui et demain? Telle est la question thématique fondamentale de... Show moreComment imaginer la forme de l'Etat dans sa gestion de la cohabitation ethnique sous un angle positif pour l'Afrique aujourd'hui et demain? Telle est la question thématique fondamentale de Pascal Touoyem de Cameroon. La réalité ethnique en Afrique continue d'être déterminante comme dimension absolue de l'existence individuelle et collective au point de constituer une hypothèque grave pour ce qui est du fonctionnement normal de ces Etats. C'est pourquoi le continent noir est riche en Etats faillis, effondrés, ou en passe de le devenir. A l'ère globale, le modèle politique de l'Etat multi-ethnique doit permettre la mise en perspective d'un néo-constitutionnalisme démotique (de 'demos' ou peuple) permettant de restituer aux ethnies, leur statut de nations sociologiques. L'enjeu étant celui de jeter les bases d'une renaissance politique africaine adossée sur la nature plurinationale des sociétés africaines par-delà le multipartisme. Le nouveau pacte social et politique qui fonde l'Etat multi-ethnique permettrait ainsi aux pays d'Afrique noire de se doter d'une démocratie fondée sur le principe 'gagnant-gagnant'. La théorie de l'Etat multinational ouvre la perspective d'une innovation constitutionnelle, politique et conceptuelle des sociétés plurinationales au XXIe siècle: celle d'une refondation de notre imaginaire pour une réorientation globale de la pensée politique africaine dans ses besoins, ses désirs, ses quêtes, ses attentes et ses espérances. Show less
This book offers an intriguing account of the complex and often contradictory relations between music and society in Freetown's past and present. Blending anthropological thought with ethnographic... Show moreThis book offers an intriguing account of the complex and often contradictory relations between music and society in Freetown's past and present. Blending anthropological thought with ethnographic and historical research, it explores the conjunctures of music practices and social affiliations and the diverse patterns of social dis/connections that music helps to shape, to (re)create, and to defy in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. The first half of the book traces back the changing social relationships and the concurrent changes in the city's music life from the first days of the colony in the late 18th century up to the turbulent and thriving music scenes in the first decade of the 21st century. Grounded in this comprehensive historiography of Freetown's socio-musical palimpsest, the second half of the book puts forth a detailed ethnography of social dynamics in the realms of music, calibrating contemporary Freetown's social polyphony with its musical counterpart. Show less
Facing coal provides an environmental history of changing ideas around South African coal-based pollution, focusing on Witbank, where the scars of mining are etched deep into the land. The essence... Show moreFacing coal provides an environmental history of changing ideas around South African coal-based pollution, focusing on Witbank, where the scars of mining are etched deep into the land. The essence of this book is its link between local and global repercussions of past and present reliance on fossil fuel consumption. The historical approach seeks to demonstrate the way in which long-term environmental effects of coal have manifested, and reveals how, in spite of how much is now known about coal-based pollution, our understanding remains fraught with misrepresentation and prevarication. This work, therefore, attempts to open up the enigma surrounding the environmental impact of coal mining in South Africa. Show less
This thesis explores the postwar reintegration strategies of young women who had forcibly become affiliated with one of the fighting factions during the ten years of civil war in Sierra Leone.... Show moreThis thesis explores the postwar reintegration strategies of young women who had forcibly become affiliated with one of the fighting factions during the ten years of civil war in Sierra Leone. Instead of conceptualizing reintegration as the result of policies, the author defines it as the dynamic process that revolves around the (re-)establishment of relations between the individual and social networks. The thesis seeks to understand how the local meaning of the social identities 'youth' and 'female gender' affect the course of this process. It demonstrates how the social and cultural identity of the women as either daughters or wives influenced their decision to return or not to their former community and how they constantly have to negotiate their social identities in the community in order to integrate into new networks. Data collected during six months of fieldwork in Sierra Leone in 2003-2004 provide the basis for describing how reintegration is highly diversified and contextual. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
The study of sexuality in Ethiopia has until now remained largely the domain of medical scientists, public health professionals and epidemiologists; barely touched upon by sociologists,... Show moreThe study of sexuality in Ethiopia has until now remained largely the domain of medical scientists, public health professionals and epidemiologists; barely touched upon by sociologists, anthropologists and other social scientists. To the author's knowledge, no study has been carried out about the perceptions of different sexual practices in Ethiopia. This book is therefore a pioneering work that explores how young people in the Ethiopian town of Dessie express their sexuality and are experiencing HIV/AIDS in their daily lives. It also considers how poverty and other related structural factors are linked to HIV/AIDS infection and other processes affecting the sexuality of young people, how young people and key informants receive, interpret and evaluate ongoing interventions, and what can be done to reduce infection rates. The book provides insights into the role and interrelationship of the underlying structural, social and cultural factors in the context of HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. Show less
The 1980s were a dramatic period in the history of South Africa. At stake in the battles of the 1980s was the contest about changing the borderlines in the racial and social stratifications of the... Show moreThe 1980s were a dramatic period in the history of South Africa. At stake in the battles of the 1980s was the contest about changing the borderlines in the racial and social stratifications of the country. In this contest, participants developed their own visions of a future society, of a new political and social order as well as a new moral order. This book examines these processes at the local level. It focuses on the United Democratic Front (UDF) as a social movement from below, officially launched in August 1983. The aim of the UDF was the creation of a united democratic South Africa. The author takes three local organizations as a vantage point. The first part of the book briefly explores the origins of the UDF, followed by a chronological outline of major events and trends in the 1980s. The second part consists of three case studies, which look in detail at locally based attempts at shaping a new society: a youth congress in Sekhukhuneland, a rural part of Lebowa in the Northern Transvaal; a civic association in Kagiso, a township west of Johannesburg; and 'Grassroots', a community newspaper in the Cape Peninsula. The conclusion describes how these local struggles fit into the overall story of the antiapartheid struggle Show less
This thesis deals with the ways in which the agropastoral Fulbe in the Sahel deal with ecological, social and political insecurities. It is based on field research carried out in the Hayre dryland... Show moreThis thesis deals with the ways in which the agropastoral Fulbe in the Sahel deal with ecological, social and political insecurities. It is based on field research carried out in the Hayre dryland region of central Mali, notably in the villages of Dalla and Serma, from March 1990 until February 1992. The first part of the study examines the history of natural resource management and ideologies in the Hayre (1400-1985). The second part is about the role of the past in the present. It analyses the spatial organization, ecological environment, economic organization, and division of labour in the area, as well as the normative complexes typical of Fulbe society. Part three focuses on the use and management of natural resources, paying attention to farming and herding practices, agricultural and pastoral production, the circulation of property, and land tenure. Part four is concerned with the way in which people who have been pushed out of agricultural production survive. It focuses in particular on how people manage social and cultural resources. Part five deals with the interactions of the Fulbe pastoralists with the State and the outside world in a situation of drought Show less
This study, which is based on field research carried out in Swaziland from October 1989 to December 1990, starts with an introductory chapter followed by three theoretical chapters on social... Show moreThis study, which is based on field research carried out in Swaziland from October 1989 to December 1990, starts with an introductory chapter followed by three theoretical chapters on social security in developing countries. The content of these chapters is illustrated with an extensive case study of Swaziland. Ch. 5 gives a brief profile of the Kingdom of Swaziland. Ch. 6 analyses the Swazi rural homestead, which is considered as one of the most important social security mechanisms in the country. In ch. 7 and 8 other important 'informal' social security mechanisms in the rural areas of Swaziland are discussed, such as kinship relations, neighbourliness, associations, and chiefdom. In ch. 9 the actual operation of these social security mechanisms is further illustrated by analysing their role for the Swazi individual, in particular in the event of three major contingencies: old age, illness and death. The final chapter summarizes the findings of the study. Show less
This thesis gives an overview of the Maasai livestock economy as it has developed between 1890 and 1990. Particularly, it analyses the processes and policies of land use and landownership of the... Show moreThis thesis gives an overview of the Maasai livestock economy as it has developed between 1890 and 1990. Particularly, it analyses the processes and policies of land use and landownership of the Maasai pastoral areas in Kajiado district, Kenya, from the arrival of the Europeans until the recent massive individualization of land tenure. The loss of grazing pastures due to increased cultivation, the establishment of game parks and mineral exploitation is said to undermine the livestock economy of Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado district. Furthermore, the recent subdivision of group ranches into too small individual holdings, it is feared, will result in the selling of land to outsiders. This study examines the outcome of this process as well as the Maasai response of economic intensification and diversification, including increasing the productivity of the herd, cultivation, wage employment, outmigration, etc. Fieldwork for the study was carried out in 1988-1989. Show less
This study is concerned with the laws regulating compensation for extramarital pregnancy and maintenance of extramarital children in Botswana. More specifically, it aims to comprehend the reasons... Show moreThis study is concerned with the laws regulating compensation for extramarital pregnancy and maintenance of extramarital children in Botswana. More specifically, it aims to comprehend the reasons for the increase in extramarital reproduction and its seeming tolerance by the society; to make an in-depth review of the customary, Roman-Dutch and statutory laws relating to extramarital pregnancy and their relationship to each other; to find out the extent and manner in which these laws are used in practice, and their effectiveness; to comprehend the interaction between these plural sources of law, both at the institutional and grassroots level; and to draw theoretical and practical conclusions, with a view to recommending changes in the law which are relevant to its consumers' social reality and day-to-day lives. Data come from statutes and legal texts, decisions of the superior courts, decisions of two local courts, viz. the chief's court and the magistrate's court in Kanye, the traditional capital of the Ngwaketse, a survey of 178 unmarried mothers in Kanye carried out in 1989, and interviews and courtroom observations. Show less
Het doel van deze studie is om de effecten van de functionele en bestuurlijke integratie van de regio Savanes in Noord-Togo in een grotere eenheid voor de bestaanswijze in de regio te analyseren,... Show moreHet doel van deze studie is om de effecten van de functionele en bestuurlijke integratie van de regio Savanes in Noord-Togo in een grotere eenheid voor de bestaanswijze in de regio te analyseren, waarbij de bestaanswijze in Kantindi als voorbeeld dient. De functionele integratie van de Savanes in de Westafrikaanse handelseconomie liep parallel met de bestuurlijke integratie van de regio in de Togolese staat. Wat betreft de functionele integratie wordt met name de specialisatie van de regio op het terrein van marktintegratie en arbeidsmigratie geanalyseerd. Daarnaast wordt aandacht besteed aan de ontwikkeling van infrastructuur, omdat die een belangrijke voorwaarde is voor functionele integratie. Om de gevolgen van de overheidsactiviteiten op lokaal niveau te beoordelen worden de vormen van bestuur, de reacties van de boeren en de gevolgen voor de sociale differentiatie onderzocht. Show less
