This special issue is dedicated to the retirement of former editor in chief of the Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing Ton van Haaften. It presents an investigation of some aspects of the communicative... Show moreThis special issue is dedicated to the retirement of former editor in chief of the Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing Ton van Haaften. It presents an investigation of some aspects of the communicative activity type ‘political debate’ from both a discourse and a historical angle. A special focus is put on Dutch parliamentary debate, of which it is shown that its norms and conventions originate from nineteenth century parliamentary discussions on how to conduct such a debate. Ever since, the strategy of attacking politicians personally has both been employed for rhetorical purposes and fiercely criticized. It was also the (late) nineteenth century when a rhetorical style was introduced in politics, i.e. by former pastor and politician Abraham Kuyper, whose famous ‘Maranatha’ speech to his followers is analyzed for its rhetorical features. Today, even more than in Kuyper’s days, politicians claim to speak on behalf of ‘the people’. An inventory of the ways in which populist politician Geert Wilders presents his appeals to the people shows four stylistic features that may have a strategic function. Show less
The 19th century Russian surgeon Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov believed passionately in the importance of anatomy for surgeons. His interest in anatomy began as a medical student in Moscow. After... Show moreThe 19th century Russian surgeon Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov believed passionately in the importance of anatomy for surgeons. His interest in anatomy began as a medical student in Moscow. After graduating in 1828 Pirogov entered the postgraduate German-Baltic University of Dorpat (now Tartu in the Republic of Estonia) where he studied anatomy and surgery. After completing his study, he remained to research the consequences of ligation of the aorta in a series of animal experiments, which formed the core of his doctoral thesis. He wanted to determine the feasibility of aortic ligation as a treatment for patients with an aneurysm of the aorta or iliac artery. He discovered that success was only likely when the aorta was ligated between the two mesenteric arteries and the ligature gradually tightened, an approach surgically difficult in humans. Pirogov then spent 2 years at the Charite Hospital in Berlin before returning to Russia. In 1841, he was appointed Professor of Applied Anatomy and Surgery at the Imperial Medico-Surgical Academy in Saint Petersburg. He instituted the teaching of microscopy and histology to the medical curriculum and in 1846 formed the Institute for Applied Anatomy within the academy, where in addition to teaching medical students future teachers of anatomy in Russia were trained. Pirogov published extensively on anatomy, including several anatomical atlases, the most notable his three-dimensional atlas of topographical anatomy published in four volumes between 1852 and 1859. Today Pirogov's contributions to anatomy are remembered in a number of anatomical structures named after him. Clin. Anat., 33:714-730, 2020. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Show less
In this paper, the author considers the interpretation of and the ethnographic production about Islam and Muslim societies, particularly in Africa. The Orientalist 'doctrine' of an unchanging and... Show moreIn this paper, the author considers the interpretation of and the ethnographic production about Islam and Muslim societies, particularly in Africa. The Orientalist 'doctrine' of an unchanging and timeless Islam has long been shown to be inadequate for understanding the obvious diversity and complexity within and between Muslim societies. However, the limitations of certain anthropolocial studies - notably, their almost exclusive focus on local context and cultures to which they sometimes attribute different 'Islams' (e.g. African Islam) - have not been critically examined to the same degree. The author argues that one must study Islam as a discursive tradition at the intersection of the local and the supralocal, including broader scriptural traditions of Islam. Drawing on ethnographic and historical research on Islamic law in West Africa, the author shows how Muslims in Mali participate in the supralocal discourses of Islam and some of the ways in which local and regional history and culture shape their participation in these discourses. [Journal abstract] Show less
This article is a repsonse to Thandika Mkandawire's article on violence against the African peasantry in Journal of Modern African Studies, vol. 40, no. 2 (2002). In this article, Mkandawire takes... Show moreThis article is a repsonse to Thandika Mkandawire's article on violence against the African peasantry in Journal of Modern African Studies, vol. 40, no. 2 (2002). In this article, Mkandawire takes exception to suggestions by the author concerning the antecedents of the 1990s civil war in Liberia, describing his views as 'essentialist' and 'poorly veiled racist'. The author argues that these tags are inaccurate. He suggests that the method he has used to analyse the violence of the Liberian civil war could be usefully applied to any violent situation in any part of the world. Accordingly, he first considers Mkandawire's suggestion as to why particular forms of violence occur in African wars, explaining why it is generally unsatisfactory, after which he considers an alternative method for examining the question of large-scale violence in Africa. Bibliogr., notes. (Rejoinder by Mkandawire, p. 477-483.) [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This essay argues that historians need to engage with the history of contemporary Africa both as a way of throwing new light on Africa's more remote past and as a way of understanding the present.... Show moreThis essay argues that historians need to engage with the history of contemporary Africa both as a way of throwing new light on Africa's more remote past and as a way of understanding the present. It considers how a new generation of works on Africa's contemporary history might be written. Most of the examples chosen concern Africa south of the Sahara, but some of the remarks may also apply to North Africa. The essay briefly discusses some of the techniques used in writing contemporary history before going on to examine particular themes that could be addressed in regard to Africa. The second half of the essay concerns the sources that historians of contemporary Africa have at their disposal. Here it is argued that, although sources are abundant, they are not always of a type that historians feel comfortable in using. This may have an effect on the way historians insert Africa in the time-scales generally used in world history, just as it is having an effect on the way in which Africans tend to think of themselves in relation to their own past. Notes, ref., sum Show less
In this article a comparative study is presented of the Indian and the Ethiopian Jews in Israel, immigrant communities that went through similar experiences of integration and accommodation in... Show moreIn this article a comparative study is presented of the Indian and the Ethiopian Jews in Israel, immigrant communities that went through similar experiences of integration and accommodation in Israel, despite the time lag in their arrival. Elements of their history and sociocultural background in the countries of origin are discussed in order to explain the emergence and status of ethnic identity in a complex new society with a shared background ideology of integration (Zionism). An assessment is made of the (perceived) initial religious and social marginality of the two groups as it may have interacted with their social "careers" and group status. The socioeconomic structure of Israeli society has contributed to "reproducing ethnicity". The analysis suggests that the "Indian" and "Ethiopian" Jewish subidentities are now well-established in Israel, illustrating that the cultural content of "Jewishness" or Jewish identity is quite diverse Show less
Pour analyser les conflits qui ont lieu actuellement en Afrique de l'Ouest il faut remonter loin dans l'histoire. Il convient d'examiner la période antérieure aux indépendances qui datent, pour la... Show morePour analyser les conflits qui ont lieu actuellement en Afrique de l'Ouest il faut remonter loin dans l'histoire. Il convient d'examiner la période antérieure aux indépendances qui datent, pour la plupart, des années 1960. Tandis que les conflits constatés dans la région sont principalement liés au contrôle des États modernes (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinée, Guinée-Bissau) et de leurs richesses, ces luttes sont liées aussi à des processus historiques plus profonds. En conséquence, on ne devrait pas être surpris de voir resurgir actuellement des institutions et des pratiques associées à ceux-ci. Des sentiments d'exclusion, en premier lieu, enveniment les relations de voisinage dans certains pays de la région, notamment au Liberia et en Côte d'Ivoire. Les Malinké ou 'Mandingos' sont perçus de plus en plus comme migrants étrangers. L'auteur rappelle les sources historiques de la 'question mandingue' et remarque ensuite le regain d'importance des sociétés initiatiques, qui, dans le contexte de la faiblesse des États modernes, sont utilisées comme moyen d'encadrement politique et militaire dans les luttes factionnelles actuelles. Finalement, il cerne la manière dont s'effectue la concurrence commerciale dans sa relation au pouvoir politique, qui rappelle tout à fait l'histoire précoloniale. Show less
This article explores political tensions between successive 19th-century rulers of the inland delta of the Niger in central Mali - the Fulbe Diina (1818-1864) and the Futanke (1864-1893) - and the... Show moreThis article explores political tensions between successive 19th-century rulers of the inland delta of the Niger in central Mali - the Fulbe Diina (1818-1864) and the Futanke (1864-1893) - and the pastoral interests of the Fulbe chiefdoms on the eastern periphery of the area, a region known as the Hayre. Dalla was the main authority of the Fulbe in the Hayre, which in the second half of the century was divided into two Fulbe chiefdoms: Booni and Dalla. The Diina, or Maasina State developed a strict political and economic organization, including a set of rules regarding natural resource management. By contrast, the Futanke introduced chaos into the area as it lacked a strict organization, a legitimate power base and a network of power relations. Analysis of the changing forms of local governance and natural resource management in the Hayre demonstrates that although different strategies were employed by the Fulbe and Futanke States to control the area, the internal dynamics of the Hayre can only partly be explained by the influence of these central powers. In each period, the pendulum swung between external control and the internal dynamics of the Hayre, and the area was never an integral part of an undivided empire. Notes, ref., sum Show less
Despite its ancient history in Ethiopia, Islam has always been a secondary status religion in the country. It emerged in the shadow of Christianity and has often suffered from suppression and... Show moreDespite its ancient history in Ethiopia, Islam has always been a secondary status religion in the country. It emerged in the shadow of Christianity and has often suffered from suppression and discrimination. This has had an impact on the social opportunities, religious and civil rights, and the pattern of self-organization of Ethiopian Muslims. During the last decade, new issues of religious identity and communal political identity among Muslims in Ethiopia have emerged in the wake of political and economic reform processes, and as a result of the process of cultural globalization. This article gives a historical overview of the emergence and development of Islam in Ethiopia, its position in the pre-1974 empire and its relationship with Christianity, and changes under the Mengistu regime (1974-1991), which actively discouraged religion in all its forms. Finally, it discusses developments since 1991, paying special attention to questions of identity and the 'ethnic' dimensions of Islam. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
