This book presents new empirically based and theoretically informed studies on the contemporary social and economic dynamics of Africa, dealing with developments in the arenas of politics,... Show moreThis book presents new empirically based and theoretically informed studies on the contemporary social and economic dynamics of Africa, dealing with developments in the arenas of politics, economics and cultural struggle. These domains are closely interlinked. In their widest definition, culture and politics intermingle and recombine in surprising and sometimes disturbing ways. They always have a definite economic logic as well, informing value commitments and behaviour in the broader sense. Politics and economic life in Africa have, perhaps more visibly than elsewhere, influential and cultural aspects and referents, such as religion and ethnicity, which often play a constitutive role. 'Culture' and its symbolism are used instrumentally in the political, economic and social struggles in today's Africa, marked by a preoccupation with 'development'. The studies in this book underline the interplay of new hegemomic struggles of a material but also ideological nature. Show less
This article describes the origins, the development as well as the current situation of African Studies in the Netherlands. Despite the interesting though limited corpus of travel writing,... Show moreThis article describes the origins, the development as well as the current situation of African Studies in the Netherlands. Despite the interesting though limited corpus of travel writing, colonial ethnography, and missionary testimony in Dutch, the scholarly study of Africa really took off only in the post-1945 period. Several chairs in African studies/anthropology were established at some universities (in Amsterdam, Leiden and Utrecht), and a growing interest in field research in Africa emerged. After World War Two a group of business people founded the Africa Institute in Rotterdam to explore the economic opportunities in Africa, an area of expected new markets. In fact, this institute had two legs. One was the business institute, the other a documentation centre established in Leiden which grew into a full-fleged interuniversity research institute in 1963. The African Studies Centre (ASC) is probably still the hub of Africanist research in the Netherlands. In the last ten to fifteen years, African Studies in the Netherlands has expanded and diversified. The rate of publications has markedly increased. There is also a growing public demand for knowledge and scholarly advice on Africa from various ministries and public agencies. Current problems of African Studies in the Netherlands are shaky funding, changing academic and political fashions, which tend to urge scholarship sometimes into superficiality and short-term concerns, and the lack of job opportunities in academia for fresh PhD holders. The article is based on a paper originally published in 'Africa Forum' on H-Africa, 13 March 2001. Notes, ref Show less
ASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 53 (2016). African... Show moreASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 53 (2016). African Studies Centre, Leiden. Show less
This book is based on an ethnographic study during an ongoing civil war in northern Uganda. It examines children's suffering as well as their attempts to restore normality. Data shows that there is... Show moreThis book is based on an ethnographic study during an ongoing civil war in northern Uganda. It examines children's suffering as well as their attempts to restore normality. Data shows that there is a high burden of illnesses among the children, both infectious diseases and complaints related to emotional distress. The study describes children's short-term curative approaches to these illnesses, and the ensuing misuse of, and dependencies on, pharmaceuticals. Although children are approached as social actors and their perspectives are privileged, their quests for therapy are shown to be influenced by many other factors as well. The focus therefore lies on children's vulnerability within existing healthcare structures and life conditions. Through this focus, the book critiques the narrow policies regarding healthcare interventions for children above five years, and underscores the importance of addressing wider socio-economic factors in preventive approaches to infectious diseases and emotional suffering.Grace Akello, PhD, is a medical anthropologist trained at the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. She is currently employed as senior lecturer at Gulu University, northern Uganda. Show less
The author argues that Zambian rural anthropology is on the decline, and that this decline is related to the reliance, among anthropologists, on the tribe and ethnic group as the basic unit of... Show moreThe author argues that Zambian rural anthropology is on the decline, and that this decline is related to the reliance, among anthropologists, on the tribe and ethnic group as the basic unit of study in the past; that the one way to escape from the tribal model on the analytical plane without sacrificing the subjects' own organization of their experience, is to try to explain this experience as a form of consciousness emerging out of the dialectics of political incorporation and, even more fundamentally, the penetration of capitalism, in other words, the articulation of capitalism and a non-capitalist mode of production. The chapter is based on research among the Nkoya of western Zambia, an earlier version of it was published in 'Journal of Southern African Studies', vol. 8, no. 1, (1981/82), pages 51-81. Show less
On June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical... Show moreOn June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical civilization' (1987, 1991). Papers were presented by Wim van Binsbergen, Martin Bernal, Jan Best, Arno Egberts, and Josine H. Blok. The present publication contains edited versions of these papers, as well as responses by Martin Bernal. Show less
Revised version of a book first published in 1982 in Dutch entitled "Oude produktiewijzen en binnendringend kapitalisme" by the Free University, Amsterdam, in association with the African Studies... Show moreRevised version of a book first published in 1982 in Dutch entitled "Oude produktiewijzen en binnendringend kapitalisme" by the Free University, Amsterdam, in association with the African Studies Centre, Leiden. The modern history of Africa can be seen in Marxist terms as a process by which the capitalist mode of production was established all over the continent, but did not totally replace the old mode of production. An articulation of modes of production took place instead. The essays in this book deal with the theory of articulation as well as the empirical application of this key concept in various geographical areas and historical periods. Show less
This collection of papers on theoretical and methodological perspectives in the study of African religion is the outcome of a conference held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, in 1979. It... Show moreThis collection of papers on theoretical and methodological perspectives in the study of African religion is the outcome of a conference held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, in 1979. It reviews the major classic and contemporary theoretical approaches to African religion. The individual papers deal with a variety of specific religions and locate them in their specific cultural, social and political context. These specific topics are used as stepping stones towards a converging theoretical perspective in which the various strands of contemporary religious research can be integrated. Contributors: Renaat Devisch (sub-Saharan Africa), Wauthier de Mahieu (Zaire), Andr‚ Droogers (Africa), Johannes Fabian (sub-Saharan Africa), Matthew Schoffeleers (Malawi), Wim van Binsbergen (Tunisia), John M. Janzen (the Kongo tradition of coastal Equatorial Africa), Richard P. Werbner (Southern Africa), Terence O. Ranger (Zimbabwe), Robert Buijtenhuijs (Kenya), Christian Coulon (Senegal). Show less
Ter gelegenheid van het afscheid van G. Grootenhuis als Algemeen Secretaris van het Afrika-Studiecentrum (ASC) te Leiden organiseerden het ASC en de Werkgemeenschap Afrika (WGA) een symposium... Show moreTer gelegenheid van het afscheid van G. Grootenhuis als Algemeen Secretaris van het Afrika-Studiecentrum (ASC) te Leiden organiseerden het ASC en de Werkgemeenschap Afrika (WGA) een symposium onder de titel 'De Nederlandse Afrikanistiek 1967-2000'. Dit stuk is gebaseerd op de voordracht die de auteur bij die gelegenheid hield. Hij geeft eerst een overzicht van de beschikbare hulpbronnen (personeel, fondsen, publikatiemogelijkheden) op dit moment. Vervolgens vergelijkt hij thema's van lopende onderzoeksprojecten met onderzoeksthema's uit 1981 en constateert een aantal blinde vlekken: stedelijke relatiepatronen, niet-statelijke vormen van sociale organisatie en machtsuitoefening, en materiële cultuur. Ook constateert de auteur dat er onder Afrikanisten weinig bereidheid is zich een Afrikaanse taal eigen te maken. Show less
In a critical overview of the anthropology of law in the Netherlands in the 1970s (NNR, 4 (1983), 2, p.132/140) Griffiths levels a very specific and violent attack on research and research policy... Show moreIn a critical overview of the anthropology of law in the Netherlands in the 1970s (NNR, 4 (1983), 2, p.132/140) Griffiths levels a very specific and violent attack on research and research policy at the African Studies Centre, Leiden. This article is a reply to what he says about the Centre. In his turn, Griffiths comments on Van Binsbergen's remarks, p. 208/210 Show less
Aim of this chapter is to present a picture of anthropological work on sub-saharan Africa as undertaken in the Netherlands during the 1970s. After the introduction follows, in section 2, a... Show moreAim of this chapter is to present a picture of anthropological work on sub-saharan Africa as undertaken in the Netherlands during the 1970s. After the introduction follows, in section 2, a discussion of the discipline and its predicaments. In section 3 the author discusses the resources and background of Africanist anthropology in the Netherlands. Section 4 is a rather succinct presentation of the current Dutch work, while, in section 5, some general trends as well as blind-spots are identified. Bibliogr., notes Show less
The chapters in this collection record a workshop held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, in April 1991, on African languages, development and the State. The book is divided into an... Show moreThe chapters in this collection record a workshop held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, in April 1991, on African languages, development and the State. The book is divided into an introductory chapter, by Richard Fardon and Graham Furniss, and three parts. Part 1, West Africa, contains papers by Ayo Bamgbose (multilingualism), C. Magbaily Fyle (policy toward Krio in Sierra Leone), Mamoud Akanni Igu‚ and Raphael Windali N'ou‚ni (the politics of language in B‚nin), Ben Ohi Elugbe (minority language development in Rivers and Bendel States, Nigeria), Gillian F. Hansford (mother tongue literacy among the Chumburung speakers in Ghana). Part 2, Central and Southern Africa, contains papers by J.M.M. Katupha (language use in Mozambique), Jean Benjamin (language and the struggle for racial equality in the development of a non-racial southern African nation), Nhlanhla P. Maake (a new language policy for post-apartheid South Africa), James Fairhead (linguistic pluralism in a Bwisha community, eastern Zaire), Wim van Binsbergen (minority languages in Zambia (Nkoya) and Botswana (Kalanga)). Part 3, East Africa, contains papers by Gnter Schlee (loanwords in Oromo and Rendille), Jan Blommaert (the metaphors of modernization in Tanzanian language policy), David Parkin (Arabic, Swahili and the vernaculars in Kenya). Show less
On June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical... Show moreOn June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical civilization' (1987, 1991). Papers were presented by Wim van Binsbergen, Martin Bernal, Jan Best, Arno Egberts, and Josine H. Blok. The present publication is an edited versions of Wim van Binsbergen's paper. Show less
On June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical... Show moreOn June 28, 1996, a conference was held at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, on controversies originating from Martin Bernal's study 'Black Athena: the Afro-Asiatic roots of classical civilization' (1987, 1991). Papers were presented by Wim van Binsbergen, Martin Bernal, Jan Best, Arno Egberts, and Josine H. Blok. The present publication contains edited versions of these papers, as well as responses by Martin Bernal Show less
Nursing as a profession is practiced worldwide in hospitals, clinics, health centres, and individual homes. While there are universal definitions of nursing and universal criteria for training... Show moreNursing as a profession is practiced worldwide in hospitals, clinics, health centres, and individual homes. While there are universal definitions of nursing and universal criteria for training student nurses, the working reality that nurses face differs widely. This ethnography provides insights into the daily routine of nurses on a medical ward in a teaching hospital in Ghana. Next to a description of historical developments of nursing, it analyses nurses' motives, the nature of their work, and power relations on the ward. This study also looks at perceptions of nursing in Ghanaian society. Having been trained in western concepts of care, the nurses on the ward are confronted with demands and challenges not covered in their educational training such as personnel shortage, limited equipment and financial restrictions. In addition, tradition, religion and the notion of respect influence the work of nurses. By reflecting on this profession and its position in the health care setting, the author shows how notions of health, care and death are shaped by the surrounding culture. Christine B”hmig (Germany, 1969) was trained as a general nurse. She worked as a nurse in Cape Coast, Ghana, and in Heidelberg, Germany. She studied cultural anthropology, sociology and political sciences at the University of Heidelberg. Since 1999, she has been working as a tutor and lecturer at University College Utrecht, the Netherlands. She obtained her PhD from the University of Amsterdam on the basis of anthropological research among nurses in a hospital in Accra, Ghana. Her research interests are in hospital ethnography, religion and health, African belief systems and qualitative methodologies. Show less
Boin, M.; Polman, K.; Sommeling, C.M.; Doorn, M.C.A. van 2010
ASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 32 (2010).... Show moreASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 32 (2010). African Studies Centre, Leiden. Show less
Boin, M.; Polman, K.; Sommeling, C.M.; Doorn, M.C.A. van 2011
ASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 34 (2011).... Show moreASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 34 (2011). African Studies Centre, Leiden. Show less
Boin, M.; Polman, K.; Sommeling, C.M.; Doorn, M.C.A. van 2012
ASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 40 (2012).... Show moreASA Online provides a quarterly overview of journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the ASC library. Issue 40 (2012). African Studies Centre, Leiden. Show less
