African Languages and Societies Commons^™

Christianity As A Double-Edged Sword In Colonial Africa, Brian Schmidt

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

Christian missionaries were among the first Europeans to move into Africa. They came on a mission to save the souls of a seemingly primitive population, an attitude that was further enabled and encouraged by recently developed ethnocentric philosophies of "scientific racism." Within this social climate, missionaries not only felt obligated to assimilate Africans toward Christian religious practice, but also toward European ways of living. The result, coincidentally or not, was an undermining of African culture that is thought by many scholars to have aided in the successful takeover by colonial governments in the region. Christian virtues of passivity and humility …

Blood Ivory: The Story Of Illegal Poaching And Its Global Influence, Alanna Demers

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

Illegal animal product trade such as the trade of ivory and rhinoceros horn has become a problem that influences the entire world. Throughout history, from pre-colonial times to modern day, illicit trade in ivory and rhino horn have drastically affected Africa’s development, eco-system, and society. The decline in the rhinoceros and elephant populations on the African continent drastically effect vegetation, which directly correlates with agriculture and the health of people and animals. The history of the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade is complicated, and provides an essential context in order to understand the modern day situation. Scholarly works and …

The Impact Of The Second World War On The Decolonization Of Africa, Erin Myrice

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

This project discusses the Second World War as a catalyst for African political freedom and independence. The war helped build strong African nationalism, which resulted in a common goal for all Africans to fight for their freedom. World War II led to decolonization of Africa by affecting both Europe and Africa militarily, psychologically, politically, and economically. The Second World War was instrumental in arming Africans with the military knowledge and leadership skills they would utilize when fighting for their own independence. One of these skills included the ability to communicate and work together, which had previously been an issue among …

Germaine Tillion's Colonial Writing: Complicity And Resistance, Elizabeth Adamo

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

Germaine Tillion's Colonial Writing: Complicity and Resistance

Abstract Submitted by: Elizabeth Adamo

M.A. Candidate, French and History, 2015

During the Algerian War, many intellectuals in France and Algeria voiced their opinions on the infamous “Algerian Question.” Rejected by both the Right and the Left in France, Germaine’s political and moral views evoked many emotions because of the parallels she drew between her experience in a Nazi concentration camp and the treatment of Muslim Algerians during this polarizing war. Although this theme has been explored in depth by other scholars, none have yet enquired into her complicity and strategies of resistance …

Truth Games: Negotiating Power, Identity And The Spirit Of Resistance In Contemporary South African Art, Dominique Pen

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

Sue Williamson has come to hold an esteemed and influential role in the South African art world not only for her literary gifts as the author of several books about South African art (perhaps most notably her first book, Resistance Art in South Africa, published in 1989), but also as an artist whose work often deals with the social, political, and conceptual repercussions of apartheid in South Africa. Indeed, much of her development as an artist stemmed from her activism during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa beginning in the late 1970’s and has evolved to include the contemporary …

Made In Ethiopia?, Janet M. Purdy

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

This paper provides an overview of historical textile production in Ethiopia through a visual analysis of regional style and motif variations, with a subtext consideration of the new developments and possibilities that surround the growing interest in Ethiopia’s emerging role in the global textile industry.

In many ways Ethiopian textiles as part of art history remain understudied or at least under-published, and accordingly, without the benefit of primary research, the scope of this paper is general in nature. Combined with historical and visual analysis based on secondary sources, consideration is also given to recently published information by organizations including The …

Caribbean Commodity: The Marketing And Consumption Of Black Bahamian Female Identity, Dellareese Higgs

Africana Studies Student Research Conference

Abstract

In this essay, I explore the Bahamas’ connection to tourism, tracing and defining how it became the central aspect of the country’s economy, and how whiteness was re-deployed in this new era of tourism. I examine the impact of these phenomena on the identity constructions of the local culture, and articulate women’s placement in the effort to re-invent the Bahamas as the ultimate tourist destination. While the essay specifically documents the nature of tourism in the Bahamas, it focuses primarily on the women within tourism’s many fronts of cultural change and marginalization. I use the term ‘white tourist culture’ …