Africana Studies Commons^™

(Special Section, Hymns Beyond The Congregation Ii): “We’Ll Understand It Better By And By:” Nomenclature, Negotiation, And Naming Our Neighbors, Emmett G. Price Iii

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Hymns, whether composed for religious contexts or as expressions of spiritual reflection, are historically revered for their redemptive nature. For generations, Black Hymnody has cried out for Christological interventions to end shambolic and systemic oppression against Black people. The vicious murder of George Perry Floyd, Jr. on May 25, 2020 reverberated and initiated, as a catalyst, an overdue global awakening that sparked a catalytic moment for conversations too long deferred. Conversations that question how we experience and name things; how we negotiate trauma; and how we engage one another as neighbors. In many ways, the redemptive nature of hymns has …

From House Party To World Dominance: Celebrating 50 Years Of Hip Hop: A Bibliography, Cassandra Chaney

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

In 2023, the culture celebrated the 50th birthday of Hip Hop. While there is an ongoing argument of when Hip Hop started, Hip Hop culture marked Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell’s legendary 1973 party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, NY as the day to commemorate its humble beginnings. This work provides a bibliographical list of published articles, interviews, book reviews, forthcoming books, and live performances from various artists that made a major impact on Hip Hop. In particular, the bibliography highlights the mark that Hip Hop has made on fashion, the economy, language, and the unique contributions that …

Foreword, Courtney Terry

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Foreword for volume 10 issue 1.

From Margins To Museums: Tracing The Evolution Of Representation For Contemporary African Artists In The United States, Victoria Mouraux Durand-Ruel

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the art community in the United States and the evolution of representation for Contemporary African artists. By analyzing the careers and artistic contributions of Omar Ba, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the study explores the concept of artistic agency according to which African artists have more control over the production and distribution of their works.

The research begins with a comprehensive literature review, investigating the historical contexts that have shaped the art landscape, including the impact of colonization, decolonization, and globalization. The study reveals how these …

Motherland Drip: Examining Performativity In Southern Black Motherhood, Daisha Huiel

Master's Projects

This capstone project explores the possibilities of the societal standards of southern Black motherhood creating oppositional experiences for Black women and their claims to freedom and bodily autonomy. I am writing about the lived experiences of southern Black women, including myself, within their communities to explore anti-respectability themes in the lives and performances of southern women and female hip hop performers through the lens of intersectionality. This creative nonfiction1 and scholarship reflect my academic exploration into the ways foundational Black feminist theory and relevant texts connect to my individual lived experiences of motherhood and identity within the post-hip-hop generations. I …

Casar (Auc Community Only) Lecture : Body Autonomy, Culture & Empowering Women In Egypt, Us & Canada: The Differences That Unite Us', The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

About the lecture: This event was CASAR’s last event opened for the AUC community only. It took place as part of the course AMST 1099 “Exploring Feminist Perspectives in Egypt and the US” taught by CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El Ghazaly. The Panel included Ms. Malak El-Lamie from Motherbeing NGO representing Egypt, representing the United states was Ms. Alexandra Mcdougall who comes from the NGO ‘Women’s Advocates’ in Northern Minnesota, and representing Canada from the ‘London Abused Women's Centre’ in London, Ontario, is Wendy Goldsmith. Other than Ms. Malak, these guests joined the discussion via zoom, …

An Examination Of The Intersection Between Gender And The Experiences Of Female Adventure Tour Guides In Tanzania, Ellen Koppa

All Dissertations

Tourism may be a source of growing gender inequity in some tourist setting due to their cultural and historical contexts even though it is a potential instrument for improving the welfare of women through employment and entrepreneurial activities. Many studies have focused on the role of tourism in improving the lives of women in Tanzania, but few have focused on women employed in male dominated positions like adventure tour guiding. While being a female tour guide is regarded as a big achievement in Tanzania with many women wanting to be tour guides, there are very few female tour guides in …

From Periphery To Center: Re-Presenting Black And Afro-Arab Characters In Contemporary Arabic Literature, Samer Ahmad Mayyas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black Arabs and Afro-Arabs tend not to be centered in Arabic discourse, especially modern Arabic literature, and Black people of other ethnicities are marginalized, as if Black peoples and Afro-Arabs were not part of the history and present-day of the Arabic-speaking world. I explore in this dissertation project the representations and experiences of Black and Afro-Arabs in contemporary Arabic fictional narratives. I argue that the contemporary literary era sees a shift in re-presenting Black peoples and Afro-Arabs in the Arabic fictional discourse. By moving Black and Afro-Arab characters from periphery to center, contemporary Arab writers challenge and disrupt, in an …

Middle School Children's Leadership Development, Cottrell Ealey

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on the development of leadership skills development amongst a group of ethnic minority students at a middle school in an advisory class. Developing leadership abilities benefits students' personal development and impacts how they connect with their classmates. It teaches students the importance of looking out for one another inside and outside of the classroom, resolving their own social disputes as a role model, and encouraging them to participate in team sports and class activities. However, low-income ethnic minority students do not get many opportunities to develop leadership skills, compared to middle-class students. This may be due …

Casar Public Lecture: How Far Have Women Come In The Past 120 Years In Egypt And The Us?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

About the lecture: In honor of the 16 days of activism set by the UN campaigning for eliminating violence against women, CASAR hosted an event to see how far women have come in the past 120 years in the United States and in Egypt, and what changes might be possible in the foreseeable future. This was CASAR’s last public event for the Fall 2023 semester, and was made special by the warm welcome from Director Mark W. Deets, and the efforts of Yasmeen El Ghazaly, who created a video compiling important figures of women throughout the decades in the United …

Casar Public Lecture: The Gaza War: Implications For The United States And Egypt, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Director of CASAR Professor Mark W. Deets, also a current member of the History department of AUC specialist in African Studies acted as moderator for this Event. CASARs two guest panelists in this discussion were visiting scholar Professor David Dumke and Professor Karim Hagag. Dumke is the Executive Director of the Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He teaches Middle East history, U.S. foreign policy, and American politics, and “has written extensively on these subjects.” He also is host and executive producer of WUCF-TV’s award-winning Global Perspectives (Public Broadcasting Service). Dumke spent …

Keynote: Story Culture Live: Black American Story Spaces As Actionable Antiracism Work, Clarissa J. Walker

The Writing Center Journal

“Story Culture Live: Black American Story Spaces as Actionable Antiracism Work,“ was a keynote given at the Northeast Writing Centers Association Conference at the University of New Hampshire in spring 2023. The keynote details the genesis of my podcast, Story Culture Live, which reimagines storytelling as actionable activism in antiracist work and explores concepts such as Black teller agency, kinship, and collective responses to tensions through storytelling that can inform and build new stories in writing centers.

Exploring Alternative Approaches To Peace: Traditions, Beliefs And Memories In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Yvon Muya Cimanga

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

This paper examines alternative dispute resolution mechanisms that stakeholders could address. In countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the political agreements reached in recent years with drums beating have not ceased to show their limits (Autesserre, 2006; Kibisswa, 2015). In addition to the wars that have continued between the different actors, tensions remain persistent between some communities. How can these traditional peace agreements be strengthened and foster lasting peace for the benefit of society as a whole? The research draws on the richness of social and cultural practices within Congolese communities and suggests original models of conflict …

Exploring Alternative Approaches To Peace: Traditions, Beliefs And Memories In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Yvon Muya Cimanga

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The paper discusses alternative conflict resolution mechanisms that researchers, conflict management practitioners and policy makers could consider. In countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political agreements reached in recent years to the sound of drums have continued to show their limits (Autesserre, 2006; Kibisswa, 2015). In addition to the ongoing wars, tensions remain high between some ethnic communities. How can these traditional peace agreements be strengthened, and sustainable peace fostered for the benefit of society as a whole? The research draws on the richness of social and cultural practices within Congolese communities and suggests original models of …

Review Of Bénédicte Boisseron's Afro-Dog: Blackness And The Animal Question, Thomas Aiello

Between the Species

This review evaluates Bénédicte Boisseron's Afro-Dog: Blackness and the Animal Question. In the process, it tracks the development of the academic relation between Blackness and animality.

Casar Public Lecture: Mapping The Journeys Of Enslaved People From Zanzibar To The Gulf, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Part of the CASAR October lecture series and in partnership with AUC’s history department, this event featured guest scholar John Thabiti Willis, an associate professor of history at Clarendon College in Northfield Minnesota. For the last ten years Thabiti has dedicated himself to the study of African contributions to the history and heritage of pearling in the Gulf. In this event, AUC had the honor of listening to how Thabiti uses geographical information systems (GIS) to organize primary evidence gathered from manumission statements to analyze enslaved peoples journeys from Zanzibar to British political agents in Bahrain, Muscat, and Sharjah between …

Cover, Title Page, Table Of Contents, Introduction, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

This book examines and theoretically articulates the various facets and crucial phases of Ethiopia’s encounter with the modern world and the challenges its efforts to modernize faced during the course of three consecutive yet highly divergent political regimes. These phases roughly correspond to Haile Selassie’s and post-Haile Selassie’s Ethiopia, with the post-period spreading over two milestones, namely, the revolutionary shift of the Provisional Military Administrative Council (the Derg) and the no less critical reshaping of the Ethiopian political system by an ethnonationalist agenda subsequent to the Tigray People's Liberation Front’s (TPLF) seizure of state power. Despite their drastic differences, a …

Chapter I — On Theories Of Modernization, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

The vast literature pertaining to development and modernity discloses philosophical questions that instigate the controversies dividing the various theories of modernization. Of these philosophical issues, the most crucial and recurrent is the question of the prime factor or mover of modernization. The reason for the philosophical issue of primacy derives from the fact that modernization involves cultural as well as socioeconomic changes. Following the philosophical distinction between the spiritual and the material, the clash between the two basic schools of idealism and materialism frames the philosophical approach around the question of knowing whether the prime cause of modernization is cultural …

Chapter Ii — Survey Of Ethiopia’S Survival: Definition And Controversies, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

The last chapter has unraveled the close link between modernization and the emergence of a survival ethos among ruling elites of traditional societies in transition. To approach the case of Ethiopia’s modernization from the same angle of explanation, it is necessary first to make sure that some groups among Ethiopian ruling elites had shown a propensity that could be defined as a salvational will. Sure enough, any ruling elite wants to protect the social order that benefits it. However, the salvational will, as defined in the previous chapter, is less the desire to perpetuate the status quo than the will …

Chapter Iii — The Ethiopian Forces Of Survival, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

To account for the protracted endurance of Ethiopia, the last chapter hinted at two requisites, namely, a system of power suited for defense and the sense of shouldering a mandate. Such a successful record, in addition to presupposing a robust and effective ability for self-defense, necessitates a leadership that feels entrusted with a mission. From a cursory examination of Ethiopian history, one can confidently surmise that, at least until the overthrow of the last emperor, Ethiopia survived for so long thanks to a system of power that was protective of survival and bearer of a mission. The system rested on …

Chapter Iv — Eurocentric Versus Ethio-Centric Approaches To Ethiopia’S Modernization Lag: The Concept Of Derailment, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

After studying the link between survival and modernization, the next logical step is to provide concrete answers to the question of why Ethiopia’s impressive record of survival failed to initiate a successful process of modernization. In fact, the greater the resolution to survive, the more determined should have been the drive toward modernization. Yet, not only is Ethiopia still ranked among the poorest countries, but it is also entangled in numerous internal conflicts, the primary consequence of which is an unending political instability threatening its very existence. However, before delving into the reasons for the Ethiopian failure to modernize, we …

Chapter V — Derailed Modernization: The Imperial Phase, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

The critical review of the explanation of the failure of Ethiopian modernization from the perspective of modernization theory, that is, from the alleged contrast between tradition and modernity, has revealed that the concept of derailed modernization is more appropriate than the argument stating that inherent defects prevented Ethiopia’s modernization. The expression “derailed” puts the blame not so much on inner obstacles as on the spoiling of assets and opportunities. The change of approach speaks of engagement into a wandering path, the outcome of which was and still is the multiplication of difficulties. Indeed, obstacles hinder, but they can also be …

Sixty Years Of Service In Africa: The U.S. Peace Corps In Cameroon, Julius A. Amin

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

Based on previously unused primary sources obtained from both sides of the Atlantic, this study provides a more fundamental, consistent, and balanced source-based assessment of the role of the U.S. Peace Corps across its entire existence in Africa. The study sheds light on a new and intriguing historical perspective of the Peace Corps’ meaning and significance. Though the main trust is Cameroon, the study offers a window to understanding Peace Corps performance in all of Africa, and the larger global community. It examines Volunteers’ service in countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Guinea, showing how the agency transitioned from a …

Chapter Vi —The Radicalization Of Ethiopian Students, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

When one analyzes the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974, the aspect that needs to be primarily explained is not so much the uprising against the imperial regime as its precipitous shift toward socialist demands and slogans. Many unsolved problems liable to provoke widespread discontents saddled the regime. None of them, however, required or invited a socialist revolution per se. The decisive impulse toward a socialist revolution came undoubtedly from the Ethiopian student movement. Accordingly, any inquiry about the revolution must begin by unraveling the reasons that brought about the radicalization of a great majority of Ethiopian students and intellectuals. A compelling …

Chapter Vii — The Overthrow Of The Imperial Regime, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

In distinction to the tendency of imputing the delay of Ethiopian modernization to the lack of social peace, which was used as a pretext to institute and justify imperial absolutism, the radicalization of students, in line with the unadulterated principle “modernity versus tradition, blamed the presence of traditional features, notably the impeding role of the “feudal” class, the anachronism of the imperial state, and the obscurantist influence of the church, for the general failure of Ethiopian modernization. The students’ standpoint assumed the ideological leadership of the social protests and spread the conviction that Marxist-Leninist socialism is the only remedy to …

Decolonizing French: Afrophonics In Ken Bugul’S Aller Et Retour (2013), Hapsatou Wane

The Coastal Review

This article explores the innovative language strategies employed by Senegalese writer Ken Bugul in her novel Aller et retour to construct a dynamic and interconnected linguistic landscape that challenges fixed language boundaries. Ken Bugul's "langue fabriquée" combines elements of French, Wolof, and English, reflecting a transglocal dimension that embodies the essence of afrophonics—a poetics of resistance that empowers local cultures in a globalized context. Through a detailed analysis of Ken Bugul's linguistic choices, including the use of quotation marks, footnotes, and arbitrary transcription, the study reveals how she creates a language that defies categorization and decolonizes French without resorting to …

Chapter Viii — Derailed Modernization: The Derg’S Phase, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

The cultural trait making higher social positions into contested temporary occupations (see Chapter III on idil) should have found, in the modernization process of evicting outdated, anti-modern occupants, an even better opportunity to vent itself. In the traditional system, power struggles opposed ambitious individuals who shared common values and a mutual understanding of social life. The struggle did not go beyond the act of changing places in a fixed social framework. However, as a result of the impact of exogenous modern ideas, the struggle shifted to a confrontation between elites with different ideologies and social programs. These elites want to …

Chapter Ix — Derailed Modernization: The Ethnonationalist Phase, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

The last chapter concluded with the generalized expectation that the fall of the Derg would set in motion some form of democratization dismantling the wide-ranging restrictions of the existing socialist system, even if there was uncertainty about the real political program of the victorious Tigrean insurgents. Despite promises of democratization, it did not take long for people to realize that Ethiopia was heading for yet another version of hegemonic rule, this one replacing the class ideology of the previous regime with ethnonationalism. As though a curse were on it, Ethiopia’s modernization will once more stumble over an ideology and a …

Chapter X — Where To, Ethiopia?, Messay Kebede

Ethiopian Modernization: Opportunities and Derailments

In the wake of the dethronement of the TPLF, Ethiopia was presented with four options arising from the implementation of ethnonationalist ideology and policies for 27 years. The options have generated politico-ideological movements that compete for the seizure of power in Ethiopia. Broadly speaking, these movements can be viewed as different stands in relation to Article 39 of the constitution granting ethnic groups an unconditional right to self-determination, including secession (see previous chapter). Let us briefly examine the four positions with the view of clearly demarcating the lines separating them.

Componiendo El Núcleo: Una Exploración De La Bomba Y La Identidad Afroecuatoriana En El Valle De Chota, Ethan Guok

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto se centra en la bomba, una tradición musical y de danza afroecuatoriana que se practica en el valle del Chota, situado entre las provincias de Imbabura y Carchi, pero también más ampliamente en el Territorio Ancestral que comprende el valle del Chota, La Concepción, Salinas y Guallupe. Históricamente y en la actualidad, la bomba ha desempeñado un papel importante en la creación de comunidad y la preservación de la identidad cultural afrochoteña, y el conocimiento de cómo tocar la bomba se ha transmitido intergeneracionalmente a través de la tradición oral. Sin embargo, como tradición negra y oral, la …