African Studies Commons^™

Signs, Symbols, And Slave Culture: Representations In Black Thunder, Sandra M. Grayson

Trotter Review

Black Thunder (1936), by Arna Bontemps, is a historical novel that recreates Gabriel Prosser's 1800 slave revolt. This novel is useful in reviewing some of the historical and cultural linkages between Black slaves in the U.S. and African cultures. Thematically, Black Thunder does more than represent Black people's self-assertion through revolt, it also shows their assertion of identity through practicing Atlantic (or western) African traditions, especially those of the Kongo. This is a topic that continues to be significant in light of greater contemporary political and economic linkages between U.S. Blacks and Africans, as well as increasing African immigration into …

Explanations For African Immigration, Kwaku Danso

Trotter Review

Africa is a continent in crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa today poses the greatest development challenge facing the world today. Many of Africa's development programs have failed miserably. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have attributed this failure to inefficient internal economic policies pursued by African governments. These governments, on the other hand, blame failure on uncontrollable external factors in the world economy, such as international financial markets, worldwide recessions, declining commodity prices, protectionist trade policies against African exports, and the oil price shocks of the 1970s. While there is merit to each of these schools of thought, there is …

The Political Issues For African Immigrants In The United States, Paul E. Udofia

Trotter Review

Since the 1970s the African-born population in the United States has grown steadily in numbers. This increase of African immigrants offers an historic opportunity for sustained reconstruction of ancestral relationships with Black America. At this point, however, Africans who are mostly English-speaking and highly educated, remain largely isolated and even ostracized. So, what must be done for these groups, Blacks and African immigrants, to begin working together effectively? This essay begins with one basic query necessary for understanding this potential development: What is the current status of African immigrants in the United States? After providing a brief overview in response …

The Linkage Between African Americans And The South African Black Immigrant Community, Chris Nteta

Trotter Review

An understanding of the South African immigrant experience in the United States requires placing it within a context of linkages and alliances between transported South African blacks and the African American community. Like many other nationalities, South African black immigration to this country resulted from people fleeing the murderous apartheid regime whose national constitution and laws enshrined a racist ideology buttressed by a myriad of draconian practices. In this respect, South African immigrants were predominantly refugees and exiles on a quest for asylum. On the other hand, this group exhibits distinctive political tendencies which sets it apart from other such …

Nilopolitics: A Hydrological Regime, 1870-1990, Mohamed Hatem El-Atawy

Faculty Books

This timely study presents research into the historical background of relations among the Nile's riparian states, and the ways in which their security needs have been handled informally in the absence of a security regime. The author discusses the contexts of shifting involvement in the region by global superpowers, as well as Egypt's attempts to maintain security through regional hegemony.

Cattle, Co-Wives, Children, And Calabashes: Material Context For Symbol Use Among The Il Chamus Of West-Central Kenya, Alan J. Osborn

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines systemic contexts for symbol use among the Maa-speaking Il Chamus in the Lake Baringo region of west-central Kenya. The systemic context for symbols and material culture consists of the environmental constraints and behavioral responses that characterize pastoralist life in East Africa. The author's interest in this problem developed in response to Ian Hodder’s work among the Il Chamus, Pokot, and Tugen in the Baringo District. Unlike Hodder, however, the author argues that symbols and their use in East Africa can be more productively explained from a materialist perspective. Specifically, it is proposed that symbols affixed to certain …

Community Culture And Tradition: Maintaining Male Dominance In Conservative Institutions, Christine M. Venter

Journal Articles

"The freer women are to share their gifts with society and to assume leadership in society, the better are the prospects for the entire human community to progress in wisdom, justice and dignified living ... " So argued Mary Ann Glendon, the Vatican delegate to the Fourth World Conference on Women in September, 1995. While Glendon's point is well taken, in many societies, including the Catholic Church which Glendon represented at the Conference, women often do not have the opportunity to choose their roles and share their gifts and talents with society in the manner they deem most appropriate. In …

Vibrations Of Maroons And Marronage In Caribbean History And Archaelogy, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

A discussion of the phenomenon of "resistance" as an important element in the shaping of the History of the New World, and the geographical distribution of Maroon resistance groups in the Caribbean and adjoining areas, introduces this paper. It is contended that historical and ethnographic evidence fail to adequately present the true picture of Maroon culture, considered as a only most important element that brings others together in a coherent way. Using evidence from Jamaica, it is illustrated that filling in the existing gap in our knowledge about Maroons and marronage as well as identification of cultural continuities and discontinuities, …

Empowering The Third Force In Contemporary Nigerian Politics, Chukwuma Azuonye

Africana Studies Faculty Publication Series

Remarks on the occasion of a traditional reception for Wole Soyinka by the Nigerian community in Boston at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, July 23, 1995.

Redefining Maroon Heritage In The New World Studies, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evidence from recent archaeological studies appear to suggest a redefinition of the heritage of runaway slave communities, referred to by the name Maroons and other terms. Now properly defined as the pioneer freedom fighters, it is also becoming clear that their heritage is a single constant strand in that of the New World. Contrary to previous views and descriptions which appear to indicate that these communities derived only from African slave escapees, historical and archaeological evidence from the Caribbean, and the Americas now reveal that the heritage of Maroon communities stemmed from the united force forged by between native American …

Archaeology And The Maroon Heritage In Jamaica, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of all the fascinating aspects of Jamaican history, the Maroon Melement appears to be the only one that weaves through the whole period, including the present day. Referring to themselves as 'True blu chankofi piti bo," some Maroons of Moore Town in the parish of Portland claim that, with the exception of the freedom fighters of South Africa, they are the only living genuine and most honourable freedom fighters worthy of the name.

State Against Development: The Experience Of Post-1965 Zaire. Mondonga M. Mokoli.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mondonga M. Mokoli. State Against Development: The Experience of Post-1965 Zaire. Westport, CT: Grenwood Press, 1992. $45 hardcover.

Before The Flood: The Golden Volta Basin, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Northern Volta basin has engaged the attention of major research projects in the last ten years with greater Intensity than has been known in the history of research in the area. Explanation of the cultural development as well as connections or relationships between ethnic groups, their geographical distribution and settlement patterning, and the nature and mechanism of functional adaptation in the area are issues that appear to have been the main foci of investigation.

Conclusions based on the data available emphasized the northern Volta Basin as an important area for the development of early cultural traditions in that part …

Land Contracts And Traditional Tenure, Sandra F. Joireman

Political Science Faculty Publications

The goal of this project is to identify the current day policy implications of a traditional tenure system, rist or risti, with particular reference to the types of contractual agreements that existed under that system. In order to achieve this, the paper will begin with a reference to the importance of understanding the traditional systems of land tenure. Then, a brief description of the data set and available information will be given, followed by the preliminary results of the data and a description of the kinds of contractual arrangements found under the traditional system. This will be followed by …

South Africa's Long March To Freedom: A Personal View, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this article I first offer a brief historical account of European white settlement, and ultimately political dominance, in southern Africa. Next, I outline how whites, and in particular Afrikaner-dominated National Party governments after 1948, achieved almost total subjugation of South Africa’s black majority through oppressive legislation and the calculated use of force. In that regard I enumerate some of the draconian laws enacted in the post-1948 apartheid state — laws that served as an impetus for black nationalism, anger, resistance, protest and, after 1960, armed struggle to achieve liberation from white oppression. Against this background, I examine salient factors …

Nanny Town Excavations: Rewriting Jamaica's History?, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The main objectives of the study of maroon communities are: to obtain archaeological data that can be used for the interpretation of the socio-cultural patterns of the behavior of the Maroons; to determine the factors that contribute to the location and character of Maroon settlements; and to obtain material for dating and providing a chronological framework for the origins and development of maroon heritage in Jamaica The overall objective is to identify the character and mechanism of the functional adaptation of Maroon societies in Jamaica over time.

Archaeological Considerations On Social Dynamics And Spatial Pattern Development Of Traditional Settlements, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

One fascinating aspect of archaeological analysis is the explanation of the frequency with which material manifestations of man's behaviour are bonded together. The complexity of the interconnections and associations makes it even more challenging and exciting. Areal variations of the relationships between cultural phenomena are so numerous that archaeologists have, over the centuries, looked for regularities or patterning among distributions of these material manifestations. It is not the patterns that are recognised nor the fact that their distribution varies from place to place that is of greatest interest. Rather it is the past behaviour of the society concerned that is …

Jean Ensminger. Making A Market: The Institutional Transformation Of An African Society (Book Review), Sandra F. Joireman

Political Science Faculty Publications

The publication of Making a Market marks yet another excellent contribution to the field from the Cambridge Series on Political Economy. Similar to the other volumes in the series, it emphasizes the interaction of political structures and institutions with economic change. Yet whereas most of the previous volumes in the series have been written by political scientists or economists, this book stands out as unique in that it is written from an anthropological perspective. Unusual as this is, the book gives an extremely sophisticated and readable application of the new institutional economics to the developing world.

Study On Street Children In Four Selected Towns In Ethiopia, Kevin Lalor, Angela Veale, Azeb Adefrisew, Unicef, University College Cork

Reports

The child is the most precious asset and the focal point of development for any country. However, unless children are brought up in a stimulating and conducive environment getting the best possible care and protection, their physical, mental, emotional and social development is susceptible to permanent damage. Ethiopia, being one of the least developed countries of the world due to interrelated and complex socio-economic factors including man-made and natural calamities, a large portion of our population - especially children - are victimized by social evils like famine, disease, poverty, mass displacement, lack of education and family instability. Owing to the …

Ethnic Identity And Constitutional Design For Africa, Alemante G. Selassie

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Objectivity In The Interpretation Of The Archaeology Of Ghana, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of the desires of the majority of archaeologists is to obtain from their analyses an objective knowledge of the societies they study. However, the mere desire to obtain objectivity does not ensure its attainment especially where biases cannot be controlled. Added to this difficulty of obtaining objectivity is that not only is the subject matter of archaeology vast and varied, but also archaeologists disagree on directions of study and interpretations, and in many cases very few scholars attempt to put themselves at a standpoint from which to measure the inadequacies and unevenness of their interpretations. Fundamental to interpretations in …

Algeria's Fundamentalists: Their Historical Context And Prospects For Success, Michael L. Smith

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Islamic fundamentalism, also known as Islamicism or Islamic revivalism, is a move ment that has become much more visible in the last two decades. Fundamentalist groups have been growing in membership in many Middle Eastern nations, but the Islamic revivalist movement was most prominent in the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, in which radical Shi'ites seizea power from the Shah and his monarchy. A decade later, as that Islamic regime maintains power, many Islamic fundamentalist groups and parties have proliferated throughout the Muslim world. Although they do not hold power in any other country, in many nations Islamic fundamentalists are …

Representing African Music, Kofi Agawu

Publications and Research

Of all the currents of change that have swept the humanities during the last half-century, the most far-reaching revolve around language. Philosophy, history, and literary criticism, among other language-based disciplines, have developed what is often presented as a largely unprecedented self-consciousness about representation. The message to scholars in nonlanguage-based disciplines is clear: to be taken seriously, one can no longer view language as a transparent window to an objective reality but must confront the foundational political and ideological baggage of the medium itself, as well as its constant slippage in the hands of the producer.

Senegalese Women: A Comparative Analysis Of Economic Development In Sine-Saloum And Dakar, Sarah-Joy Hunter

College Honors Program

The complex nexus of Dependency theories, Self-Reliance, and Afro-centric feminisms frame this exploration into economic development strategies Senegalese women deploy in the peanut and fishing sectors to ensure the survival of their families and communities.

Studies In African Literature: An Annual Annotated Bibliography, 1989, Robert Cancel, Ian Barnard, Richard Lepine, Suzanne Houyoux, Gerald M. Moser, Noêl Ortega, David Westley, Winifred Woodhull

English Faculty Articles and Research

A bibliography of new and key releases of African literature in 1989.

Women In African Traditional Politics, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article attempts to trace, by use of archaeological, historical and cultural evidence, certain structural features of African political systems that provide specific roles for women and the significance of these structures for African politics (compare Canham 1949; Badu 1965; Adu 1949; Busia 1951). It will be shown that in some cases the bases for the development of such political structures continue to exist in some African political systems of modern times. Examples from Egypt, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and other countries are used in the discussion to emphasize the significance of some of the roles played by women in …

A Study Of Issues And Problems Women Face In Attempting To Pursue Careers In Educational Administration In Kenya, Bertha Kirigo Mutai

Dissertations

Problem

In Kenya, the majority of women in education occupy classroom teaching positions. Educational officers, in their hiring practices, appear to overlook women as resources, thereby depriving the schools of the skills and talents of potentially capable leaders. Students are also denied the role models of female leaders. This study investigates how difficult it is for women to secure professional careers in educational administration in Kenya.

Method

The population consisted of all the female teachers employed by the Ministry of Education in Kenya, and female Kenyan students in North American universities. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the …

Evidence And Interpretation In The Archaeology Of Jamaica, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of the most challenging statements in the Archaeology of the New World is the one made by James Deetz, an eminent Archaeologist, that: "The personalities of prehistory will remain forever nameless and without faces", (Deetz 1977). Any one with background training in prehistoric Archaeology of the Old ~rid would at first glance at the statement view it with scorn. I was no exception to this reaction. But when I started updating myself on archaeological studies in the Caribbean I started giving the statement a serious thought especially having come across Clinton Black's description of the first Jamaicans as "a …

In Appreciation Of Birago I. Diop: A Subtle Advocate Of Négritude, Winston E. Langley

Trotter Review

The closing weeks of the last decade brought with them the death of three distinguished world figures: Samuel Beckett, the Irish-French playwright, novelist, and poet; Andrei D. Sakharov, the Soviet nuclear physicist, human rights advocate, and leader in the international disarmament movement; and Birago I. Diop, the Senegalese poet, storyteller, and statesman. In the case of the former two, leading U.S. newspapers and other media paid merited tribute in the amplest of proportions; in case of the last, however, it was as if he had either never lived or had gained no standing of importance worthy of much attention. Diop …

Variation Procedures In Northern Ewe Song, V. Kofi Agawu

Publications and Research

The major organizational principle of Northern Ewe song is one shared by numerous African, Oriental, and European musical traditions: a small number of models (variously described as "basic shapes," "archetypes," "background structures," "basic designs," "core patterns," "deep structures") is transformed in a wide variety of ways during performance. Variation takes place on different hierarchic levels both within and between songs and includes practically all of a song's dimensions (rhythm, interval, register, contour, harmony, and so on). This principle, although widely demonstrated in the literature on African song (see, among others, Jones 1976; Kauffman 1984; Schmidt 1984; and Erlmann 1985), is …