The Chinese Century and the City of Gold: Rethinking Race and Capitalism

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-217
Author(s):  
Mingwei Huang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Shopping Centers ◽  
Black Labor ◽  
Racial Capitalism ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The City

Abstract This article tells a story about the unfolding “Chinese Century” in South Africa centered on China Malls, wholesale shopping centers for Chinese goods that have cropped up along Johannesburg's old mining belt since the early 2000s. Based in ethnographic and historical analysis, the essay takes a palimpsestic approach to imagine how Chinese capital enters into a terrain profoundly shaped by race, labor, and migration and is entangled with the afterlives of gold. Chinese migrant traders in South Africa draw on legacies of migrant mine labor and refashion processes that devalue Black labor. Whereas these histories are lost upon Chinese newcomers, African workers experience working for “the Chinese” through the memory of the mines. With the aim of theorizing emergent formations of race and capital in the Chinese Century, the essay threads this new epoch through the history of colonial and racial capitalism of the City of Gold.

Money and the Ghetto, Money in the Ghetto

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-499
Author(s):  
Destin Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
The Political ◽  
World War ◽  
Post World War Ii ◽  
Racial Capitalism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Forms Of Violence ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

This essay revisits Making the Second Ghetto to consider what Arnold Hirsch argued about the relationship between race, money, and the ghetto. It explores how Hirsch’s analysis of this relationship was at once consistent with those penned by other urban historians and distinct from those interested in the political economy of the ghetto. Although moneymaking was hardly the main focus, Hirsch’s engagement with “Vampire” rental agencies and panic peddlers laid the groundwork for an analysis that treats the post–World War II metropolis as a crucial node in the history of racial capitalism. Finally, this essay offers a way to connect local forms of violence to the kinds of constraints imposed by financiers far removed from the city itself.

scholarly journals CRIMINAL RECORDS OF VIOLENCE INVOLVING VENEZUELANS IN NORTH BRAZIL

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Ananiades Cornacchia ◽  
Gilberto de Paiva Carvalho ◽  
Rafael Araújo ◽  
Paulo Eduardo Miamoto Dias ◽  
Ademir Franco
Keyword(s):  
Border Region ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Bodily Integrity ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Border Regions ◽  
North Brazil ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The City

Introduction: Refugee crisis is a problem faced worldwide. The large borders with neighbouring countries make Brazil a potential destination for most of those seeking for a new life in South America. Venezuela currently fights the worst humanitarian crisis in the history of the country, and migration to Brazil emerges as an option. Living in border regions, these people are more susceptible to violence. Objective: This study aimed to revisit the medico-legal records of a city in North Brazil to calculate rates of Venezuelans involved in situations of violence. Material and methods: Medico-legal records of the city of Pacaraima, Roraima, Brazil, dated from 2013 and 2018, were revisited. The nationality of victims and perpetrators of violent actions were noted as well as the type of crime. Results: In 2013 (n = 86, 39.3%) and 2018 (n = 133, 60.7%), 219 forensic records were documented. Venezuelans were involved in 63 forensic reports (28.7%) – one in 2013 and 62 in 2018. Most of the reports were related to bodily integrity investigations (n = 169, 77.2%). Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of building-up social strategies to support Venezuelans and Brazilians living in the city of Pacaraima, as the number of forensic reports increased 54.7% from 2013 to 2018. This data might reflect the increase of violence in the border region, in which Venezuelans and Brazilians may figure as victims and perpetrators.

scholarly journals Sounding the Cape: Music, Identity and Politics in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis-Constant Martin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Rhythmic Pattern ◽  
Racial Identities ◽  
History Of ◽  
Musical Genres ◽  
Analytical Tools ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Musical Styles

For several centuries Cape Town has accommodated a great variety of musical genres which have usually been associated with specific population groups living in and around the city. Musical styles and genres produced in Cape Town have therefore been assigned an ìidentityî which is first and foremost social. This volume tries to question the relationship established between musical styles and genres, and social --in this case pseudo-racial --identities. In Sounding the Cape, Denis-Constant Martin recomposes and examines through the theoretical prism of creolisation the history of music in Cape Town, deploying analytical tools borrowed from the most recent studies of identity configurations. He demonstrates that musical creation in the Mother City, and in South Africa, has always been nurtured by contacts, exchanges and innovations whatever the efforts made by racist powers to separate and divide people according to their origin. Musicians interviewed at the dawn of the 21st century confirm that mixture and blending characterise all Cape Town's musics. They also emphasise the importance of a rhythmic pattern particular to Cape Town, the ghoema beat, whose origins are obviously mixed. The study of music demonstrates that the history of Cape Town, and of South Africa as a whole, undeniably fostered creole societies. Yet, twenty years after the collapse of apartheid, these societies are still divided along lines that combine economic factors and 'racial'categorisations. Martin concludes that, were music given a greater importance in educational and cultural policies, it could contribute to fighting these divisions and promote the notion of a nation that, in spite of the violence of racism and apartheid, has managed to invent a unique common culture.

scholarly journals Fault Lines, Racial and Aesthetic: The National Arts Festival at Grahamstown

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-337
Author(s):  
BRYAN SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Cultural Industries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Street Performance ◽  
Arts Festival ◽  
Fault Lines ◽  
The City ◽  
Civic Space

This article asks how theatre shapes civic space by examining the emergence of racial divides in the city of Grahamstown, South Africa, during the annual National Arts Festival (NAF). I track how decision making by festival organizers has relied on economic research and implicit artistic preferences that have resulted in the steady exclusion of artists from local townships. I argue that the presence of the NAF in Grahamstown creates fault lines that are not physical, but aesthetic, in nature, creating invisible boundaries that reward stage performances at the expense of street performances. I track a history of street performance at the NAF, with particular attention to its local mime tradition, to demonstrate how this axis of festivity was integral to developing the NAF's cultural cachet, but was systematically managed, policed or appropriated to fit organizers’ image for Grahamstown at festival time. This work troubles aspirational narratives of creative and cultural industries that South Africa and other African countries have come to rely upon as inclusive and sustainable routes of economic development.

The Basotho Nation-State: What Legacy for the Future?

1981 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Weisfelder
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Weapon

Virtually all analyses of Lesotho's political framework have agreed that strong elements of national identity have neither forestalled domestic conflict nor served to promote a unified assault on awesome economic problems. Hence many writers imply that a major asset, rarely found in independent Africa, has been wasted.1 Roger Leys has perceptively applied dependency theories of a ‘labour reserve’ economy to Lesotho,2 and spends considerable effort on historical analysis aimed at demonstrating the duration and pervasiveness of this process of systematic underdevelopment. In his conclusion he suggests that ‘the long and courageous battle of the Basotho to assert their dignity and worth is in fact a resource and political weapon of incomparable significance in the long-term battle for the liberation of southern Africa.’ Leys infers that national and class identities are interrelated, and possibly reinforcing, when he says that ‘the history of the struggle of the Basotho people and the very degree of their integration into the black working class of South Africa is a formidable weapon.’3

scholarly journals Integrated Pentecostal Ministry of Richard Ngidi in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, 1921–1985

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Racial Segregation ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
History Of ◽  
Unity In Diversity ◽  
Apostolic Faith Mission ◽  
South African Politics

Previous studies on the life and ministry of Richard Ngidi only present historical data on his achievements and to some extent his failures. This paper is a socio-historical analysis that not only reveals historical data but also aims to problematise the data in relation to social problems like racial segregation. A socio-historical analysis is a method that finds synergy between historical and social factors. The socio-historical analysis in this paper juxtaposes the history of Ngidi with racial segregation. The analysis of the ministry of Ngidi in the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of South Africa demonstrates that his ministry was an integrated one amid a segregated society. Integrated ministry refers to a ministry that is able to bring unity in the midst of various divisions in society. The AFM of South Africa, like many other denominations, was a segregated society because of the influence of South African politics on ecclesiastical politics during apartheid. Similarly, many pastors adhered to the racial policies of that time or broke away to start their own ministries. Ngidi was an exception because his ministry was multi-racial, non-political, gender-inclusive, interdenominational and international. Therefore, this paper contends that Ngidi serves as a model for social cohesion and unity in diversity.

scholarly journals The Development of Tarutung Into a City

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 2676-2685
Author(s):  
Pertiwih Siahaan ◽  
Budi Agustono
Keyword(s):  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Military Administration ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City

This article discusses the history of the formation of the city of Tarutung. This article answers the problem of how the city of Tarutung developed after the arrival of Western colonialism in the form of religion, military, administration and economy which encouraged the development of Tarutung City. This study uses the historical method through four stages: heuristics (collection of historical sources); verification (source criticism); interpretation (historical analysis and interpretation); and historiography (writing history). Sources as historical data obtained from a number of documents and literature from the colonial to post-colonial period. This study found that the existing Tarutung city was formed into a traditional city which was used as a trading center from a durian tree that grew in the middle of the village with the Batak Toba socio-culture that was implemented before the arrival of Western colonialism. The arrival and colonial influence made the identity of Tarutung City begin to develop both in terms of social, economic, and cultural aspects while maintaining the traditional cultural elements that still exist.

scholarly journals Kierunki działalności sportowo-oświatowej i kulturalnej Łódzkiego Klubu Sportowego w Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-108
Author(s):  
Piotr Kędzia
Keyword(s):  
Interwar Period ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fair Play ◽  
Educational Work ◽  
Sports Club ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
The City

The operations of the Łódź Sports Club in the interwar period are an important part of the history of sport in the city of Łódź, as well as Poland. The Club’s prestige and successes should be chiefly attributed to the athletes’ and the coaches’ commitment, coupled with the activists’ organisational skills. A historical analysis of the Club’s operations indicates that, in addition to training athletes in various disciplines, the establishment was also involved in a wide range of impressive cultural and educational activities. These centred on organising reading rooms, talks, lectures, social meetings and trips as well as promoting patriotic values and the idea of fair play. Hence, the Club’s educational work was channelled into axiological models of sports competition on the one hand, and into propagating education and culture on the other.

scholarly journals THE PEOPLE OF RIEMVASMAAK AND THE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT OF LAND REDISTRIBUTION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 1995–2013

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-40
Author(s):  
Lauren Camille Marx
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
The People ◽  
Poor Access ◽  
History Of ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Agrarian Transformation

In terms of apartheid policies, the people of Riemvasmaak were forcefully removed in 1973/74 to Namibia and the Eastern Cape. Efforts to bring the people of Riemvasmaak back to their land gained momentum in 1993. Finally the decision to give the entire 74 000ha back to the people was taken in February 1994, and Riemvasmaak was registered as a Presidential Launch Project, one of the first land-restitution projects in post-apartheid South Africa. Most of the original residents returned to their land at the end of 1995 and in 2002 the people of Riemvasmaak received the title deeds to the plots on which they were living. While this is a noble project, the people of Riemvasmaak originally faced serious problems such as abject poverty, poor soil quality, no secondary schools, no tar roads, poor access between settlements, inadequate transport and limited access to water. However, in the last eighteen years, a great deal of impetus has been placed on agrarian transformation, rural development and land reform, which included improved economic and social infrastructure. This oral research study will therefore undertake to analyse the everyday lives of the people living in Riemvasmaak, the improvement in quality of life in the area as well as what regaining their land has meant for these people if seen against the backdrop of the history of forced removals in South Africa.

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