Drink Deep, or Taste Not: Thoughts on the Use of Early European Records in the Study of African Material Culture

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 349-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Jones
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Road ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The One ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Shed Light

In African studies the potential for collaboration between students of history and those of material culture or art has long been recognized. On the one hand, items of material culture, both ancient and modern, can shed light on aspects of the past which remain obscure in written and oral sources; on the other, in order to see a material culture (or parts of it) in perspective, we need to study the historical background of the area concerned. The contribution of material culture to historical knowledge of sub-Saharan Africa has received considerable attention; but the same can hardly be said of the use of historical sources in understanding material culture.This does not mean that such sources have been neglected. Most of them certainly were in the colonial and immediate post-colonial periods, but things have improved. In many recent books, articles, and exhibitions devoted to Africa's material culture, considerable use has been made of the writings and engravings of early European visitors. Scholars are delighted if they can discover old records of anything resembling the objects that are today found either in museums or still in use in Africa. Indeed, it has become almost obligatory to search old books for textual and visual material. No historian can object to this interest in early sources. Yet looking at what has been published recently, one wonders whether we have nearly reached the end of the road. The same classic travelers' accounts are cited again and again (even the same passages!), and it is beginning to look as if this source of information will soon run dry. What, if anything, remains to be done?

scholarly journals Connections of Maghrebin and Sub-Saharan Intellectuals: Trajectories and Representations

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Mansour Kedidir
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Past ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Book Fair ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The One ◽  
Historical Trajectory ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Second Wave

Faced with the complex reality of their countries in the grip of multifaceted crises, the intellectuals in the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa are baffled. Indeed, this situation, with a wealth of lessons, ought to challenge them to reflect together on the current upheavals in their societies. Nevertheless, faced with the intricacy of current problems and their heterogeneity, these intellectuals find themselves scattered. Yet, in the past, they were bound by the same objectives. Thus, if the religious elites of the Maghreb had, during the 15th century, forged links with scholars of sub-Saharan Africa, a second wave of intellectuals succeeded them to think about the liberation of Africa and the Pan-African ideal in colonial and post-colonial contexts. However, immediately after this generation disappeared, the one that followed did not resist the disenchantment of the populations and the expansion of Arabism that influenced the formation of a generation of Maghrebin thinkers. With the bankruptcy of the socialist regimes, this hiatus heralded an era of intellectuals crumbling to the point that, with globalisation in the 21st century and the eruption of a plurality of questions, they found themselves helpless in these countries. Apart from a few attempts at building common frameworks for reflection such as those of CODESRIA or the “Esprit Panaf” pavilion at the Algiers International Book Fair, links between intellectuals from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa are rare. Opposed to this type of scholars, mainly Francophone and secularised, a second type of intellectuals, rather Islamised, sharing the same representations, dominate the different spaces of the countries concerned. This paper is an attempt to explore the historical trajectory of these two types of intellectuals and then explain why, in recent decades, such a connection has marked the future of the relationship between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa.

Conflicts in Biafra, Katanga and Cabinda as a result of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽  
pp. 238-246
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhenchakova
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Economic Factor ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the impact of the colonial past of some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on their development during the post-colonial period. The negative consequences of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism are shown on the example of three countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Angola, expressed in the emergence of conflicts in these countries based on ethno-cultural, religious and socio-economic contradictions. At the same time, the focus is made on the economic factor and the consequences of the consumer policy of the former metropolises pursuing their mercantile interests were mixed.

scholarly journals Normative intersectionality in married women's property rights in southern Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony C Diala ◽  
Jane C Diala
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Legal Pluralism ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Socioeconomic Changes ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Southern Nigeria ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

ABSTRACT The fate of marriage gifts during a customary law divorce is significant for the interaction of legal orders in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the context of scholars' fixation with conflict of laws. In analysing this fatet, this article introduces normative intersectionality as a theoretical framework for a nuanced understanding of how laws and socio-economic forces interact in post-colonial settings. Normative intersectionality rejects a legal positivist view of rights, which neglects people's adaptation of indigenous norms to socioeconomic changes. In this sense, normative intersectionality is useful for addressing the traditional Igbo law of matrimonial property, which regards a married woman's property rights as subsumed in her husband's rights. Using the division of marriage gifts in Southern Nigeria as a case study, the article draws attention to how legal orders speak to, rather than against, each other, and in so doing, stresses the adaptive character of indigenous laws. It argues that normative intersectionality illumines the interplay of gender equality, property rights and legal pluralism. Accordingly, it urges judges to use the imitative nature of legal pluralism in post-colonial settings to remedy entrenched systems of injustice and inequality, which often hide under the banner of tradition. Keywords: Adaptive legal pluralism, marriage gifts, African customary law, matrimonial property rights.

The Archaeology of Islamisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Study

Islamisation ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 244-274
Author(s):  
Timothy Insoll
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Funerary Practices ◽  
New Markets ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Ways Of Life

The archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa is remarkably diverse in relation to its material components, its geographical and chronological frameworks, and the life ways that were influenced by Islam, from settled and nomadic populations, peasants and kings, to merchants, farmers, warriors and townspeople. Islamisation processes were equally varied involving, for example, trade, proselytisation, jihad and prestige. Economically, new markets might be reached. Politically, the adoption of Arabic, of new forms of administration and of literacy could have a significant impact. Socially, material culture and ways of life could alter as manifest via diet and funerary practices, house types and settlement patterns. It is not possible to adequately summarise this diversity here.1 Instead emphasis will be placed upon selectively considering the evidence in order to indicate what archaeology can tell us about Islamisation processes in Africa, and to demonstrate the value and utility of archaeology for examining this Islamisation

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
pp. 337-346
Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Domestic Consumption ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
One Belt One Road ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The One

By way of conclusion, this chapter focusses on two issues. The first is how China’s relations with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are likely to be affected in the future by recent changes in the Chinese economy and its internationalization. Since 2012, the Chinese economy has been characterized by a ‘New Normal’ of slower economic growth and a rebalancing of the economy towards increased domestic consumption and less reliance on investment and exports. China also launched the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative in 2013, which seeks to link China with other Asian countries and Europe through major investment projects. The second issue concerns the continuing tensions that derive from the asymmetric economic relations between China and the two regions and whether steps will be taken to resolve them.

scholarly journals Glimmering Utopias: 50 Years of African Film

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassis Kilian
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
African Film ◽  
Feature Films ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The 1960S

The history of African film began in the 1960s with the independence of the colonies. Despite all kinds of political and economic difficulties, numerous films have been made since then, featuring wide-ranging processes of consolidation, differentiation and transformation which were characteristic of post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa. However, these feature films should not merely be viewed as back references to specifically African problems. The glimmering fictions are imagination spaces. They preserve ideas about how the post-colonial circumstances should be approached. Seen from this perspective, the history of African film may be studied as a history of African utopias.

scholarly journals The Impact of African Philosophy on the Realisation of International Community and the Observance of International Law

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-33
Author(s):  
Foluke Ifejola Ipinyomi
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Free Market ◽  
International Community ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Philosophy ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Legal Nature ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

The legal nature of international law is uncertain, despite being the foundation of the international community. Its non-universality questions the cohesion and efficacy of the international community. The international community operates as an exclusive club, coalescing around certain shared values, like liberal democracy and free market economy. Sub-Saharan Africa is usually excluded from being an active part of the international community due to differing values; a shared understanding of community which conflicts with the shared values of the core of the international community. Furthermore, their post-colonial nature deters African states from choosing their own path or adopting the norms of the ‘international community.’ A paradigmatic shift in research into sub-Saharan Africa and the international community is necessary to ensure a truly effective international community and wider observance of international law.

Vernacular architecture in eastern Senegal: Chaînes opératoires and technical choices

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-378
Author(s):  
Thomas Pelmoine ◽  
Anne Mayor
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Vernacular Architecture ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Construction Techniques ◽  
Heritage Studies ◽  
Environmental Adaptations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Linguistic Groups

Architecture is an important component of cultural identity, but knowledge regarding construction techniques using local materials is gradually disappearing, and this subject has rarely been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. This ethno-archaeological study of current vernacular architecture and its evolution during the past three centuries in eastern Senegal therefore brings innovative results that are interesting on different levels. In relation to West Africa, the authors aim to provide new knowledge useful for archaeologists lacking references for interpreting past remains, as well as an archive for historical and heritage studies. More widely, the study constitutes a reference for the description of various mud-building techniques and an attempt to understand the mechanisms explaining their transformations, which should concern all scientists interested in vernacular architecture, in Africa and beyond. More precisely, this article accounts for the variability of techniques used for constructing walls and roofs of dwellings in the Faleme valley among different ethno-linguistic groups, while considering the environmental, cultural and socio-economic factors at play. The authors’ methodology is based on a description of the chaînes opératoires of construction, interviews, mapping and statistical analysis. The patterns observed facilitate a discussion on the evolution of techniques, environmental adaptations, the transfer of knowledge and the role of history in material culture dynamics.

scholarly journals Lowering Transport Costs and Prices by Competition: Regulatory and Institutional Reforms in Low Income Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 5940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phill Wheat ◽  
Alexander D. Stead ◽  
Yue Huang ◽  
Andrew Smith
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Quality Improvements ◽  
Transport Costs ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
The Road ◽  
Sub Saharan

High passenger and freight transport costs are a barrier to economic growth and social mobility, particularly in Low Income Countries (LICs). This paper considers the current state of knowledge regarding the barriers to achieving lower generalised transport costs. It considers both the road and railway modes across passenger and freight transport. These issues include a reform on the regulations for driver hours (preventing the road infrastructure from overloading), structuring rail concessions, increasing competition, and tackling corruption. Such reforms aim to deliver efficiency gains and service quality improvements at lower costs for users. This paper identifies the knowledge gap in previous research and concludes by setting out a research agenda that builds the evidence base for how the best practices from around the world can best be applied to the specific circumstances in Low Income Countries, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Technocratic manager, imperial agent, or diplomatic champion? The IMF in the anarchical society

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTIAN BRÜTSCH
Keyword(s):  
Power Management ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Great Power ◽  
English School ◽  
The World ◽  
International Credit ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractEven before the global financial crisis restored the International Monetary Fund's (‘IMF’ or ‘Fund’) political fortunes, the ‘monetary managers’ regained ground in supposedly hostile parts of the world, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa. To shed light on the Fund's appeal to governments that do not need its leverage to put dithering cabinets, unruly coalition partners, or restive opposition forces in line, this article examines the interplay between intergovernmental organisations (IGO) and the ‘master institutions’ of the anarchical society. It builds on classic English School inquiries into the ‘words and deeds’ of agents that define, maintain, and transform international societies; tracks collective efforts to harness international credit and debt; and probes bureaucratic obstinacy and great power management in the Fund's conduct in three member states that differ in terms of their borrowing habits, funding options, and creditor relations. It concludes that, in contrast to its reputation as a technocratic manager of cooperation or an imperial agent of contestation, the IMF's appeal lies in its willingness to act as a diplomatic champion of coexistence.

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