African Studies

History Teaching, Imperialism and Decolonization in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1945-1958)

by Iris Seri-Hersch

PhD dissertation defended on May 17, 2012 at Aix-Marseille Université. Written in French.

Situating the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in the wider frame of British imperial history, this dissertation investigates... more Situating the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in the wider frame of British imperial history, this dissertation investigates school history in late colonial Sudan. Didactic materials, prescribed contents and pedagogic practices are analyzed against the background of five major developments of the 1945-1953 period: the shifting of British imperialism in Africa towards “paternalist-progressive” policies aiming at preparing colonial peoples for self-government; the polarization of British and Egyptian positions on the Sudanese issue; mounting rivalries between the independentist and unionist wings of Sudanese nationalism; the hasty unification of Northern and Southern Sudan after more than half a century of separate rule; and Northern Sudanese policies of Arabization and Islamization in the South as a tool for achieving “national unification”.
In a second part, the innovative character of post-WWII history teaching in Sudan is assessed by examining earlier patterns of Sudanese school history. History teaching in late colonial Sudan is then compared with history teaching in other territories of the (ex-)Empire (Uganda, North Rhodesia, Nigeria, Egypt, India, Great Britain). Two central postcolonial issues are further explored, namely the decolonization of school historical narratives after independence (1956) and the role of history teaching in fuelling the North-South conflict in Sudan.

Les socialismes africains ou la reconquête de l’homme

by Norman Ajari

Kony 2012 - Untold Facts on the Ground

by Mayambala Mwana W'Afrika

'Democratisation'and the Consolidation of Political Authority in Post-War Angola

by Jon Schubert

The advent of peace in Angola, in 2002, raised hopes that the end of the civil war would entail a gradual opening of... more The advent of peace in Angola, in 2002, raised hopes that the end of the civil war would entail a gradual opening of political space, and allow for increasing democratic plurality and civil liberties. This article argues that the government of José Eduardo dos Santos is actually reinforcing its control over all aspects of social, economic and political life. Although the elections of 5 and 6 September 2008 were considered ‘credible and transparent’ by international observer missions, the MPLA's triumph at the elections did not come as a surprise. This analysis of the voter registration process in 2007 shows how the government of Angola used discourses of democratisation as a resource to consolidate its power, extending its control over associations of civil society, thus paving the way for an overwhelming electoral victory. The article describes the government's strategies during the voter registration process, to see how – in this very specific field – the government's authority is enacted, and how the state extends its control over civil society organisations. It considers how these tendencies fit into the broader discussions about democracy and post-war transitions, and what the implications might be for donor assistance for democratisation.

New documents on the life and death of Domenico Enegildo Frediani (1783-1823), traveller and poet in Egypt and the Sudan

by Daniele Salvoldi

«Göttinger Miszellen» 233 (2012), pp. 51-67.

E-mail me if interested in getting a PDF copy of it. E-mail me if interested in getting a PDF copy of it.

La modernité dans l'historiographie du Soudan : usages convenus d'un concept nébuleux ?

by Iris Seri-Hersch

To be published in Cahiers d'Etudes africaines, 2012

Cet article propose une réflexion critique sur les usages de la catégorie modernité dans l'historiographie du Soudan... more Cet article propose une réflexion critique sur les usages de la catégorie modernité dans l'historiographie du Soudan contemporain. Attentive à la distinction heuristique entre catégories analytiques et catégories normatives, l'étude revient sur des conceptualisations européennes de la modernité avant d'examiner ses usages dans la production académique soudaniste des cinquante dernières années. En dépit de la diversité de leurs approches et de leurs objets, la plupart des travaux analysés endossent explicitement ou implicitement l'une ou l'autre des théories de la modernisation et de la dépendance. L'argumentaire débouche sur la nécessité, pour les chercheurs en sciences sociales, de sortir des impasses épistémologiques de la modernité "modernisatrice" et des modernités "multiples".

This paper deals with "modernity" as an analytical category, investigating how it has been used by scholars of modern Sudan in the last fifty years. Keeping in mind the heuristic distinction between analytical and normative categories, the study goes back to European conceptualizations of modernity before examining how it has been constructed and used across a wide range of Sudanist academic writings. Despite significant differences in their approaches and subjects of study, most of the works under review explicitly or implicitly adopt either modernization or dependence theories. The paper ultimately argues for the necessity of avoiding the epistemological dead ends of both "modernizing" and "multiple" modernities.

Voix de femmes songhay-zarma du Niger - entre normes et transgressions

by Sandra Bornand

published in "Femmes de paroles - Voix énonciatives et pragmatique des formes de discours", "Cahiers des mondes anciens", 3 / 2012

Au moment du remariage d’un homme, on observe – chez les Songhay-Zarma du Niger – un rituel spécifique aux mariages... more Au moment du remariage d’un homme, on observe – chez les Songhay-Zarma du Niger – un rituel spécifique aux mariages polygames, le marcanda, où les femmes, divisées entre « grandes » et « petites » épouses, se lancent dans une joute verbale d’insultes, puis chantent ensemble. Au sein de ce rituel, des chanteuses d’origine captives peuvent parfois venir chanter des chants grivois. Elles y évoquent ce dont on ne parle pas dans la vie quotidienne : la sexualité. Dans cet article, j’analyserai – sur la base d’une approche énonciative et pragmatique – le dernier chant d’une performance qui en totalise trente-deux. Celui-ci est particulièrement intéressant, car il débouche sur une altercation qui nous permettra de montrer comment ces chants de captives obéissent à des normes, bien qu’ils s’inscrivent dans la transgression, et comment cet espace transgressif, s’il est délimité, est sans cesse renégocié.

Sulayman b. Nasir al-Lamki and German colonial policies towards Muslim communities in German East Africa

by Michael Pesek

published in n Islam in Africa, edited by Thomas Bierschenk and Georg Stauth. 211-229. Münster: LIT, 2002

Studi sulla presenza militare italiana in Africa: l’istituzione della stazione carabinieri reali di Assab (1883)

by Flavio Carbone

published in “Rassegna Storica del Risorgimento”, a. XCV fasc. II aprile-giugno 2008, pp. 263-294.

The essay is based firstly on a very interesting file about the foundation of the first Italian Royal Carabinieri... more The essay is based firstly on a very interesting file about the foundation of the first Italian Royal Carabinieri Station in Africa, starting from the small presidium of Assab in the Horn of Africa. The paper explain how the Carabinieri General Headquarters decided to select personnel and the life of it in Africa till the more important occupation in 1885 led by Col. Saletta.

Turbulent Trajectories: African Migrants on Their Way to the European Union

by Joris Schapendonk

Open access article in the journal SOCIETIES: http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/2/2/27

A hapless attempt at swimming': Representations of Eric Moussambani

by John Nauright

published in Critical Arts 17:1/2 (2003), 106-122, co-authored with Tara Magdalinski

One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from... more One of the most powerful images to emerge from the pool at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was that of Eric Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea who swam his heat of the 100-meter freestyle alone after the other two swimmers in his heat were disqualified. Moussambani completed the distance over one minute slower than eventual gold medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband. The media coverage of Moussambani's performance illustrates that the discourses of colonialism, paternalism, and racial stereotyping remain central in the modern Olympic movement. This paper analyses media reports of Moussambani and identifies three main frames used to contextualize his performance at the Olympics. We situate Moussambani's swim within a broader framework that reveals the mechanisms used to display African bodies for the European gaze as well as the paternalist Olympic discourse that seeks to universalize Western sporting practices within a global culture that privileges Western cultural and economic practices.

Black and White. On Symbolical Implications of an Aesthetical Polarization.

by Roman Meinhold

In: Boleswa Journal of Philosophy, Theology and Religion. Vol.1, No.3. December 2007. 155-166. ISSN 1817-2741

This paper attempts to show that the aesthetic opposition of black and white as
aesthetic perceptible... more This paper attempts to show that the aesthetic opposition of black and white as
aesthetic perceptible "colours" applied to the description of the density of human
skin pigment (as it is still done, for example, in southern Africa) does not reflect
aesthetic reality. To make its case, the paper argues that human beings are not
simply black or white in skin colour; this categorisation is not precise, because
the black and white scheme is a simplifying reductionism. Besides being a
simplification and reductionism, the application of this colour scheme to humans
is also wrong, because from the perspective of human perception black and white
"colours" are opposites or extremes, while humans with contrasting skin
pigmentations are by no means necessarily opposites or extremes. Another
argument advanced in the paper is that this aesthetic opposition may lead to an
anthropological extremism and thus to an ethical problem. The paper concludes
with two normative suggestions, namely that the black and white scheme should
be replaced with a non-binary scheme and that an individual should not be
signified by her/his skin colour alone.

Authoritarian crises and democratic transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Julien Morency-Laflamme

This research proposes an analysis of transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy (TD). TD has been the subject... more This research proposes an analysis of transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy (TD). TD has been the subject of many researches, in particular since the end of the 1960s. This research attempted to identify the roots of those regime changes. Most researchers agree that TD is initiated by a conflict or crisis which affects the very legitimacy of the regime. These conflicts have been defined differently according to different authors: new versus old elites, civil society versus the authoritarian regime (RA), or between reformers and hardliners within the RA.
In this research, we criticize this consensus among Africanists. By applying the theoretical framework developed by Schmitter and O’Donnell in “Transition from Authoritarian rule” to the Benin, South African and Togo cases, this research will demonstrate the important how pro-reform forces within authoritarian regimes are a key feature of successful transition to democratic in Africa

Wahl-Jorgensen, K., and Temple, P. G. H. (2006). New degrees, no pencils. IPI/Global Journalist, 2006 issue 4, 32-33.

by Karin Wahl-Jorgensen

As Sierra Leone prepares for the first elections since the departure of UN peacekeepers in 2005, veteran reporter Richard Margao worries about how he and his colleagues will report the elections in the 14 chiefdoms of his region. Margao, who has worked as a correspondent for the BBC for many years and is now chairman of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists South, relies on his mobile phone for interviews and other communications because landlines are not in working order. But mobile phones need to be recharged, and doing so requires electricity, which is only available to those who can afford gas for generators. Also, getting around is not easy as most of the roads are in terrible condition, says Margao. For print journalists, it will be difficult to file stories from the region, where there is limited Internet access.

“In the entire Bo District, we have three internet cafés. Only two are reliable, and they are not operating on a 24-hour basis,” he said.
[...]

Wahl-Jorgensen, K., and Cole, B. (2008). Newspapers in Sierra Leone: A case study of conditions for print journalism in a post-conflict society. Ecquid Novi, 29(1), 1-20

by Karin Wahl-Jorgensen

Selected for topic guide on communication and governance and expert document library of the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre of the Department for International Development

In this article, we examine the conditions for newspaper production in Sierra Leone since the end of the civil war in... more In this article, we examine the conditions for newspaper production in Sierra Leone since the end of the civil war in 2002, as a case study in the difficulties of democratic communication under conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. Sierra Leone has a tradition of a vigorous press. However, journalism struggles for survival in the country, which is one of the world’s least developed. Problems include legal constraints, difficulties in distribution, lack of journalistic skills, a minuscule revenue base, and a lack of electricity, basic materials, technologies and resources. The scarcity of financial resources engenders the unethical practice of ‘coasting,’ or blackmailing, among journalists. However, resource problems haunt every layer of society, including government, business and civil society. As such, the case of Sierra Leone demonstrates a broader point about journalism: That it cannot be viewed in isolation from broader social contexts. Despite these constraints, journalism in Sierra Leone is emerging as a watchdog on concentrations of power.

'A great tree has fallen': Community, spiritual ecology and African education

by Eric Ritskes

Traditions culinaires sud-africaines: patrimonialisation et oubli de l'histoire

by François-Xavier Fauvelle-Aymar

Published in M. Chastanet, F.-X. Fauvelle-Aymar & D. Juhé-Beaulaton (eds.), "Cuisine et société en Afrique: histoire, saveurs, savoir-faire" (Paris: Karthala, 2002): 25-37.

Análisis Metalográficos De Monedas Procedentes De Cecas Púnicas Del Norte De África Y Del Sur De La Península Ibérica

by Ruth Pliego

Co-authored with Francisca Chaves, et alii. Revue Belge de Numismatique, Tome CXLV, 1999, 199-214.

Living with multiple borders

by Joris Schapendonk

The European Union’s soutern borderlands are spaces where the politics of mobilities (Cresswell 2010) becomes... more The European Union’s soutern borderlands are spaces where the politics of mobilities (Cresswell 2010) becomes explicitly visible; some mobilities are passing through without much interference, while others are traced, slowed down and blocked. This paper  discusses social life of a particular group of migrants whose mobility is hindered by the hard borders of the EU: Sub-Saharan African ‘transit migrants’ in Morocco and Turkey. By focusing on migrants’ in/visibility, im/mobility and dis/connections, I stress that migrants are not simply immobile actors who are only passively waiting ‘in transit’. Instead, mobility in general, and border crossings in particular, belong to the tactics of migrants that help them dealing with the restrictive socio-political environment they live in. I show how these everyday tactics contribute to the making and re-making of borderlands. With these insights, I criticize the notion of borderlands as consisting of two (or more) territorial entities that are seperated by the border. Instead, I plead for a relational understanding of borderlands (Massey 2005; Amin 2002) as spaces where various spatio-temporal trajectories come together for different duration. Hence, multiple borders come together in single borderlands.

Ulli Beier, Frank McEwen, Amâncio Guedes e Julian Beinart: uma rede africana ao tempo das independências dos anos 50/60

by Alexandre Pomar

in AS ÁFRICAS DE PANCHO GUEDES. Colecção de Dori e Amâncio Guedes / TheAfricas of Pancho Guedes. The Dori and Amâncio Guedes Collection, Lisbon,17/12/2010 - 08/03/2011

Moçambique (Lourenço Marques/Maputo), Rodésia (Salisbúria), Nigéria (Mbari Club, Ibadan) e África do Sul - uma rede... more Moçambique (Lourenço Marques/Maputo), Rodésia (Salisbúria), Nigéria (Mbari Club, Ibadan) e África do Sul - uma rede informal nos anos 50/60. Malangatana. O Congresso Internacional de Cultura Africana de 1962.