Pub Date : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1177/00020397241263364
K. Yakpo
West African Pidgin (“Pidgin”) is a cluster of related, mutually intelligible, restructured Englishes with up to 140 million speakers in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, and The Gambia. Spoken by just few thousand people two centuries ago, “modernisation” and “shallow social entrenchment” have driven the transformation of Pidgin into a “super-central” world language. Demographic growth, migration, the expansion of West African cultural industries and economies, and people-to-people contacts are likely to expand Pidgin further. Already the largest language of West Africa, Pidgin may be spoken by 400 million people by 2100. The rise of Pidgin goes against the grain. World languages like English, French, Chinese, or Arabic mostly spread through colonisation, elite engineering, and state intervention. The trajectory of Pidgin, therefore, holds great potential for exploring the dynamics of large-scale natural language evolution in the twenty-first century.
{"title":"West African Pidgin: World Language Against the Grain","authors":"K. Yakpo","doi":"10.1177/00020397241263364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241263364","url":null,"abstract":"West African Pidgin (“Pidgin”) is a cluster of related, mutually intelligible, restructured Englishes with up to 140 million speakers in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, and The Gambia. Spoken by just few thousand people two centuries ago, “modernisation” and “shallow social entrenchment” have driven the transformation of Pidgin into a “super-central” world language. Demographic growth, migration, the expansion of West African cultural industries and economies, and people-to-people contacts are likely to expand Pidgin further. Already the largest language of West Africa, Pidgin may be spoken by 400 million people by 2100. The rise of Pidgin goes against the grain. World languages like English, French, Chinese, or Arabic mostly spread through colonisation, elite engineering, and state intervention. The trajectory of Pidgin, therefore, holds great potential for exploring the dynamics of large-scale natural language evolution in the twenty-first century.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141813476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-21DOI: 10.1177/00020397241262795
Oluwatosin Adeniyi
Africa has historically occupied, and remains almost fixed at, the fringes of global knowledge production. Its battle to recover itself amid the stacks of epistemic injustices heaped on it, especially by its encounters with slavery and colonialism, rages on. Despite this grim picture, this article shows that, more recently, African Psychology has somewhat claimed its rightful place as an academic field within some leading universities in Africa. The absence of a deliberate and active disciplinary push or sustained contestations in economics on the continent is the key lacuna spotlighted in this article. However, I recognise that deciding whether African Economics is necessary must involve the mobilisation of the grit and talents of all academic economists on the continent as well as other geographies. This notwithstanding, and to foreshadow likelihoods, I imagine via this article what an erstwhile elusive African Economics might comprise. I do this by outlining and discussing eleven precepts that might serve as pointers to herald it. These precepts have multifarious implications for training and research in economics, especially in African universities, which are briskly expounded.
{"title":"Whither “African Economics” Imaginaries? Eleven Precepts on Its (Im)possibility","authors":"Oluwatosin Adeniyi","doi":"10.1177/00020397241262795","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241262795","url":null,"abstract":"Africa has historically occupied, and remains almost fixed at, the fringes of global knowledge production. Its battle to recover itself amid the stacks of epistemic injustices heaped on it, especially by its encounters with slavery and colonialism, rages on. Despite this grim picture, this article shows that, more recently, African Psychology has somewhat claimed its rightful place as an academic field within some leading universities in Africa. The absence of a deliberate and active disciplinary push or sustained contestations in economics on the continent is the key lacuna spotlighted in this article. However, I recognise that deciding whether African Economics is necessary must involve the mobilisation of the grit and talents of all academic economists on the continent as well as other geographies. This notwithstanding, and to foreshadow likelihoods, I imagine via this article what an erstwhile elusive African Economics might comprise. I do this by outlining and discussing eleven precepts that might serve as pointers to herald it. These precepts have multifarious implications for training and research in economics, especially in African universities, which are briskly expounded.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141818784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-21DOI: 10.1177/00020397241260742
Giulia Piccolino
In rebel-held territories, public services often continue to be delivered, although rebels rarely have the administrative capacities to provide them. Although the literature on rebel governance has emphasised rebel-led institution building, many rebel groups rely on existing institutions or establish collaborative arrangements with civilian actors, who often play a key role in revitalising public services. Drawing from extensive research in formerly rebel-held Côte d'Ivoire, I argue that the availability of services provided by pre-existing institutions, the strength of civilian demands for public services and the strategic interests and ideological orientation of the rebels contribute to explain variations in how services are provided. While direct rebel rule in Côte d'Ivoire was infrequent, rebels often supported and facilitated civilian-led initiatives. The case of Côte d’Ivoire highlights the importance of revising the concept of rebel governance and broadening the understanding of civilian agency in war beyond cooperation or non-cooperation with armed groups.
{"title":"Civilian Agency and Service Provision Under Rebel Rule: Evidence from Côte d'Ivoire","authors":"Giulia Piccolino","doi":"10.1177/00020397241260742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241260742","url":null,"abstract":"In rebel-held territories, public services often continue to be delivered, although rebels rarely have the administrative capacities to provide them. Although the literature on rebel governance has emphasised rebel-led institution building, many rebel groups rely on existing institutions or establish collaborative arrangements with civilian actors, who often play a key role in revitalising public services. Drawing from extensive research in formerly rebel-held Côte d'Ivoire, I argue that the availability of services provided by pre-existing institutions, the strength of civilian demands for public services and the strategic interests and ideological orientation of the rebels contribute to explain variations in how services are provided. While direct rebel rule in Côte d'Ivoire was infrequent, rebels often supported and facilitated civilian-led initiatives. The case of Côte d’Ivoire highlights the importance of revising the concept of rebel governance and broadening the understanding of civilian agency in war beyond cooperation or non-cooperation with armed groups.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141819231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-21DOI: 10.1177/00020397241260747
Basile Ndjio
This article explores how beauty and fashion practices and imagination have evolved in Ivory Coast since the early 2000s, using secondary sources and ethnographic research conducted in Abidjan in 2017. In addition to identifying alternatives to prevalent Western norms of beauty and style, the article highlights the expansion of Chinese beautyscapes and the ongoing Sinonization of local fashion and aesthetic cultures. It also draws attention to the contradictory features of bobaraba, a term increasingly used to describe Chinese-made clothing and beauty accessories. Though bobaraba is praised as a ghetto glamour and an expression of the urban poor's participation in the global consumer culture, it is frequently viewed as “fake beauty” intended to create an illusion of beauty. This article demonstrates that Chinese consumer goods are increasingly influencing contemporary African fashion culture, beauty ideals, body stylisation, and even sexuality.
{"title":"Transnational Chinese Beautyscapes: Ghetto Glamour and Fake Beauty in Abidjan","authors":"Basile Ndjio","doi":"10.1177/00020397241260747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241260747","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores how beauty and fashion practices and imagination have evolved in Ivory Coast since the early 2000s, using secondary sources and ethnographic research conducted in Abidjan in 2017. In addition to identifying alternatives to prevalent Western norms of beauty and style, the article highlights the expansion of Chinese beautyscapes and the ongoing Sinonization of local fashion and aesthetic cultures. It also draws attention to the contradictory features of bobaraba, a term increasingly used to describe Chinese-made clothing and beauty accessories. Though bobaraba is praised as a ghetto glamour and an expression of the urban poor's participation in the global consumer culture, it is frequently viewed as “fake beauty” intended to create an illusion of beauty. This article demonstrates that Chinese consumer goods are increasingly influencing contemporary African fashion culture, beauty ideals, body stylisation, and even sexuality.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141818678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1177/00020397241258210
Steven van Wolputte, Michael Bollig, Martina Gockel, Clemens Greiner, Noah Kahindi
In the spring of 2023, the ninth European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) took place in Cologne. Though not unexpected (or unusual) this event sparked critical comments and questions. As the organisers, we understand and appreciate this criticism. We, therefore, felt the need to respond to at least some of them, partly because we also asked ourselves many of these questions before, during, and after the conference. At the same time, we want to call for a certain degree of pragmatism when it comes to organising an event this size by providing a look behind the scenes.
{"title":"The Aftermath – What Future for African Studies (in Europe?). A View From Behind the Scenes of ECAS9","authors":"Steven van Wolputte, Michael Bollig, Martina Gockel, Clemens Greiner, Noah Kahindi","doi":"10.1177/00020397241258210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241258210","url":null,"abstract":"In the spring of 2023, the ninth European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) took place in Cologne. Though not unexpected (or unusual) this event sparked critical comments and questions. As the organisers, we understand and appreciate this criticism. We, therefore, felt the need to respond to at least some of them, partly because we also asked ourselves many of these questions before, during, and after the conference. At the same time, we want to call for a certain degree of pragmatism when it comes to organising an event this size by providing a look behind the scenes.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141349673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-06DOI: 10.1177/00020397241245135
M. Mabele, Ulrike Müller-Böker
This article draws insights from access, claim-making and critical environmental justice scholarships to reveal how community-based conservation (CBC) may provide strategic openings for marginalised individuals to claim recognition. Empirically, we ground it in the context of a Sustainable Charcoal Project in rural Kilosa, Tanzania. In our study villages, Ihombwe and Ulaya Mbuyuni, the project provided an opening for the marginalised to claim recognition based on contested migration-and-settlement histories. These histories produced intra-community differentiation as firstcomers (mis)used the project for political domination, cultural status and material benefits. When the project opened governance spaces, latecomers embraced CBC institutions and processes as strategic openings to contest their marginalisation and claim for recognition. We suggest that CBC may produce political benefits where (mal)recognition of rights to resource access occurs as some people hold a sense of belonging more to the land than others.
本文从获取、权利主张和批判性环境正义奖学金中汲取灵感，揭示基于社区的保护（CBC）可如何为边缘化个人提供战略机遇，使其获得认可。我们以坦桑尼亚基洛萨农村地区的一个可持续木炭项目为基础，进行了实证研究。在我们研究的村庄 Ihombwe 和 Ulaya Mbuyuni，该项目为边缘化群体提供了一个机会，使他们能够基于有争议的迁徙和定居历史要求得到认可。这些历史造成了社区内部的分化，因为初来乍到者（错误地）利用该项目来获得政治统治、文化地位和物质利益。当该项目开放治理空间时，后到者接受了 CBC 体制和程序，将其作为反驳边缘化和要求承认的战略机会。我们认为，在一些人对土地的归属感高于其他人的情况下，对资源使用权的（不当）承认可能会产生社区生物多样性项目的政治效益。
{"title":"Struggles over Resource Access in Rural Tanzania: Claiming for Recognition in a Community-Based Forest Conservation Intervention","authors":"M. Mabele, Ulrike Müller-Böker","doi":"10.1177/00020397241245135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241245135","url":null,"abstract":"This article draws insights from access, claim-making and critical environmental justice scholarships to reveal how community-based conservation (CBC) may provide strategic openings for marginalised individuals to claim recognition. Empirically, we ground it in the context of a Sustainable Charcoal Project in rural Kilosa, Tanzania. In our study villages, Ihombwe and Ulaya Mbuyuni, the project provided an opening for the marginalised to claim recognition based on contested migration-and-settlement histories. These histories produced intra-community differentiation as firstcomers (mis)used the project for political domination, cultural status and material benefits. When the project opened governance spaces, latecomers embraced CBC institutions and processes as strategic openings to contest their marginalisation and claim for recognition. We suggest that CBC may produce political benefits where (mal)recognition of rights to resource access occurs as some people hold a sense of belonging more to the land than others.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141006888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-02DOI: 10.1177/00020397241241335
Oswelled Ureke
Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of outcry over the outcomes of previous elections, which opposition political parties accusedthe ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party of rigging. Access to the public media is among the issues of contestation. Opposition political parties claim that they are not given equal space for campaigning purposes. Social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook have recently provided spaces for political communication, where all parties have unfettered access to the electorate. Recently, TikTok has emerged as a popular social networking site, rivaling established applications in terms of its uptake, particularly among youths. Research on the social media application suggests that it is largely used for trivial purposes and does not contribute to critical dialogue. However, lately there is evidence that TikTok is being used for “serious” purposes, including activism. The study sought to find out how political actors in Zimbabwe used the TikTok platform for political communication in the run-up to the 2023 elections. The paper also examines the nature of digital persuasion on TikTok and how this enriches or trivialises political discourse. Findings show that TikTok was used to urge Zimbabwean youths to register to vote as well as to provide visual evidence of the good and the bad associated with particular political parties, as they competed for voters. It was used as a politainment tool, combining political messaging with the entertainment affordances of TikTok.
{"title":"Politics at Play: TikTok and Digital Persuasion in Zimbabwe's 2023 General Elections","authors":"Oswelled Ureke","doi":"10.1177/00020397241241335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241241335","url":null,"abstract":"Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of outcry over the outcomes of previous elections, which opposition political parties accusedthe ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party of rigging. Access to the public media is among the issues of contestation. Opposition political parties claim that they are not given equal space for campaigning purposes. Social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook have recently provided spaces for political communication, where all parties have unfettered access to the electorate. Recently, TikTok has emerged as a popular social networking site, rivaling established applications in terms of its uptake, particularly among youths. Research on the social media application suggests that it is largely used for trivial purposes and does not contribute to critical dialogue. However, lately there is evidence that TikTok is being used for “serious” purposes, including activism. The study sought to find out how political actors in Zimbabwe used the TikTok platform for political communication in the run-up to the 2023 elections. The paper also examines the nature of digital persuasion on TikTok and how this enriches or trivialises political discourse. Findings show that TikTok was used to urge Zimbabwean youths to register to vote as well as to provide visual evidence of the good and the bad associated with particular political parties, as they competed for voters. It was used as a politainment tool, combining political messaging with the entertainment affordances of TikTok.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141021886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-24DOI: 10.1177/00020397241241334
Tim Glawion
{"title":"Book Review: Belonging, Identity, and Conflict in the Central African Republic by Vlavonou, Gino","authors":"Tim Glawion","doi":"10.1177/00020397241241334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241241334","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140659351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01DOI: 10.1177/00020397241244409
Tim Glawion
{"title":"Quality, Access, and Voice in African Studies Publishing: Smoothing the Path to Bigger Changes","authors":"Tim Glawion","doi":"10.1177/00020397241244409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241244409","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140793760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article analyses the role of religious symbolism and religiosity during The Gambia’s autocracy (1994–2017) and its democratic transition (2017–2023). Former autocratic ruler, Yahya Jammeh, exploited religious symbolism to legitimise his authority, leading to crackdowns, extrajudicial punishment, and political repression. Drawing on community engagements and interviews with 61 civil-society members, political actors, community stakeholders, and girls in rural and urban areas across The Gambia’s West Coast Region, the findings highlight the influence of cultural and value systems, particularly the intersection of religion and politics, in shaping the country’s autocracy. Exploring some of the nuances of religious ideology and religious symbols concerning the state, The Gambia’s political history allows for deeper examinations of power dynamics within the broader cultural and societal context. By adopting a multidimensional perspective of power that incorporates religion, cultural values, and ethnic dimensions, this article offers new perspectives for analysing power structures and transformations in diverse socio-political settings.
{"title":"Divine Mandates and Political Realities: Exploring Power, Religion, and Transition in the Gambia","authors":"Danielle Agyemang, Vilashini Somiah, Khoo Ying Hooi","doi":"10.1177/00020397241230565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397241230565","url":null,"abstract":"This article analyses the role of religious symbolism and religiosity during The Gambia’s autocracy (1994–2017) and its democratic transition (2017–2023). Former autocratic ruler, Yahya Jammeh, exploited religious symbolism to legitimise his authority, leading to crackdowns, extrajudicial punishment, and political repression. Drawing on community engagements and interviews with 61 civil-society members, political actors, community stakeholders, and girls in rural and urban areas across The Gambia’s West Coast Region, the findings highlight the influence of cultural and value systems, particularly the intersection of religion and politics, in shaping the country’s autocracy. Exploring some of the nuances of religious ideology and religious symbols concerning the state, The Gambia’s political history allows for deeper examinations of power dynamics within the broader cultural and societal context. By adopting a multidimensional perspective of power that incorporates religion, cultural values, and ethnic dimensions, this article offers new perspectives for analysing power structures and transformations in diverse socio-political settings.","PeriodicalId":504396,"journal":{"name":"Africa Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139836617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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