29526 research outputs found
Sort by
From Slavery to Indenture: Race and Culture Amongst Indians in French Colonial Plantation Societies, 1750-1888
Get PDFThis thesis examines the transition from slavery to indenture in the French plantation islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. It considers how the lived experience of Indian indentured workers was shaped by racial ideologies and structures, and how these migrant communities in turn reshaped the societies of the three islands in the nineteenth century. Contrasts and comparisons are made between, on the one hand, Guadeloupe and Martinique, where before the first indentured workers arrived in the 1850s no Indians had ever set foot, and, on the other hand, Réunion, where a history of free and forced migration from India predated France’s abolition of slavery in 1848. Chapter One examines French images of enslaved Indians in the Indian Ocean during the advent of Enlightenment racial theories and how race came to determine the parameters of freedom and enslavement in Réunion. Chapter Two charts the path to abolition in the French Caribbean, examining the legislation policing interactions between different racial groups in the eighteenth century and the social upheaval that grew as abolitionism and resistance by enslaved groups mounted in the first half of the nineteenth. Chapter Three turns to India, addressing how and why French planters and officials began to source labour from the subcontinent and what led Indian men and women to become indentured migrants. Chapter Four explores migrants’ journeys, which marked the beginning of their interaction with agents of the French colonial empire and with each other. Chapter Five returns to Réunion, considering how the regime of indenture served to reverse previous stereotypes of enslaved Indians and how the established Indian presence facilitated social mobility within the expanded migrant community and the assertion of their cultural imprint onto the island. Chapter Six examines how both French colonial administrations and formerly enslaved communities in the Caribbean perceived Indians and how in turn the migrants forged new forms of culture and collective identity
Picturing Mao: styles and functions of depicting Mao Zedong’s visual image up to 1966
No full textThis thesis examines photographs, nianhua posters, ink paintings and oil paintings of Mao Zedong produced up to 1966 to interrogate each medium’s ideological functions, reconsider their position within the wider lineage of traditional Chinese art conventions beyond their role as propagandistic tools, and identify how power is transferred through the production and content of these images. This research focuses on Mao imagery created prior to the Cultural Revolution between 1949 and 1965, as the images spanning this period have not previously been the subject of an extensive, cohesive art historical study.Each of the chapters present artwork interpretations that integrate the perspectives and stylistic aims of the artists alongside the objectives and ideologies of Mao and the party, contextualising these findings with contemporaneous texts from art journals, magazines, newspapers, biographical information, artist accounts, official policies, and talks by Mao and other key party officials. This thesis identifies the ideological contradictions inherent in the stylistic practices of the period and presents an argument for how Mao images were shaped by modern and traditional art conventions, cultural traditions, and emerging political issues.The thesis also outlines the reasons and means by which Mao increasingly employed his visual image as a tool to further his Great Leap Forward initiative, address the Sino-Soviet Split, and sustain power in the 1950s and early 1960s, identifying the 1956 photograph of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River as a watershed instance of Mao taking a more active role to leverage his visual image in support of these efforts. Through formal analysis of Mao images across mediums—including images where Mao’s presence is implicit—this study examines how audiences can observe within the material images the ways in which Mao images functioned to support his political agenda, accentuate his status as a new form of scholar-official for the modern age, and ultimately aid him in sustaining supreme power
The cascading effects of climate change on children: extreme floods, family mobility and child well-being in Amazonia
Get PDFClimate change is a systemic crisis with an important intergenerational dimension, as its detrimental effects are expected to escalate over time. While the Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) provides valuable insights into measurable generational vulnerabilities, it tends to overlook the intricate and cascading impacts of weather changes on children's lives. This paper reflects on the less visible dimensions of children’s climate risk by examining a burgeoning trend of seasonal migration in Amazonia’s floodplains. Combining in-depth participant observation and draw-and-tell interviews with children, the paper focuses on identifying the different factors that shape children’s diverse experiences of flood impacts. The article examines how age and gender shape decisions around family mobility, and how different patterns of economic migration affect children left behind. The findings reveal that climate change is eroding vital social networks for children and exposing them to material and emotional hardship. The conclusion reflects on the importance of a more nuanced understanding of children’s climate risk and presents potential directions for attending to relational precarity in climate programming
Social Protection and Coloniality: Learning from the Past and Present
Get PDFThe historical influence of colonial powers and the continued, deep-rooted engagement of international development actors in shaping social protection systems is widely recognised across academic and policy arenas. Nevertheless, evidence of the role of coloniality in social protection remains limited. This Discussion Paper explores the enduring impact of colonialism on contemporary social protection systems by considering the role of coloniality in social protection in the Global South, and Africa in particular. It does so by employing a three-fold methodology, namely (i) an examination of empirical and theoretical literature, including scholarship on coloniality, policy transfers and political settlements in the realm of social protection, among other topics; (ii) semi-structured interviews with international and regional stakeholders from academia, civil society and international organisations; and (iii) country case studies in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. The paper proposes a “social protection and coloniality” analytical framework to allow for analysing and unpacking the role of coloniality in social protection. It zooms in on three key components through which coloniality in social protection is manifested, resisted or countered: (i) colonial legacies, (ii) postcolonial influences and (iii) domestic political economy factors. This framework provides a novel lens to examine historical path dependencies and pathways that have shaped and continue to influence contemporary social protection systems in the Global South. It enables the identification of context- and country-specific issues, bringing them to the forefront while emphasising enduring colonial footprints and their interplay with domestic factors. Findings suggest that colonial legacies and postcolonial influences continue to shape social protection across Africa, as moderated by domestic political economy factors. It advocates for more equitable partnerships and critical reflection among international actors. The paper also calls for stronger integration of local knowledge to support country-driven social protection frameworks. By addressing these challenges and promoting context-specific solutions, it is possible to develop social protection systems that are more home-grown and less reliant upon external influences
An examination of the NAM.RA / arnuwala- in the extant Hittite texts – who they were and how they were used in the achievement of Hittite strategic aims, as well as the implications this has for our understanding of the wider Hittite society
Get PDFTrying to understand any ancient state or people is made difficult by the restricted resources we have available, with texts often reflecting the views and opinions of the few literate members of that society, usually comprising the upper classes and royalty. The Hittites are no exception to this and the texts that have survived are a product of the King and his immediate circle, with nothing heard from those lower down in the social structure. In an attempt to discover more about the Hittite social structure I have focused on understanding the group known as NAM.RA or arnuwala- by examining every attestation in the surviving Hittite texts and attempting to see how these ‘moveable’ people were used by the various Hittite kings as a policy tool. This research is relevant to the knowledge we have on the Hittites as this group has not been explored in detail since the early 1950s, since when our knowledge of the Hittites has grown considerably and can now be discussed under the broader umbrella of frameworks such as post-colonialism. The work is divided into four main areas: (i) the acquisition of the NAM.RA / arnuwala-; (ii) their use as a tool of domestic policy; (iii) their use as a tool of foreign policy; and (iv) what they can tell us about kingship and the wider social structure. In so doing and by considering both their identity and status, I believe I have highlighted key areas where the NAM.RA / arnuwala- made a noticeable impact on Hittite society, both through the ways in which they were deployed and through their lasting presence in the land. I hope that this comprehensive study of this group adds to our understanding of the Hittites and paves the way for further consideration of those outside of the ruling elite
Dominique Bashir Misconi: The Intellectual Formation of a Catholic Orientalist in Iraq (1892-1933)
No full textIn this thesis I research the impact of academic Orientalism on newly independent Iraq. Debates on Orientalism rarely acknowledge the early 20th century collaborative efforts of ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ Orientalist scholars in the production, transmission and exchange of knowledge. Equally lacking in the Western historical tradition is the acknowledgment of vital intellectual contributions by non-Europeans during this period. Using previously unseen archive material from Iraq, I have researched how the Mosul-born Syriac Catholic, Dominique Bashir Misconi (1892 - 1961), studied, trained and worked with preeminent Arabists and Assyriologists in Budapest, Paris and Berlin to progress the discipline of Orientalism. With analysis of international scholarly networks at the forefront of the work, I explore the immediate consequences of Misconi’s efforts in international law and archaeology, which came to life in 1929 when he joined Iraq’s College of Law in Baghdad. In this thesis, I show how Misconi was able to mobilise twenty years of Orientalist training in Europe to contribute to law-making that led to Iraq’s independence in 1932, and the greater protection of its antiques and ancient material heritage. Furthermore, I reveal how he utilized his Orientalist network to secure educational opportunities for young Iraqi scholars. Amid all of this, he produced a raft of important translation works and his life sheds light on the ways in which a manuscript tradition – reminiscent of the Islamic ‘Golden Age’ – thrived during this time. This is a decolonising archival project through which I employ textual translation and analysis, as well as cross-referencing techniques to quantify the extent of an Ottoman Catholic intellectual’s imprint on Western Orientalist scholarship. Conversely, I look at ways in which European Orientalist scholarship shaped ideas in the early State formation of Iraq – the country to which Misconi eventually returned. Further research into the lives of Iraq’s 20th century scholars will help to redraw a picture erased by decades of political oppression and international hostilities
Muslim Personal Law Reform in the Arab Region: 25 years into the 21st Century
No full textThis article reviews and analyses the fast-moving developments in Muslim Personal Status Law reform in the Arab region since the beginning of the 21st Century in light of extreme political contingencies occasioned inter alia by wars (often directly involving US and UK military forces), and by the fall outs from the Arab Spring uprisings and revolutions in different countries of the region. Identifying trends and exceptions, it serves as an introduction and presents the articles in the Special Issue as part of these region-wide developments
Writing modern Burmese women: exploring the ‘third space’ in Kyi Aye’s novels
Get PDFThis article examines the depiction of modern Burmese women in the novels of author Kyi Aye (1929–2016). To achieve this, it explores the interplay between gender, modernity and tradition in both her career as a writer and in the specific portrayals of the female characters that she creates. In order to deconstruct the concept of ‘modernity’ in the Burmese context, the article includes an analysis of mainstream gendered narratives concerning ‘modernity’. It illustrates the connection between ‘modernity’ and the representation of the modern Burmese woman. From this point, the article goes on to explore aspects of Kyi Aye’s oeuvre that reveal how she challenges social narratives about modern women. By drawing on Homi Bhabha’s concept of the ‘third space’, the article elucidates the ambiguity and complexity inherent in Kyi Aye’s perspective on modernity and on women. It argues that she blends both tradition and modernity to create a ‘third space’ whereby female characters are no longer restricted to a choice between the ‘traditional’ and the ‘modern’, but rather can dismantle the boundaries between them
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage SOAS Research Online? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!