158 research outputs found
African Agency in a Changing Security Environment: Sources, Opportunities and Challenges
Get PDFThis special issue contributes to the growing debate on the nature and limits of African
agency. It does so by focusing on the possibilities of and constraints on agency in the
security sphere. This is a sphere traditionally characterised as dominated by existential
threats and the imperative of survival. Hence it is often considered to present an especially
restrictive environment for agency, particularly of the transformative kind.We do not take
this traditional understanding of security for granted, but adopt a constructivist
viewpoint. The articles included in this special issue have in common that they all aim to
critically explore the way in which security threats and appropriate responses are
perceived, defined and pursued by African actors, whether multilateral institutions, states,
communities or individuals.
We argue in favour of an understanding of agency which is relational and
contextualised, where structures and agency are continuously reproduced over time and
co-constitutive, a theme reflected across the studies presented. Through this approach we
aim to challenge narrow, structure-dominated and overly restrictive approaches to
understanding the responses of African actors to contemporary security challenges.
We define security in a broad manner. Some studies are concerned with traditional
security threats to states and regions, while others focus on the human security needs of
individuals to not just survive on the margins of existence but to exercise their agency to
improve, or at least attempt to improve, their lives
International development NGOs, representations in fundraising appeals and public attitudes in UK–Africa relations
No full textThis chapter examines how the images and representations used in fundraising appeals by international development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have shaped UK public attitudes towards Africa, Africans and UK–Africa relations. Despite efforts at change, many charity appeals make widespread use of shocking images of African children, devoid of any broader context, in order to induce the viewer to donate. In doing so, they have helped produce a narrative around UK–Africa relations in which the UK public is cast as the ‘powerful giver’ and Africans are portrayed as ‘grateful receivers’. NGOs face a dilemma: negative representations allow organisations to raise funds that enable them to support vulnerable people in Africa and around the world; but they also negatively influence and shape attitudes of the British public towards poverty in Africa more generally. Through an analysis of a recent Oxfam campaign and reporting on new research using survey experiments, the chapter shows that by appealing to more positive emotions, such as hope and solidarity, NGOs can both raise funds for development work, and help to change the narrative around UK–Africa relations
Identity, language and belonging on Jersey: migration and the Channel Islands
No full textThis book examines transnational identities, integration and linguistic practices on Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. Within the context of major historical events and migratory flows, the author considers the significance of the multicultural small island space, ideologies regarding long-standing as well as emergent identification practices and language use, and conceptualizations of belonging, focusing in particular on the Madeiran Portuguese diaspora. The juxtaposition of historical and contemporary migratory flows opens up a compelling discussion concerning the maintenance and use of heritage languages in a multilingual environment, allowing a rare comparison of the symbolic role as ethnic identifiers of Jersey French, Standard French, English, and more contemporary migrant languages such as Portuguese. The author analyses the role of language in social integration and the potential for consequent shifts in group allegiances, as well as receptor community ideological and legislative responses, concluding with a hypothesised look at the future of migration to Jersey. This book advances research on migration, transnational lives and language use in an era of globalization, and will be of particular interest to students and scholars in the fields of sociolinguistics, multilingualism, migration studies, and intercultural communication
The road to Epidaurus is like the road to creation: Tapping the urban archive
Get PDFThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This paper brings together three short ‘provocations’ presented by Katie Beswick, Harriet Hawkins and Joseph Kohlmaier. Between them, these provocations investigate the idea of how the archive of the city can be ’tapped’ through a number of performative acts from a broad range of different perspectives, including the role of ‘archival art’; performance, practice and competition in the context of the city; the body as an archive; the foundation of the city as a performative act; street dance; stream of consciousness and the city in the psychological novel; and the role that documentary practices can play in regaining political territory
Beginning teachers’ mathematical knowledge: What is needed?
Get PDFOver the past decade there has been growing interest in describing and measuring the kinds of mathematical knowledge needed by teachers. Such efforts are in parallel with the development of national standards for teachers, indicating levels of expectation across the years of teachers’ careers. This presentation provides an opportunity for teacher educators and teachers to consider the nature of mathematical knowledge needed by beginning teachers at all levels of schooling. Discussion will be informed by data from an ALTC funded national project that aims to improve the quality of pre-service teachers’ outcomes in mathematics and by the AAMT Standards framework
Bill Harney with A.P. Elkin's expedition at their camp at Maranboy, Northern Territory, 1948 [picture].
No full textTitle based on information from acquisition documentation and from caption on verso.; Part of collection: Collection of photographs of author and bushman, Bill Harney, ca. 1940-1962.; Identified as Maranboy on verso and as Beswick, Barunga, Bamyili in the Northern Territory library copy of the same image.; Photograph from left to right: Bill Harney, Alex Ivenson (press photographer), John Gribble (Native Affairs Branch Superintendent), Syd Kyle-Little (patrol officer), Prof. A. Elkin (Sydney University anthropologist), Eric Jolliffe (cartoonist).; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3705751; Purchased from Michael Treloar Antiquarian Booksellers, List 90, Lot 64, 2006
The Challenge of Warlordism to Post-Conflict State-Building: The Case of Laurent Nkunda in Eastern Congo
Get PDFAiding State Building and Sacrificing Peace Building? The Rwanda-UK relationship 1994-2011
No full textThis article explores the relationship between the UK and Rwanda, using the lens of the UK Department for International Development's integrated approach to state building and peace building in fragile and conflict-affected states. It identifies a number of priorities for UK aid under such a framework, but shows that in the case of Rwanda these have not been foregrounded in the bilateral aid relationship. The article suggests a number of reasons for this, arguing that, by refusing to acknowledge or address Rwanda's deviations from what was considered a positive development trajectory, the UK is becoming internationally isolated in its support for the RPF regime. It concludes that, while this bilateral relationship may support achievement of stability and relative security in Rwanda, promoting such a narrow form of state building is detrimental to more holistic peace building, both nationally and regionally
Democracy, identity and the politics of exclusion in post-genocide Rwanda: the case of the Batwa
No full textSince the 1994 genocide, the Rwandan government has sought to navigate a difficult path between the multi-party democracy favoured by donors and a more tightly managed political environment that it argues is necessary for security. Using the fragile post-genocide political context and a history of political manipulation of ethnic identity as justification, the government has stigmatized and criminalized all references to ethnicity. This paper argues that this strategy has required careful management and manipulation of local narratives of identity and citizenship. It suggests that this has led, for one group in particular - the indigenous Batwa - to a politics of exclusion which limits their ability to participate effectively in post-genocide politics and advocate for their rights. Drawing on interviews with Rwandan civil society activists, government representatives and key bilateral and multilateral donors, the paper explores the often-overlooked impacts of these strategies on the Batwa, Rwanda's smallest ethnic group. Rwanda has been praised for its achievements in creating stability, relative security and a degree of competitive politics in a divided society that is needed to prevent the recurrence of large scale violence. And though the government explains its attempts to manage identity narratives as part of a wider effort to create an inclusive national identity, promoting 'Rwandan-ness', it is suggested that the effects of this policy for the Batwa have been negative and exclusionary. Whatever the potential virtues of such a strategy, the paper argues that there is little room for effective representation and accordingly for a political voice for the indigenous Batwa in such a tightly managed system
Peacekeeping, Regime Security and 'African Solutions to African Problems': exploring motivations for Rwanda's involvement in Darfur
No full textRwanda is not a traditional provider of troops for peacekeeping missions, yet since 2004 it has been the second largest contributor to both the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and its successor the hybrid African Union-UN Assistance Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). This paper analyses some of the key motives for Rwanda's contribution to these missions, situating its actions within a wider framework in which African states benefit in specific ways from being seen to contribute to 'African solutions to African problems'. Highlighting changing narratives on Africa's role in international security, I argue that Rwanda's ruling party has been able use its involvement in peacekeeping to secure its position domestically and to attract or retain the support of key bilateral donors. I briefly explore the implications of these dynamics for Rwanda's political development, suggesting in conclusion that the focus on building military capacity for peacekeeping purposes may contribute to future African, and Rwandan, security problems as much as to potential solutions
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