The Politics of the Past: Evolving Ethnic Cultural Identities in African Traditional Governance Systems

2016 ◽  
pp. 63-87
Author(s):  
Susan Osireditse Keitumetse
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Traditional Governance

scholarly journals Women and Traditional Governance Systems: A Case of Vukuzenzele Village, Mzingwane District, Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gugulethu Sharmaine Nkala ◽  
Njabulo Bruce Khumalo ◽  
Charity Baloyi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Cultural Attitudes ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Traditional Governance

In much of rural sub-Saharan Africa, women in traditional patrilineal systems are generally subordinated to men, thus endangering gender equality. Women born and nurtured in such systems are relegated to second-class citizenship, are inferior to men, and are excluded from collective decision-making, as they are presumed to be represented by husbands and fathers. In the past decade, however, women’s visibility and influence has increased. As women have begun to participate in political issues, discussions around gender equality have cut across various sectors, including governance. This article seeks to identify whether traditional governance systems are beginning to take gender issues into consideration in their organisation and composition. It also seeks to bring to light and document opinions of women living in rural Vukuzenzele Village on issues relating to traditional governance. Through interviewing traditional leaders and women in the community, this study sought to answer the questions: (1) Do women have roles and responsibilities similar to male counterparts in traditional governance systems? (2) Do cultural attitudes still impact on gender roles? (3) How are cases and disputes involving women treated within the system? (4) How is the traditional governance system, in this case, affected by democracy or gender equality advocacy?  

CULTURAL IDENTITY AND SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM IN KARMA BROWN’S NOVEL “RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE”

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alia Afiyati ◽  
Divya Widyastuti ◽  
Yoga Pratama
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Symbolic Interactionism ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
George Herbert ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
George Herbert Mead ◽  
The Past ◽  
Stuart Hall

In a literary work, two characters can be narrated as the attention center that contains the cultural identity from certain generation. Meanwhile, a symbol actually can cause an interaction within characters. This research discusses about cultural identity and symbolic interactionism reflected in a novel. There is a novel entitled “Recipe for a Perfect Wife” by Karma Brown that tells about two female characters that are represented as a housewife from different generation. This research uses descriptive qualitative as the research methodology and content  analysis as the method in analyzing the object of the research, a novel entitled “Recipe for a Perfect Wife”. This research also uses the intrinsic approach to analyze the characterization, plot, and setting. This research reveals two kinds of a housewife. They are a housewife and working woman, and a full-housewife. This research finds five cultural identities in the past and present time that is related with a housewife reflected by two female characters in the novel by using cultural identity theory by Stuart Hall. This research also reveals the symbol and memory even three concepts of symbolic interactionism that is mind, self, and society based on symbolic interactionism theory by George Herbert Mead.

Compositional Stasis and Flexibility in American Indian Tribes

Ethnohistory ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-213
Author(s):  
Raymond I. Orr ◽  
Yancey A. Orr
Keyword(s):  
American Indian ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Indian Tribes ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Tribal Politics ◽  
Traditional Governance

Abstract American Indian tribal power has typically expanded since the 1960s. During this period, often referred to as the Self-Determination Era, tribes have regained much of their earlier political centrality. One rarely addressed limitation during this period is the inability of tribal polities to break into smaller units while maintaining recognition as legitimate. This essay identifies the inability of tribes to exercise what the authors call compositional flexibility and fracture to form new polities discrete of the previous tribe. The authors argue the absence of compositional flexibility shapes tribal politics and is at odds with many forms of traditional governance systems.

scholarly journals Developing Asia – Dynamic but fractured

2021 ◽  
pp. 211-229
Author(s):  
Robert Wihtol
Keyword(s):  
Economic Transition ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Territorial Disputes ◽  
Socialist Market Economy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
The World ◽  
Socialist Market

In the past seventy–five years, developing Asia has transformed more rapidly than any other region. What is behind this success? Will Asia go on to lead the world, or will its rise encounter obstacles? Asia is politically diverse, with democracies, hybrid governments and numerous authoritarian regimes. Several are unstable. Paths to prosperity have varied, including the East Asian model, China’s “socialist market economy”, Indian self–reliance, and economic transition in Central Asia. Regional cooperation is chronically weak, due to the youthfulness, dispersion and diversity of Asia’s sovereign states. China’s rise threatens to fracture the region further. As the region emerges from the Covid–19 crisis, East Asia is well positioned to lead an economic recovery. However, many challenges remain. Political and governance systems are weak. Territorial disputes could escalate into open conflict, including Taiwan. Human capital is poorly developed, and populations are aging. Finally, the region could be polarized between the United States and China.

scholarly journals 20 Minutes Suisse Romande : géographie économique d’un média helvétique et lémanique

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lamour
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Daily Newspapers ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Types ◽  
French Speaking

The spatial representation by media is based on a series of material and ideational conditions structuring the journalistic profession and its public on a daily basis. Media are also actors taking part into the production of territories by mediatizing a “here” and “there” in which different types of news, institutional powers and cultural identities are portrayed. They are organized by a sum of geographical borders that they reproduce or cause to evolve. Over the past 20 years, media have accompanied the growth of western metropolises : The free daily newspapers circulated in large urban areas cutting across the mosaic of inherited institutional territories. However, does this necessarily mean that this press is able to overcome the territorial borders of the past ? The research based on the analysis of 20 Minutes Switzerland aimed at the French-speaking community shows that this medium is both included in bordered territories at the scale of cantons, regions and countries and also in an urban and transitional border space reorganizing these areas. Free dailies can be considered as a medium embedded in historically fragmented territories and the large urban regions of today. Les médias définissent une représentation de l’espace qui repose sur une somme de conditions matérielles et idéelles structurant au quotidien la sphère journalistique et son public. Par ailleurs, ils sont des acteurs de la production territoriale en médiatisant un « ici » et un « ailleurs » où s’organisent une actualité différente, des pouvoirs institutionnels dissemblables et des identités culturelles séparées. Les médias sont organisés par une somme de frontières géographiques qu’ils participent à reproduire ou à faire évoluer. Au cours des 20 dernières années, un média à accompagner l’essor des métropoles occidentales : les quotidiens d’information gratuits diffusés dans des régions urbaines chevauchant la mosaïque des territoires institutionnels hérités. Cela signifie-t-il pour autant que cette presse est en mesure de s’émanciper des frontières territoriales du passé˚? La recherche effectuée à partir du journal 20 Minutes Romandie montre que ce média s’inscrit, à la fois, dans des territoires clos de niveau confédéral, régional et cantonal, et dans une région urbaine frontalière transitionnelle rassemblant ces aires. La presse gratuite est un média situé dans la mosaïque territoriale du passé et dans les grandes régions urbaines d’aujourd’hui.  

Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Literary History ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Colonial India ◽  
Literary Historiography ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Literary Histories ◽  
History Of Literature

This [the Valluvar legend] is one of the traditions which are so repugnant to inveterate popular prejudice that they appear too strange for fiction, and are probably founded on fact. (Robert Caldwell 1875:132).If we now recognize that literary history is more than a history of literature, it is perhaps less widely accepted that the writing of literary history is an important subject for literary historiography. Yet literary histories are a rich source for understanding local conceptions of both history and literature. More accessible than archaeology, more tangible than ethnology, literary histories are culturally constructed narratives in which the past is reimagined in the light of contemporary concerns. Certainly in nineteenth-century India, the focus of this essay, literary history was seized upon as evidence to be advanced in the major debates of the time; cultural identities, language ideologies, civilization hierarchies and nationalism were all asserted and challenged through literary histories in colonial India. Asserted and challenged by Europeans, as well as Indians.

scholarly journals Representations of suppressed indigenous cultural memories: the communities of Sami of Finland and Kurdish of Turkey

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-175
Author(s):  
Adél Furu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Political Discourses ◽  
The Past ◽  
Traditional Songs ◽  
State Interventions

In my paper I intend to examine how the historical marginalization of Sami and Kurdish history and culture affects the cultural identity of these ethnic groups. I discuss how recent political discourses and state interventions have influenced the images of the past and identity politics in the Sami communities living in Finland and in the Kurdish society living in Turkey. Furthermore, I describe how these assimilated minorities have alienated from their own identity due to a damage of their collective memory caused by devastating historical events. The paper also focuses on the ways these two minorities give meaning to the past and strengthen their cultural identities through different forms of art. Both Samis and Kurds express their identities in several creative ways. Their historical realities, individual histories, memories of assimilation and common values are reflected in joiks, folk music and cinema. These are strong ways of remembering and expressions of identity in both cultures. Traditional songs, films, documentaries reveal histories, reproduce cultures and shape the memories of both Sami and Kurdish people. Therefore, I will discuss how the patterns of their cultural memory have an impact on the representation of their identities in the above art forms.

scholarly journals The Governance of Traditional Medicine and Herbal Remedies in the Selected Local Markets of Western Kenya.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Kibet Chebii ◽  
John Kaunga Muthee ◽  
Karatu Kiemo
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Traditional Governance

Abstract Background A lot of emphasis is often placed on modern governance systems and little or no attention is given to traditional governance practices which remain largely undocumented. The study aimed at finding out important traditional and modern governance practices that regulate traditional medicine sector in the Western Kenya. Materials and Methods The study was carried out in selected market centres of Western Kenya where the identified Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) sell their traditional medicine. All consenting TMPs and Professional Experts were interviewed with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire. Purposive sampling design with elements of snow ball techniques was employed in tracing competent traditional medicine (TM) experts and relevant professional experts. The data collected was processed in Microsoft Excel and descriptive statistics performed. The Pearson’s Chi square statistics was carried out to determine the significance of the traditional and modern governance data sets using the STATA software. Results Modern governance practices were not significantly different in all the market centres surveyed (p=0.080). Equally, the traditional governance practices were also not significantly different in all the selected market centres (p=1.000). Conclusions Traditional governance practices play an important role in the governance of traditional medicine, and are shaped by the socio-cultural beliefs of the local communities. Modern governance practices, on the other hand, are widely perceived as top down regulation of the traditional medicine growing industry.

Cantonese Sojourners and Shiwan Ceramic Roof Decoration in Malaysia

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma So Mui
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Immigrants ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Migrants ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Made In

Abstract Over the period October 2006-July 2008, the author conducted a detailed survey of five historic buildings in Malaya constructed by 19th-century Chinese immigrants. These buildings feature roof decorations made in and imported from Shiwan 石灣, China, during that period. The decorations include scenes and figurines representing events and characters taken from Cantonese operas, Chinese legends and classical novels. In studying these decorations the author has come across several recurring themes illustrating concepts such as justice, sworn brotherhood, loyalty and courage in the face of adversity, which shed light on the cultural identities and thinking of the Cantonese migrants. In this paper these themes are interpreted against the background of the social and political circumstances in China and Southeast Asia during the period under discussion, showing how an understanding of the concerns of these Chinese migrants of the past can help one to understand contemporary migrant communities worldwide.

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