The Minstrel as Social Critic: A Reading of Ezenwa–Ohaeto's

Matatu ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sule E. Egya

Ezenwa–Ohaeto is one of the modern Nigerian poets who, in their creative endeavours, have continued to tap the rich sources of orature in their culture, in what is now known as 'the minstrelsy tradition'. The maturity of his explorations of the minstrelsy tradition comes through in the last volume of poetry he published before his death, (2003). In a close reading of some selected poems from this volume, this contribution not only looks at the minstrelsy tradition so central to Ezenwa–Ohaeto's poetry, but, more broadly, explores the social vision of Ezenwa–Ohaeto as an African poet. Unlike his earlier volumes of poetry, takes a critical swipe at the inadequacies of advanced countries in Europe and America in what we may call the poet's transnational imagination. In his chants across the world (the volume is an outcome of his many travels), Ezenwa–Ohaeto examines the issues of racism, equity in international relationships and, as is characteristic of his oeuvre, the moral and ethical failures of leaders in Africa.

Author(s):  
Ann T. Jordan

Business anthropology is a fast-evolving field. Social sciences such as sociology, psychology, and anthropology each have a unique set of constructs and theories for studying human behavior and each brings special insights to understanding business. Anthropologists are skilled in observing and learning from the rich interaction of social beings in their environment. With methods based in techniques for first-hand observation and interviewing of participants, and with theoretical knowledge gleaned from studying human societies across the world, anthropologists are the social scientists uniquely situated by training to analyze the social milieu and group-patterned interaction in any human setting. Simply, business anthropology is the use of anthropological constructs, theory, and methods to study its three subfields: organizations, marketing and consumer behavior, and design. Organizational anthropology is the study of complex organizations from an anthropological perspective to solve organizational problems or better understand the nature and functioning of the organizational form within and across organizations. In marketing and consumer behavior anthropology’s methods allow one to get close to consumers and understand their needs, while anthropology’s theoretical perspectives allow one to understand how human consumption plays out on the world stage. In the design field anthropologists use their methods to observe and learn from the detailed interaction of social beings in the designed environments in which we all live. They use their theoretical perspectives to develop a holistic analysis of the rich data to develop new products and evaluate and improve existing ones whether they be refrigerators or office buildings. The field of business anthropology is difficult to define because the moniker “business anthropology” is a misnomer. This field, as most anthropologists practice it, is not limited to work in for-profit businesses. Business anthropologists work with for-profit organizations, but also non-profit ones, government organizations and with supranational regulatory bodies. In addition to working for a business, an organizational anthropologist might be working in a non-profit hospital to improve patient safety, a design anthropologist might be working for an NGO to develop a less fuel-intensive cooking system for refugee camps and an anthropologist in marketing might be working in a government agency to develop ways to advertise new vaccines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1577-1584
Author(s):  
Sara Iqbal Kakar ◽  
Humaira Riaz ◽  
Nayab Ahmad Khan

Purpose of the Study: This study emphasizes the contribution of fiction in highlighting the American exercise of power around the world predominantly Pakistan and Afghanistan. It investigates how America has become a dictating body deciding the life and death of human beings mainly in South Asian developing countries. Methodology: Being Qualitative, this study uses Eaglestone’s (2000) close reading technique to analyze words and structure of the texts of Khalid Hosseini's The Kite Runner and Nadeem Aslam Khan’s The Blind Man’s Garden. It develops a descriptive thesis leading to construct arguments by drawing a theoretical framework from Mbembe’s necropolitics (2003). Mbembe took his inspiration from Foucault’s idea of bio-power. Modern narrative discourse on sovereignty and its relation to war is taken as the main subject of necropolitics. Mbembe’s idea of sovereignty as an exercise to get control of the mortality of the enemy helps to interpret the texts via the close reading method. Main Findings: This study evaluated two novels to assert that necropolitics by taking its four basic concepts, power, war, politics, and death was the actual controlling power of a country. It analyzed fictional characters to argue how individuals endured hardships because of the necropolitical exercise of America and Russia in Afghanistan. Mbembe’s conception of necropolitics helps in understanding fiction. Applications of this study: The present study has significant implications from both theoretical and interpretative perspectives. Necropolitics, originally a political notion is reworked in fiction, which asserts that using this concept, power relations, their roots, and exercise around the world can be explored in various fields. This study contributes to dismantling the latent necropolitics in the society represented in fiction. It elevates the social and political consciousness of the general public of South Asia, particularly Pakistan and Afghanistan. This study can be helpful in the field of psychology to popularize the notion of necropolitics in contemporary society. Novelty/Originality of this study: Comparatively a new field, Necropolitics has been discussed in the fields of medical sciences and education. This study significantly highlights its existence in the field of literary studies. Fiction as a direct reflection of society helps in deconstructing the prevailing exercise of necropolitics in South Asian society. It is also helpful in raising the social and political consciousness of South Asian people.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Budiono Kusumohamidjojo

<p><em>This paper is based on a two decade observation on the dilemma of order and justice, leading to an attempt to analyze the social-economic factors underlying the historical roots of injustice. On its course it attempted to take lessons from historically proven axioms provided by certain heavy weight thinkers. While trying to make the best out of those axioms, the analysis could not ignore the hard facts of the daily life of the billions of people suffering from unending injustice in most parts of the world, in the rich and let alone in the poor parts of it. Neither could it escape from criticizing the ubiquitous mess in the justice system, almost universally. Although the overall problem of injustice does not seem to provide much hope for a better life of the people at large, the conclusion of this paper tried to distant away from a pessimistic stance and instead proposed an agenda for those who may concern to be carried out. This paper contains forethoughts of a book in the making regarding basically the same problem.  </em></p><p><em> </em></p><p align="right"><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>:</em></p><em>history, authority, rationality, law, order, equality, justice</em>


Author(s):  
Zacharias Kotze

The nature and function of Evil Eye Belief and Practice (EEBP) in the world of the Old Testament has been understudied. The majority view has been that the belief was limited to the notion of largesse in this collection of literature. This article demonstrated that the idiom  םינעב  ללק in Genesis 16:4-5, routinely interpreted as a metaphor for scorn on the part of Hagar, could in fact be interpreted as a linguistic vehicle for the concept of the malevolent eye of Sarai. The author argued for an interpretation wherein Sarai, driven by envy, accused Hagar of casting the evil eye on her and used this alleged transgression as an excuse to abuse her slave. The evil eye in the Old Testament was not restricted to the idea of generosity, but was also closely associated with the concept of envy, as has been the case in the majority of ancient and modern cultures in which EEPB has featured. It further confirmed that the social function of the evil eye in the ancient world was not only constrained to the avoidance of envy-related violence but also served as an instrument of oppression in the hands of the rich and privileged. The key method utilised in this study was the social-scientific approach to the interpretation of biblical literature.


2008 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Māhealani Rowe

Every year, for hundreds of thousands of tourists, seeing “real Hawaiian hula” in a hotel or in a packaged lū'au setting is standard fare. Commonplace too is receiving one's introduction to hula through any of the many competitions that take place annually in Hawai'i and, with increasing frequency, throughout the world. Still others find hula marketed for its exercise benefits, peddled as the latest fitness fad in gyms and malls across the country. But is hula the allure of exotic dancers evoking prurient responses from tourists, one moment tantalized by undulating hips only to be teasingly chastised the next to “keep your eyes on the hands”? Is it the crisp, impeccably synchronized movement danced before panels of judges at the several hula competitions that mark the year for many hula hālau? Is hula the movement, the meaning conveyed through the movement, or the full context out of which movement casts itself into an art form that inspires passion and perpetuates a traditional way of living?For Mary Kawena Pukui, credited with helping to bring the rich traditional context of hula into the present, hula is “a general name for many types of Hawaiian folk dances” (1942/1980, 70). Pukui's laconic description says everything, and nothing. Everything because hula is the unique dance of the Hawaiian people. Everything because despite the homogenizing influence of hula competition, which has brought only a limited range of the vast hula repertoire to the public's attention over the past thirty-five years, hula encompasses many different styles and types of dances. But it says nothing because hula simply cannot be reduced to Hawaiian folk dance. Hula is a moving encyclopedia inscribed into the sinews and postures of dancers' bodies. It carries forward the social and natural history, the religious beliefs, the philosophy, the literature, and the scientific knowledge of the Hawaiian people.


2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 797-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omran Bakoush ◽  
Amin Bredan ◽  
Srdjan Denic

SummaryHuman consanguinity is often attributed to poverty, lack of education and social insecurity. Nevertheless, kin unions continue to be arranged in socioeconomically transformed societies. This study examined the structure of families and marriages in the rich tribal society of the United Arab Emirates, which has had a high gross domestic product for the last two generations and currently has one of the highest in the world. The respondents were 217 national medical students whose families are proportionally distributed to the population of the country emirates. The rate of parental consanguinity (defined as a union of any two cousins) was 36%. The social status and mean size of consanguineous and non-consanguineous families were not significantly different. In non-consanguineous families, polygamy was more common and the number of half-siblings per family was higher. The extended families were on average 7% larger among non-consanguineous families. In contrast, for the extended families of the participants’ grandparents, non-consanguineous families were smaller than their consanguineous counterparts. Participants from consanguineous families indicated that marriage of either a son or daughter was more difficult to arrange than did participants from non-consanguineous families. Though consanguineous parents had their offspring marry consanguineously more often than non-consanguineous parents, the numbers of married offspring in the two groups of families were not different. Consanguineous parents have more difficulty than non-consanguineous parents in finding spouses for themselves and for their offspring, and they arranged kin marriages for their children more often.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Antonio Carlos Frizzo

A atividade profética não terminou com o exílio babilônico, em 587 a.C. Cremos que ela continuou por meio de novas vozes, pessoas, grupos. Adquiriu novos contornos em novos ambientes. Eis a temática central deste artigo ao apresentar uma reflexão sobre o capítulo 13 do livro de Sirácida ou Eclesiástico, na ótica do comportamento entre o pobre e o rico. Em nossa hermenêutica, apostamos que temos nessas páginas bíblicas uma profecia. Uma profecia de cunho sapiencial que se espalhou em outras narrativas, na época pós-exílica (Sb, Sl, Jó, Ct e Pr). Ela adquire novos contornos entre acrósticos, poemas, provérbios e sentenças. Buscamos contextualizar a época do surgimento do livro de Sirácida, para em seguida, analisar métricas, antíteses e propostas sociais da narrativa. Diante do risco em que o mundo, o planeta se encontra, recompor o tecido social só terá validade se consideramos os grupos desfavorecidos. THE ASTUCTION OF THE POOR IN CONFLICT WITH THE RICH: THE TEACHING OF SIRACID 13 The prophetical activity did not end with the babilonical exile, in 587 b.C. We believe that it continued through new voices, people, groups. It acquired new outlines in new environments. That is the focal point of this article in presenting a reflection on the chapter 13 of the book of Sirach or Book of Ecclesiasticus, from the optics of the behaviour dynamics between the poor and the rich. In our hermeneutics we consider that we have, in these biblical pages, a prophecy. A prophecy of wise nature that was spread in other narratives, in the post-exile era (Ws, Psalm, Job, Song, and Prov). It acquires new outlines among acrostics, poems, proverbs and sentences. First, we aim to contextualize the time of the appearance of the book of Sirach, and then, to analyze metrics, antitheses and social propositions of the narrative. Considering the peril that the world finds itself in, it will only be valid to recompose the social tissue if we consider the disadvantaged groups.


Author(s):  
Dr. Kausar Arshad ◽  
Dr Muhammad Ismail

Economic injustice is a major cause of social troubles in most of the countries of the world and Pakistan is no exception. The rich in Pakistan are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer. We need to look for a solution. Fortunately, our Islamic teachings are best suited to provide a solution through the study of teachings of the Prophet (SAW), his companions and the religious jurists. Economic injustice has increased poverty and the health of the nation especially of poor classes is deteriorating. The social values are becoming weak and even crimes like theft, fraud and looting are becoming common because of unemployment. The income of people is decreasing due to covid'19 and people are forced to become selfish. There is a great need to bring economic justice in Pakistan through the study of Seerah e Nabvi (SAW). Our Prophet (SAW) was able to build an equitable economic system under his own leadership. In his days people were benevolent and they rejected oppression and aggression. We should be able to know the methods which he adopted to bring reforms in the economic field in the state of Madinah. This study includes an introduction, its importance, the research plan and methods, the concept of economic justice and cultivating economic values in the Muslim society.


Author(s):  
Arnold Adimabua Ojugo ◽  
Andrew Okonji Eboka

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic from China in 2019, it has left the world leaders in great confusing due to its fast-paced propagation and spread that has left infected a world population of over Eleven Million persons with over five hundred and thirty four thousand deaths and counting with the United States of America, Brazil, Russia, India and Peru in the lead on these death toll. The pandemic whose increased mortality rate is targeted at ‘aged’ citizens, patients with low immunology as well as patients with chronic diseases and underlying health conditions. Study models covid-19 pandemic via a susceptible-infect-remove actor-based graph, with covid-19 virus as the innovation diffused within the social graph. We measure the rich connective patterns of the actor-based graph, and explore personal feats as they influence other nodes to adopt or reject an innovation. Results shows current triggers (lifting of inter-intra state migration bans) and shocks (exposure to covid-19 by migrants) will lead to late widespread majority adoption of 23.8-percent. At this, the death toll will climb from between 4.43-to-5.61-percent to over 12%.


1997 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Borys Lobovyk

An important problem of religious studies, the history of religion as a branch of knowledge is the periodization process of the development of religious phenomenon. It is precisely here, as in focus, that the question of the essence and meaning of the religious development of the human being of the world, the origin of beliefs and cult, the reasons for the changes in them, the place and role of religion in the social and spiritual process, etc., are converging.


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