scholarly journals The Literary World of the North African Taghrība

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-214
Author(s):  
Karima Laachir

Abstract The novels by North African novelists Waciny Laredj, Majid Toubia and Abdelrahim Lahbibi that refashioned the traditional Arabic genre of the taghrība inspired by the medieval epic of Taghrība of Banū Hilāl, still a living oral tradition in the region, offer an interesting case study of location in world literature. They circulate both within national (Algerian, Egyptian and Moroccan) literary systems and the pan-Arab literary field while maintaining a distinct aesthetic and political locality. In these novels, the literary life of the North African taghrība takes forms and meanings that are geographically and historically located, and that are shaped by the positionality of the authors. This paper intervenes in the discussion on location in world literature from the perspective of Arabic novelistic traditions by showing that the pan-Arabic literary field itself is far from homogenous but is marked by a diversity of narrative styles and techniques that can be both local/localised and transregional at the same time. Therefore, we need to shift our understanding of world literature beyond macro-models of “world-system” that assume a universally-shared set of literary values and tastes.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïs Vignoles ◽  
William E. Banks ◽  
Laurent Klaric ◽  
Masa Kageyama ◽  
Marlon E. Cobos ◽  
...  

The French Middle Gravettian represents an interesting case study for attempting to identify mechanisms behind the typo-technological variability observed in the archaeological record. Associated with the relatively cold and dry environments of GS.5.2 and 5.1, this phase of the Gravettian is characterized by two lithic typo-technical entities (faciès in French): the Noaillian (defined by the presence of Noailles burins) and the Rayssian (identified by the Raysse method of bladelet production).The two faciès have partially overlapping geographic distributions, with the Rayssian having a more northern and restricted geographic extension than the Noaillian. Their chronological relationship, however, is still unclear, and interpretations of their dual presence at many sites within the region of overlap are not yet consensual. Nonetheless, the absence of the Raysse method south of the Garonne River suggests that this valley may have separated two different cultural trajectories for which the Rayssian represents an adaptation to environmental conditions different from those associated with the Noaillian assemblages south of the Garonne River. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis quantitatively using ecological niche modeling (ENM) methods. We critically evaluate published data to construct inventories of Noaillian and Rayssian archaeological sites. Using ENM methods, we estimate the ecological niches associated with the Middle Gravettian north (Noaillian + Rayssian) and south (Pyrenees Noaillian) of the Garonne River, and these predicted niches are then quantitatively evaluated and compared. Results demonstrate that, despite a relatively large degree of similarity, the niches differ significantly from one another in both geographic and environmental dimensions and that the niche associated with the northern Middle Gravettian is broader than that of the Pyrenees Noaillian. We propose that this pattern reflects different technological, subsistence and mobility strategies linked to the development of the Raysse method in the North, which was likely more advantageous in such environmental contexts than those employed by Pyrenees populations.


2009 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Legrand

Abstract Several types of stratigraphic successions are found at the top of the glacial to periglacial “Complexe terminal” forming the uppermost Ordovician of the North-African border of Gondwana. Locally, there may be a progressive transition from microconglomeratic clays (diamictites) with dropstones to more normal marine clays accompanied by the almost immediate reappearance of graptolites. Study of the graptolites has revealed a distinctive composition at the specific level, differing from contemporaneous faunal associations in adjacent regions, which consist of such classical species as “Glyptograptus” persculptus, Akidograptus ascensus, Parakidograptus acuminatus, etc. The faunal composition has long posed a chronostratigraphic problem, which has now been largely resolved, the fauna being interpreted as Hirnantian to early Rhuddanian in age. On the other hand, the clear evidence of faunal specificity poses a number of problems in the post-glacial context, namely: the disappearance of graptolites in the mid-Caradoc from these regions poses a problem as to the origin of the new specific fauna. Three hypotheses are considered, none of which is satisfactory. Most available data point to an eastern communication, although it is possible that the rejuvenation of the Mauritanides to the west “erased” all prior evidence, giving a wrong idea as to the communications which existed in the area under consideration; what mechanisms caused and maintained this isolation? The hypothesis of a wide, east-west trending depression produced by the overloading of the frontal ice sheet and its progressive disappearance concomitant with the glacial rebound is being considered; what were the effects of isolation on the morphology of graptolites and their population? The virgella and the virgula in several species are remarkably long and this could be attributed to a reduction in water density. The size of monospecific populations also attests to an adaptation to a restricted regime with sandy deposition; how can one explain why some species like N. pseudovenustus, N. inazzaouae, N. normalis brenansi and Ps. kiliani, occur also in other parts of the world? If these species occur where the classical species are absent, the opposite is even more difficult to explain, leading one to postulate the presence of a selective “filter”; how did this faunal specificity disappear progressively? The extent of the sea with Nd. africanus and Nd. fezzanensis put an end to isolation, although it respected the east-west trend. However, there was an opening to the adjacent regions corresponding to present-day Libya. To conclude, if pelagic faunas are considered to be poor paleogeographic tools, faunal specificity rather than endemism should be regarded as the starting point for further reflection. However, all faunal specificity must be fully documented and the results integrated in a framework that includes all aspects of sedimentology, tectonics and climatology. Seven new species are briefly described: Normalograptus nseirati sp. nov., Normalograptus gelidus sp. nov., Normalograptus arrikini sp. nov., Normalograptus pretilokensis sp. nov., Neodiplograptus inezzani sp. nov., Neodiplograptus incommodus sp. nov. and “Glyptograptus” saharensis sp. nov.


Author(s):  
Stefanie von Hlatky

As a political-military alliance, NATO’s adoption of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda presents a unique and interesting case study. This chapter sheds light on the process undertaken by the Alliance to institutionalize the gender norms enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and follow-on resolutions, through an assessment of its policies, guidelines, and appointments. The research reveals that there is a disconnect between NATO’s organizational approach to gender mainstreaming and the fact that individual member states and partners have their own WPS frameworks and national action plans. Once again, NATO coordination proves that this two-level game presents challenges for the harmonization of standards alliance wide.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-274
Author(s):  
Tomas Sundnes Drønen

A case study of yet unpublished material from the French colonial archives shows that the administration carefully watched the work of Christian missionaries in Cameroon. This surveillance stemmed from the administration’s fear of local rebellion due to the missionaries’ influence. In the North, the fear was that Christian mission would provoke the previously militarily powerful Fulbe to a rebellion similar to those the French had experienced in their North African colonies. The Norwegian missionaries took an active stance against local slavery, and visa applications for nine new missionaries in 1950 became the impetus for intensive surveillance from the French administration. The visa struggle and the struggle over domestic slavery also show that the administration had established a political culture that only reluctantly gave priority to serious human rights issues over respect for local traditions, and that they had established a regime of strict control over religious activities. 在法国殖民地的存档里一份未发表的档案中显示,政府小心地观察在卡麦隆的基督教宣教士的工作。这种监视乃是出自对由于宣教士的影响而会产生的本地叛乱的恐惧。在北部,这种恐惧是怕基督教宣教会引发类似在法国的北非殖民地经历了的军事叛乱。挪威的宣教士们采取积极的姿态反对奴隶制,并且1950年九位宣教士的签证申请加剧了法国政局对他们的密切监视。政府对签证和本地奴隶制的挣扎,显示了其建立的懒于将严重的人权问题置于对本地传统的尊重之上的政治文化,也显示了对宗教活动严格控制的政权。 Un estudio de caso de materiales inéditos de los archivos de las colonias francesas muestra que el gobierno vigiló el trabajo de los misioneros cristianos en Camerún. Esta vigilancia por parte del gobierno se origina por temor a una rebelión local influenciada por los misioneros. En el Norte, el temor era de que la misión cristiana llevaría a los fulbe, ya militarmente poderosos, a una rebelión similar a la que los franceses habían experimentado en sus colonias del norte de África. Los misioneros noruegos tomaron una postura activa contra la esclavitud local y la solicitud de visas para nueve nuevos misioneros en 1950 fue el impulso para la vigilancia por parte de la administración francesa. Las luchas por las visas y contra la esclavitud doméstica también muestran que el gobierno sólo había establecido una cultura política que a regañadientes daba prioridad a temas importantes de derechos humanos sobre el respeto por las tradiciones locales, y que había establecido un régimen de control estricto sobre las actividades religiosas. This article is in English.


1999 ◽  
Vol 249 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
El Hassan El Mouden ◽  
Mohammed Znari ◽  
Richard P. Brown

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruo Nakagawa

Akin to the previous, 2014 event, with no data on voter ethnicity, no exit polls, and few post-election analyses, the 2018 Fiji election results remain something of a mystery despite the fact that there had been a significant swing in voting in favour of Opposition political parties. There have been several studies about the election results, but most of them have been done without much quantitative analyses. This study examines voting patterns of Fiji’s 2018 election by provinces, and rural-urban localities, as well as by candidates, and also compares the 2018 and 2014 elections by spending a substantial time classifying officially released data by polling stations and individual candidates. Some of the data are then further aggregated according to the political parties to which those candidates belonged. The current electoral system in Fiji is a version of a proportional system, but its use is rare and this study will provide an interesting case study of the Open List Proportional System. At the end of the analyses, this study considers possible reasons for the swing in favour of the Opposition.


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