scholarly journals Town, village and bush: war and cultural landscapes in south-eastern Angola (1966-2002)

Afrika Focus ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Brinkman

In most of the literature on the subject, urban and rural areas are presented as real physical entities that are geographically determined. Obviously such an approach is important and necessary, but in this contribution I want to draw attention to ‘the urban’ and ‘the rural’ as ideas, as items of cultural landscape rather than as physical facts. This will result both in a history of ideas and a social history of the war in Angola as experienced by civilians from the south-eastern part of the country. The article is based on a case-study that deals with the history of south-east Angola, an area that was in a state of war from 1966 to 2002. In the course of the 1990s I spoke with immigrants from this region who were resident in Rundu, Northern Namibia, mostly as illegal refugees. In our conversations the immigrants explained how the categories ‘town’ and ‘country’ came into being during colonialism and what changes occurred after the war started. They argued that during the war agriculture in the countryside became well-nigh impossible and an opposition between ‘town’ and ‘bush’ came into being that could have lethal consequences for the civilian population living in the region. This case-study on south-east Angola shows the importance of a historical approach to categories such as ‘urbanity’ and ‘rurality’ as such categories may undergo relatively rapid change – in both discourse and practice. Key words: landscape (town, country and bush), war, south-east Angola 

Afrika Focus ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-43
Author(s):  
Inge Brinkman

In most of the literature on the subject, urban and rural areas are presented as real physical entities that are geographically determined. Obviously such an approach is important and necessary, but in this contribution I want to draw attention to ‘the urban’ and ‘the rural’ as ideas, as items of cultural landscape rather than as physical facts. This will result both in a history of ideas and a social history of the war in Angola as experienced by civilians from the south-eastern part of the country. The article is based on a case-study that deals with the history of south-east Angola, an area that was in a state of war from 1966 to 2002. In the course of the 1990s I spoke with immigrants from this region who were resident in Rundu, Northern Namibia, mostly as illegal refugees. In our conversations the immigrants explained how the categories ‘town’ and ‘country’ came into being during colonialism and what changes occurred after the war started. They argued that during the war agriculture in the countryside became well-nigh impossible and an opposition between ‘town’ and ‘bush’ came into being that could have lethal consequences for the civilian population living in the region. This case-study on south-east Angola shows the importance of a historical approach to categories such as ‘urbanity’ and ‘rurality’ as such categories may undergo relatively rapid change – in both discourse and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 554-617
Author(s):  
RANIN KAZEMI

AbstractThis article focuses on the development of early modern consumerism in a part of the Middle East that historians of consumer culture are yet to fully explore. Making use of a wide variety of unexplored and underexplored original sources, the article contends that early modern consumer culture in Iran was grounded deeply in the ever-widening patterns of exchange and use that had developed slowly over the course of the previous centuries. The discussion below takes the growing popular interest in a few key psychoactive substances as a useful barometer of the dynamics of mass consumption, and chronicles how the slow and ever-expanding use of alcohol, opium, and cannabis (or a cannabis-like product) in the medieval period led to the popularity of coffee, tobacco, older drugs, and still other commodities in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The aim here is to use the history of drug culture as an entry point to scrutinize the emergence of early modern consumerism among the elites and the non-elites in both urban and rural areas of the Middle East. In doing so, this article reconstructs the cultural and social history of recreational drugs prior to and during the early modern period, and elucidates the socio-economic context that helped bring about a ‘psychoactive revolution’ in the Safavid state (1501–1736).


SPAFA Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Walker Vadillo

This article is an overview of the work that has been conducted so far on river usage and nautical technology in the history of Angkor, and a discussion on how maritime approaches can contribute to the creation of new knowledge by opening new lines of research that can help us reconstruct a more nuanced view of Angkor’s fluvial history. Although Angkor’s connection to the river network was made in the early 20th century, the compartmentalized studies that have been carried out so far on the subject of Angkor’s relationship to its watery environment have resulted in interpretations that do not reflect the complexity of the subject. It will be argued here that archaeologists who do not integrate maritime approaches in studies of cultures like Angkor, where waterways play an important role in their environment, are likely to miss important aspects of fluvial cultures. By applying concepts such as the Maritime Cultural Landscape, it will be possible to push beyond the boundaries of terrestrial approaches and discover how the environmental conditions of cultures like Angkor – with river networks as the main means of communication – resulted in the development of specific cognitive and functional traits that gave form to fluvial cultural landscapes. An example of such an approach is offered as a conclusion in an analysis of masonry bridges in Angkor’s transport network.ជាទិដ្ឋភាពរួមនៃការងារស្រាវជ្រាវដែលបានធ្វើកន្លងមក ស្តីពីការប្រើប្រាស់ទន្លេ និងបច្ចេកវិទ្យាផ្លូវទឹក ក្នុងប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្ររាជធានីអង្គរ ហើយជាការជជែកថាតើមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវសមុទ្រអាចរួមចំណែកដល់ការបង្កើតចំណេះដឹងថ្មី តាមរយៈការបើកខ្សែស្រាវជ្រាវថ្មីដែលអាចជួយយើងឱ្យច្នៃឡើងវិញនូវគំហើញលាយឡំពីប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រផ្លូវទន្លេរបស់រាជធានីអង្គរ។ ទោះបីទំនាក់ទំនងរាជធានីអង្គរជាមួយបណ្តាញទន្លេត្រូវបានសិក្សារួចហើយកាលពីដើមសតវត្សទី២០នោះ ការសិក្សាដោយបែងចែកតាមផ្នែកដែលបានធ្វើរួចកន្លងមក លើប្រធានបទ សម្ព័ន្ធភាពរាជធានីអង្គរ ចំពោះបរិស្ថានផ្លូវទឹកបានបង្កឱ្យមានការបកស្រាយដែលមិនឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងពីភាពសាំញ៉ាំនៃ ប្រធានបទនេះទេ។ អ្វីដែលត្រូវ ដេញដោលនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះគឺបុរាណវិទូ ដែលមិនបញ្ចូលមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវសមុទ្រ ចូលក្នុងការសិក្សាវប្បធម៌ដែលដូចរាជធានីអង្គរ ដែលផ្លូវទឹកដើរតួនាទីសំខាន់ ក្នុងបរិស្ថានតំបន់នោះ ទំនងជាភ្លេចចំណុចសំខាន់នៃវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវទន្លេហើយ។ តាមរយៈការអនុវត្តទស្សនាទានដូចជាទេសភាពវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវសមុទ្រ អ្វីដែលអាចទៅរួច គឺការរុញឱ្យផុតព្រំដែនមធ្យោបាយផ្លូវគោក ហើយរកមើលថាតើលក្ខណ្ឌបរិយាកាសនៃវប្បធម៌ដូចរាជធានីអង្គរ ដែលមានប្រព័ន្ធទន្លេ ជាមធ្យោបាយប្រាស្រ័យទាក់ទងចម្បង បង្កឱ្យមានការអភិវឌ្ឍសញ្ញាណចំណេះ និងមុខងារជាក់លាក់ដែលបង្កើតជា ទេសភាពវប្បធម៌ផ្លូវទន្លេយ៉ាងណា។ ឧទាហរណ៍មួយនៃមធ្យោបាយបែបនេះ នឹងផ្តល់ជាការសន្និដ្ឋាន ក្នុងការវិភាគស្ពានកំបោរនានា នៅក្នុងបណ្តាញដឹកជញ្ជូនរបស់រាជធានីអង្គរ។


Author(s):  
R. Merino del Río ◽  
M. Linares Gómez del Pulgar ◽  
A. Tejedor Cabrera

Abstract. The historical concept of heritage, which mostly comprised physical architectural and archaeological evidences, has been extended to the surrounding landscape in the last decades. This tendency has been corroborated by a series of International Charters and the European Landscape Convention of 2000. Landscape, understood as the perceptible part of territory that supports the contingencies throughout history, is subject to protection, management and planning. However, some inherent aspects of territory have been disregarded because of the frantic enlargement of cities throughout the twentieth century at the expense of the rural areas. Territorial heritage, which is fundamental to cultural landscape formation, is currently considered a strategic resource able to guarantee self-sustaining development of peri-urban and rural zones. In many cases, urban investments and planning associated to the enlargement of the metropolitan areas have overlooked this fruitful territorial heritage, making cultural landscapes illegible. This is the case of the cultural landscapes in the buffer zones of the archaeological sites, which are part of a diffuse territorial heritage that requires to be assessed by means of some innovative approaches. Cultural itineraries are presented as a landscape architecture strategy for valorising territorial heritage. Well-targeted design of these itineraries can also contribute to restore the dynamics of cultural landscape formation and to regenerate peri-urban and rural areas by promoting its self-sustaining development. To that end, the conceptualisation and hypotheses posed by some authors of the Società dei Territorialisti/e are used as references. A work methodology to design cultural itineraries is suggested in line with the presumptions of an integrated plan for territory aimed to valorise the territorial heritage. This paper explores in which way a GIS-based analysis can be integrated into the design of a landscape architecture like the cultural itinerary.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-44
Author(s):  
Elena Ladik ◽  
A. Makridina

The problems of planning the organization of territories and objects of ethnographic tourism, taking into account the landscape features of the regions of the Russian Federation, in particular the Belgorod region, are relevant. The study developed regional principles for planning ethno-tourist spaces on the example of the Belgorod region. The object of research is the territories favorable for the development of ethnographic tourism objects within the Belgorod region, the subject of research is the influence of regional historical and cultural features on the formation of ethnographic tourism territories. As a result of the study, based on the analysis of world and national experience in the design of ethnographic tourism objects, their typological and historical-cultural analysis, the principles of organizing ethnographic tourism objects were developed. These principles take into account such regional features of the cultural landscapes of the Belgorod region, as the principle of preservation of the cultural landscape, the principle of authenticity of the recreated environment, the principle of symbolic exposure, the principle of stylistic unity and the multi-level principle. The use of the developed principles will allow us to preserve the identity and originality of the environment, reduce anthropogenic pressures on valuable landscape areas, increase information content and determine the gradual immersion in the concept of a tourist site.


1989 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Olby

The increasing attention which has been given to social history of science and to the sociological analysis of scientific activity has resulted in a renewed interest in scientific controversies. Furthermore, the rejection of the presentist view of history, according to which those contestants who took what we can identify, with the benefit of modern knowledge, as the ‘right’ stand in a controversy, were right and their opponents were ‘wrong’, left the subject of scientific controversies with many questions. What determines their emergence, course and resolution? When Froggatt and Nevin wrote on the Bio-metric-Mendelian controversy in 1971 they called their article ‘descriptive rather than interpretative’, so they avoided the very questions we would like to ask. Provine, in the same year, concentrated on the strong personalities of the contestants, their clashes, and the scientific arguments in play. But in 1975 Mackenzie and Barnes argued that the controversy could not be accounted for unless recourse was had to sociological factors. Their view has become widely known and figured prominently in 1982 in Steven Shapin's recital of the empirical achievements of the application of the sociological approach. I have returned to this subject because I do not yet feel altogether convinced by Mackenzie and Barnes' analysis. Even if their analysis of the controversy between Pearson and Bateson be accepted, it is not so obvious how effectively it can be used to explain the controversy between Weldon and Bateson, and I am not confident that it is adequate for an understanding of the evolution of their differing views of the mechanism of evolution.


1991 ◽  
Vol 7 (25) ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
Richard Andrews

The regular community drama activity of the village of Monticchiello in Italy has been pursued for nearly a quarter of a century, but is still little known abroad. A full study of the phenomenon is as much a study of the community, past and present, as it is a piece of theatrical analysis, in the area where there is a complete interlock between social history and the theatrical activity which a society produces. Since the work and history of the Teatro Povero have too many ramifications for everything to be summarized or even alluded to in one article, Richard Andrews here sets out to introduce the subject to students of theatre ‘by example’ – aiming to dig a single trench into the strata, in order to convey the outlines of the subject, hopefully without damage to the evidence needed for a more complete survey. Richard Andrews is Professor of Italian at Leeds University, having previously taught at Swansea and Kent. For the past fifteen years his research interests have been mainly concentrated on theatrical material, and he is currently preparing a study of sixteenth-century Italian comedy for Cambridge University Press. His regular contact with Monticchiello dates from 1983, and has been supported by a systematic analysis of all the texts produced there since 1967.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noorain Mohd Isa ◽  
Ahmad Zaharin Aris ◽  
Zakiah Ponrahono ◽  
Rosta Harun

Vehicle-pedestrian conflict is a commonly unsafe event that occurs in both urban and rural areas, especially in developing countries. It is still an open research topic, mostly in traffic safety and urban planning, which is utilised for evaluating the behaviours of vehicles and pedestrians at a non-signalised marked walkway. Three stations were selected based on higher daily activities to calculate the regularity of pedestrian movement. A manual calculation method was applied, and the calculation was done only during the daytime. Three different teams were formed to obtain the measurements at the three different sampling points simultaneously. A present study on preliminary vehicle-pedestrian conflict reveals the frequency of pedestrians in a concentrated area and its Level of Service (LOS) in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Serdang. The findings show that rush hour occurs during the mid-day in weekday, when students have finished their classes and adults have gone out for other businesses.


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