The hearthhold in pastoral Fulbe society, central Mali: social relations, milk and drought

Africa ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam de Bruijn

AbstractIn pastoral Fulbe society in central Mali women had and in some degree still have an important social and economic role, concentrated on a milk economy organised through a special female-headed, women-centred unit called by the Fulbe fayannde, or ‘hearthhold’. In a society of semi-nomadic pastoralists who live most of the year in small social units, social relations and networks are very important, perhaps even crucial to the success of their main survival strategy, which is transhumant cattle-keeping. In the literature on the Fulbe this social unit has received relatively little attention. An analysis from the perspective of the ‘hearthhold’ sheds new light on property and gender relations in Fulbe society in general.Drought has had an enormous impact on the situation of the Jallube studied in this article. Economic change—a switch to agriculture and production for the market—has brought about a shift of focus for the men. Economically, milk is no longer essential for them, and hence the fayannde loses its importance; socially, too, the role of the fayannde, as symbolised by milk, is changing. For women the erosion of the fayannde is serious: an analysis of marriage gifts shows how important the fayannde is not only to the social organisation of the Jallube but also to their economic viability. In times of stress this importance may be greater for women than for men. The decline of the fayannde may lead to a transformation of gender relations, the marriage ceremony and women's social security—changes that the return of the rains or the re-establishment of herds may not reverse.

2020 ◽  
pp. 114-150
Author(s):  
Mona Sue Weissmark

This chapter outlines key issues in scientific literature concerning how evolutionary processes have shaped the human mind. To that end, psychologists have drawn on Charles Darwin’s sexual selection hypothesis, or how males compete for reproduction and the role of female choice in the process. Darwin argued that evolution hinged on the diversity resulting from sexual reproduction. Evolutionary psychologists posit that heterosexual men and women evolved powerful, highly patterned, and universal desires for particular characteristics in a mate. Critics, however, contend that Darwin’s theory of sexual selection was erroneous, in part because his ideas about sexual identity and gender were influenced by the social mores of his elite Victorian upper class. Despite this critique, some researchers argue similarly to Darwin that love is part of human biological makeup. According to their hypotheses, cooperation is the centerpiece of human daily life and social relations. This makes the emotion of love, both romantic and maternal love, a requirement not just for cooperation, but also for the preservation and perpetuation of the species. That said, researchers speculate that encounters with unfamiliar people, coincident with activated neural mechanisms associated with negative judgments, likely inspire avoidance behavior and contribute to emotional barriers. This suggests the need to further study the social, psychological, and clinical consequences of the link between positive and negative emotions.


1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry E. Duncan ◽  
Susan C. Duncan ◽  
Edward McAuley

The present study investigated the role of domain-specific combinations of social support provisions in adherence to a prescribed exercise regimen. Research participants were middle-aged, sedentary, males and females (N = 85). Separate discriminant function analyses for males and females revealed that among females, the social provisions of guidance and reassurance of worth significantly discriminated adherers and nonadherers. The two provisions of social integration and guidance significantly discriminated adherers and nonadherers among males. Results are discussed with reference to the importance of social provisions in exercise settings, male and female differences, and the implications of social support interventions for enhancing exercise compliance.


Sociology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Wessendorf ◽  
Jenny Phillimore

This article focuses on how newcomers form social relations when settling in the UK, and the role of these relations in regards to their sense of belonging as well as access to resources that support integration. By bringing together the concept of social integration with scholarship on embedding and sociabilities of emplacement, the article demonstrates how a combination of serendipitous encounters, ‘crucial acquaintances’ and more enduring friendships with other migrants, co-ethnics and members of the majority population support migrants’ settlement. Drawing on two qualitative studies on migrant settlement, it shows the importance of social relations with other migrants during settlement, and subsequently critically reflects on how the notion of ‘bridging social capital’ has been used in policy discourse. By doing so, the article contends that the notion of ‘integration’ needs to reflect the social ‘unit’ into which migrants are supposed to integrate.


2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuc-Doan T. Nguyen ◽  
Russell Belk

This article examines the historical role of marriage and wedding rituals in Vietnam, and how they have changed during Vietnam’s transition to the market. The authors focus on how changes reflect the society’s increasing dependence on the market, how this dependence impacts consumer well-being, and the resulting implications for public policy. Changes in the meanings, function, and structure of wedding ritual consumption are examined. These changes echo shifts in the national economy, social values, social relations, and gender roles in Vietnamese society during the transition. The major findings show that Vietnamese weddings are reflections of (1) the roles of wedding rituals as both antecedents and outcomes of social changes, (2) the nation’s perception and imagination of its condition relative to “modernity,” and (3) the role of China as a threatening “other” seen as impeding Vietnam’s progress toward “modernization.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dade Prat Untarti

ABSTRAK: Permasalahan pokok dalam penelitian ini adalah: (1) Apa latar belakang terbentuknya Desa Talaga Besar Kecamatan Talaga Raya Kabupaten Buton Tengah? (2) Bagaimana berkembangan Desa Talaga Besar Kecamatan Talaga Raya Kabupaten Buton Tengah Tahun 1977-2017? Metode sejarah tersebut adalah: (a) Pemilihan topik (b) Heuristik (Pengumpulan Data) (c) Verifikasi (Kritik Sejarah) (d) Interpretasi (e) Historiografi (kritik sejarah). Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa: (1) Desa Talaga Besar awalnya hanya dijadikan tempat untuk berkebun atau bercocok tanam, misalnya menanam jagung dan ubi kayu sebagai makanan pokok masyarakat setempat dan pada umumnya masyarakat Buton. Karena seiring berjalannya waktu dan peradaban serta jumlah penduduk semakin bertambah banyak. Pemerintah daerah berinisiatif memekarkan desa Talaga Besar menjadi desa definitif. Faktor-faktor yang mendukung terbentuknya Desa Talaga Besar ini ialah: (a) Adanya peranan pemimpin yang selalu memberikan motivasi kepada warga untuk aktif dalam setiap kegiatan yang sifatnya membangun. (b) Faktor pendukung diantaranya faktor geografis (wilayah), faktor demografi (penduduk), dan faktor ekonomi. (2) Perkembangan Desa Talaga Besar dalam bidang ekonomi, sebagian besar masyarakat Talaga Besar menggantungkan hidupnya di bidang pertanian dan perdagangan yang telah dilakukan dan dikembangkan secara turun temurun. Di bidang sosial, hubungan sosial kemasyarakatan antara warga Desa Talaga Besar cukup harmonis. Di bidang pendidikan, perkembangan pendidikan di Desa Talaga Besar pada khususnya dan Kecamatan Talaga Raya pada umumnya mengalami perkembangan pendidikan yang boleh dikatakan sudah cukup baik dan infrastruktur lebih baik bila dibandingkan dengan keadaan sebelumnya. Kata Kunci: Sejarah, Desa, Talaga BesarABSTRACT: The main problems in this study are: (1) What is the background of the formation of Talaga Besar Village, Talaga Raya District, Buton Tengah Regency? (2) How did the development of Talaga Besar Village, Talaga Raya District, Buton Tengah Regecy Year 1977-2017? The historical methods are: (a) Selection of topics (b) Heuristics (Data Collection) (c) Verification (Historical Criticism) (d) Interpretation (e) Historiography (historical criticism). The results of this study indicate that: (1) Talaga Besar Village was originally only used as a place for gardening or farming, for example planting corn and cassava as a staple food for the local community and in general the Buton people. Because over time and civilization as well as the population increases. The regional government took the initiative to split the village of Talaga Besar into a definitive village. The factors that support the formation of the Talaga Besar Village are: (a) There is a role of leaders who always motivate citizens to be active in any constructive activity. (b) Supporting factors include geographical factors (region), demographic factors (population), and economic factors. (2) The development of Talaga Besar Village in the economic field, most of the Talaga Besar people depend their lives on agriculture and trade which have been carried out and developed for generations. In the social field, social relations between the people of Talaga Besar Village are quite harmonious. In the field of education, the development of education in the village of Talaga Besar in particular and the Talaga Raya sub-district in general experienced a development of education which was arguably quite good and the infrastructure was better when compared to the previous situation. Keywords: History, Village, Great Talaga


Author(s):  
Miguel D. Ramirez

This paper analyzes the very important notion of capital from a Marxian perspective as opposed to a neoclassical one. It is argued that when capital is viewed as a historically determined social process (relation), rather than as a thing or a col-lection of things, it tends to assume certain specific forms more often than others depending on the particular stage of economic history. Capital thus refers simulta-neously to social relations and to things. Given this frame of reference, notions such as money and property capital are more easily accommodated and conse-quently are not written off as financial or fictitious capital - not real capital because they produce nothing. The paper also focuses on Marx's important analy-sis of the time of production and the turnover of capital in terms of the production of surplus-value (profit). It then examines Marx's equally important and prescient analysis of how the turnover speed of capital is affected by the time of circulation of commodities (the realization of surplus-value) and the growing use of credit (in its various forms) in the capitalist system. Finally, the paper turns its attention to the economic role of time as it relates to interest - bearing capital - one whose clear comprehension rests on viewing capital as a social construct.


Author(s):  
Jamal J. Elias

Continuing with the discussion of sacrifice and gender that was a major element of the previous chapter, this chapter argues that emotive constructs are moral contracts that both derive from and shape society as a pious community. As such, emotion is related to virtue and is therefore aspirational. In the makeup of the social unit, morale serves as an indicator of the condition and functioning of individual bodies within the group and of the collective disposition to which the group aspires in acknowledgment of morale’s social vitality. Morale becomes linked to aspiration for a better future, one populated by finer individuals, including oneself. As such, the quest for morale becomes imbricated in the desire to shape childhood and to use children to shape adult society. Drawing together the data, methodologies, and analysis of the previous chapters, the final chapter sharpens conclusions concerning the ways in which children stand in for adults in a variety of ways and how adult anxieties and aspirations are projected upon and experienced through children, transforming them into repositories of adult intentionalities. In the process, the visual image becomes the site of the performance, emotion, and affect.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 213-224
Author(s):  
Indrė Gražulevičiūtė-Vileniškė ◽  
Vilma Karvelytė-Balbierienė

Rural areas cover the largest part of the territory of Lithuania as well as that of the whole Europe. Rural settlements are also the most abundant category in the settlement system of the country. Therefore, their social, economic, and cultural viability- as well as ecologic sustainability playan important role striving towards the goals of sustainable development. During the last years projects promoting various aspects of sustainability are implemented not only in large cities and towns, but also in smaller municipalities, nevertheless many rural settlements still are not influenced by these trends. The tendency of decrease of the population of the country, emigration, migration of young and qualified persons to larger cities and towns, poverty and unemployment cause the threat to the most fragile elements of the rural settlement system, such as steadings, manor residencies and ethnographic village settlements. In order to stop these processes it is necessary to search for means to sustain the social and economic viability of rural settlements. During the last decade significant role of cultural heritage in implementing strategies of sustainable development was universally recognized. It is acknowledged that sustainable preservation, maintenance, and use of cultural heritage, especially immovable, positively influence the social, economic, cultural and even environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Sustainable development opportunities provided by immovable cultural heritage are essential for small rural settlements which are not distinguished by important natural resources or favorable location. In this instance social and cultural viability is as much essential for preservation of immovable cultural heritage of these settlements, as immovable cultural heritage is essential for sustention of their social and economic viability. Nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo įtaka darniam kaimo gyvenamųjų vietovių vystymuisi Santrauka Didžiąją Lietuvos, kaip ir visos Europos, teritorijos dalį sudaro kaimo vietovės, o didžiąją dalį gyvenamųjų vietovių – kaimo gyvenamosios vietovės, taigi jų socialinis, eko nominis ir kultūrinis gyvybingumas bei eko loginis tvarumas atlieka lemiamą vaidmenį siekiant šalies darnaus vystymosi tikslų. Pastaraisiais metais darnų vystymąsi skatinantys projektai jau įgyvendinami ne tik didžiuosiuose Lietuvos miestuose, bet ir mažesnėse savivaldybėse, tačiau daugelio kaimo gyvenamųjų vietovių šis procesas kol kas nepaliečia. Bendro šalies gyventojų skaičiaus mažėjimo tendencija, emigracija, jaunų ir kvalifikuo tų žmonių migracija į didžiuosius šalies miestus, skurdas ir nedarbo grėsmė kelia sunykimo grėsmę patiems jautriausiems ir kultūriniu požiūriu vertingiausiems šalies kaimo gyvenamųjų vietovių sistemos elementams, tokiems kaip vienkieminės sodybos, buvusių dvarų ir palivarkų sodybos ar etnografinės kaimų gyvenvietės. Siekiant sustabdyti šiuos neigiamus socialinius, eko nominius bei kultūriniu procesus, būtina ieškoti būdų, kaip užtikrinti kaimo gyvenamųjų vietovių socialinį bei eko nominį gyvybingumą. Pastaraisiais metais pasaulyje vis aiškiau suvokiamas kultūros paveldo vaidmuo darnaus vystymosi kontekste. Visuotinai pripažįstama, jog kultūros paveldo, ypač nekilnojamojo, apsauga, priežiūra bei naudojimas turi teigiamos įtakos darniam vystymuisi socialinėje, eko nominėje, kultūrinėje ir kt. dimensijose. Nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo teikiamos darnaus vystymosi galimybės itin reikšmingos nedidelėms, išskirtinių gamtinių išteklių neturinčioms bei patogia geografine padėtimi nepasižyminčioms kaimo gyvenamosioms vietovėms. Jų socialinis ir eko nominis gyvybingumas kultūros paveldui išsaugoti yra toks pats svarbus, kaip ir kultūros paveldas socialinio ir eko nominio šių gyvenamųjų vietovių gyvybingumo palaikymu.


Author(s):  
Justin Carville

Justin Carville draws on recent debates in relation to photography and the everyday in order to examine the role of street-photography in the cultural politics of religion as it was played out in the quotidian moments of social relations within Dublin’s urban and suburban spaces during the 1980s and 90s. The essay argues that photography was important in giving visual expression to the social contradictions within the relations between religion and the transformation of Irish social life, not through the dramatic and traumatic experiences that defined the nation’s increased secularism, but in the quiet, humdrum and sometimes monotonous routines of religious ceremonies and everyday social relations.


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