scholarly journals The Formation of North African Otherness in the Canary Islands from the 16th to 18th Centuries

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e012
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Santana

The current study of the North Africans of the Canary Islands during the 16th-18th centuries represents a contribution to the question of the development of the Muslim stereotype in Spain. This population with origins almost exclusively in north-western Africa, an area known at the time as Barbary, was forcibly relocated to the islands. Most of the Old Christians at the moment of the Royal Decree of 1609 expelling of the Moriscos from the Peninsula declared that the Moriscos of the archipelago were good Christians and loyal vassals. The archipelago was hence the only area of the Spanish Crown where they were not expelled. Fear served the monarchies of new emerging modern state to secure power and fashion a proto-national identity that differentiated individuals of different cultures and religions. The Moriscos of the archipelago were therefore throughout three centuries one of the main collectives singled out for religious, political and economic reasons.

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4646 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
JERZY ROMANOWSKI ◽  
PIOTR CERYNGIER ◽  
JAROSLAV VĚTROVEC ◽  
KAROL SZAWARYN

During this study, Coccinellidae were collected and observed at 25 sites located along the coast and inland of the island of Fuerteventura during 2016 and 2017. A total of 2825 Coccinellidae specimens belonging to 22 species was recorded, of which 11 species are newly recorded from Fuerteventura. In the case of three species taxonomical decisions are proposed. Scymnus incisus (Har. Lindberg, 1950) is transferred to the genus Nephus Mulsant and placed in the nominate subgenus as Nephus (Nephus) incisus (Har. Lindberg, 1950), comb. nov. Scymnus medanensis Eizaguirre, 2007, is redescribed and placed in the subgenus Pullus Mulsant. Coccinella algerica Kovář, 1977, is synonymized with Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, 1758, syn. nov. We propose retaining the taxonomic distinction of the North African and Canarian populations of this species as the subspecies Coccinella septempunctata algerica Kovář, stat. nov. Nephus peyerimhoffi (Sicard, 1923) is deleted from the list of ladybird beetles inhabiting the Canary Islands. 


1992 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uffe Østergård

From a cultural and historical-sociological perspective, the Danish nationstate of today represents a rare situation of virtual identity between state, nation, and society, which is a more recent phenomenon than normally assumed in Denmark and abroad. Though one of the oldest European monarchies, whose flag came ‘tumbling down from heaven in 1219’—ironically enough an event that happened in present-day Estonia—Denmark's present national identity is of recent vintage. Until 1814 the word, Denmark, denominated a typical European, plurinational or multinational, absolutist state, second only to such powers as France, Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and perhaps Prussia. The state had succeeded in reforming itself in a revolution from above in the late eighteenth century and ended as one of the few really “enlightened absolutisms” of the day (Horstbøll and østergård 1990; østergård 1990). It consisted of four main parts and several subsidiaries in the North Atlantic Ocean, plus some colonies in Western Africa, India, and the West Indies. The main parts were the kingdoms of Denmark proper and Norway, plus the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. How this particular state came about need not bother us here.


Fossil Record ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Korn ◽  
V. Ebbighausen ◽  
J. Bockwinkel

Four ammonoid species are described from the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) Iridet Formation of the Ahnet and Mouydir (Central Sahara, Algeria); three of which are new: <i>Eurites temertassetensis</i> n. sp., <i>Trimorphoceras teguentourense</i> n. sp., and <i>Trimorphoceras azzelmattiense</i> n. sp. The species can be attributed to the North African <i>Ammonellipsites-Merocanites</i> Assemblage (<i>Fascipericyclus-Ammonellipsites</i> Genus Zone; Late Tournaisian to Early Viséan). Additionally, the two new species <i>Ammonellipsites sguilmensis</i> n. sp. and <i>Muensteroceras beniabbesense</i> n. sp. are described from the time equivalent Hassi Sguilma Formation of the Saoura Valley (north-western Algeria). <br><br> doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200900012" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.200900012</a>


2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
GHISLAINE LYDON

AbstractBased on a broad assessment of the scholarship on North-Western Africa, this article examines Saharan historiography with a particular view towards understanding how and why historians have long represented the continent as being composed of two ‘Africas’. Starting with the earliest Arabic writings, and, much later, French colonial renderings, it traces the epistemological creation of a racial and geographic divide. Then, the article considers the field of African studies in North African universities and ends with a review of recent multidisciplinary research that embraces a trans-Saharan approach.


Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. e5910
Author(s):  
Carlos Ruiz ◽  
Diego Cejas ◽  
Irene Muñoz ◽  
Pilar De la Rua

The taxonomic status of Bombus terrestris subspecies is complex and has deep implications in the management of commercial bumblebees for crop pollination as well as in the establishment of appropriate conservation plans. Herein, the complete mitogenome of the endemic Canary Islands subspecies Bombus terrestris canariensis is newly sequenced and compared with available mitochondrial sequences in order to shed light into its taxonomic status. The mitochondrial genome was 17,300 bp in length and contained 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs and a partial sequence of the AT rich control region. The phylogenetic analysis of PCGs of the mitogenome was congruent with its subspecific status and a close relationship with the North African subspecies africanus as previously suggested. The sequencing of the mitogenome of B. t. canariensis provides useful genetic information to study the conservation genetics and genetic diversity of these island bumblebee populations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1902) ◽  
pp. 20190471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara R. Arauna ◽  
Garrett Hellenthal ◽  
David Comas

North African history and populations have exerted a pivotal influence on surrounding geographical regions, although scant genetic studies have addressed this issue. Our aim is to understand human historical migrations in the coastal surroundings of North Africa. We built a refined genome-wide dataset of North African populations to unearth the fine-scale genetic structure of the region, using haplotype information. The results suggest that the gene-flow from North Africa into the European Mediterranean coast (Tuscany and the Iberian Peninsula) arrived mainly from the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. In Tuscany, this North African admixture date estimate suggests the movement of peoples during the fall of the Roman Empire around the fourth century. In the Iberian Peninsula, the North African component probably reflects the impact of the Arab expansion since the seventh century and the subsequent expansion of the Christian Kingdoms. By contrast, the North African component in the Canary Islands has a source genetically related to present-day people from the Atlantic North African coast. We also find sub-Saharan gene-flow from the Senegambia region in the Canary Islands. Specifically, we detect a complex signal of admixture involving Atlantic, Senegambian and European sources intermixing around the fifteenth century, soon after the Castilian conquest. Our results highlight the differential genetic influence of North Africa into the surrounding coast and show that specific historical events have not only had a socio-cultural impact but additionally modified the gene pool of the populations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Schlaphorst ◽  
Graça Silveira ◽  
João Mata

&lt;p&gt;Madeira and the Canary Islands, located in the eastern North Atlantic, are two of many examples of hotspot surface expressions. Their tracks have been reconstructed to past locations close to the south-western part of the Iberian Peninsula and north-western Africa, respectively. Furthermore, due to their close proximity, an interconnected origin of these two hotspots has been proposed but details remain unclear. A better understanding of the crust and upper mantle structure beneath these islands is needed to investigate this potential connection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The subsurface structure has an influence on the stress field, which can be investigated studying seismic anisotropy patterns of the region. Seismic anisotropy leads to variations in the speed of seismic waves as a function of the direction of wave propagation. In the crust an orientation in the direction of maximum stress is observed, commonly being parallel to the alignment of fractures or cracks. In the upper mantle the orientation is influenced by mantle flow. A widely used method to identify anisotropy is the observation of shear-wave splitting of data from teleseismic events. In case of multiple anisotropic layers, including measurements from local events it is possible to distinguish crustal from upper mantle influences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the SIGHT project (SeIsmic and Geochemical constraints on the Madeira HoTspot), we carried out the first detailed study of seismic anisotropy beneath both archipelagos, using teleseismic SKS and local shear-wave splitting measurements of data collected from land stations of seismic networks located on Madeira and the Canary Islands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Significant changes, both in orientation and delay time, can be observed on short length-scales on the order of tens of kilometres, matching major geological features such as, for example, the major rift zone on Madeira island. In a further step, we compare these results to previous studies of crustal and upper mantle anisotropy focusing on north-western Africa and the Iberian Peninsula to investigate the nature of the lithospheric corridor between the present day hotspot positions and the Atlas-Gibraltar region.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a contribution to project SIGHT (Ref. PTDC/CTA-GEF/30264/2017). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support FCT through project UIDB/50019/2020 &amp;#8211; IDL.&lt;/p&gt;


Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose María Gil-Sánchez ◽  
F. Javier Herrera-Sánchez ◽  
Begoña Álvarez ◽  
Ángel Arredondo ◽  
Jesús Bautista ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Endangered Cuvier's gazelleGazella cuvieriis an endemic ungulate of north-western Africa. Information on the species has been based primarily on non-systematic surveys, and the corresponding status estimates are of unknown quality. We evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of two field methods for systematic surveys of populations of Cuvier's gazelle in arid environments: distance sampling (based on sightings) and sampling indirect sign (tracks and scats). The work was carried out in the north-western Sahara Desert, in Morocco, where what is possibly the largest population of Cuvier's gazelle persists. A logistically viable survey was conducted over a total area of c. 20.000 km2in 10 expeditions during 2011–2014. A total of 67 sites were surveyed, with 194 walking surveys (2,169 km in total). Gazelle signs were detected at 50 sites, and gazelles were sighted at 21 sites (61 individuals). We found a relationship between sightings and abundance indices based on indirect sign, which could be useful for population monitoring or ecological studies. Additionally, the data could be used in occupancy modelling. Density estimates based on distance sampling required considerable effort; however, it is possible to survey large areas during relatively short campaigns, and this proved to be the most useful approach to obtain data on the demographic structure of the population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Fielmua ◽  
Dugle Gordon ◽  
Darius T. Mwingyine

Climate change has attracted the attention of all stakeholders, ranging from individuals in the household through to global organisations in the international community. As an inevitable phenomenon at the moment, adaptation is the key response to minimising the unfavourable effects of climate change. While there are several adaptation strategies, rural areas mostly use migration as an ultimate and most reliable option. Rural migration in Ghana is mostly from the north to the south. This paper examines the factors that influence individuals and households’ decision to use migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change effects in North-western Ghana. Data was collected using household questionnaire in four communities and analysed using statistical package for social science, version 20.0. The study established that although there are other reasons for migration, it is used essentially as an adaptation strategy to the effects of climate change on livelihood. The study concludes that the debate on climate change and migration should no longer be whether climate change causes human migration but how the effects of climate change influence migrants’ resolve to migrate as an adaptation strategy. Such an analysis allows policy makers to find practical adaptive capacity measures that can offset the challenges at the original homes of migrants. 


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