Reviewing the African identity discourses

Author(s):  
Albert Kasanda
2017 ◽  
Vol 230 ◽  
pp. 323-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Veg

AbstractWhile it was traditionally accepted that Hongkongers shared a form of pan-Chinese cultural identification that did not contradict their local distinctiveness, over the last decade Hong Kong has seen the rise of new types of local identity discourses. Most recently, “localists” have been a vocal presence. Hong Kong has – quite unexpectedly – developed a strong claim for self-determination. But how new is “localism” with respect to the more traditional “Hong Kong identity” that appeared in the 1970s? The present study takes a two-dimensional approach to study these discourses, examining not only their framework of identification (local versus pan-Chinese) but also their mode of identification (ethno-cultural versus civic). Using three case studies, the June Fourth vigil, the 2012 anti-National Education protest and the 2014 Umbrella movement, it distinguishes between groups advocating civic identification with the local community (Scholarism, HKFS) and others highlighting ethnic identification (Chin Wan). It argues that while local and national identification were traditionally not incompatible, the civic-based identification with a local democratic community, as advocated by most participants in recent movements, is becoming increasingly incompatible with the ethnic and cultural definition of the Chinese nation that is now being promoted by the Beijing government.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-130
Author(s):  
M. Mogoboya

The story of African liberation struggle has, over many years, been related in a colonial and neo-colonial manner by the imperial powers, with Africa delineated as a dark continent and Europe as a civilised one. This article, therefore, strives to disrupt this oppressive narrative by painting the correct version through Ngugi's A Grain of Wheat (1967) (AGW) and Matigari (1987). Kenya is used as a microcosm of the entire Africa in these novels. Furthermore, the study is a qualitative recounting of the African liberation struggle which is underpinned by Afrocentricity as an emancipatory theoretical strand. Purposive sampling, guided by exploratory research design, was employed to select the two texts by Ngugi because of their appositeness to the study. Narrative textual analysis was used to interpret the two novels as primary data. Ngugi conscientises Africans about their African liberation history in order for them to cultivate a true African identity (Biko,1978).


2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 543
Author(s):  
Silvia Valencich Frota

Embora o fim dos nacionalismos tenha sido apregoado no final do século passado, estes ainda marcam presença em nossas sociedades contemporâneas. Neste artigo, a partir do romance de Ondjaki, procura-se identificar e analisar diferentes representações e discursos construídos sobre o tema. O que se quer entender é se os discursos de identidade nacional seguem invariáveis ou se apontam para a transformação, ou mesmo para o fim, da ideia de nação. No contexto da pós-modernidade, onde os conceitos de globalização e multiculturalidade são frequentemente chamados à discussão, importa observar em que termos essas identidades são construídas e/ou contestadas. Nesse sentido, a Luanda de Ondajki, com seu cotidiano de contatos entre pessoas das mais diversas origens, revela-se palco bastante fértil para a análise.********************************************************************The transparents: national identities on display in Ondjaki’s AngolaAbstract: Although the end of nationalisms has been proclaimed at the end of the last century, they are still present in our contemporary societies. This article, focused on Ondjaki’s novel, seeks to identify and analyze different representations and discourses constructed on the topic. What we want to understand is whether the national identity discourses remain the same or they indicate the transformation of the idea of nation, or even its end. In the context of postmodernity, where the concepts of globalization and multiculturalism are often called to the fore, it should be noted in which terms such identities are constructed and / or challenged. In this sense, Ondajki’s Luanda with its everyday life characterized by the contact between people from different places, seems to be a quite fertile field for analysis.Keywords: Identity; Nationalism; Cultural Studies


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