Research Articles (Anthropology and Sociology)

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A decolonial anthropology: You can dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools
(Sage, 2024) Venkatesan, Soumhya; Gillespie, Kelly; Ntarangwi, Mwenda
The 2022 meeting of the Group for Debates in Anthropological Theory (GDAT) Social Anthropology, University of Manchester. The motion is, of course, a riff on Audre Lorde’s well-known 1984 claim that ‘the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.’ Lorde is asking about the tools of a racist and constitutionally exclusionary world, but we can ask similar questions about the tools of an academic discipline, anthropology, which arose during the height of empire, and the house that anthropology has built and its location in the university. Are anthropology’s tools able to dismantle a house built on oppression, exploitation and discrimination and then build a different better house? If not, then what kinds of other tools might we use, and what is it that we might want to build? The motion is proposed by David Mills and Mwenda Ntarangwi and opposed by Kelly Gillespie and Naisargi Dav´e with Soumhya Venkatesan convening and editing the debate for publication.
Africa after apartheid: South Africa, race, and nation in Tanzania
(Routledge, 2016) Becker, Heike
South African economic and political expansion into the African continent has been a controversial feature of the post-apartheid era. Now human geographer Richard Schroeder has taken up the matter in an ethnographic study based in Tanzania, a preferred destination for South African business. The country presents a particularly interesting example of the post-apartheid social, cultural and political dynamics of "South Africa in Africa" since Tanzania had been one of the apartheid regime's staunchest enemies. Schroeder starts off with observations of white South African expatriates he met in Tanzania; the book's core theme, however, is the country's and the wider African region's dilemma in an era that saw both the rise of neoliberalism and the fall of apartheid.
Against trauma: silence, victimhood, and (photo-) voice in Northern Namibia
(UFS, 2015) Becker, Heike
The article shows how the discourses of trauma, victimhood and silence regarding local agency contributed to the production of the nationalist master narrative in postcolonial Namibia. However, I point out repositories of memory beyond the narratives of victimhood and trauma, which began to add different layers to the political economy of silence and remembrance in the mid-2000s. Through revisiting visual forms of remembrance in northern Namibia an argument is developed, which challenges the dichotomy between silence and confession. It raises critical questions about the prominent place that the trauma trope has attained in memory studies, with reference to work by international memory studies scholars such as Paul Antze and Michael Lambek (1996) and South African researchers of memory politics, particularly the strategies of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The fresh Namibian material supports the key critique of the TRC, which suggests that the foregrounding of pain and victimhood, and rituals of therapy and healing entailed a loss of the political framings of the testimonial moments.
AIDS activism and globalisation from below: Occupying new spaces of citizenship in post-apartheid South Africa
(Institute of Development Studies, 2004) Robins, Steven; von Lieres, Bettina
Former President Nelson Mandela, Bono, Peter Gabriel and other superstars stood together on the stage at Greenpoint StadiuminCape Town in front of billions of television viewers around the world, watching the �46664�music extravaganza in support of the fight against AIDS in Africa. AIDS is clearly a global pandemic and responses to it have inevitably been on a global scale. At the same time, the disease has highly localised aspects to it. AIDS activists have had to address both the global dimensions and the local specificities of this epidemic.
An aligned alliance in allegiance to the drum beat of higher education's transformation agenda: A critical discourse lens
(MCSER Publishing, 2014) Ma�rtin-Cairncross, Anita
This paper includes an overview of transformation challenges faced by Higher Education globally, nationally and provides concluding remarks of the urgency that all staff who works in this sector understands and exemplify the transformation agenda. The study is contextualized within the framework of the critical discourse analysis (CDA) paradigm. This interpretive conceptual framework allows for the discussion of perceptions and interpretations of reports, debates and relevant document to substantiate arguments. Current trends in transformation in Higher Education, principles and goals of Higher Education Transformation in South Africa and several policy imperatives to drive the transformation agenda are discussed through a critical discourse lens.
At the limits of spatial governmentality: A message from the tip of Africa
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2002) Robins, Steven
Urban studies scholars drawing on Foucault�s analysis of govern-mentality have investigated how urban social orders are increasingly moreconcerned with the management of space rather than on the discipline ofoffenders or the punishment of offences (Merry, 2001). This paper examines the�rationality� and efficacy of spatial governmentality in post-apartheid CapeTown, and shows how the city has increasingly become a �fortress city� (Davis,1990), much like cities such as Los Angeles, Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. These�global cities� are increasingly characterised by privatised security systems inmiddle class suburbs, shopping malls and gated communities (Caldeira, 1999).These spatial forms of governmentality draw on sophisticated security systemscomprising razor wire and electrified walls, burglar alarms and safe rooms, aswell as vicious guard dogs, neighbourhood watches, private security companies,and automated surveillance cameras.
The Bamasaaba people�s response to the implementation of the Safe Male Circumcision Policy in the Bugisu sub-region in Uganda
(Cogent OA, 2022) Omukunyi, Bernard
Male circumcision is culturally motivated with a symbolic meaning of the rite-of-passage from boyhood to manhood in some African countries such as Uganda, particularly by the Bamasaaba local people from the Bugisu sub-region. This study aimed at investigating the local Bamasaaba people�s response to the implementation of the reformed health policies on male circumcision in the Bugisu sub-region in Uganda. The qualitative research approach adopted masculinity and Bourdieu�s theory of practice, presented through the lens of Habitus, which involved in-depth interviews with selected individuals and numerous Focus Group Discussion with the participants. Data analysis involved transcribing, interpretation, coding, categorising and generating the themes using the qualitative computer application known as Atlas. The results suggest that the Bamasaaba people have not accepted implementing the reformed health policies on male circumcision. However, these people are conditioned to rethink their traditional Imbalu (traditional male circumcision) practices due to the prevailing and persisting HIV/AIDS infections in their society.
Beyond morality: Assessment of the capacity of faith-based organizations (FBOS) in responding to the HIV/AIDS challenge in Southeastern Nigeria
(Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2018) Anugwom, Eze Edlyne; Anugwom, Kenechukwu
BACKGROUND: For the world can get rid of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030, there is need for more to be done especially in the case of countries in Africa. In Nigeria, such efforts have included Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) recognized as partners in the National Response Framework. However, the extent to which these FBOs contribute to efforts to control the pandemic will depend on their capacity. Therefore, this study aimed to ascer-tain the technical and managerial capacity of these FBOs to respond to the pandemic in Nigeria. METHODS: We utilized social survey in examining the capacity of three purposively selected FBOs in the South-east of Nigeria to respond to the pandemic. Thus, the focus group discussion and the key informant interviews were used. The data for the study was collected between Feb and Apr 2014. RESULTS: The study discovered a general low capacity but high willingness of the FBOs to get involved. One of the FBOs studied was better placed than others and had even established committee on the pandemic. However, in another FBO, the pandemic was still seen largely with moral lens that blame those infected rather than provide support. All the FBOs were ambivalent on the use of condoms as a prevention method. CONCLUSION: There is need for sustained capacity building for the FBOs in order to provide them with knowledge on the pandemic and help them act out the role envisaged for them in the National Response Frame-work in Nigeria.
Book review: Francis B. Nyamnjoh (2017), Drinking from the Cosmic Gourd: How Amos Tutuola Can Change Our Minds
(German Institute of Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut f�r Globale und Regionale Studien, 2017) Anugwom, Edlyne Eze
Nyamnjoh�s insightful book offers an original, nuanced, and penetrative interpretation of the late Nigerian writer Amos Tutuola, whose true value and influence were mainly recognised only after his demise. According to the writer, the book is about �the epistemological dimensions of how research is conceptualized and practiced in African universities caught betwixt and between the tensions and possibilities of interconnecting global and local hierarchies� (1). While the above captures a key focus of the text, I believe it really diminishes the extent and breadth of issues tackled in the book. The book criss-crosses orthodox disciplinary divides; represents a commentary on literature, on history, and more critically on the sociology of knowledge and serves as a critique of contemporary African intellectualism.
The burden of history: Namibia and Germany from colonialism to postcolonialism
(Taylor & Francis, 2017) Becker, Heike
When former German Foreign Minister Joseph �Joschka� Fischer visited Windhoek in October 2003, he went on record to say that there would be no apology that might give grounds for reparations for the first genocide of the 20th century, which was committed by German colonial troops in Namibia in 1904�1908. Fischer�s rather undiplomatic words are indicative of the intense and heated historical and present relations between Germany and her erstwhile colony.
Changing urbanscapes: Colonial and postcolonial monuments in Windhoek
(Nordic Journal of African Studies, 2018) Becker, Heike
This article investigates how recently-constructed sites that anchor memories of anti-colonial resistance and national liberation have changed the urban landscape of the Namibian capital, Windhoek. The discussion is focused on the Namibian Independence Memorial Museum and the Genocide Memorial. These North-Korean-built monuments in a prominent hilltop position central Windhoek have significantly altered the city�s skyline with their massive aesthetics of Stalinist realism. Built in a particular position, they have replaced an infamous colonial memorial, the �Windhoek Rider�, and dwarf the �Alte Feste� fort and the �Christuskirche�, iconic German colonial remnants of the built environment.
Chinese devils, the global market, and the declining power of Togo�s Nana-Benzes
(Cambridge University Press, 2013) Sylvanus, Nina
This article examines the shifting representations of and discourses produced about Chinese salesmen and their collaborators in the small West African nation of Togo. It suggests that in this context representations of China�s so-called New Scramble for Africa are troublesome, namely because they tend to silence the role of Togolese women traders as producers and as central historical and economic subjects in the making of a postcolonial commodity chain for printed African textiles. In so doing the article questions standard economic theories of global market forces, debunks stereotypes regarding the Chinese advance in West African markets, and challenges assumptions about the vulnerability of African societies.
Dissent, disruption, decolonization: South African student protests 1968 to 2016
(Center for Economic Research and Social Change, 2018) Becker, Heike
Fifty years after student protests shook much of the Cold War world, in the �West� and in the �East,� �Global 1968� has become the catchword to describe these profound generational revolts. We hear a lot about West Berlin, Paris, Berkeley, London, and then the Prague Spring, even occasionally the 1968 events in Mexico City may be mentioned; in contrast, none of the relevant overviews bring events to the fore that happened on the African continent in general, and in South Africa in particular. This beckons a number of questions: Was there something �1968� on the continent that matched the activism of the generation in revolt elsewhere? And as indeed there was, as we have shown in an overview article, how did students in African countries contribute to the global uprising with their own interpretations, and why have these been largely �forgotten� in the global discourse? And what do they mean today when we talk about protests of students and youth? After all, Africa has recently become again a hotbed of significant protests of young people who share a great desire for democracy and social justice. From Senegal and Burkina Faso to Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, young Africans have hit the streets in their hundreds of thousands. South Africa for one has seen a massive revolt of university students during 2015 and 2016. This article looks at South African student movements in the late 1960s and early 1970s, following some notes on the wider continent, specifically the May 1968 protests in Senegal, the only African 1968 event that has found marginal attention. Then the focus shifts towards the recent South African student protests of 2015�2016 to explore the ways in which the revolt of the generation that has come of age after the end of apartheid may relate to past uprisings in ideology and activist practice.
Embodied urban health and illness in Cape Town: Children�s reflections on living in Symphony Way temporary relocation area
(National Inquiry Services Centre, 2015) Prah, Efua
This paper explores ideas about health and illness held by six children who live in the Symphony Way Temporary Relocation Area in Cape Town, South Africa. The research shows that solutions to illness and health problems held by low-income populations are critically shaped by various characteristics of society � the surrounding neighbourhood, the family and the experience of the individual child. This contests current policy assumptions that solutions to wellness are not located within the lived experience of local populations. The findings are part of continued efforts to investigate how health is negotiated in low-income areas, what challenges people face and how they overcome such challenges. The research discusses ideas of health embodiment in relation to both the socio-economic and natural environment, and illustrates the impact that poor housing-quality and access to health care services have on health and ideas of health and illness.
Essential medicines in Nigeria: foregrounding access to affordable essential medicines
(CODESRIA, 2014) Obuaku-Igwe, Chinwe C.
Within every functional healthcare system, access to quality and affordable essential medicine stands out as one of the building blocks. However, its significance has been underrated due to poor advocacy and research. The implication is that access to quality and affordable essential medicines remains a challenge to many people in low / middle income countries and could create difficulty in the attempt to reform healthcare systems and save lives if not given ample attention. This paper presents a critical discussion of the Nigerian health system with special focus on access to essential medicines as a component of the Nigerian healthcare system by drawing upon primary data, using qualitative research method.
Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used to manage High Blood Pressure and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Bitterfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa
(Elsevier, 2016) Davids, Denver; Gibson, Diana; Johnson, Quinton
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The aim of this study was to identify and document medicinal plants used to manage High Blood Pressure and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Bitterfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS: One hundred and twelve (112) respondents were interviewed between August 2014 and September 2015 through semi-structured surveys to gather data on the percentage of people who had been diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and/or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and to determine the frequency of medicinal plant and allopathic medicine use. Twelve (12) key respondents were subsequently selected, using a non-probability snowball sampling method. They were interviewed in-depth concerning their plant practices and assisted with plant collection. RESULTS: Twenty-four plant (24) species belonging to 15 families were identified for the management of High Blood Pressure and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The most frequently reported families were Asteraceae (20.8%), Lamiaceae (16.67%), Crassulaceae (8.33%) and Aizoaceae (8.33%). The remaining (45.54%) were evenly split over eleven families- Fabaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Capparaceae, Geraniaceae, Apiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Apocynaceae, Rutaceae, Asphodelaceae and Thymelaeaceae. The most commonly used plant species overall was Lessertia frutescens (96.55%). The most frequently used plant parts included leaves (57.63%) roots/bulbs (15.25%) and stems (11.86%), mostly prepared as infusions or decoctions for oral administration. CONCLUSIONS: Medicinal plants are widely used by High Blood Pressure and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus sufferers. They employ diverse plant species to manage both conditions. In addition, some sufferers often use prescribed allopathic medication, as well as medicinal plants, but at different intervals. Despite high usage the plants identified are not currently threatened (Red Data list status: least concern).
�Everything happened so quickly� Living through events immediately before and after initial breast cancer diagnosis: an exploratory study of the experiences of a group of women in Cape Town, South Africa
(OMICS International, 2017) Nadasen, Krishnavelh Kathleen
This article provides information on an aspect of the author�s research on colored women�s experiences of breast cancer and deals specifically with events immediately before and after the initial diagnosis. The experiences of this group of South African women have remained largely undocumented. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 colored women. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The main themes that emerged relate to the discovery of the lump, reaction time, response to diagnosis, the question of whether a lumpectomy or a mastectomy should be conducted, counseling and family reactions. The findings show, inter alia, that these women are not accorded sufficient time to deal with the magnitude of the diagnosis and that access to appropriate counseling is insufficient. This study has implications for health professionals and for women in general and suggests further areas of investigation within the field of breast cancer research.
Exploring the ties of incarcerated fathers with their families and communities in the Western Cape-The perspectives of care professionals
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2022) Rabe, Marlize; Londt, Marcel
It is often argued that incarcerated men who stay connected withtheir families are less likely to reoffend. Despite the growingliterature on non-residential fatherhood in South Africa, littleresearch has been conducted on incarcerated men in SouthAfrica. In this article, we draw on the expertise and perspectivesof three research participants who used to work closely, as careprofessionals, with incarcerated men in the Western Cape. Bydrawing on Bronfenbrenner�s human development theory, thejourneys of incarcerated men as fathers are explored here. Thediversity and the nature of offences are important when the linksbetween fathers, their children and other family members areconsidered during their entry, stay and release from correctionalfacilities.
From 'One Namibia, One Nation' towards 'Unity in Diversity? Shifting representations of culture and nationhood in Namibian Independence Day celebrations, 1990-2010
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Akuupa, Michael; Kornes, Godwin
In 2010 Namibia celebrated its twentieth anniversary of independence from South African rule. The main celebrations in the country�s capital Windhoek became the stage for an impressively orchestrated demonstration of maturing nationhood, symbolically embracing postcolonial policy concepts such as �national reconciliation�, �unity� and �diversity�. At the same time, nation building in post-apartheid Namibia is characterised by a high degree of social and political fragmentation that manifests itself in cultural and/or ethnic discourses of belonging. Taking the highly significant independence jubilee as our vantage point, we map out a shift of cultural representations of the nation in Independence Day celebrations since 1990, embodied by the two prominent slogans of �One Namibia, one Nation� and �Unity in Diversity�. As we will argue, the difficult and at times highly fragile postcolonial disposition made it necessary for the SWAPO government, as primary nation builder, to accommodate the demands of regions and local communities in its policy frameworks. This negotiation of local identifications and national belonging in turn shaped, and continues to shape, the performative dimension of Independence Day celebrations in Namibia.
From �to die a tribe and be born a nation� towards �culture, the foundation of a nation�: the shifting politics and aesthetics of Namibian nationalism
(Otjivanda Presse, 2015) Becker, Heike
Namibia�s postcolonial nationalist imaginary is by no means homogeneous. Overall, however, it is conspicuous that as Namibia celebrates her twenty-fifth anniversary of independence, national identity is no longer defined primarily through the common history of the liberation struggle but through the tolerant accommodation, even wholehearted celebration, of cultural difference. This article attempts to understand the shifting politics and aesthetics of Namibian nationalism from two interconnected angles. On the one hand, it takes a historical perspective; it looks into shifting discourses and practices of nationalism over the past century, starting from the anti- colonial resistance at the turn to the 20th century through to the twenty-fifth anniversary of Namibian independence. On the other hand, the article investigates the cultural redefinition of the bonds between the Namibian people(s), which has been a significant aspect of the constructions of postcolonial Namibian nationhood and citizenship. The argument highlights urban social life and cultural expression and the links between everyday life and political mobilization. It thereby emphasizes the nationalist activism of the developing Black urban culture of the post-World War II era and the internal urban social movements of the 1980s.

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