Pearl of Africa: Condemnation and Celebration in Uganda

This research examines the intentions and consequences of the British colonial endeavor in the country of Uganda, East Africa. Focusing on issues of gender, education, and language, it provides a survey of the multifaceted implications of the colonial era. It is also based on two weeks of field research spent in country the previous summer, conducting interviews with educators and administrators as well as employees and volunteers of nongovernmental organizations. Finally, this project seeks to illuminate future possibilities and opportunities to continue this type of research as well as apply its conclusions to the modern world

Implications of Colonially Determined Boundaries in (West) Africa: the Yoruba of Nigeria and Benin in Perspective

ABSTRACT This study analyses the Nigeria – Benin international boundary, around the Yoruba geo-cultural space. The primary research question, which the study is centred on, is the assessment of the impact of partition on the Yoruba identity and group relations The study relies on the multidisciplinary approach in the analysis of the boundary and the people it partitions. Multidisciplinarity is particularly required for such a study as this in order to accommodate the various nuances, which a specific disciplinary approach would not be able to adequately cater for. The methodology utilised in answering the research question was the historicised case-study, which relied on field work in the specific borderland communities astride the Nigeria – Benin boundary as well as archival research. It also relies on a content analysis of the news media as well as government publication. The secondary sources of data are collected from extant literature on the theme of African boundaries. The study finds that contrary to the expectation in the research literature that the partition would have a disruptive effect on the Yoruba, the peculiar characteristics of the group created a buffer, which resisted change. Thus, the Yoruba identity has remained relatively unscathed by the forces of colonisation and contrasting socialisation processes

ICT for Development: Two Contradictory Stories of an ICT Initiative

In this study we explore two different perspectives of one ICT project. The “mainstream” believed that an educational ICT project for Taiwanese aboriginals was successful, while the local aboriginals and local teachers did not. Using ethnographic research, we investigated the possible reasons for the disparity between the views of the mainstream and the locals. Our findings indicate that the paternalistic nature of the ICT project as well as a belief in technological supremacy contributed to the discrepancy of views regarding the success of the project. We use postcolonial theory to draw attention to the (often forgotten) voice of the aboriginals

Reconstituting empire in the decolonisation era: taxation sovereignty and the development of the British virgin islands as a dependent tax haven

Tax havens are denounced for eroding the sovereignty of states to tax in their jurisdictions. Using a critical interrogative lens of Empire and Imperialism, the aim of this investigation was to understand what the developmental history of the British Virgin Islands reveals about the function of tax havens in global political economy through traditions of state and taxation sovereignty. Drawing chiefly on a combination of tax, sociology and law scholarship anchored in international political economy, along with reviewing the minutes of the British Virgin Islands Legislative Council from 1950-1992, the study adopted a sociolegal perspective in exploring the relationship between tax havens, tax sovereignty and the aspirations of an equitable global tax regime. Beyond sovereign entitlement in allocating jurisdictional rights of states to tax income or capital, or a more expanded conception of tax equity through revenue sharing, the intervention of this thesis established the need to highlight the underpinnings of the international tax system by understanding the structures which maintain tax haven dependency and their development in the first instance. The basic thesis of this study is that dependency continues to the present as a function of unequal integration helping to order and maintain a hierarchical global political economy. This thesis was built on an account of post-colonial dependency through a structural lens of a reconstituting empire and neo-colonial imperialism in the development of the British Virgin Islands in two key phases. First, the political developments of the 1950 independence decade in the legislative council's relationship with sovereignty in a federated imperial structure, which then conditioned the socioeconomic development from 1960 up to 1984. Highlighting the economic apparatus of the colonial state which structurally depended on international investment through political links maintained to Britain, the second phase is demonstrated as neo-colonial imperialism and external reliance evinced through the function of the Executive Council. The thesis traced a consistent line of legislative amendments from the dawn of legislative independence providing tax incentives packages and exemptions aimed at attracting foreign capital through extensive tax holidays. This phase of neo-colonial imperialism reached its apogee in the International Business Companies Act of 1984. The parallels in the financial architecture imposed by the Foreign Commonwealth Office at the twilight of the 20th Century has striking similarities to the more recent initiatives targeted at tax havens, illustrating how the interests of metropolitan powers are maintained. Therefore, I argue and demonstrate that, the development of the British Virgin Islands as a tax haven and its integration in international political economy reveals a tradition of sovereignty in the post-colonial context which shapes neo-colonial imperialism wherein effective sovereignty remains located in the global north

Unpacking the Politics of ICT4D: Modernity at the Expense of Political Liberty?

The issue of politics in ICT4D is rarely debated on in the information systems field, yet one of the key instrumental freedoms proposed by Sen (1999) in his seminal book on development is political liberty for individuals. In addition, ICT4D initiatives are predominantly informed by a modernist philosophy, which in their effort to bring some material progress grants technological tools a predominant role, assuming that recipients are passive, and development can only be brought by those in a powerful position. This in itself is a political viewpoint, and thus politics are embedded in the design of ICT4D projects. Building on the five constitutive and instrumental freedoms introduced by Sen (1999), we discuss how far ICT4D projects are able to assist political liberty of the alleged beneficiaries, given that political liberties are constrained by wider institutional factors. We conclude by making a call for researchers to more critically examine the structure and intention of ICT4D projects

Revisiting Coloniasm : An exploration of its legacy in four African texts

The purpose of this study was to revisit the topic of colonialism once more, in order to ascertain whether it had both negative and positive impacts in Africa. This is so because colonialism is mostly renowned for its negative attributes, therefore, the study attempted to give a more balanced analysis of colonialism and its effects on the colonies and colonised subjects. To this effect, the study examined four African texts: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart(1967), Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirri’s I Will Marry When I Want (1982), Mongo Beti’s Mission to Kala (1957) and Sembene Ousmane’s The Last of The Empire (1983). The analysis showed that colonialism did have damaging and constructive impacts on the former colonies. However, these constructive impacts have their limitations where Africans are concerned. The study also came to the conclusion that despite the destructiveness of colonialism there are vital aspects of the Western civilisation that need to be and have been accommodated by Africans. Therefore, amalgamating the positives of various cultures rather than trying to separate them, is the way forward for people of any race as the world has undeniably become a global village. It is easy to see the wrongs and injustices of European Imperialism in Africa. African culture was damaged. The Europeans did not understand tribal differences and tribal customs. They did not even try to understand. The Europeans forced the Africans to learn new ways. They tried to make the Africans feel inferior. They forced the Africans to accept European government, religion, and languages. They drew up colonial boundaries without giving any thought to splitting up tribes. Some of the things the Europeans did in Africa helped the natives. But most of those things were done for the sake of the Europeans. Railway systems, roads, and schools were built and the continent of Africa was opened up to the rest of the world.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 201

Revisiting Coloniasm : An exploration of its legacy in four African texts

The purpose of this study was to revisit the topic of colonialism once more, in order to ascertain whether it had both negative and positive impacts in Africa. This is so because colonialism is mostly renowned for its negative attributes, therefore, the study attempted to give a more balanced analysis of colonialism and its effects on the colonies and colonised subjects. To this effect, the study examined four African texts: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart(1967), Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirri’s I Will Marry When I Want (1982), Mongo Beti’s Mission to Kala (1957) and Sembene Ousmane’s The Last of The Empire (1983). The analysis showed that colonialism did have damaging and constructive impacts on the former colonies. However, these constructive impacts have their limitations where Africans are concerned. The study also came to the conclusion that despite the destructiveness of colonialism there are vital aspects of the Western civilisation that need to be and have been accommodated by Africans. Therefore, amalgamating the positives of various cultures rather than trying to separate them, is the way forward for people of any race as the world has undeniably become a global village. It is easy to see the wrongs and injustices of European Imperialism in Africa. African culture was damaged. The Europeans did not understand tribal differences and tribal customs. They did not even try to understand. The Europeans forced the Africans to learn new ways. They tried to make the Africans feel inferior. They forced the Africans to accept European government, religion, and languages. They drew up colonial boundaries without giving any thought to splitting up tribes. Some of the things the Europeans did in Africa helped the natives. But most of those things were done for the sake of the Europeans. Railway systems, roads, and schools were built and the continent of Africa was opened up to the rest of the world.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 201

Chicanismo, indigenous identity and lateral violence: a qualitative study of indigenous identified individuals in Colorado

2011 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This thesis research project examines the reported narratives of those individuals that identify as Indigenous, and contrasts the experiences of tribally enrolled and federally recognized individuals against individuals who are not federally recognized to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Indigenous identity, the Chicano claim to indigeneity and the relationship between these two communities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-three individuals--adults that are tribally enrolled and federally recognized and adults that identify as Indigenous but are not federally recognized--to examine how gringismo impacts and informs lateral violence in the Indigenous communities of Colorado. The findings of this study provide new insights to understanding how colonialism has shaped Indigenous identity, informed lateral violence and hostility, and undermined pan-Indigenous unity through desplazamiento--dislocation and dissociation--and susto heredado

Volume 1: The Challenge of Pluralism : Paradigms from Muslim Contexts

The volume discusses notions of pluralism and its specific relevance to Muslim societies. Current popular and academic discussions tend to make certain assumptions regarding Islam and its lack of compatibility with notions of pluralism. Some notable liberal thinkers have even argued that pluralism itself is inherently antithetical to Islam. These assumptions are challenged by discussing the broad spectrum of relevance and application of the notion of pluralism to modern day societies, examining securalism, multiculturalism, democracy, globalisation and the pivotal role of civil society.https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_emc/1004/thumbnail.jp