Discursive and Processual Socialization of the Mass into Acts of Violence: the Case of Rwandan Genocide

This article analyses discursive and processual socialization of the masses into acts of violence during the Rwandan genocide of 1 994. The discursive aspects of the socialization include discourses of dehumanization, ethnic extremism and the dynamics of public socialization into violence and other acts of savagery. The processual dimension of the socialization refers to the violentization process. The article tries to show that the discursive and the processual aspects of socialization reinforced each other. It analyses the ideological and linguistic mechanisms mobilized in Rwanda to foment hatred and whip the masses into atrocities. The article, in addition, tries to explain the genocide through diverse social psychological theories and illustrate the interaction between the leaders\u27 political agitation of the masses towards extermination and the perpetrators\u27 action on the ground. The article argues that no single theory can fully explain the incomprehensible genocide since it was the result of a complex intermarriage between social, ideological and moral forces. It also examines the role of cultural and linguistic resources in the violentization process. On the basis of the analysis, the article recommends what should be done to prevent similar atrocities in Africa

Which One is Better: Saying Student Teachers Don\u27t Reflect or Systematically Unlocking Their Reflective Potentials: A Positive Experience from a Poor Teacher Education Faculty in Ethiopia

This paper is informed by Deweyean pragmatism, critical pedagogy, Marxist humanism and social constructivism, all of which see teacher professional learning as a process of constructing knowledge and identity through critical interdependence. In addition to presenting the philosophical root of the reflective approach to teaching and the structure for engaging student teachers in reflective processes, I present the outcome of my own and my colleagues’ attempts to unlock the reflective potentials of student teachers at a poor teacher education faculty in Ethiopia and a theoretical/methodological framework to deal with the reflective data. I hope that teacher educators who work with student teachers in the practicum can benefit from the experience presented in the paper. The implication of the paper for teacher educators is that before they complain that student teaches are unreflective, they should set clear objectives and expectations for themselves as well as their student teachers and supply their student teachers with methods of structuring and evaluating their reflections. They also need to be careful and flexible when they employ theoretical frameworks proposed by some teacher educators to identify, structure and determine the reflective levels of what their student teachers write

THE SOCIAL AND ETHNO-CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY IN AFRICAN PROVERBS

Africa is a continent known for its rich oral arts. Proverbs are the most widely and commonly used in the continent's long-standing tradition of oral arts. Among such oral arts, the African proverbs have been facilitating the transmission of knowledge and conventions from generation to generation. This paper analyzes the role of African proverbs in creating and perpetuating gendered culture. The author analyzed the African sexist proverbs within the post-modern theory of power relationships between social groups, and the role of language to mediate this relationship, to explore the implications of gender stereotypes

A CULTURAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE OROMO SOCIETY

In a society, gender ideology is created and refl ected in multiple ways. Among the myriad ways, language and culture play great role in creating and refl ecting gendered culture in a society. This paper examines the representation of women in Oromo folk-proverbs and folk-religion, and analyses the position of women in the traditional Oromo cultural practices. Despite all the barriers of patriarchal power, Oromo women had an infl uential position in the past although this has now declined following the decline in the people's indigenous cultural practices. Oromo proverbs about womanhood were categorized into cultural stereotypes. Although the majority of the sample proverbs were basically disparaging, the semantics were shown to depend to a large extent on the complex whole of their context of use. The implications were also presented and discussed

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES IN A SOCIAL TRANSITION: THE SOUTH AFRICAN SEARCH FOR RECONCILIATIO

Every African society south of the Sahara has a long history of transmitting knowledge and human experience through the medium of oral tradition. This paper is on the function of oral traditions among the Arsi-Oromo of Ethiopia. Before the coming of Islam and Christianity, the Arsi were followers of Waaqeffannaa (belief in Sky God), the Oromo version of the African traditional religion. In the Arsiland, the Oromo traditional religion existed side by side with Islam, as the latter was mostly tolerant in the past. The indigenous Oromo religious traditions offered Islam an African feature. The cult of Sheikh Hussein of Bale is one quasi-Islamic tradition that has survived. The Arsi oral traditions are good sources about the nature of Waaqeffannaa and the cult of Sheikh Hussein. Based on the oral traditions of the Arsi and other African societies, the writer concluded that in Africa the function of oral traditions is in constant flux. In addition to replicating the past experiences of the society, African oral traditions serve also as mediums to provide self-conscious commentary on the patterns of life in their societies. Another conclusion is that the homology or dialectical unity between oral art and its social function is contextually determined

The negative cultural impact of tourism and its implication on sustainable development in Amhara Regional State

AbstractTourism is a modern and growing industry that has a high impact on human life. The interface between culture and tourism is immense, and they have both negative and positive outcomes for one another. Studying the impact of tourism on culture has become a hot topic of discussion among concerned scholars. If it is managed properly, it contributes to the preservation and enhancement of cultural diversity and sensitivity. Otherwise, it can destroy the cultures of destination communities. The Amhara region is known for both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which has been the source of tourists’ attractions. The purpose of this research is to assess communities’ perceptions of the negative cultural impact of tourism on destinations. A mixed-methods research approach, predominantly qualitative research, was used. The findings indicate that tourism has contributed to the commoditization of the culture of society, the erosion of the local communities’ socio-cultural assets, and the production of inauthentic products. Even importing alien cultural products from abroad in mass and presenting them to tourists were identified as negative outcomes. Thus, it informs us that the concerned stakeholders have to take responsibility to minimise its negative impact, which in turn enhances the positive outcome