Nigeria: A Prime Example of the Resource Curse? Revisiting the Oil-Violence Link in the Niger Delta

This paper studies the oil-violence link in the Niger Delta, systematically taking into consideration domestic and international contextual factors. The case study, which focuses on explaining the increase in violence since the second half of the 1990s, confirms the differentiated interplay of resource-specific and non-resource-specific causal factors. With regard to the key contextual conditions responsible for violence, the results underline the basic relevance of cultural cleavages and political-institutional and socioeconomic weakness that existed even before the beginning of the “oil era.” Oil has indirectly boosted the risk of violent conflicts through a further distortion of the national economy. Moreover, the transition to democratic rule in 1999 decisively increased the opportunities for violent struggle, in a twofold manner: firstly, through the easing of political repression and, secondly, through the spread of armed youth groups, which have been fostered by corrupt politicians. These incidents imply that violence in the Niger Delta is increasingly driven by the autonomous dynamics of an economy of violence: the involvement of security forces, politicians and (international) businessmen in illegal oil theft helps to explain the perpetuation of the violent conflicts at a low level of intensity.Nigeria, natural resources, oil, political economy, violence, context sensitivity

Public Libraries Need Friends: Aspects of the Friends of Mishawaka-Penn Public Library's Involvement and Importance to the Library System in Mishawaka, Indiana

What does it take to be a Friend of the Mishawaka-Penn Public Library? Energy and interest. There are several levels of membership: Individual one- and three-year memberships; Family one- and three-year memberships; and Youth (K-12) membership. Every month, members receive Hi-Lites, the Friends of the Mishawaka-Penn Public Library newsletter. [See http://www.mppl.lib.in.us/hilitespage1.html for the latest issue.] Members who enjoy taking on leadership roles can serve on the Friends’ Board as president, vice president, treasurer, assistant treasurer, program chair, book sale chair, or hospitality chair. These and other active members as well as the librarians who help coordinate Friends’ activities are indispensable assets to the Mishawaka-Penn Public Library (MPPL)

A literatura infantil na aprendizagem da leitura e escrita dos alunos do 4o ano do ensino fundamental

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014O presente texto apresenta uma síntese do trabalho realizado pelo Subprojeto de Pedagogia/UNIOESTE/Foz do Iguaçu do Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência (PIBID). O objetivo é desenvolver a leitura e escrita de alunos 4o ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola municipal da periferia desta cidade. Destacamos neste contexto a literatura infantil como um instrumento importante neste processo. Utilizamos como referencial para este trabalho as obras de Zilberman (1987); Simões (2000); Mello (2006), e outras. As literaturas infantis utilizadas foram criteriosamente selecionadas considerando a realidade social das crianças, levando-as a refletir sobre suas ações, estimulando o desenvolvimento social, emocional e cognitivo. Observamos que os alunos tiveram um significativo aproveitamento das aulas que demonstraram interesse, participaram com suas opiniões, interagirem entre si, exercitaram a leitura e a se empenharam na produção de texto

Determinants of ethnic identity development in adulthood: A longitudinal study

Ethnic identity is defined in terms of the interaction between exploration of and commitment to a given cultural background. The present study investigated the effect of individual background, role transitions, and the social environment on the development of ethnic identity in a sample of German adults aged 21-73 years (N = 2,940). Additionally, identity transitions and the moderating effect of disequilibrating life events on identity over time were examined (N = 827). Overall, results are consistent with findings for other identity domains: Respondents could be assigned to one of four identity stages, ranging from unexamined to achieved identity. Particularly, the individual background and the extent of community involvement affected ethnic identity formation in adulthood. Longitudinal analyses revealed that only one-third of respondents had remained in the same identity stage; most individuals had transitioned forward or backward. Changes in ethnic identity were not moderated by disequilibrating life events

The cultural identity of first-generation adult immigrants: A meta-analysis

The meta-analysis investigated first-generation adult immigrants' commitment toward their culture of origin and their new cultural environment and identified core factors related to cultural identity formation. Effects of the survey methodology used in studies on cultural identity were also considered. Forty-four samples in English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1971 and 2021 were analyzed. The results of random-effects analysis revealed that first-generation adult immigrants identified strongly with their culture of origin and moderately with the residence country. The level of identification was moderated by cultural distance, region of origin, type of immigration, gender, and the questionnaire language used. The implications of moderators and methodological issues for the study of identity formation in acculturation settings are discussed.Die Meta-Analyse untersucht das Engagement erwachsener Zuwanderer*innen der ersten Generation für ihre Herkunftskultur und ihr neues kulturelles Umfeld und ermittelte Kernfaktoren, die mit der kulturellen Identitätsbildung zusammenhängen. Auch die Auswirkungen der in den Studien zur kulturellen Identität verwendeten Erhebungsmethode wurden berücksichtigt. Vierundvierzig Stichproben in englischsprachigen, von Expert*innen begutachteten Zeitschriftenartikeln, zwischen 1971 und 2021 veröffentlicht, wurden analysiert. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse mit zufälligen Effekten zeigen, dass sich erwachsene Zuwanderer*innen der ersten Generation stark mit ihrer Herkunftskultur und mäßig mit dem Aufenthaltsland identifizierten. Der Grad der Identifikation wurde durch die kulturelle Distanz, die Herkunftsregion, die Art der Einwanderung, das Geschlecht und die im Fragebogen verwendete Sprache moderiert. Zudem werden die Auswirkungen der Moderation und methodische Fragen für die Untersuchung der Identitätsbildung in Akkulturationsumgebungen erörtert