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The Landmarks Series is a research and publications outfit funded by the Landmarks Research Foundation to publish recent outstanding doctoral dissertations on any aspect of Nigerian linguistics, languages, literatures and cultures. This study is a departer from most previous work on Yoruba Grammar in the sense that rather than being purely a descriptive grammar; it attempts to provide a theoretical analysis of the internal and external syntax of Yoruba nominal expressions using the Chomskyan Principles and Parameters approach to syntax. This Generative theory attempts to characterize the grammar of all natural languages in terms of a set of universal principles that all languages share, and a set of parameters along which languages may vary. The book emphasizes the empirical motivation behind major theoretical proposals in that framework, and shows how views on the nature of universal grammar and cross-linguistic variation have developed over the years as a consequence of a massive increase in cross-linguistic syntactic research.
Taming My Elephant
(2016)
In Oshiwambo, the elephant is likened to the most challenging situation that people can face. If an elephant appears in the morning, all planned activities are put on hold and the villagers join forces to deal with it. For Tshiwa Trudie Amulungu, the elephant showed up on many mornings and she had no choice but to tame it. Growing up in a traditional household in northern Namibia, and moving to a Catholic school, Amulungus life started within a very ordered framework. Then one night in 1977 she crossed the border into Angola with her schoolmates and joined the liberation movement. Four months later she was studying at the UN Institute for Namibia in Lusaka Zambia, later going on to study in France. Amulungu recounts the cultural shocks and huge discoveries she made along her journey with honesty, emotion and humour. She draws the reader into her experiences through a close portrayal of life, friends and community in the different places where she lived and studied in exile. This is a compelling story of survival, longing for home, fear of the return, and overcoming adversity in strange environments. It is also a love story that brought two families and cultures together.
This is a comprehensive text on the function of thought in the history and political sociology of Cameroon. The book brings out how the 'hidden hand of history' fashions a political thought which, in turn, creates its own history. Instead of Cameroonians making history, history makes Cameroonians. The book shows how political ideas are fashioned in a post-colonial context in which Europeans impose a superordinate arrangement on a people together with its philosophers. 'Thinking the nation' in Cameroon on behalf of Europeans, especially after the leaders of the national liberation struggle were all eliminated, European philosophers put in place a 'repressive machine' under which Cameroonians were subjected between 1958 and 1990. Repression gave way to a refined form of enslavement - a modernised version of slavery. Cameroonians joined the bandwagon and have been producing and reproducing Western industrial economies while day-dreaming of what they will never become. The whole idea of nation-building in post-colonial Africa is put in question. This book offers students of political studies, sociology, anthropology and history compelling evidence to grapple with questions as to whether Cameroon is a state or a nation and questions of sovereignty and citizenship.
Kinsmen of the President
(2016)
Being a journalist in Nigeria is very risky business especially when you decide to go against the grain and print the truth. Jerry comes to see just how risky his job is when he is whisked away to jail after publishing a particularly scathing article. While in custody we see the prison system through his eyes and he takes us back as he feeds us with anecdotes of his former life.
Claude E. Ake, radical African political philosopher of the first four decades of the postcolonial era, stands out as a progressive social force whose writings continue to have appeal and relevance long after his untimely death in 1996. In examining Akes intellectual works, Jeremiah O. Arowosegbe sets out the framework of his theoretical orientations in the context of his life, and reveals him as one of the most fertile and influential voices within the social sciences community in Africa. In tracing the genesis and development of Akes political thought, Arowosegbe draws attention to Akes compelling account of the material implications and political costs of European colonisation of Africa and his conception of a different future for the continent. Approaching his subject from a Gramscian and Marxist perspective, Arowosegbe elucidates how Akes philosophy demonstrates the intimate entanglement of class and social, cultural and historical issues, and how, as a contributor to endogenous knowledge production and postcolonial studies on Africa, Ake is firmly rooted in a South-driven critique of Western historicism. It is Arowosegbes conviction that engaged scholars are uniquely important in challenging existing hierarchies, oppressive institutions, and truth regimes and the structures of power that produce and support them; and much can be drawn from their contributions and failings alike. This work contributes to a hitherto neglected focus area: the impact across the continent of the ideas and lives of African and other global South academics, intellectuals and scholar-activists. Among them, Ake is representative of bold scholarly initiatives in asserting the identities of African and other non-Western cultures through a mindful rewriting of the intellectual and nationalist histories of these societies on their own terms. In foregrounding the contribution of Ake with respect to both autochthonous traditional insights and endogenous knowledge production on the continent, Arowosegbe aims at fostering the continuance of a living and potent tradition of critique and resistance. Engaging with the lingering impact of colonialism on previously colonised societies, this timely book will be of immense value to scholars and students of philosophy and political science as well as African intellectual history, African studies, postcolonial studies and subaltern studies.
Asomne amwue nda (Sorrow in the House) is an exposition of brutality, suffering, and sadness associated with destruction; citizens running scared, living in fear and don't know what to do. The poems illustrate how Africans find themselves lost in the midst of destruction. The collection exposes the emotions and sad feelings of soldiers and civilians; their experiences as a result of instability and suicide attacks. The poems are an expression of sorrow for a society that was once hailed for its communality but now is in ruins with conflicts and misunderstanding tearing society apart.
The Reader includes sample works of modern writers starting with the first story by Afewerk Ghebre Jesus written in 1908 up to the writings of the early 2000s, which continue Amharic literature in various genres. The Chrestomathy is supplemented with linguistic and cultural comments of lexical, grammatical and ethno-cultural nature. Short biographies of the writers are included. Ethiopian literature is justly considered young, though it is based on a very old cultural foundation. Its major benefit is the focus on an individual person displaying moral integrity and unity with the environment.
This report argues that it is essential to understand the dynamics of the informal food retail sector because of its vital role in ensuring greater access to food by the urban poor. Existing policy frameworks to address food security and to govern the informal sector tend to neglect informal retail in the food system. As a result, the sector is poorly understood. The report therefore attempts to identify the characteristics of the sector that impact on its ability to address the food needs of the neighbourhoods in which the businesses are located. Although the research is focused on Cape Town, the findings are of broader relevance.
When Amin Cajee left South Africa to join the liberation struggle he believed he had volunteered to serve 'a democratic movement dedicated to bringing down an oppressive and racist regime'. Instead, he writes, in this powerful and courageous memoir, 'I found myself serving a movement that was relentless in exercising power and riddled with corruption'. Fordsburg Fighter traces an extraordinary physical journey - from home in South Africa, to training in Czechoslovakia and the ANC's Kongwa camp in Tanzania to England. The book makes a significant contribution to the hidden history of exile, and documents Cajee's emotional odyssey from idealism to disillusionment.
The Rules
(2016)
Teenage Adam obeys the rules and dreams big, of real soccer boots and of playing for South Africa one day. Jasmine, his twin sister, is street-smart and lives by her own rules. She dreams too, of a life outside of poverty. Meanwhile she saves all her coins in a glass jar on the top of Auntie Fouzie's cupboard. But things are changing. The country is facing a general election, Daddy didn't come home again last night, and Uncle Grootman is sitting in a wheelchair. Then Germany beats Brazil seven goals to one.
A Casualty of Power
(2016)
'He boarded the inter-city bus and set off on the six-hour journey to Lusaka - Christopher Columbus en route to discover a new world. Hamoonga Moya's journey would take him a long way from the township of his youth on the Zambian Copperbelt. Life in the capital brought him new friends, and new ideas, and his journalism studies introduced him to ethical dilemmas. Should we take sides when looking at the social impact of the Chinese-owned mines? Who should we blame for the impoverishment of our citizens - the new owners, or the government that made the sale? Is a stadium worth more than a hospital? Outside the classroom, Hamoonga's life, and his hope for the future, were soon entangled in a web of greed, international crime, and betrayal. Only in the end will he know who his true friends are.
Malawi Assemblies of God church embarked on a feasible journey of Vision 2020 that included every established church to plant one church and send one student to Bible school each year. From the time this vision was adopted, some churches have responded positively and some are still struggling on where and how to get involved. This booklet is a church planting and growth manual that will assist those that feel it is too difficult to plant and raise a church and those who would like to add knowledge in their task.
There is considerable evidence from across the African continent that a significant proportion of cash remittances to rural areas is spent on food. However, bidirectional food remitting - its drivers, dimensions and impacts - is an underdeveloped research and policy area. This report therefore reviews the current state of knowledge about food remittances in Africa and aims to make a number of contributions to the study of the relationship between migration and food security.
This report examines the food security status of Zimbabwean migrant households in the poorer areas of two major South African cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The vast majority were food insecure in terms of the amount of food to which they had access and the quality and diversity of their diet. What seems clear is that Zimbabwean migrants are significantly more food insecure than other low-income households. The primary reason for this appears to lie in pressures that include remittances of cash and goods back to family in Zimbabwe. The small literature on the impact of migrant remittances on food security tends to look only at the recipients and how their situation is improved. It does not look at the impact of remitting on those who send remittances. Most Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa feel a strong obligation to remit, but to do so they must make choices because of their limited and unpredictable income. Food is one of the first things to be sacrificed. Quantities decline, cheaper foods are preferred, and dietary quality and diversity inevitably suffer. This study found that while migrants were dissatisfied with the shrinking job market in South Africa, most felt that they would be unlikely to find work in Zimbabwe and that a return would worsen their household's food security situation. In other words, while food insecurity in Zimbabwe is a major driver of migration to South Africa, food insecurity in South Africa is unlikely to encourage many to return.
Das vorliegende Papier stellt in Kurzform die wichtigsten Ergebnisse des Projektes „regio pro – Flächendeckende Einführung des Frühinformationssystems zur Qualifikations- und Beschäftigungsentwicklung in Hessen“ dar. Der gesamte Projektzeitraum erstreckte sich vom 01.06.2011 bis zum 31.12.2016. Gefördert wird das Projekt vom Hessischen Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie, Verkehr und Landesentwicklung aus dem Europäischen Sozialfonds und Landesmitteln.
What are the issues discussed today by African philosophers? Four important topics are identified here as important objects of philosophical reflection on the African continent. One is the question of ontology in relation to African religions and aesthetics. Another is the question of time and, in particular, of prospective thinking and development. A third issue is the task of reconstructing the intellectual history of the continent through the examination of the question of orality but also by taking into account the often neglected tradition of written erudition in Islamic centres of learning. Timbuktu is certainly the most important and most famous of such intellectual centres. The fourth question concerns political philosophy: the concept of 'African socialisms' is revisited and the march that led to the adoption of the 'African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights' is examined. All these important issues are also fundamental to understanding the question of African languages and translation.
A Grammar of Igala
(2016)
The book establishes 28 phonemic consonants and 7 vowels, as well as lexical and grammatical tones in Igala. It shows the canonical syllable types as V and CV with no complexity, and relates resyllabification to the retiming of segments as tone bearing units and the duration of their mora. The work discusses nine word classes, as well as ideophones and clitics in Igala. There are splitting verbs of various structures and fully-fledged pronouns with morphologically toneless clitic counterparts that are toned in their syntactic context, among other elements of the Igala morphology. The work establishes clitics as generally bearing the grammatical tones of various categories as a result of their morphological tonelessness and their availability for post-lexical tone assignment. It also accounts for the generally complex interaction of clitics and tones in the organisation of the morphosyntax and the tone-syntax interface. Igala has both verbal and nominal extensional affixes with various semantic features. Some interesting discussions in the Igala syntax include the structural and functional types of serial verb constructions, the detransitivizing process of verb movement in object demoting structures, coreferentiality in relativised constituents and the future/non-future temporal distinction. Complementary binominals are conjoined with a specified binominal morpheme, and their rigidly irreversible structures have implications in the Igala semantics. The binominals demonstrate a grammatically specified pattern defined over a conceptual space, showing the network among conceptual categories, such as kinship, marital, social, hunter-hunted, more-less and cause-effect relationships as reflected in the Igala grammar.
This is a book of reading on religion and culture in Africa comprising ten papers by experts in religion and cultural matters and an introductory note by the editor himself. Covered in the volume are papers covering: the impact of secularisation and urbanisation on a most cherished socio-cultural practice of the extended family system of the Isoko people in Nigeria; the traditional medical practices in Urhobo with particular focus on the use of local herbs to treat ailments; the socioreligious as well as the political significance of Obiri (family hall) in Ikwerreland; the rationale behind the use of the concept 'Dunamis' in the Gospel According to Staint Mark. Although his paper does not focus on African (traditional) religion, its inclusion here is based purely on the theological significance of the concept of 'Dunamis'; the extent to which evil spirits and mysterious forces have influenced the religion and culture of the Urhobo people of Nigeria; the significance of festivals in the traditional African society; John Wesley's innovations in Christendom and their implications for Africa; the recent unprecedented upsurge in the assumed use of religious powers to cast out evil spirits as well as for prayer healing among Muslims in Nigeria; the culture of alienation, anxiety and violence, drawing inspiration from the Fall Story of Genesis 3; and the widowhood practices of some areas in Nigeria.
In this book Klaus Fiedler offers a candid critique of religious faith healing claims - a critique that extents to the Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision Campaign (VMMCC). The book reveals the lack of substantive evidence to back such healing claims and the contradiction between the VMMCC claims and the consequences of those claims in sexual health and practice.
Mit dem vorliegenden Abschlussbericht zum IAB-Betriebspanel Hessen 2015 werden die Ergebnisse aus vier Reporten zusammengeführt sowie um ausgewählte Daten zur Betriebs- und Beschäftigtenstruktur ergänzt. Ziel des Berichtes ist es, aktuelle und repräsentative Daten zur Beschäftigungs- und Qualifikationsstruktur, zum betrieblichen Aus- und Weiterbildungsverhalten, der Beschäftigungsdynamik sowie zur Situation älterer und einfach beschäftigter Arbeitnehmer in Hessen bereitzustellen. Die demografische Entwicklung gilt als eine der zentralen Herausforderungen der Zukunft. Sie beeinflusst die Beschäftigungssituation in den Betrieben bereits heute nachhaltig. So ist der Anteil der Betriebe mit einem hohen Anteil älterer Beschäftigter an der Gesamtbeschäftigung seit 2002 kontinuierlich gestiegen. In immer mehr Betrieben machen Ältere mindestens die Hälfte der Belegschaft aus und auch ihr Anteil an der Gesamtbeschäftigung stieg seit 2011 deutlich an. In Anbetracht der demografischen Entwicklung und prognostizierten Fachkräfteengpässe wird erwartet, dass die Potenziale verschiedener Beschäftigtengruppen stärker genutzt werden. In Kapitel 2 werden neben den Beschäftigtenanteilen der Älteren sowie dem betrieblichen Weiterbildungsverhalten in Bezug auf diese Beschäftigtengruppe auch die Beschäftigungsverhältnisse von Frauen genauer betrachtet, denn Frauen sind nach wie vor in atypischen Beschäftigungsformen besonders stark vertreten. Die Ausweitung ihrer Beschäftigung bildet ein bislang nicht ausgeschöpftes Potenzial zur Fachkräftesicherung. Den Betrieben stehen mit der betrieblichen Aus- und Weiterbildung zwei Instrumente zur Verfügung, mit denen sie aktiv auf die Fachkräftesituation einwirken können. Die duale Berufsausbildung gilt dabei als zentrale Strategie zur Generierung qualifizierter Arbeitskräfte. In Kapitel 3 des vorliegenden Berichts werden aktuelle Entwicklungen der betrieblichen Ausbildungssituation in Hessen sowie Übernahmequoten erfolgreicher Ausbildungsabsolventen diskutiert. Die betriebliche Weiterbildung stellt eine Möglichkeit dar, Nach- oder Anpassungsqualifizierung von bereits beschäftigten, aber noch nicht ausreichend qualifizierten Arbeitskräften zu erreichen. In Kapitel 4 wird neben der betrieblichen Weiterbildung auch das Potenzial von Beschäftigten mit einfachen Tätigkeiten, die meist gering oder formal gar nicht qualifiziert sind, diskutiert. Mit Blick auf die prognostizierte geringere Nachfrage nach dieser Tätigkeitsgruppe und den höheren Bedarfen an Fachkräften liegt es nahe, die bestehenden Potenziale der einfach Beschäftigten stärker zu nutzen, um dem drohenden Fachkräftemangel innerbetrieblich entgegenzuwirken. Aus- und Weiterbildungsaktivitäten dienen neben der Bereitstellung benötigter Qualifikationen auch der Bindung von qualifizierten Beschäftigten. Besonders in Zeiten konjunktureller Konsolidierung und des demografischen Wandels in denen Fachkräfte verstärkt nachgefragt werden, verfügen diese über verbesserte Verhandlungspositionen und vermehrte Optionen. Folglich müssten Betriebe ihr Potenzial zur Bindung der Beschäftigten stärker nutzen. Das Kündigungsverhalten der Arbeitnehmer beeinflusst, neben der Personalsuche und dem Neueinstellungsverhalten der Betriebe, die personelle Dynamik in den Betrieben. Für 2015 wird erwartet, dass sich die Personalbewegungen in hessischen Betrieben dynamisch zeigen, d.h. es werden viele Neueinstellungen und mittlere Zahlen an Personalabgängen prognostiziert. In Kapitel 5 wird zudem diskutiert, ob sich die Möglichkeiten, qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte zu rekrutieren und zu halten zwischen Betrieben, die in der Aus- und Weiterbildung aktiv sind und denjenigen, die weniger aktiv sind, systematisch unterscheiden. Die Darstellungen zur Betriebs- und Beschäftigtensituation in Hessen für das Jahr 2015 basieren auf Daten, welche bei 1.046 Betrieben in Hessen erhoben wurden. Grundgesamtheit der Bruttostichprobe ist die Betriebsdatei der Bundesagentur für Arbeit, welche alle Betriebe mit mindestens einem sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten enthält. Damit Aussagen zu allen Betrieben in Hessen möglich sind, werden die Daten zu den Einzelbetrieben nach Betriebsgröße und Wirtschaftszweig gemäß der tatsächlichen Verteilung der Betriebe in Hessen gewichtet (ausführlich hierzu Kapitel Datengrundlage und Methodik). Die Angaben sind nach der Gewichtung repräsentativ für alle hessischen Betriebe und Dienststellen mit mindestens einem sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten. Sie erlauben nach Wirtschaftszweigen und Betriebsgrößen statistisch gesicherte Aussagen. Wo immer dies möglich ist, werden kurz- und mittelfristige Entwicklungen nachgezeichnet sowie Erwartungen für die Zukunft dargestellt. Eine differenzierte Darstellung der Ergebnisse nach Wirtschaftszweigen und Größenklassen der Betriebe findet sich immer an den Stellen, wo dies möglich und sinnvoll ist.
Beschäftigungsprognose 2017/2018 für die Region Rhein-Main : IWAK-Betriebsbefragung im Herbst 2016
(2016)
Folgende Beschäftigungstrends in der Region Rhein-Main sind für die Jahre 2017 und 2018 zu erwarten: Die Gesamtbeschäftigung in der Region Rhein-Main wird bis Ende 2017 voraussichtlich um 1,9 Prozent steigen, was einem Zuwachs von hochgerechnet 40.000 Beschäftigten entspricht. Die Zahl der sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten steigt mit 2,0 Prozent ähnlich stark an. Die künftige Beschäftigungsentwicklung verläuft in den Wirtschaftszweigen unterschiedlich. Mit weitgehender Stagnation rechnen bis Ende 2017 die Finanz- und Versicherungsdienstleistungen, die Energie- und Wasserversorgung sowie Erziehung und Unterricht. Insbesondere die Bereiche Verkehr und Lagerei, Handel, Baugewerbe sowie wirtschaftliche und wissenschaftliche Dienstleistungen rechnen mit überdurchschnittlichen Beschäftigungszuwächsen bis Ende 2017. Die Unterschiede zwischen der erwarteten Entwicklung der Gesamtbeschäftigung und der sozialversicherungspflichtigen Beschäftigung sind zwischen den Wirtschaftszweigen eher gering. Jobmotor der Region bleiben die kleineren Betriebe: Bis Ende 2017 erwarten Kleinstbetriebe einen Beschäftigungszuwachs von über vier Prozent. Kleine und mittelgroße Betriebe erwarten durchschnittliche Zuwächse von zwei Prozent. Großbetriebe erwarten eher unterdurchschnittliche Beschäftigungszuwächse. Auch mittelfristig erwarten die Betriebe in der Region Rhein-Main eher einen Anstieg der Beschäftigung; für Ende 2018 wird mit einem Zuwachs von rund drei Prozent im Vergleich zu Ende 2016 gerechnet. Hierbei ist aber zu berücksichtigen, dass Prognosen über einen längeren Zeitraum auch mit höheren Unsicherheiten verbunden sind. Auch in diesem Zeithorizont rechnen die kleinen Betriebe mit deutlich mehr Beschäftigten als die mittelgroßen Betriebe. Großbetriebe erwarten auch bis Ende 2018 eine unterdurchschnittliche Entwicklung der Beschäftigung.
Using expibasketical theory and findings, this book attempts to understand and explain some of the wonders of love and the impacts these have on the other human institutions (such as marriage and family) that are supposed to be erected on love and understanding. Love is a phenomenon that is hard to correctly master, most probably because it is loaded with a lot of uncertainties. This simple fact must be the reason behind the commonplace saying that love is blind; a statement that can have several interpretations, one of which being that it is hard to read or know exactly what is on the other party's mind. Love thus becomes not only an intriguing feeling but also potentially full of intrigues. Can love be so blind to realities and still be love? The book answers many of such queries by expanding and delineating the frontiers of love, and thence marriage and family.
In Compagnon ! Journal d'un noussi en guerre: 2002-2011 Garvey tells the story of intimate and professional life in Côte dIvoire during a decade of civil war. During that period Garvey played an important role in the paramilitary group FLGO-Abidjan, part of the militarised wing of the so-called patriotic movement who supported President Laurent Gbagbo. Compagnon! is the outcome of the collaboration of Marcus Mausiah Garvey and the anthropologist Karel Arnaut which began in 2009 when Garvey showed Karel his autobiography-in-progress. Since that day both became companions in a long, challenging but often intensely creative and reflective literary project which led, among other things, to this book.
Decentralisation and Community Participation : Local Development and Municipal Politics in Cameroon
(2016)
This book explores how policies of decentralisation and community participation adopted in Cameroon in 1996 have played out on the ground since 2004. These reforms were carried out amid economic crisis, structural adjustment and political upheaval. At the time, popular sentiment was that change on the economic and political fronts was imperative. However, the ruling elite, some of whom had been shuttling around the state apparatus since independence, feared that succumbing to popular demands for change was tantamount to political suicide, as was the case elsewhere on the continent. These elites thwarted opposition demands for a sovereign national conference to discuss constitutional reform. The Francophone-dominated elite fiercely objected to Anglophone demands for the restoration of the Federal state that was dissolved in 1972. Instead, decentralisation was presented as an authentic forum for grassroots autonomy and municipal councils as credible arenas for community participation in local development. This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to unearth the permutations of decentralisation and community participation in Cameroon. It explores how local actors have responded to the implementation of state policy of decentralisation. Further, it documents how local issues observed in Bali in the North West Region and Mbankomo in the Central Region of Cameroon impact and are impacted by national policies and processes.
This book describes the Nyae Nyae Village Schools, an innovative and unique mother-tongue education initiative set in north-eastern Namibia. Inspired by the optimism of Independence, the project was designed in close consultation with the Ju|?hoansi community in the early 1990s. Drawing upon their traditional knowledge transmission strategies, and initiated in a supportive political environment, the project exemplified ?best practice.? During the following two decades, the Village Schools have transitioned from a donor-supported ?project? to government schools, and have received much attention and support from donors, civil society organisations, researchers, and others. However, the students still do not seem to succeed in the mainstream schools. Why is this? Based on long-term field-work in the region, including interviews with Nyae Nyae residents over several years and work with involved organisations, the book addresses this question. Contextualising the Village Schools within post-Independence Namibia, southern African history and the global indigenous rights movement, it examines the enormous paradoxes that schooling presents for the Nyae Nyae community. ?Owners of Learning? is the English translation of the Ju|?hoansi word for ?teacher? and it serves to highlight a fundamental question ? to whom does education belong?
The educational imagination is the capacity to think critically beyond our located, daily experiences of education. It breaks away from the immediacy of personal understanding by placing education within wider, deeper and longer contexts. Boundaries of the Educational Imagination develops the educational imagination by answering six questions: What happens when we expand continuously outwards from one school to all the schools of the world?; What happens if we go inside a school and explore how its material equipment has changed over the past 300 years?; What is the smallest educational unit in our brain and how does it allow an almost infinite expansion of knowledge?; What is the highest level of individual development we can teach students to aspire towards?; What role does education play in a world that is producing more and more complex knowledge increasingly quickly?; How do small knowledge elements combine to produce increasingly complex knowledge forms? Each question goes on a journey towards limit points in education so that educational processes can be placed within a bigger framework that allows new possibilities, fresh options and more critical engagement. These questions are then pulled together into a structuring framework enabling the reader to grasp how this complex subject works.
Dangerous Pastime
(2016)
Flame and Song
(2016)
PKK's soul-warming memoir tells of a life enriched by song, literature, food and spirituality at the heart of a loving family. Born into a newly independent Uganda, she grew up in a volatile political landscape but never lacked the inspiration and protection of generations of friends and relatives. Her story travels from her expansive childhood homes in Uganda, to the novelties of living in Addis Ababa, before settling in Cape Town, her current home. But no matter how far her journeys take her, it's clear that home is not only about places but people.
The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Growth of the University Sub-sector in Uganda, 2002-2012, narrates the experience of the Ugandan NCHE in the establishment, development and regulation of higher education institutions in Uganda from 2002 to 2012. In this period, student numbers in higher education institutions increased from about 65,000 to some 200,000 and university institutions from about ten to more than triple the number. The book discusses the role of a regulatory agency in the delivery of higher education, the relations of universities and colleges with such an agency, its impact on developing university capacities, and leadership in creating and refining higher education ideas. The experience of Ugandas regulatory agency, the NCHE, in those ten years should help both the Ugandan and other African countries higher education stakeholders in sharing lessons learned from this one case study. The author sees the roles of regulatory agencies as vital in the initial stages of building a higher education sub-sector and in periods of system transitions such as the current journey from elite to mass systems but is of the view that the university remains the home of knowledge creation, dissemination, and its application in society.
Horst Engert, 1886–1949
(2016)
Der Literaturwissenschaftler Horst Engert, der 1927 an die Universität in Kaunas berufen wurde, hat sich neben seiner germanistischen Lehre und Forschung mit dem Übersetzen zeitgenössischer litauischer Literatur beschäftigt. Dies ist als Pionierleistung zu bewerten, da auf Deutsch bis dahin nur Übersetzungen der traditionellen litauischen Volkspoesie sowie der im 18. Jahrhundert entstandenen "Jahreszeiten" von Donelaitis/Donalitius vorlagen.
Gisela Drohla, 1924–1983
(2016)
Gisela Drohla gilt für die 1960er und 70er Jahre als eine der bedeutendsten westdeutschen Übersetzer und Vermittler russischer Literatur. Nach eigenen Angaben beherrschte sie Russisch, Georgisch, Griechisch, Englisch, Bulgarisch und Französisch. Trotz zahlreicher Publikationen in renommierten Verlagen wie Suhrkamp, Insel, Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch oder Luchterhand blieben die biographischen Umstände der Übersetzerin in der Öffentlichkeit verschattet. Ihr übersetzerisches Handeln lässt sich jedoch ansatzweise aus in Verlagsarchiven aufbewahrten Dokumenten rekonstruieren.
With the rise of the knowledge for development paradigm, expert advice has become a prime instrument of foreign aid. At the same time, it has been object of repeated criticism: the chronic failure of technical assistance a notion under which advice is commonly subsumed has been documented in a host of studies. Nonetheless, international organisations continue to send advisors, promising to increase the effectiveness of expert support if their technocratic recommendations are taken up. This book reveals fundamental problems of expert advice in the context of aid that concern issues of power and legitimacy rather than merely flaws of implementation. Based on empirical evidence from South Africa and Tanzania, the authors show that aid-related advisory processes are inevitably obstructed by colliding interests, political pressures and hierarchical relations that impede knowledge transfer and mutual learning. As a result, recipient governments find themselves caught in a perpetual cycle of dependency, continuously advised by experts who convey the shifting paradigms and agendas of their respective donor governments. For young democracies, the persistent presence of external actors is hazardous: ultimately, it poses a threat to the legitimacy of their governments if their policy-making becomes more responsive to foreign demands than to the preferences and needs of their citizens.
Der vorliegende Band dokumentiert die Erhebungsinstrumente, die im BilWiss-Forschungsprogramm in den Erhebungen der folgenden Projektphasen zum Einsatz kamen: BilWiss („Bildungswissenschaftliches Wissen und der Erwerb professioneller Kompetenz in der Lehramtsausbildung“; 2009–2013), gefördert vom Programm des Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung „Entwicklung von Professionalität des pädagogischen Personals in Bildungseinrichtungen (ProPäda)“ unter dem Förderkennzeichen 01 JH 0910, und BilWiss-Beruf („Die Bedeutung des bildungswissenschaftlichen Hochschulwissens für den Berufseinstieg von Lehrkräften“; 2013–2016), gefördert vom BMBF Förderprogramm „Kompetenzmodellierung und Kompetenzerfassung im Hochschulsektor (KoKoHs)“ unter dem Förderkennzeichen 01 PK1 1007. Das Forschungsprogramm ist ein Verbundprojekt der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (M. Kunter), der Universität Duisburg-Essen (D. Leutner), der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (E. Terhart), des Max-Planck-Instituts für Bildungsforschung (J. Baumert, nur Projektphase BilWiss) und der Technischen Universität München (T. Seidel, nur Projektphase BilWiss-Beruf).
Das Forschungsprogramm zielt darauf ab, zu untersuchen, inwieweit angehende Lehrkräfte durch das Studium der Bildungswissenschaften unterstützt werden, mit den vielfältigen Herausforderungen ihres Berufs professionell umzugehen. Die zentrale Annahme dabei ist, dass konzeptuelles Wissen über bildungswissenschaftliche Inhalte die professionelle Entwicklung im Vorbereitungsdienst und im Berufseinstieg unterstützt. Die Grundhypothese des Projekts lautet:
Bildungswissenschaftliche Inhalte und Zusammenhänge stellen einen begrifflichen Rahmen dar, den Lehrkräfte benötigen, um Unterrichts- und Schulereignisse angemessen zu interpretieren, zu reflektieren und so für die eigene Kompetenzentwicklung zu nutzen.
Um dies zu prüfen wurde im Rahmen des Forschungsprogramms ein standardisiertes Testinstrument zur Erfassung des bildungswissenschaftlichen Wissens entwickelt und in einer Vollerhebung von angehenden Lehrkräften zu Beginn des Vorbereitungsdienstes (n = 3298) an allen Studienseminaren in Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) eingesetzt. Um die Annahme zur Bedeutsamkeit des bildungswissenschaftlichen Wissens für die professionelle Entwicklung empirisch zu prüfen, wurde ein Teil dieser Lehramtsanwärter(innen) im Laufe des Vorbereitungsdienstes längsschnittlich begleitet, dabei wurden mehrfach das bildungswissenschaftliche Wissen und weitere Aspekte der professionellen Kompetenz sowie verschiedene Indikatoren des professionellen Verhaltens und beruflichen Erlebens erfasst. Die Erhebungszeitpunkte im Längsschnitt fanden ein Jahr nach dem Beginn des Vorbereitungsdienstes (n = 362), am Ende des Vorbereitungsdienstes (n = 284) und ca. zwei Jahre nach Berufseinstieg (n = 101) statt.
Die zeitliche Überschneidung des BilWiss-Projekts mit der Einführung eines reformierten Vorbereitungsdienstes im Rahmen der 2009 beschlossenen Neuerungen in der Lehrerbildung im Land NRW eröffnete zudem die Möglichkeit, die differenzielle Entwicklung der angehenden Lehrkräfte aufgrund unterschiedlicher Lerngelegenheiten in einer quasi-experimentellen Feldstudie empirisch zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurde zusätzlich zur oben bereits beschriebenen Kohorte, die sich im 24-monatigen Vorbereitungsdienst befand (Kohorte 1), eine weitere Kohorte in die Befragung einbezogen, die den reformierten verkürzten, 18-monatigen Vorbereitungsdienst absolviert (Kohorte 2). Die beiden Kohorten angehender Lehrkräfte stiegen zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten in den Vorbereitungsdienst ein (Kohorte 1 = Anfang 2011; Kohorte 2 = Ende 2011), beendeten diesen jedoch durch die Verkürzung des Vorbereitungs-dienstes zu einem ähnlichen Zeitpunkt (Anfang 2013). Auch die Daten der Kohorte 2 wurde zu Beginn (n = 511) und Ende des Vorbereitungsdienstes (n = 386), sowie ca. zwei Jahre nach dem Berufseinstieg (n = 104) erhoben.
Weiterführende Informationen zum theoretischen Ansatz der Studie und Ergebnissen der Studie können der Internetseite http://www.bilwiss.uni-frankfurt.de sowie den unten aufgeführten Publikationen entnommen werden.
The political economy of Azerbaijan has been interlinked in the internal and external relations of the country. This is exit for energy policy. It explains the qualitative socio-historical and political leap forward, referring to the efforts of President Heydar Aliyev, who signed the PSA with transnational energy corporations in 1994. According to this publication, the construction of multiple oil and gas pipelines represents the success of Azerbaijan's independent energy policy. Azerbaijan as a Regional Economic Driver: Opportunities and Challenges emphasises leading sectors of Azerbaijan's economy such as transport, construction, agriculture, information and communications technology, tourism and banking. It is noteworthy that the book refers to 'Azerbaijan 2020' when explaining the country's policy to transform itself from an energy-based economy to a knowledge-based one. This publication serves to recognise Azerbaijan as a reliable partner in international relations. It also scrutinises advantages and disadvantages of trade-off between strategic choices oriented to the European Union and/or the Eurasian Union.
The management of elections is increasingly generating impassioned debate in these East African nations - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The bodies that manage and conduct elections are, therefore, coming under intense citizen and stakeholder scrutiny for the manner in which they are composed, how they organise and perform their mandates, and the outcomes they achieve. The effectiveness of electoral management bodies (EMBs) has largely been influenced by the impact of political violence on election management reforms in East Africa. Even in countries where EMBs are the products of reforms initiated in the aftermath of violent disputes over elections, they still face enormous challenges in dealing with electoral disputes and anticipating election-related crises. Although changes to constitutions and the laws in these countries have sought to make EMBs independent and, therefore, more inclined to deliver free, fair and credible elections, there are many issues that determine their impartiality and their ability to allow for the aggregation and free expression of the will of the people. These shortcomings negatively impact on democracy. This volume assembles case studies on the capacity of EMBs in these five East African countries to deliver democratic and transparent elections.
If You Must Fall Bush
(2016)
If You Must Fall Bush brings the wide-ranging poetic voice of Nsah Mala to readers one more time as he explores themes ranging from the wanderlust syndrome of the twenty-first century to issues of corruption and the emasculation of African traditional values. Reading the collection is like delving into a treasure trough since each page brings to the limelight a new poem with a refreshing idea and manner of articulation that makes the collection even more thrilling. The collection is a critique of the ill-informed opinion of youths who feel that far-off lands are greener pastures.
Das Vertrauen vieler Menschen in ihre mathematischen und musikalischen Fähigkeiten ist oftmals sehr niedrig ausgeprägt oder wenig ausdifferenziert. Sie glauben, dass sie in dem einen oder anderen Fach (oder beiden) nicht gut seien. Hinzukommt, dass die Aussage „Ich kann nicht singen“ oder „Mathematik habe ich noch nie verstanden“ durchaus gesellschaftsfähig ist und sie nicht daran hindern muss, eine erfolgreiche Karriere zu durchlaufen, noch wird es die Meinung anderer über sie ändern.
Das Projekt „European Music Portfolio – Sounding Ways into Mathematics“ (EMP-Maths) möchte dieses Verständnis ändern. Jeder kann singen und Musik machen und jeder kann Mathematik treiben. Beide Themen sind integraler Bestandteil unseres Lebens und unserer Gesellschaft. Was geändert werden muss, ist das Bild von diesen beiden Fächern und die Fähigkeit von Lehrpersonen, Lernenden die Gelegenheit zu geben, dieses zu verändern und die beiden Fächer als bereichernd für die Lebensgestaltung einzustufen.
Beispielhaft wird im Arbeitsbuch eine Aktivität vorgestellt, in welcher Mathematik und Musik in einer Unterrichtssequenz miteinander verbunden werden. Weitere Aktivitäten, die in der Schule genutzt werden können, finden sich im Handbuch für Lehrerinnen und Lehrer. Viele weitere Beispiele und Vorschläge sind bereits vorhanden (siehe Web-Seite des Projekts) und wir möchten jeden ermutigen, sie zu nutzen. Die Auswahl im Handbuch deckt einige zentralen Felder der Mathematik und der Musik ab: Singen, Tanzen, Hören, Probleme lösen, Zahlen, Messen, Raum und Form. Mit diesem Ansatz wollen wir das Projekt an die Kerncurricula der beteiligten Länder anbinden: Deutschland, Griechenland, Rumänien, Slowakei, Spanien, Schweiz und Großbritannien. Die Dokumentation der Beispiele erfolgt in einer Art von Didaktischen Design Patterns, deren Struktur an die Anforderungen des Projekts angepasst wurde.
Das Projekt „Sounding Ways into Mathematics“ stellt Aktivitäten mit unterschiedlichen mathematischen und musikalischen Inhalten vor, um Lehrpersonen ein möglichst breites Spektrum an Hilfsmitteln, Ideen und Beispielen anbieten zu können. Diese Aktivitäten sind so aufgebaut, dass sie erweiter- und anpassbar an unterschiedliche Kontexte sowie auf die Bedürfnisse einer jeden Lehrperson und deren Schülerinnen und Schülern sind. Ferner wurden diese Aktivitäten nicht nur entwickelt, um von der Lehrperson instruktiv ausgeführt zu werden, sondern, um sie gemeinsam mit der Lerngruppe zu nutzen und eventuell sogar gemeinsam zu verändern und weiter zu entwickeln.
Das Projekt „Sounding Ways into Mathematics“ steht in Verbindung zum EMP-Sprachen Projekt „A creative Way into Languages“ (http://emportfolio.eu/emp/).
European Music Portfolio (EMP) – Maths: 'Sounding ways into mathematics' : teacher’s handbook
(2016)
Music and mathematics share an odd character: many people believe that they are not good at one or the other (or both). However, ‘I cannot sing’ or ‘I never understood mathematics’ will probably not keep them from having successful careers, and nor will it change the opinions others have about them.
The project ‘European Music Portfolio – Sounding Ways into Mathematics’ (EMP-Maths) aims towards a different understanding with regards to this character. Everyone can sing and make music, and everyone can do mathematics. Both topics are integral parts of our life and society. What needs to be improved is our ability to give students opportunities to like them.
This teacher’s handbook presents activities with different mathematical and musical content in order to offer teachers resources, ideas and examples. These activities are designed to be expandable, adaptable to different contexts, and adjustable to the needs of each teacher and their students. Furthermore, these activities are not just planned to be carried out individually; a teaching unit could be used to make sense of them, or they could even be developed in connection with each other.
Apart from this teacher’s handbook, the project provides a continuing professional development (CPD) course, a webpage (http://maths.emportfolio.eu) from which all materials can be downloaded, and an online collaboration platform. A general overview of related literature and research is available in separate documents. Additional teacher booklets provide related materials and a brief overview of the theoretical background, and are the basis for the CPD courses. The project ‘Sounding Ways into Mathematics’ is related to the EMP-Languages project ‘A Creative Way into Languages’ (http://emportfolio.eu/emp/).
Musik und Mathematik haben eine Sache gemeinsam: viele Menschen glauben, dass sie in dem einen oder anderen Fach (oder beiden) nicht gut seien. Schlimmer noch, die Aussage „Ich kann nicht singen“ oder „Mathematik habe ich noch nie verstanden“ wird sie sicher nicht von einer erfolgreichen Karriere abhalten, noch wird es die Meinung anderer über sie ändern.
Das Projekt „European Music Portfolio – Sounding Ways into Mathematics“ (EMP-Maths) möchte dieses Verständnis ändern. Jeder kann singen und Musik machen und jeder kann Mathematik treiben. Beide Themen sind integraler Bestandteil unseres Lebens und unserer Gesellschaft. Was geändert werden muss, ist die Fähigkeit von Lehrpersonen, Lernenden die Gelegenheit zu geben, sie zu mögen.
Dieses Handbuch für Lehrpersonen stellt Aktivitäten mit unterschiedlichen mathematischen und musikalischen Inhalten vor, um Lehrpersonen ein möglichst breites Spektrum an Hilfsmitteln, Ideen und Beispielen anbieten zu können. Diese Aktivitäten sind so aufgebaut, dass sie erweiter- und anpassbar an unterschiedliche Kontexte sowie auf die Bedürfnisse einer jeden Lehrperson und deren Schülerinnen und Schülern sind. Ferner wurden diese Aktivitäten nicht nur entwickelt, um von der Lehrperson instruktiv ausgeführt zu werden, sondern, um sie gemeinsam mit der Lerngruppe zu nutzen und eventuell sogar gemeinsam zu verändern und weiter zu entwickeln.
Neben diesem Handbuch stellt das Projekt Weiterbildungsangebote zur Verfügung, eine Web-Seite (http://maths.emportfolio.eu), von der Materialien heruntergeladen werden können sowie eine Online Plattform zur interaktiven Zusammenarbeit. Ein Überblick über relevante Literatur und Forschung ist in einem separaten Dokument zusammengestellt. Zusätzliche Arbeitsbücher für Lehrpersonen enthalten weitere Aktivitäten sowie ausgewählte Aspekte aus dem hier zusammengestellten theoretischen Hintergrund. Diese Arbeitsbücher bilden die Grundlage der Weiterbildungskurse. Das Projekt „Sounding Ways into Mathematics“ steht in Verbindung zum EMP-Sprachen Projekt „A creative Way into Languages“ (http://emportfolio.eu/emp/).
The post-2000 period in Zimbabwe saw the launch of a fast track land reform programme, resulting in a flurry of accounts from white Zimbabweans about how they saw the land, the land invasions, and their own sense of belonging and identity. In White Narratives, Irikidzayi Manase engages with this fervent output of texts seeking definition of experiences, conflicts and ambiguities arising from the land invasions. He takes us through his study of texts selected from the memoirs, fictional and non-fictional accounts of white farmers and other displaced white narrators on the post-2000 Zimbabwe land invasions, scrutinising divisions between white and black in terms of both current and historical ideology, society and spatial relationships. He examines how the revisionist politics of the Zimbabwean government influenced the politics of identities and race categories during the period 2000-2008, and posits some solutions to the contestations for land and belonging.
Wenn man davon ausgeht, dass "jede Wahrheit ihr Haus, ihren angestammten Palast, in der Sprache hat", dann kommt der Terminologie eine entscheidende Bedeutung zu. Der terminus (lat. für 'Grenzstein') markiert eine Grenze, die dem Denken einen Spielraum erschließt und es dadurch ermöglicht. Bekanntlich werden Grenzen gesetzt, um früher oder später überschritten zu werden. Jede Grenzziehung erscheint somit als Vorbereitung einer Reihe von Entgrenzungen, jede Definition als Einladung zur Protest gegen ihre als willkürlich oder zu eng empfundenen Demarkationslinien. Nun gehört es zu den spezifischen Merkmalen von Walter Benjamins Denk- und Schreibweise, dass er meistens mit Konzepten arbeitet, die er nicht eindeutig definiert – z. B. 'Mythos', 'göttliche Gewalt', 'Lehre', 'Erlösung' –, oder deren Definitionen gänzlich offen bleiben – wie z. B. im Falle von 'Ursprung', 'Aura' oder 'dialektisches Bild'. Nicht selten wirken seine denkwürdigen Definitionen nicht als Antworten auf die Frage nach dem Wesen, sondern als Rätsel, die dem Leser eine Art Schock versetzen, von dem er zu weiteren Fragen angeregt wird. Dieser poetische Umgang mit der Terminologie wurde bekanntlich von den deutschen Romantikern herausgearbeitet, wie Benjamin in seiner Dissertation zum frühromantischen Begriff der Kunstkritik ausführlich zeigt. In Bezug auf Friedrich Schlegels Stil schreibt er z. B.: "Die Terminologie ist die Sphäre, in welcher jenseits von Diskursivität und Anschaulichkeit sich sein Denken bewegt. Denn der Terminus, der Begriff enthielt für ihn den Keim des Systems, war im Grunde nichts anderes als ein präformiertes System selbst." Die vorliegende Arbeit möchte diese Einsicht auch für die Lektüre der Schriften Benjamins nutzbar machen. Denn sein Denken war wie das Schlegelsche "nicht systematisch entfaltet, wohl aber durchaus systematisch orientiert". Je mehr man sich in seine Schriften einarbeitet, umso häufiger fallen die auf Anhieb ungeahnten correspondances auf, die seine Begriffe miteinander unterhalten. Das gilt auch für den Begriff des Eingedenkens, an dessen Leitfaden sich die systematische Ausrichtung seines Denkens in der Vielfalt seiner Themen, Bilder und Motiven gut beobachten lässt.
Zimbabwean history is rooted in ethnic and cultural identities, inequalities, and injustices which the post-colonial government has sought to address since national independence in 1980. Marginalisation of some ethnic groups has been one of the persistent problems in contemporary Zimbabwe. Of particular significance to this book is the marginalisation of the BaTonga people of north-western Zimbabwe - a marginalisation whose roots are right back to the colonial era. Post-colonial Zimbabwe's emphasis on cultural identity and confirmation has, however, prompted the establishment of community museums such as the BaTonga Community Museum (BCM), to promote cultures of the ethnic minorities. This book critically examines the effects and socio-economic contribution of the BCM to the local communities and other sectors of the economy. It draws extensively on and problematizes prevalent debates on the biography of things to surface out the primacy of agency in heritage and sustainability.
This volume critically interrogates, from different angles and dimensions, the resilience of conflict and violence into 21st century Africa. The demise of European colonial administration in Africa in the 1960s wielded fervent hope for enduring peace for the people of Africa. Regrettably, conflict alongside violence in all its dimensions physical, religious, political, psychological and structural remain unabated and occupy central stage in contemporary Africa. The resilience of conflict and violence on the continental scene invokes unsettling memories of the past while negatively influencing the present and future of crafting inclusive citizenship and statehood. The book provides fresh insightful ethnographic and intellectual material for rethinking violence and conflict, and for fostering long-lasting peace and political justice on the continent and beyond. With its penetrating focus on conflict and associated trajectories of violence in Africa, the book is an inestimable asset for conflict management practitioners, political scientists, historians, civil society activists and leaders in economics and politics as well as all those interested in the affairs of Africa.
The once acrimonious debate on the existence of African philosophy has come of age, yet the need to cultivate a culture of belonging is more demanding now than ever before in many African societies. The gargantuan indelible energised chicanery waves of neo-colonialism and globalisation and their sweeping effect on Africa demand more concerted action and solutions than cul-de-sac discourses and magical realism. It is in view of this realisation that this book was born. This is a vital text for understanding contextual historical trends in the development of African philosophic ideas on the continent and how Africans could possibly navigate the turbulent catadromous waters, tangled webs and chasms of destruction, and chagrin of struggles that have engrossed Africa since the dawn of slavery and colonial projects on the continent. The book aims to generate more insights and influence national, continental, and global debates in the field of philosophy. It is accessible and handy to a wider range of readers, ranging from educators and students of African philosophy, anthropology, African studies, cultural studies, and all those concerned with the further development of African philosophy and thought systems on the African continent.
Despite all the talk about African Renaissance, much of the continent is plagued by poverty and instability. To break out of that cycle, the guardians of African heritage (the old independence freedom fighters turned political leaders and their successors) and much of Afrocentric literature rightly promotes African ideas and solutions for African problems. While the idea in itself is noble, the danger is for Africa to close itself off and ignore 'outside' technical and intellectual innovations that it desperately needs to advance further. Africa through Structuration Theory - ntu-joins the discourse by attempting to restore intellectual freedom and convincingly defends structuration theory not only as the way forward for Africa but also as a legitimately African concept. It is innovative, refreshing and deserves to be heard across the world and appreciated especially by African graduates,'current and future'leaders of various African institutions or businesses, non-Africans who might hesitate to refer to such a theory when trying to understand and deal with African problems and the wider public who constitute the audience for this book. New in this edition: All chapters have been tightened up to make a clearer and more robust case. Chapter three, in particular, has been developed further in an attempt to demonstrate how Ubuntu is an African version of structuration theory. Overall, having both approached the subject from a rational perspective and presented Ubuntu in its preferred version, it became imperative to discuss the status/role of the African body in the expression of human agency and characterise different leadership practices in Africa that do not necessarily reflect the ideals of Ubuntu. Hence, Chapter 6: Body sociology and Africa and Chapter 7: The FS (fear and self-scrutiny) methodology of Ubuntu: a mapping of the field.
Africa's Best and Worst Presidents seeks to deconstruct the current superstructure that colonialism created and maintains. It chastises and challenges Africans, academics in the main, to revisit and write a true history of Africa. Written by Africans themselves, such rewritten histories should aim to counter the counterfeit narratives which have proliferated, poisoned and diminished African sense of self and self-confidence. The history centred on African perspectives and experiences should go a long way in our quest to truly unfetter Africa from dependency, desolations and mismanagement. This book calls upon all Africans to stand up fearlessly and tirelessly to take on decadent and despotic regimes that have always held Africa at ransom as they get lessons from the best managers of state affairs on whose feats they must expand. The option to critique, cross-examine and dissect past African presidents and their excesses is aimed at giving the young and frustrated generations of Africans the intellectual resources they need to arm themselves in resolve and pursuit of Africa's emancipation.
Scholars, especially those interested in understanding how leadership has inhibited academic freedom and hindered effectiveness of institutions of higher learning have for long been engaged by the very important manner in which governance and leadership of higher education institutions in Africa is constituted and managed. The fact that there has been a dearth of work based on the experiences of those who have served as university leaders has created a major gap. Questions remain on how leaders of higher education institutions are identified, how they are prepared, the personal predispositions that individuals bring to the exercise of such positions and their personal experiences regarding what energizes or inhibits the performance of their work. Until recently, presidents in most African countries served as chancellors of public universities, identification of those who served as university leaders was largely a political process. But much has changed, with most countries establishing oversight bodies and the overall governance of higher education institutions divorced from the day-to-day political processes. Trails in Academic and Administrative Leadership in Kenya provides a personal account of the experiences in higher education leadership from an individual whose tenure in leadership straddled the two eras. In this book, Prof. Michieka provides an account of how his early education prepared him for roles in academic and institutional leadership in Kenya. The author shares his experiences on the trails he had to navigate as an academic, a vice-chancellor and a chairperson of university council at a time when universities in Kenya were transiting from extreme government administrative control to a greater degree of operational autonomy. Readers will find in this work thought-provoking insights on how leaders of higher education institutions in Kenya have had to balance between demands of the political system and the need to safeguard academic traditions in the everyday management of the institutions.