Showing papers in "Journal of Asian and African Studies in 2008"
TL;DR: In fact, poverty can only account for the powerlessness, frustration and desperation of the perpetrators, but not for their target as discussed by the authors, who were not Whites, or the rich, or White foreigners in South Africa targeted instead.
Abstract: Reflecting on the causes of the recent xenophobic pogroms in South Africa, it is striking how most commentators have stressed poverty and deprivation as the underlying causes of the events. Yet it requires little effort to see that economic factors, however real, cannot possibly account for why it was those deemed to be non-South Africans who bore the brunt of the vicious attacks. Poverty can be and has historically been the foundation for the whole range of political ideologies, from communism to fascism and anything in between. In fact, poverty can only account for the powerlessness, frustration and desperation of the perpetrators, but not for their target. Why were not Whites, or the rich, or White foreigners in South Africa targeted instead? Of course, it is a common occurrence that the powerless regularly take out their frustrations on the weakest: women, children, the elderly — and outsiders. Yet this will not suffice as an explanation. The systematic and concerted attacks on those deemed to be fore...
210 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of published and grey literature, and qualitative interviews with slum residents as well as with landlords, tenants and stakeholders in Nairobi's multi-storey tenements are presented.
Abstract: This article addresses the high level of commercialization of shelter and basic services in Nairobi, and its implication for slum upgrading in Kenya. The article is based on a review of published and grey literature, and on qualitative interviews with slum residents as well as with landlords, tenants and stakeholders in Nairobi's multi-storey tenements. The Kenyan government's conceptualization of slum upgrading inserts benefits into a highly distorted market, preventing a balanced realization of the internationally recognized elements of the right to housing, and raising fears of displacement among slum residents. An analysis of the wider tenement market confirms these fears, and suggests that market distortions must be addressed in order for slum upgrading to succeed.
104 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the history of shack dwellers' struggles in the South African city of Durban is discussed and a first-hand engagement with a shack dweller is described.
Abstract: This article, written in response to recent arguments about whether or not shack dwellers can exercise historical agency, outlines the history of shack dwellers' struggles in the South African city of Durban. The sections looking at struggles under colonialism and apartheid and the nature of the post-apartheid deal with regard to housing draw on the extensive literature on these questions. The final section, which gives an outline of the emergence, nature and experience of the shack dwellers' movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo, is written from a first-hand engagement. The article concludes that in contemporary Durban organized shack dwellers are constituting a major challenge to technocratic conceptions of democracy.
89 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors critique the development literature's neglect of the role played by institutions in development, with special emphasis on corruption cleanups, and propose a model to address this neglect.
Abstract: The study critiques the development literature's neglect of the role played by institutions in development, with special emphasis on corruption cleanups. Such neglect is especially problematic in v...
51 citations
TL;DR: In the first years of independence, students were among the most fearsome defenders of the regime as mentioned in this paper, and student activism has made an important contribution to the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe.
Abstract: Student activism has made an important contribution to the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe. In the first years of independence students were among the most fearsome defenders of the regime. Thre...
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors explores the rise of one of South Africa's largest and most sustained post-apartheid social movements, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Zulu for ''the people who live in the shacks''.
Abstract: This article explores the rise of one of South Africa's largest and most sustained post-apartheid social movements, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Zulu for `the people who live in the shacks'. The Abahlali...
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the prevalence and determinants of physical, sexual, and life threatening partner violence experienced by married women, using the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey data.
Abstract: This study examines the prevalence and determinants of physical, sexual, and life threatening partner violence experienced by married women, using the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey data....
27 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the form of urban local government in India in the context of recent municipal reforms and conclude that municipalities in India are being empowered in various ways with the intention that they would emerge as viable units of governance at the local level.
Abstract: The role of urban local governments in India has become extremely challenging. To ensure that demands of the urban population are addressed properly, the Indian government has initiated various policy reforms to strengthen local governments. This article describes the form of urban local government in India in the context of recent municipal reforms. Evolution of municipalities, their typology and constitution, legislation, duties, composition, management and finance practices are some aspects covered. It is concluded that municipalities in India are being empowered in various ways with the intention that they would emerge as viable units of governance at the local level.
24 citations
24 citations
TL;DR: The Consolidated Council on Social and Economic Development of Coastal States of the Niger Delta (COSEND) is a new development institution recently established by the Government of Nigeria to drive the development of the Nigeria's Niger Delta region as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Niger Delta oil contributes immensely to the well-being of the Nigerian State; yet the Niger Delta region remains underdeveloped and its indigenous inhabitants are among the poorest in Nigeria, leading the frustrated indigenous people to engage in frequent oil-related protests. Previous development bodies, such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), have failed to bring development to the region for various reasons. This article seeks to consider the Consolidated Council on Social and Economic Development of Coastal States of the Niger Delta (COSEND) — a new development institution recently established by the Government of Nigeria to drive the development of the Niger Delta region — with a view to determining whether it could succeed where similar bodies had failed in the past.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show how politics is lived in Durban's shacks, and show how Badiou's thoughts supplement a series of uniquely African instances of politics, including the work of S'bu Zikode of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Shackdwellers Movement (South Africa).
Abstract: Shackdweller communities are among the most impoverished and exploited on the planet. With nearly 1 billion people living in them, one might consider them to be hotbeds of radicalism. Yet, in fact, very few settlements have become disobedient. Using the work of S'bu Zikode of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Shackdwellers Movement (South Africa) and the work of Alain Badiou, I show how politics is lived in Durban's shacks, and show how Badiou's thoughts supplement a series of uniquely African instances of politics.
TL;DR: The ZANU government of President Robert Mugabe has undertaken a credible measure of land redistribution but has yet to achieve a mutually beneficial land reform among the races in Zimbabwe as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The ZANU government of President Robert Mugabe has undertaken a credible measure of land redistribution but has yet to achieve a mutually beneficial land reform among the races in Zimbabwe. Mugabe'...
TL;DR: In this article, a diachronical actor-oriented perspective is used to analyse the conflict in Sudan, where the authors present ethnic conflicts as ethnic strife in a framework of weak states.
Abstract: Violent conflicts in Africa are often presented as ethnic strife in a framework of weak states. This article takes a diachronical actor-oriented perspective to analyse the conflict in Sudan. It sho...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored female employment in rural Afghanistan, based on the 2003 and 2005 Nationwide Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (NRVA) covering thousands of households.
Abstract: This article explores female employment in rural Afghanistan, based on the 2003 and 2005 Nationwide Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (NRVA) covering thousands of households. Rural female employment involves about a quarter of rural women and a quarter of rural households. Female employment rates are much lower across the conservative southern belt. A majority of rural working women are in wage jobs, paid much less than men. Few employed women have control over their earnings. Better-educated rural women have higher participation and lower unemployment, especially in medium and better-off households. Female unemployment rates are double men's rates. The article highlights priorities for research and policy implications.
TL;DR: The manufacturing sector at all levels is performing below-expectation in Nigeria as mentioned in this paper, and many sectors, such as ceramic industry, glass industry and textile industry among others, are facing difficult times.
Abstract: The manufacturing sector at all levels is performing below-expectation in Nigeria. Many sectors, such as ceramic industry, glass industry and textile industry among others, are facing difficult tim...
TL;DR: In this article, a theory of a politics of the poor is elaborated and a concretisation of the latter is put forward as the concretization of the former, which is based on a recognition of the intellectual work done in poor communities.
Abstract: In these two talks a theory of a politics of the poor is elaborated. It is noted that the poor have effectively been excluded from substantive citizenship in post-apartheid South Africa resulting in a permanent crisis in the ordinary lives of the poor. It is argued that there are many responses to this crisis, some of which are dangerous and some of which hold out some hope. A politics of the poor is put forward as the concretization of the latter. It is stressed that a politics of the poor should be a non-representative politics. Both electoral party politics and NGO substitutionism are rejected in favour of the development of popular democratic counter-power where people live and work. Genuine solidarity, it is argued, should be negotiated on this terrain rather than simply declared from above on the NGO terrain. It is made clear that this is predicated on a recognition of the intellectual work done in poor communities.
TL;DR: The authors explores several ways to think about China's experience as a latecomer, offering a preliminary assessment of its development trajectory and the evolving nature of its foreign economic relations. But they do not support the view that China is emerging as the hub of a regional economic order in East Asia.
Abstract: China's rising profile in world economic affairs is beyond dispute. This article explores several ways to think about China's experience as a latecomer, offering a preliminary assessment of its development trajectory and the evolving nature of its foreign economic relations. In particular, the analysis rejects the view that China is emerging as the hub of a regional economic order in East Asia that is increasingly cohesive and independent vis-a-vis other regions of the world. Alternatively, the article highlights the promise of research that focuses on the role of Chinese economic activity within global commodity chains and how this particular form of cross-border integration affects interdependence among nation-states at multi-continental distances.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined landscaping adoption by organizations in two developing countries in Asia and Africa (namely Malaysia and Nigeria), and the key dimensions of facilitators of adoption.
Abstract: Socio-environmental marketing practices have increased drastically in the last decade following the rising environmental consciousness worldwide. This research examines landscaping adoption by organizations in two developing countries in Asia and Africa (namely Malaysia and Nigeria), and the key dimensions of facilitators of adoption. Factor and discriminant analyses were conducted on the data collected from these organizations. The findings of the research are that economic climate, governmental intervention, competitive development, public scrutiny, favourable management attitude and intention, relative advantage, compatibility and ease of use are important factors of socio-environmental marketing adoption by the participating firms.
TL;DR: The authors explored how Zambian youth encounter HIV/AIDS in their schools and communities, and presented ways in which they demonstrate their agency in creating new language, identities, and self-conceptions in response to these encounters.
Abstract: This article explores how Zambian youth encounter HIV/AIDS in their schools and communities, and presents ways in which they demonstrate their agency in creating new language, identities, and self-conceptions in response to these encounters. Utilizing qualitative onterviews participant observation, and student diaries, this study suggests that the role and delivery of schooling must be re-examined given high teacher mortality, teacher misinformation, and young people's exposure to the disease outside of schools. Students' diverse experiences in and outside of school shape their knowledge and beliefs about HIV/AIDS in a time when all social institutions in Zambia have been affected by the disease.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate China's military developments in recent years and explore the implications of its military advancements, focusing on the potential impact of China's current military growth on the USA and Taiwan.
Abstract: This article attempts to evaluate China's military developments in recent years and explore the implications of its military advancements. The emphasis will be on the potential impact of China's current military growth on the USA and Taiwan. What are the unique features of China's recent enhancement of its military capability? Does China's military expansion signal a power transition for a US-dominated international system? What is the US policy to deal with a rising China? Finally, to what extent is Taiwan prepared to meet China's new military challenges?
TL;DR: In this article, a brief overview of the gender perspective in the sector-wide approaches (SWAp) and its ability to integrate gender equality concerns in education in Ghana is provided.
Abstract: The article aims to provide a brief overview of the gender perspective in the Sector-wide Approaches (SWAp) and its ability to integrate gender equality concerns in education in Ghana. This approach has been strategically adopted by various aid agencies as an effective and efficient tool to ensure mainstreaming gender in different fields. In this article, we will try to analyse some of the ways in which mainstreaming gender has taken place through SWAp in the field of education in Ghana. It analyses the extent to which SWAp as a strategy has been able to mainstream gender in education in Ghana.
TL;DR: The 2006 South Africa local election results confirm the approximately two-thirds support the African National Congress (ANC)-led Alliance - with the Congress of SA Trade Unions (COSATU) and the SA Ccmmunist Party (SACP) - received from those who voted in previous elections as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The 2006 South Africa local election results confirm the approximately two-thirds support the African National Congress (ANC)-led Alliance - with the Congress of SA Trade Unions (COSATU) and the SA Ccmmunist Party (SACP) - received from those who voted in previous elections, a level of support that is also consistently reflected among COSATU members in surveys held during 1994, 1998 and 2004 1 However, the low voter turnout means less than a quarter of all eligible voters voted for the ANC As tensions between the ANC leadership under Thabo Mbeki and its working class allies mounted, this should ordinarily have presented an opportunity to build a Left alternative among a disgruntled working class majority - except that the basis for such an alternative, organized workers, seem gasistant to an independent working class politics' Instead, they put all their energies into replacing the Mbeki leadership with that of his deputy, Jacob Zuma By remaining within the Alliance, are the increasingly outspoken COSATU and SACP leadership being constrained by a relatively conservative union membership, arguably one of the beneficiaries of the democratic transition; or are workers merely responding to signals from a (largely compromised) leadership that working class hegemony' can only be realized through a 'popular-demoeratic' politics within the Alliance?
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined knowledge of consumers about information and warning labels on selected products in Ado Ekiti in southwestern Nigeria and found that respondents had average knowledge of information labels on the selected products, while a majority of the respondents did not check information on products before purchase and consumption.
Abstract: In spite of the efforts to safeguard consumers' health through product regulations, reports revealed that diseases and illnesses due to unhygienic production and consumption are on the increase. This study examined knowledge of consumers about information and warning labels on selected products in Ado Ekiti in southwestern Nigeria. Findings from the study revealed that respondents had average knowledge of information labels on the selected products. Also, a majority of the respondents did not check information on products before purchase and consumption. Chi-square results further showed relationships among some variables tested. The article recommends ways by which higher knowledge could be achieved.
TL;DR: The Kiambu Local Native Council's abortive high school at Githunguri is used as a case study to examine not only why the Government vetoed the building of the schools, but also to show how this greatly undermined the expansion of African higher education in subsequent years as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: By 1925, 30 years after Kenya became a British colony, there were no high schools for Africans in the colony. In 1926, the Africans decided to build their own high schools through their Local Native Councils (LNCs) but the Government refused to sanction the building of the schools and this led to a protracted struggle. The Kiambu LNC's abortive high school at Githunguri is used as a case study to examine not only why the Government vetoed the building of the schools, but also to show how this greatly undermined the expansion of African higher education in subsequent years.
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper highlighted the difficulty of practicing China's emerging grand strategy and highlighted the importance of a peaceful environment in a rapidly evolving China, which can be examined in terms of cultural tradition, socioeconomic development, and strategic choices.
Abstract: China's emerging grand strategy has deep domestic roots, which can be examined in terms of cultural tradition, socioeconomic development, and strategic choices. China's cultural tradition emphasizes he wei gui (priority to peace) and he er bu tong (unity in diversity). China's modernization demands a peaceful environment. In fact, the majority of Chinese elites and common people have realized that China cannot become rich and strong without a peaceful environment. Peaceful development is a strategic choice made by leaders from Deng Xiaoping to Hu Jintao. A rising China is facing cultural, economic, environmental, and political challenges. This study also highlights the difficulty of practicing China's emerging grand strategy.
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of development interventions on the rural households in the Abbottabad district of Pakistan has been studied based on a qualitative analysis of natural resource management and NGOs' impact on development activities and quantitative analysis of households' livelihood status and strategies.
Abstract: The study is based on the impact of development interventions on the rural households in the Abbottabad district of Pakistan Methodological approaches used include a qualitative analysis of natural resource management and NGOs' impact on development activities and quantitative analysis of households' livelihood status and strategies The key findings are that the role of social capital can ensure sustainable natural resource management and sustainable livelihood improvement activities Formation of community-based organizations can lead to the formation of social capital that is much needed for other management and livelihood support activities Also, natural resource management and livelihood improvement activities need to be interrelated with each other to involve the poor as they need incentives
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors find that the vacilla of political parties in Taiwan can be traced back to 1986, when the country entered an era of party competition and witnessed the flourishing of political party in terms of the number of parties and their relative strength.
Abstract: Since 1986, Taiwan has entered an era of party competition and witnessed the flourishing of political parties in terms of the number of parties and their relative strength. We find that the vacilla...