Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
2020-09-01T00:00:00Z
This thesis is an attempt to place the decline of the Marinid Empire in a wider perspective, in order to gain a better understanding of the causes of the decline. Although long considered to be a...Show moreThis thesis is an attempt to place the decline of the Marinid Empire in a wider perspective, in order to gain a better understanding of the causes of the decline. Although long considered to be a weak and ineffective polity in modern historiography, the Marinid Empire was perhaps one of the wealthiest polities of the medieval world. By controlling and facilitating the Trans-Saharan trade networks, the Marinids had access to the largest source of gold in their time, which enabled them to become an important regional polity. Their relative short reign and quick collapse however, cast a shadow over their legacy. But what caused their collapse? This thesis focused on the influence of the Black Death and its possible causative role in the decline of the Trans-Saharan gold trade. By doing so, a series of interesting correlations emerge that suggest that there is a causative relation between the arrival of the Black Death in West Africa, the decline of the Trans Saharan gold trade in the late 14th century and the Marinid decline itself.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
The period between 1840 and 1890 was a tumultuous era for Damaraland society (present-day Central Namibia). In this pre-colonial timeframe, strife over resources determined the prevailing status...Show moreThe period between 1840 and 1890 was a tumultuous era for Damaraland society (present-day Central Namibia). In this pre-colonial timeframe, strife over resources determined the prevailing status quo between local groups, while foreigners increasingly started to exert influence over sociopolitical and socio-economic arrangements as well. There are important continuities between this timeframe and the subsequent eras (1885–1915, when the territory was part of the German colony of Deutsch Südwestafrika; and 1919–1990, when the territory was known as the South African-controlled Mandate State of South West Africa); and numerous structures and traditions that are rooted in the pre-colonial period, still have an impact on Namibian society today. Even so, the pre-colonial timeframe (1840–1890) is largely being neglected in the historical representations in Namibian society today. Instead, Namibians and foreign visitors alike get confronted with an incomplete and manipulated image of Namibian national history: a ‘preferred image’ that is tightly connected to the nation building project of the SWAPO Party, Namibia’s ruling political party. In this thesis, the (pre-colonial) past is being connected to the current state of historical and sociopolitical affairs in the Republic of Namibia, to discover how and why the situation described above came into being.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
The thesis argues to give special attention to Chinese contractors with a provincial background (State-owned enterprise established at the provincial level) and their activities in African...Show moreThe thesis argues to give special attention to Chinese contractors with a provincial background (State-owned enterprise established at the provincial level) and their activities in African countries. Chinese actors who have an earlier entrance to the African market experience a ‘disembedding’ process as other forms of Chinese capital flow in. In face of intensified intra-China competition, provincial SOEs struggle to secure a position in the local market. This thesis explores how Chinese camps navigate changing and unfamiliar environment by cultivating connections with Senegalese actors and local communities. The analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Touba, Matam, Thiès, Thienaba and Dakar. The tracking strategy is a combination of go-along, participant observation and small-talks. The conceptual tool of this thesis, based on the concepts of ‘scale’ (Xiang 2013), ‘navigation’(Vigh, 2006, 2009) and ‘connection’ (Kaag 2012), attempts to understand how flows at one scale can influence or disrupt another scale; and on the local level, how actors experience these disruptions and move through the social forces created in the momentum as socially immediate and socially imagined; and how, through connection and connecting, they find a temporary anchor. This thesis looks at how Chinese contractors navigate the ambiguity of trust and potentiality of obligation to make work and social life possible. It also looks at how Chinese navigate the Chinese guanxi practice and Senegalese system reciprocity to cultivate stable interpersonal relations with significant local actors, such as the Mbacke marabouts in Touba. Keywords: Senegal; China; social navigation; reciprocity; religion; infrastructure; provinceShow less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Foreign land acquisitions in sub-Saharan Africa have increased since the global financial crisis of 2007/2008. Foreign governments purchased land to secure their own food sustainability, while new...Show moreForeign land acquisitions in sub-Saharan Africa have increased since the global financial crisis of 2007/2008. Foreign governments purchased land to secure their own food sustainability, while new climate mitigation policies drafted by the EU encouraged foreign companies to invest in biofuel in the developing countries of the world. Tanzania in particular has experienced an increase in FDIs in agriculture in the last 10 years because of its fertile land abundance and cheap labour available. The recent land acquisitions for agricultural purposes in Tanzania have been labelled as land grabs by the academia and prominent international organizations. Human rights violations and broken promises by foreign investors casted a shadow on FDIs in agriculture in Tanzania, which contributed to overlook the potential benefits that they could bring about. This research takes distance from the land grabbing debate and refers to the concept elaborated by Kaag and Zoomers, that land grabbing has been hyped and this prevented an analysis of the land acquisitions in agriculture in Tanzania free from constraints. The results of a six-months fieldwork in the country proved that foreign investors acting according to the law and prone to endorse social responsibilities, were successful in establish business models able to benefit the local context, as a matter of fact proving the potential of FDIs in agriculture in developing countries. Interests at stake are plenty and different, which makes it difficult to evaluate who gains more and who gains less, this is why recommendations on the basis of the cases studied are made in order to create a more inclusive environment. Since the topic is broad and multifaceted, I adopted a multidisciplinary approach which stretches from history to geography, from politics to law and from economics to agricultural science.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
War ravaged northern Uganda for over two decades after its start in 1986. During this time, over 80% of the Acholi population living there was internally displaced. This occurrence has disrupted...Show moreWar ravaged northern Uganda for over two decades after its start in 1986. During this time, over 80% of the Acholi population living there was internally displaced. This occurrence has disrupted social life in more ways than often acknowledged in policy-making and discourse surrounding displacement. This thesis draws focus to personal experiences of people who moved to Pabo – the former site of one of the displacement camps – during the war, and who have not left this place since. Using data from life histories collected in Pabo during seven months of fieldwork, it explores motivations for non-return and shows that displacement is more than a forced move from one geographical location to another; it involves economic, social, and cosmological considerations and touches upon identity and belonging. This thesis also explores the long-term effects of displacement on life by zooming in on social relations within the household. Using the concept of anomie, it is argued that, in this particular post-conflict context, there is lessened social guidance on desirable goals and accepted behavior as well as a discrepancy between goals that are still valued and the means available to achieve them. Building upon the life histories, the argument is constructed that the situation of anomie has contributed to intergenerational friction and to families breaking up. The goal of this thesis is to lay bare the interface between structure and agency, and to counter the trend of turning internally displaced people as well as refugees into abbreviations and subjects without a voice.Show less
