Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
2020-05-31T00:00:00Z
Political conflict and polarization in Zanzibar have been examined by different scholars and from different (inter)disciplinary angles, often, however, to the exclusion of female voices. Trying to...Show morePolitical conflict and polarization in Zanzibar have been examined by different scholars and from different (inter)disciplinary angles, often, however, to the exclusion of female voices. Trying to mend this bias by exclusively exploring women’s perspectives, using mainly qualitative, in-depth interviews, I was able to identify the centrality of motherhood and mothering to the gendered standpoint of Zanzibari women, also in connection to their attitudes towards ‘the political’. Consequently, this thesis explores the roles the institution of motherhood and mothering as practice play in women’s navigation of (political) uncertainty and conflict in the islands. To establish the context in which this navigation takes place and to mend misconceptions about female (non-)participation in Zanzibari electoral politics, the active roles women have filled in the island’s political history are highlighted. To be able to understand the ‘maternal standpoint’, my respondents spoke and navigated from, local ideologies and experiences of motherhood and mothering are explored. The Swahili terms uchungu (bitterness) and kuhangaika (‘to roam about and struggle’) are central here, expressing the sacrifice that is often expected and performed by mothers. I develop the concept of ‘maternal navigation’ which takes into account the practices of actors who not only strategize to ‘get by’ and ‘get on’ as individuals but navigate uncertainty on behalf of and through others. This helps to make sense of my respondents’ practices as they consider risks and vulnerabilities while negotiating prevalent social, cultural, economic and political circumstances, for the sake of bringing about the best possible results for their children and families. In the political context, motherhood and mothering are shown to have a variety of sometimes contradictory influences, e.g. in connection to the promotion or dismissal of political peace-building. Mothers are also shown to develop specific maternal strategies in face of the risks of politics in the islands to safeguard themselves, but – most importantly – their families and children against political dangers and exposure. Overall, the complex and ambivalence force motherhood and maternal subjectivities represent in the political sphere and in relation to the navigational activities of Zanzibari women is highlighted.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
La ville historique de Grand-Bassam est inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO depuis le 29 juin 2012. Elle comprend le Quartier France, première capitale coloniale française en Côte d’Ivoire,...Show moreLa ville historique de Grand-Bassam est inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO depuis le 29 juin 2012. Elle comprend le Quartier France, première capitale coloniale française en Côte d’Ivoire, et un village de l’ethnie N’zima. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à la question de l’appropriation symbolique du Quartier France par les habitants de la ville historique. Une recherche qualitative a été menée à travers une méthodologie qui combine entretiens d’experts avec des acteurs clés, entretiens semi-directifs avec les habitants et observations directes et indirectes sur le terrain. Elle met en exergue l’existence d’une appropriation symbolique dont les modalités diffèrent selon deux groupes majeurs: les allogènes et N’zima "déracinés" du Quartier France qui développent un marquage trace de l’espace, et les autochtones du village N’zima qui expriment à la fois un marquage trace et un marquage présence matérialisé par la célébration de la fête de l’Abissa.Show less
