Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis examines the lives of two prominent artisan trade union organisers active in late-nineteenth century Sierra Leone: S.H.A. Case (1845-1901) and J.T. Ojukutu-Macauley (1846-1904). It...Show moreThis thesis examines the lives of two prominent artisan trade union organisers active in late-nineteenth century Sierra Leone: S.H.A. Case (1845-1901) and J.T. Ojukutu-Macauley (1846-1904). It argues that both men were deeply involved in the colony's middle-class social and religious life. This small and tightly-knit community transmitted a particular set of norms - an emphasis on self-improvement through education, a desire for social prestige- through informal networks, which Abner Cohen called the 'cult of eliteness'. These connnections provided both men with support for their endeavours to improve the social and economic position of the colony's artisans. While both men emphasised a distinct artisan identity and class consciousness, they also aspired to middle class status. This thesis shows how both men navigated the complex position of artisans vis-a-vis other wage workers and the white-collar middle class of the colony.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)
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
