bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Edward Said, Michel Foucault og det essentialistiske islambillede
Authors: Jung Dietrich
Published: January 2018

Edward Saids Orientalism blev kendt som en anvendt udgave af Michel Foucaults diskursteori. Said hævdede at være inspireret af især Foucaults Archaeology of Knowledge og Discipline and Punish i sine analyser af det essentialiserede islambillede i orientalistikken. Med udgangspunkt i Saids hævdede inspiration fra Foucault kritiserer denne artikel Orientalism’s teoretiske ramme fra et sociologisk perspektiv. Dermed følger artiklen Sadik al-Azm’s argument, at Said ikke havde øje for det fænomen, som al-Azm kaldte ”orientalism in reverse”: Islamistiske og arabisk-nationalistiske tænkeres anvendelse af orientalistiske begreber i deres egne ideologiske konstruktioner. Artiklen argumenterer for, at Said som selv-erklæret foucaultianer burde have været opmærksom på diskursers reciprokke magt. Efterfølgende vises hvordan orientalister og islamister var tæt forbundne i den diskursformation, hvorfra det essentialiserede islambillede opstod.

ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Dietrich Jung: Edward Said, Michel Foucault and the Essentialist Image of Islam

Edward Said’s Orientalism became known as an applied version of Michel Foucault’s discourse theory. In analyzing the essentialist image of Islam as a core feature in Orientalist scholarship, Said claimed to be inspired by the work of Foucault, in particular by his Archaeology of Knowledge and Discipline and Punish. In using Said’s claim as a point of departure, this article criticizes the theoretical framework of Orientalism from a sociological perspective. Doing so, it examines Sadik al-Azm’s argument that Said had a blind eye to a phenomenon which al-Azm called “Orientalism in reverse”: the self-applications of Orientalist concepts in the ideological constructions of both Islamist and Arab Nationalist thinkers. The article argues that taking Foucault’s theoretical position seriously, Said should have been aware of the reciprocal power of discourses in shaping this essentialist image of Islam. The article then analyzes the phenomenon of “Orientalism in reverse” from a Foucauldian perspective, and shows the ways in which Orientalists and Islamists were closely knit together in a discursive formation from which the essentialist image of Islam emerged.

Key words: Michel Foucault, Edward Said, Orientalism in Reverse, Ernest Renan, Islamic Reform.
Gadens Koder i A-town – status og respekt blandt etniske minoritetsfyre
Authors: Klinker Sabine , Hvoslef Bilde Marie
Published: January 2018

På baggrund af feltarbejde blandt unge fyre med etnisk minoritetsbaggrund, som hænger ud på gaden i den københavnske Vestegnskommune Albertslund, giver vi i denne artikel et bud på, hvad der gør gaden til et attraktivt opholdssted for de unge fyre. Vi undersøger, hvilke koder for samvær som de unge handler og rationaliserer udfra på gaden. De unge fyre mødes på gaden i et stærkt fællesskab, der går på tværs af forskelle i fx alder, etnicitet, uddannelse uden, at de samles om en fælles interesse eller konkret aktivitet. Omdrejningspunktet for de unges samvær på gaden er et ønske om at til­eg­ne sig status og respekt fra de andre i gruppen, hvilket de gør gennem en venskabe­lig dyst om anerkendelse – det vi kalder positioneringssocialitet. Gennem positioneringssocialiteten konstruerer og forhandler de unge fortløbende de koder, som giver status og respekt på gaden, og her viser det sig, at såvel værdier, der relaterer sig til det at tage en uddannelse og passe et arbejde, som værdier omkring en maskulin hiphop- og gangsterattitude, benyttes til at tilegne sig respekt på gaden. Idet de unges positioneringsdyst foregår ud fra koder, som de unge selv konstruerer på gaden, opleves gaden af de unge som en arena, hvor de i højere grad har mulighed for at opnå status og respekt, end når de befinder sig på majoritetssamfundets præmisser fx i uddannelsessystemet eller på arbejdsmarkedet.

Søgeord: Etnicitet, unge, Michel Maffesoli, perker, integration, feltarbejde.

ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Sabine Klinker and Marie Hvoslef Bilde: Street Codes in A-town – Status and Respect among Ethnic Minority Adolescents

In this article we explore how street codes are constructed and practiced among male adolescents with ethnic minority backgrounds who hang out on the street, and we explore the opportunities that these street codes hold for the adolescents in their search for status and respect. The study is based on fieldwork among male adolescents in the Copenhagen suburb of Albertslund.
The adolescents hang out in groups. However, these groups do not have a leader or a solid hierarchy. Instead, the hierarchy is fluid and contextual. Therefore, adolescents continuously position themselves in order to achieve a high-status position in the hierarchy. We argue that the adolescents meet in a kind of positioning sociality – a friendly battle for status and respect. Street codes are the basis of this battle, and since the codes are constructs of the adolescents themselves, they reflect their abilities, logics and values. These conditions put the adolescents on a more equal footing in the competition for status, where as in the contexts of school and work they compete according to standards set by the society at large – standards which are different from those practiced on the street.

Key words: Ethnicity, integration, adolescents, Michel Maffesoli, street culture, fieldwork.
Flexicurity og de danske arbejdsmarkedsrelationer – en eller to modeller?
Authors: Jensen Carsten Strøby
Published: January 2018

Danmark har de senere år været genstand for en betydelig international opmærksomhed knyttet til forhold på det danske arbejdsmarked. Dette har ikke mindst været tilfældet i lyset af den såkaldte flexicuritymodel. Karakteristisk ved flexicuritymodellen er den – i hvert fald i teorien – særlige relation mellem fleksibilitet, social sikkerhed og aktiv arbejdsmarkedspolitik, hvor social sikkerhed og aktiv arbejdsmarkedspolitik ses som tilvejebringende forudsætninger for et arbejdsmarked præget af en høj grad af fleksibilitet. I artiklen analyseres forholdet mellem fleksibilitet og sikkerhed på det danske arbejdsmarked med udgangspunkt i forskellige segmenter af lønmodtagere på arbejdsmarkedet. Artiklens hovedkonklusion er, at der ikke er én, men to forskellige flexicuritymodeller på det danske arbejdsmarkedet. Og at den ”klassiske” – og efterhånden internationalt berømte – danske flexicuritymodel, hvor det på den ene side er let at fyre medarbejdere (hvilket giver høj fleksibilitet), og hvor der på den anden side gives høj kompensation i forbindelse med arbejdsløshed (hvilket giver høj sikkerhed), kun dækker en del af arbejdsstyrken i Danmark. Fleksibiliteten på arbejdsmarkedet – i form af adgang til at fyre medarbejdere – er ikke så høj som det almindeligt antages på alle dele af arbejdsmarkedet, ligesom sikkerheden – i form af kompensation i forbindelse med arbejdsløshed – ikke så høj som det tilsvarende almindeligvis antages i flexicuritylitteraturen.

Søgeord: Flexicurity, arbejdsmarked, arbejdsmarkedsrelationer, industrial relations.

ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Carsten Strøby Jensen: Flexicurity and Employment Rela-tions in Denmark – One or Two Models of Flexicurity
In recent years the development of the Danish labour market have been subject of major international attention. This attention has focussed on the so-called flexicurity model that dominates the Danish labour market. Flexicurity has been characterized – at least in theory – by the special relation between flexibility, social security and active labour market policy, where a high level of social security is seen as a precondition for a labour market characterized by flexibility. In this article we will argue that it is possible to identify two different types of institutionalized relations between flexibility and security on the Danish labour market. There is not one model of flexicurity in Denmark, but rather two models that tend to cover different parts of the labour market and different segments of employees. The first model of flexicurity – the one that is often focused on in the literature – covers primarily skilled and unskilled workers on the Danish labour market. The second model of flexicurity – one seldom mentioned in the literature – covers primarily employees with middle-level or high-level education and qualifications.

Key words: Industrial relations, labour market, flexicurity, flexibility, security.
Application of ATR-FTIR analysis for determination of fumonisins in corn
Authors: Jaksic Sandra , Jajic Igor , Despotovic Vesna , Zivkov-Balos Milica , Stojanov Igor , Krstovic Sasa , Masic Zoran , Abramovic Biljana
Published: January 2018

In order to develop rapid, inexpensive and, at the same time, reliable method
for the analysis of molds of the genus Fusarium as an indicator of the
presence of fumonisins in corn samples, possible application of Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with attenuated total reflection
(ATR) technique was examined. The content of fumonisins in contaminated
corn samples had previously been quantified by ELISA method. At the spectrum
of the sample contaminated with a high concentration of mycotoxins, there
was a lack of the peak at 1,743 cm-1, but the peak was observed at 1709
cm-1. To the purpose of result classification the principal component
analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were applied. Conclusions of the two
methods were similar both when applying ATR technique in the whole region of
the spectrum (1,150-1,770 cm-1) and when the whole spectrum was divided
into two regions: 1,150-1,450 and 1,450-1,770 cm-1. However, classification
of samples was somewhat better in the ranges 1,150-1,770 and 1,450-1,770
cm-1 . Of the 16 analyzed corn samples, only very contaminated corn sample
with 190 mg/kg was correctly classified as compared to the other samples
with the content of less than 10 mg/kg. Also, it was found-passing
recording of spectra of contaminated corn of the same genotype in order to
avoid the possible impact of different hybrids on the spectrum.
Bactericidal activites of selected macrofungi extracts against Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Nikolovska-Nedelkoska Daniela , Atanasova-Pancevska Natalija , Karadelev Mitko , Kungulovski Dzoko
Published: January 2018

The increasing of the antibiotic resistance exhibited by pathogenic
microorganisms has resulted in research directed toward evaluation of novel
sources of antimicrobial compounds. Previous studies have indicated that
macrofungi, as a specific response to the natural hostile environment,
produce secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. In this study,
antimicrobial activities of the extracts from six wild mushrooms: Amanita
echinocephala, Russula medulata, Cerena unicolor, Hericium erinaceus,
Ishnoderma benzoinum and Laetiporus sulphureus were evaluated against
Grampositive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The antimicrobial potential
of the methanolic mushroom extracts was investigated by the microdilution
method. Antimicrobial activity was observed in all species included in the
study. All the extracts that demonstrated inhibitory activities were further
tested for bactericidal activity and minimum bactericidal concentration
(MBC) values were determined. The tested microorganism was most sensitive to
the examined extracts from the polypore fungi C. unicolor and H. erinaceus.
The highest bactericidal activity was obtained in the extracts from the
species C. unicolor (MBC=1.563 mg/mL). The experimental results revealed
that the methanolic extract of C. unicolor possessed significant
bactericidal activity. The findings suggest the potential use of this wild
mushroom as antimicrobial agent.
Assessment of diesel fuel uptake by fungi isolated from petroleum contaminated soil
Authors: Savkovic Zeljko , Vukojicic Nevena , Stupar Milos , Novakovic Nikola , Unkovic Nikola , Ljaljevic-Grbic Milica , Vukojevic Jelena
Published: January 2018

The aim of this research was to isolate and identify the fungi from
petroleum-contaminated soil, to test their ability to grow in the presence
of diesel fuel and uptake it in solid and broth media. Among 16 isolated and
identified filamentous fungi, six were tested to determine their growth on
media enriched with diesel fuel as a sole carbon source. All tested isolates
showed different degree of diesel fuel utilization. Colony diameter was
measured, where the highest colony growth dynamics ratio was demonstrated
for Penicillium sp. (74.16%) and Cladosporium sp. (71.43%), and the lowest
for Absidia spinosa (23.15%). Results of dry mass measurements demonstrated
the highest potential of A. strictum (71.43%) to utilize diesel fuel in
broth medium. All other tested isolates showed insignificant dry mass
production ratio values. The highest utilization degree was documented for
A. strictum (60.28 %) and the lowest for Penicillium sp. (25.18%).
Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and fruits supplement in reduced nitrite salts condition
Authors: Vujadinovic Dragan , Golic Bojan , Tomovic Vladimir , Gojkovic Vesna , Vukic Milan , Grujic Radoslav
Published: January 2018

Because of the growing negative perception of consumers related to the use of
meat products produced by conventional curing methods, organic and natural
products are increasingly accepted by consumers. Such products contain a
large number of natural products derived from plants, spices, as well as
their derivatives in form of essential oils, extracts, concentrates, and so
on. These derivatives contain large number of active substances which are
known to inhibit the metabolic processes of bacteria, yeasts and molds.
Therefore, the goal of this paper was to investigate the synergistic
antimicrobial activity of the models with a reduced presence of nitrite salt
in aqueous solution, emulsions of essential oils in varying concentrations
in vivo via antibiogram tests on pathogenic microorganisms. The effect of
the six model groups was analyzed. Two groups were fruit powder solutions
in concentrations of 0.2% to 1.2% (Acerola powder and fruit powder mix),
while the other four groups were models of aqueous emulsion of essential oil
in concentrations ranging from 0.05% to 1.2% (tea tree, clove, oregano, and
cinnamon essential oils). In all models reduced amount of the sodium salt of
1.80%, 0.0075% nitrite salt and the liquid derivative as a natural source of
the nitrate salt of 3% were used. Antibiogram tests were performed on five
pathogenic bacteria (C. perfringens, E. coli, S. enterica, L. monocytogenes,
and S. aureus). All antibiogram tests were performed according to
Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion protocol. Results of antibiograms showed that
without the presence of additional antimicrobial agents, in model systems
with reduced content of salts, inhibition zones were not detected.
Additionally, models with essential oils of tea tree oil and oregano had the
widest inhibition zone diameters, ranging from 17.76?0.48mm for E. coli up
to 42.50?0.13mm for S. aureus.
A CRY IN THE WILDERNESS: WOMEN IN ARMED AFRICAN CONFLICTS
Authors: Nyaanga Matthew , Mpehle Zwelibanzi
Published: January 2018

The growing number of armed conflicts in Africa has impacted adversely on women who fall victims to violence, sexual abuse and harassment. Women play a minimal role as combatants during the armed conflicts and as peace negotiators after the armed conflicts. This article looks at the role women play in the pre-armed and post-armed conflict phases in an African context. Data for this article were gathered through questionnaires distributed to twenty women officers who participated in the Joint Senior Command and Staff Programme (JSCSP) at the South African National War College. The findings make it evident that women often participate unwillingly as combatants in an armed conflict; they face social changes in the post-armed conflict phase that make their roles change in both their families and communities, and often neglected in the postarmed conflict negotiations and conflict resolution processes.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURSâ€™ EXPERIENCES OF NAVIGATING THEIR SUCCESS
Authors: Booyens Margie G. , Galvaan Roshan
Published: January 2018

One of the pathways out of youth unemployment is purported to be youth initiated business development. While the range of difficulties related to establishing small businesses has been widely documented, less is known about the ordinary experiences of young people who have successfully transitioned into work through small business development. We undertook a pilot instrumental case study to find out how the agency of young people is activated and supported to advance successful enterprises. Purposive sampling was applied to select three young business owners in three rural towns in the Western Cape. Two semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with each business owner and one interview with a key mentor chosen by each young person. The findings focus on the relationship between the personal and social factors that contributed to opportunities for these young people. We also highlight key achievements, from the perspective of the young business owners, which do not point to financial success but to the value the owners place on their increased social standing and the social wellbeing their business has promoted in their home communities. Recommendations are made for the consideration of researchers, policy makers and providers of support for young business owners.
MANAGING TRANSITION: TEACHER ACCOMMODATION STRATEGIES IN AN ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
Authors: Makina Blandina
Published: January 2018

The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) makes provision for learners to be taught in their first language in the first three years of schooling. In accordance with this language policy, in most public schools, learners are taught in their home language in the first three years of school. In grade 4, which is the beginning of the intermediate phase, English - the second language (L2) â€“ becomes the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) across all subjects except the mother tongue. Contrary to expectations, by grade 4, learners in disadvantaged environments have barely developed sufficient reading and writing skills in their home language to make a successful transition and function effectively in the L2. This paper is based on insights from lesson observations and interviews of three Grade 4 teachers of English as a Second Language. It documents the accommodation strategies used to help learners manipulate the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Findings indicate that the translanguaging processes involved in making English part of the learnersâ€™ linguistic repertoire are heavily embedded in the home language, resulting in very slow development of the learnersâ€™ language proficiency in English. Recommendations are made on how to enable teachers to assist their learners to bridge this transition gap.
THE ROLE OF SADC IN BOOSTING DOMESTIC, REGIONAL, CONTINENTAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Authors: Essop Ghazala Begum
Published: January 2018

The role of regional economic communities in the development of trade in Africa is widely recognised. Currently, intra-African trade stands at 10 per cent. This is in sharp contrast to other developing regions of the world. In Asia and Latin America, the levels of intra-trade are 50 and 26 per cent, respectively. There are a number of reasons accounting for the low level of intra-African trade, including the weak mandate given to regional economic communities to monitor and enforce the commitments assumed by countries under regional trade agreements. The lack of integration has negatively impacted on African countries and affected their ability to attract foreign direct investment commensurate with their development needs. Had African countries been less exposed to external markets, they would have been minimally affected by the global financial crisis. The importance of boosting intra-African trade was highlighted by Africaâ€™s Heads of State and Government when they devoted this yearâ€™s summit to this theme. In the run-up to the summit, the African Union Commission released a study that underscored the importance of regional economic communities in the process of economic integration in Africa. Currently, SADC member states are in the process of implementing the SADC Trade Protocol, which would create a fully-fledged free trade area and later a customs union, and at the same time engaged in tripartite negotiations aimed at merging the three (SADC, COMESA and the EAC) regional configurations. They are also engaged in the EPA negotiations with the European Union, which would create a free trade area and also the Doha negotiations under the auspices of the WTO. The main objective of this article is to estimate SADC countriesâ€™ bilateral trade potential, which may result in the improvements in trade facilitation.
CSR BECOMES A PART OF THE COMPANYâ€™S STRATEGIC PLAN
Authors: Essop Ghazala Begum
Published: January 2018

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) may be defined as the actions of an organisation that are targeted towards achieving a social benefit over and above maximising profits for its shareholders and meeting all its legal obligations (Ghillyer 2009). This definition only scratches the surface of a very complex and often elusive topic that has presented organisations as being the image of unchecked greed. CSR is a phenomenon that is growing in prominence and popularity as organisations find themselves in the limelight due to consumer evolution.
THE TROUBLED JOURNEYS OF SCHOOL DROP-OUTS: WASTAGE, REDEMPTION AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
Authors: Dube Andile , Nkomo Mokubung
Published: January 2018

The study traces the pathways of young people who dropped out of school between grades 1 to 11 as they seek re-entrance to the education, training and development (ETD) system, or entrance into the labour market. Particular attention is given to the factors that determine the choices that drop-outs make in either re-entering the ETD system or entering the labour market. An analysis of the experiences of the interviewed sample of drop-outs is presented. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, using interviews to elicit the experiences of drop-outs and school managers. Through snowballing, 14 youths and three principals were selected from a township south of Durban. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted. The findings provide insights into the drop-outsâ€™ perceptions regarding the value of investing in education. They are discussed further in relation to the respective theories used in the study. The concluding section suggests the need for investments in second chance education by government and the private sector, and proposes an integrated model to assist young people who re-enter psychologically and emotionally.
RECONCILIATION WITHOUT JUSTICE? AN ANALYSIS OF THE FILM, RECONCILIATION IN ZIMBABWE, THE FIRST TEN YEARS
Authors: Khan Khatija Bibi
Published: January 2018

The aim of this article is to explore the idea of reconciliation and justice in the documentary film, Reconciliation in Zimbabwe, the first ten years (1990). This film is one of the very first and few films to deal with the themes of reconciliation and justice from the perspective of the moving image. At the centre of the film narrative is how different political constituents in Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1990 think about the question of reconciliation and the possibility of ultimate justice. Coming immediately after the war, the film debates the varied and diverse expectations of Zimbabwean whites and blacks, and the role of memory in relationship to the new politics of tolerance proposed by the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The article argues that the significance of the film lies in the desire to balance hotly contested perspectives on what constitutes reconciliation and justice in Zimbabwe.
WITNESS AND ARCHIVE: TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES OF A CHILD SOLDIER IN WARCHILD: A CHILD SOLDIERâ€™S STORY
Authors: Vambe Maurice Taonezvi
Published: January 2018

The memoir, WARCHILD: A child soldierâ€™s story (Jal 2009), though written several years after the author-narratorâ€™s experience, claims its authority from the child soldierâ€™s forced participation in a war of persecution that is narratively reworked in the childâ€™s imagination as a war of the liberation of South Sudan. This article aims to explore what happens to historical fact when the narrative shifts from the testimony of a child witness to the narrative archived in the form of memoir. Agamben (1999) seeks to explain this lacuna and his idea of the aporia at the core of narrative of testimony in memoir is useful in revealing how in a written account of the self, â€˜reality exceeds its factual elementsâ€™. Young (1988, 23) amplifies the paradox of â€˜factual testimonyâ€™, such as memoir, and indicates that this genre cannot achieve the â€˜convincing factual authorityâ€™ that it wishes to establish because of the ever present â€˜anxieties of displacement of events by their own textsâ€™. Thus, the trauma experienced by the child soldier is a result of â€˜double dyingâ€™ (Rosenfeld 1980) as he witnesses the actual physical dying and death of fellow child soldiers, as much as the death of an authentic account of self in war, produced when fictional metaphors threaten to obliterate raw experience. The article argues that metaphorâ€™s propensity to usurp historical fact is the basis upon which the narrative of the child soldierâ€™s trauma becomes the condition of possibility of remembering and recording both historical facts and the meaning of desecration and liberation.
INVESTING IN YOUNG ACADEMIC STAFF AT AN HEI: A PARTICIPANTâ€™S EXPERIENCES OF THE UNISA RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Authors: Shandu Thulile Pearl
Published: January 2018

This article is based on the views and experiences of one participant who was part of the Young Academics Programme (YAP) for staff members at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in 2011. In the article, the author presents the scope of the programme, including its contents; her experiences of the programme; as well as the contributions of the programme to personal and career development. While previous research on YAP is acknowledged, the thrust of the article is on one participantâ€™s experiences and how the programme contributed specifically to the particular participantâ€™s development, especially in research. The article, therefore, highlights and validates some of the previous findings on YAP, while presenting new insights based on the 2011 YAP group. At the end of the article, recommendations are presented with reference to the programme, Unisa as an institution as well as other higher education institutions (HEIs).
TREATING NON-ABUSED SIBLINGS AFFECTED BY INTRAFAMILIAL TRAUMA
Authors: Green Eric J. , Myrick Amie C. , Boylen Patricia
Published: January 2018

Intrafamilial trauma (the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse between two or more family members) can render psychologically deleterious effects not only on abused children, but their non-abused sibling(s) as well (Vitale, Squires, Zuckerbraun & Berger 2010). However, non-abused siblings are rarely the participants of trauma treatment or the focus of research, rendering them the â€˜forgotten survivorsâ€™ of childhood maltreatment (Renner 2012; Tavkar & Hansen 2011). Nevertheless, therapists may encounter these siblings as patients as they too present myriad problematic symptoms and grief-related experiences (McMackin, Newman, Fogler & Keane 2012; Van der Kolk 2014). To assist therapists when counselling non-abused children affected by intrafamilial maltreatment, this article aims to describe the psychosocial impact of intrafamilial childhood trauma on non-abused siblings and to discuss the ways that play-based treatment can be incorporated into an empirically supported trauma treatment approach to meet their needs and grief-based concerns adequately.
URBAN YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF A DOLLARISED ECONOMY IN ZIMBABWE
Authors: Mahiya Innocent Tonderai
Published: January 2018

The attainment of independence in Zimbabwe in 1980 was met with a mounting problem of rural to urban migration by people who had long been constrained by the colonial administration (Bond 2003). The influx of migrants into the urban areas quickly swallowed the available jobs that the urban areas could offer to the new urbanites. From the year 1980, urban unemployment has been on the increase and, notably, has been dominated by the youths because of the high mobility that characterises this age group against a shrinking economy and a productive base. Today, urban youth unemployment in Zimbabwe has reached 42 per cent among the urban unemployed, which is among the highest on the continent (Feresu, Chimhowu and Manjengwa 2010).
ADOLESCENT GIRLSâ€™ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HIV AND AIDS RELATED RISKY BEHAVIOURS: ARE WE CLOSER TO COMBATING THE PANDEMIC AMONG SOUTH AFRICAâ€™S YOUTHS?
Authors: Meda Lawrence , Makura Alfred H.
Published: January 2018

South Africa has reportedly the largest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in the world. Although adolescents as a group comprises the greatest portion of infected people, their behaviours and perceptions about the disease leave a lot to be desired. The purpose of this article is to explore some South African adolescent girlsâ€™ risky behaviours and perceptions about HIV and AIDS. A qualitative case study approach, using a school in Soweto, Johannesburg, was adopted. The paradigmatic position was interpretive. Twelve adolescent girls aged between 15 and 19 were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data were qualitatively processed to discern themes. Results showed that adolescent girls have comprehensive knowledge about HIV and AIDS, but they indulge in risky sexual behaviours because of ignorance, peer influence and a need to access government child support grants. The study concludes that unless there is a sharp turn-around in the youthful adolescent girlsâ€™ perspectives on HIV and AIDS, the countryâ€™s efforts to attain a Sustainable Development Goal of combatting HIV and AIDS, will remain elusive.
PROMOTING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: A SCHOOL GARDEN NARRATIVE
Authors: Mji Andile
Published: January 2018

This study reports on a programme encapsulating the ideals of positive youth development. Here, a specific narrative of an observed problem, how youths were encouraged to participate in activities and the resultant effect of interactions, is described. Participants were 118 learners, 67 (56.8%) of whom were females. The learners were in Grades 10, 11 and 12 with ages ranging between 16 years and 18 years. The programme learners participated in starting and tending gardens at school. Here, the aim was to determine how exposing learners to an empowering environment resulted in building their competencies. Specifically, this article determined what lessons learners learnt from the development programme and whether attributes of positive youth development could be extracted from learnersâ€™ utterances. Qualitative data using open-ended interviews and following a narrative perspective were collected. Findings revealed that learners changed, learned to share and understood what it meant to work with others. Also, their utterings were consistent with competencies illustrating positive youth development. The findings illustrated the importance and value of positive programmes among the youth.
PAN-AFRICANISM AND EDUCATION : AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF AFRICAN CENTERED SCHOOLS IN CAMEROON AND SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Caesar Tiffany
Published: January 2018

â€œUmuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantuâ€ translates into a person is a person because of people. There is an idea of unity in this frequently used Zulu proverb that is posted boldly next to the Afrocentric logo on the African Union International School (AUIS) website in Midrand South, Africa. All these words are factors within Pan-Africanism, and AUIS is more than an international school in South Africa, but it is one of two schools created by the African Centered Educational Foundation (ACE). The other school is called the African American Academy in Douala, Cameroon. Under the auspice of ACE, both schools share a very special mission implied within its vision that includes an education for the African Renaissance. Through a content analysis, this paper will illustrate how the African Centered Education Foundation represents Pan-Africanism through the institutionalization of African Centered Education illustrated by their technological media (school websites, facebook, online articles), educational tools (brochures, teacher evaluations, lesson plans, teacherâ€™s introduction package), and their African diaspora volunteer teacher program.
SOUTH AFRICA IN THE CINEMATIC IMAGINARY: THE STORY OF A WHITE YOUTH IN SKIN
Authors: Khan Khatija Bibi
Published: January 2018

The rapid production of films of diversity in post-1994 South Africa has unfortunately not been matched by critical works on film. Part of the reason is that some of the films recycle old themes that celebrate the worst in black people. Another possible reason could be that a good number of films wallow in personality praise, and certainly of Mandela, especially after his demise. Despite these problems of film criticism in post-1994 South Africa, it appears that some new critics have not felt compelled to waste their energy on analysing the Bantustan film â€“ a kind of film that was made for black people by the apartheid system but has re-surfaced after 1994 in different ways. The patent lack of more critical works on film that engages the identities and social imaginaries of young and white South Africans is partly addressed in SKIN â€“ a film that registers the mental growth and spiritual development of Sandraâ€™s multiple selves. This article argues that SKIN portrays the racial neurosis of the apartheid system; and the question of identity affecting young white youths during and after apartheid is experienced at the racial, gender and sex levels.
THE STATE SECURITY APPARATUS AND POLITICAL REPRESSION IN NGUGI WA THIONGâ€™Oâ€™S PETALS OF BLOOD AND DEVIL ON THE CROSS
Authors: Okereke Emmanuel C.
Published: January 2018

This article examines Ngugi wa Thiongâ€™oâ€™s perception and delineation of the state security apparatus in Petals of blood and Devil on the cross. It explores how the agents of state security, who are supposed to be neutral in the discharge of their legal duties, serve as tools used by members of the ruling class to silence political opposition in postcolonial Kenya, in order to maintain class domination. It maintains that the characters who represent the state security apparatus in independent Kenya are agents of the oppressorsâ€™ class and thus serve as anti-revolutionary agents. The study, however, recommends that the agents of state security should be re-oriented to their real duties via periodic, organised seminars. In all, it concludes that the state security apparatuses in Wa Thiongâ€™oâ€™s Petals of blood and Devil on the cross serve as instruments of political repression.Â
AMBIGUITIES OF FORGIVENESS IN LEFT TO TELL: DISCOVERING GOD AMIDST THE RWANDAN HOLOCAUST (2006)
Authors: Gabi Shingirirai
Published: January 2018

To interrogate the ambiguities of forgiveness it is important to understand the historicity of the Rwandan genocide and the complexities of the interchanging roles of victim/perpetrator and â€˜the enemy otherâ€™. Ilibagiza is credited for including the historicity of the ethnic animosity in her memoir, as she acknowledges that the 1994 genocide did not just suddenly erupt, but the work will be critiqued for its persistent portrayal of the Tutsi as victims and the Hutu as perpetrators, and for not acknowledging that the Tutsi were a â€˜historically privilegedâ€™ (Mamdani 2001) group before the 1959 revolution. This article interrogates Ilibagizaâ€™s comprehension of forgiveness and its importance during the genocide and in post-genocide Rwanda. Left to tell centres on the power of religion, positive thinking and compassion as major steps towards forgiveness on an individual level, but shows limitations concerning justice after the commission of â€˜crimes of stateâ€™, as Orentlicher (1991, 44) notes. Forgiveness is necessary in the healing process, but justice is a crucial component of national reconciliation. Forgiveness is only the first step towards restoring the humanity of the victim/ perpetrator, and should be followed by restorative justice.
INTERVIEW WITH ECKHARD BREITINGER
Authors: Nkealah Naomi
Published: January 2018

This interview was conducted on Thursday, 27 August 2009, at Bayreuth University in Bayreuth, Germany. At the time, Eckhard Breitinger worked as a professor of African Studies at Bayreuth University and also ran a small publishing house, which published research by African students on African literature under the Bayreuth African Studies Series. He had done extensive research on Anglophone Cameroonian literature, having collaborated with Bole Butake and other Anglophone Cameroonian scholars on various projects. Because my doctoral research was on Butakeâ€™s plays, I interviewed Breitinger to gain his perspective on how Butakeâ€™s plays contributed to the development of Anglophone Cameroonian drama. I had already had an interview with Butake himself and needed a less subjective viewpoint on the vision in his works. This interview pays tribute to Breitinger, who died on 15 August 2013, and to Butake himself, who passed away on 1 October 2016.Â
A NATION BECOMING? MEDIATING POST-APARTHEID IDENTITIES IN ANTJIE KROGâ€™S COUNTRY OF MY SKULL
Authors: Mwapangidza Solomon
Published: January 2018

Â In this paper I use postmodernism to explore Antjie Krogâ€™s engagement with post-Apartheid identities in Country of My Skull. These identities, often complex and multiple, are mediated in the process of nation-building. I take the exercise of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as metonymy for the nation-building project, and I argue that Krog quite deliberately chose an ambiguous and complex genre to represent equally ambiguous and complex identities. One of the salient features of postmodernism is its anti-systemic, anti-form impulse, and the form that Krog uses refuses to be conscripted into any single conventional form. Dominated by testimonies of victims and perpetrators of apartheid violence, the form also bears aspects of autobiography, novel, poetry and journalistic snippets interlaced with quotes from psychoanalysts and philosophers. From time to time, anecdotes, fairytales, myths and legends are interpolated into the narrative to remind the reader of the porous borders between fiction and reality.
MATHIAS MHERE'S FUNCTIONAL USES OF GOSPEL MUSIC IN THE ZIMBABWEAN POST-2000 MALADIES
Authors: Magosvongwe Ruby
Published: January 2018

The article critiques Mathias Mhere’s gospel music from an Afrocentric perspective within the context of complexities and maladies that have impacted negatively on the majority’s livelihoods in Zimbabwe’s post-2000 period. The maladies have seen society marshalling different strategies and oral art forms to keep people’s spirits buoyant. Oral art forms have always been at the centre of African experience, constituting a repository of the philosophy of life as desired, imagined, and treasured among most indigenous families and communities. In the absence of the oral folklore and oral art forms of yesteryear that were used to inculcate communal values and skills to self-define and safeguard cultural spaces, gospel music has made inroads and carved an indelible niche that needs critical attention. This strategy is not novel to Zimbabwe. Music as an oral and performance art has always been deeply ingrained in most social activities to raise and censure conduct across all ages for society’s greater good, including cementing the social fabric, and fostering social cohesion and stability among most indigenous families and communities. In the recalcitrant environment, fraught with a myriad of maladies and many a family in dispersion, gospel music in the indigenous languages becomes critical in exhorting and censuring attitudes, conduct and desires in order to uphold treasured values. Family dispersions disrupted institutions and fractured relationships, further fanning insecurities and imbalances. It is from this angle that this article makes a critical analysis of Mathias Mhere’s gospel lyrics. Mhere is one of the most popular young gospel artists whose albums have been hits on the Zimbabwean music charts. The article therefore examines the forte behind Mhere’s gospel music in the Zimbabwean post-2000 maladies. It also interrogates Mhere’s  artistic creativity, sensitivity and commitment to sustainable livelihoods and survival in post-2000 Zimbabwe’s fractious environment.
FATED EXISTENCE? CALCULATING THE TRAGIC CULMINATIONS OF OTHELLO AND OEDIPUS THE KING
Authors: Mapindani Aleck
Published: January 2018

The tragic trail that both Shakespeare and Sophocles take as fictional playwrights marks a remarkable approach to dramatic writing that leaves no shade of doubt upon their proficiency in this particular field.The Shakespearian option follows a discernible literary trajectory reflective of military nobility juxtaposed with a myopic and gullible stature of simplicity. This, however, projects an extremised Moorish level of racial vulnerability and criticism that yields to manoeuvred deception through diplomatic machinations by the jealous Venetian lot. Sophoclean drama is, in this case, an embodiment of the harsh spells of predestiny taking their toll behind an unconscious conceited politician â€“ from before his birth right up to maturity and his climactic royal demise. In both plays, the dramatic interplay of thematic motivations seem to signal a back-and-forth war between humanity (that is, a human struggle for survival fought against personal flaws) and the phenomenally devastating forces of fate and nature that direct their feet towards heroic ruin. The article takes an interrogative stance, calculating the cause of the interwoven mysteries embedded in both human carnality and celestial forms that advise the heart-rending literary movements adopted by the twin plays as they march inexorably towards the downfall of their respective heroic figures.
VULGAR ACTS OF ENTRENCHMENT: THE DEPICTION OF THE ZIMBABWEAN POSTCOLONY IN CHENJERAI HOVEâ€™S PALAVER FINISH
Authors: Javangwe Tasiyana
Published: January 2018

This paper seeks to interpret Chenjerai Hoveâ€™s depiction in Palaver Finish of the Zimbabwean postcolony in the period leading into the new millennium. It seeks to argue that the portrayal of political developments in Zimbabwe in that period presents the nation as plunging into a state of vulgarity where human life and dignity are sacrificed at the expense of political power. Vulgarisation in this sense refers to gross distortions by the ruling party and state authority and the machinery of discursive processes, morality, culture and social life â€“ all in an attempt to retain power. It also refers to the manner of doing things, to the use of the obscene, whether this is through the ab/use of language in its literal or metaphorical sense, dehumanizing sex or violence or disregard of civic etiquette.
THE ONE WHO IS NOT AND CANNOT IN ALAIN MABANCKOUâ€™S AFRICAN PSYCHO
Authors: Sithole Tendayi
Published: January 2018

This article seeks to examine the protagonist and narrator GrÃ©goire Nokabamayo in Alain Mabanckouâ€™s epic novel African Psycho. This is of interest in that this character is preoccupied by murderous lust and a desire to be like his idol, Anguoalima, who is known through his murÂ­derous legends and myths. The contention of this article is that GrÃ©goireâ€™s desire to be like his idol is something that borders on what is not and cannot be. This is because, as a petty criminal, GrÃ©goire cannot ascend to the status that will make an impression on Anguoalima. This is mainly because his murderous desires are in the form of a psychic struggle which paralyses the actualisation of any deeds that will impress Anguoalima. Thus, what fixates GrÃ©goire is that he is the subject of failure which results in him being unable to mimic Anguoalima.
HUMANITYâ€™S CURSED BLESSING: THE CONFUSION AND CONTRADICTIONS OF ENLIGHTENMENT/MODERNITY â€“ A MARXIST PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Mwapangidza Solomon
Published: January 2018

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how Marxist literary theory affirms and protests the spirit of Enlightenment and modernity. The argument is made here that the road from tradition to modernity is not a single strait road, that in fact, it is a path littered with contradictions, ambivalences and discontents. When it came, the Enlightenment was heralded and lauded as a breakthrough; it ushered in a new spirit of interrogating everything. Ironically, that spirit has come back to haunt the Enlightenment itself. Indeed, it has proved to be its very nemesis such that modernity/Enlightenment cannot be taken as â€œgivensâ€ which are out there and immune to questioning. It is thus imperative that this discussion begins by defining the â€œspirit of Enlightenment/modernity.â€ The next step will be to outline the tenets of Marxist literary theory. The third and final part will illustrate how the said theory affirms and/protests Enlightenment and modernity. To this end, George Orwellâ€™s Animal Farm and The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Thiongâ€™o Ngugi wa and Micere Mugo will be used.
Ostracised: Experiences of Mothers of Children with Disabilities in Zimbabwe
Authors: Rugoho Tafadzwa , Maphosa France
Published: January 2018

The birth of a child normally brings joy and celebration to the family. On the other hand, the birth of a disabled child brings a number of challenges to the family. This article resulted from a qualitative study aimed at describing the experiences of mothers of children with disabilities in Zimbabwe. Data were collected using focus group discussions (FGDs). The composition of the focus groups was based on age. The first group comprised women in the 18â€“24-year age group; the second group was made up of 25â€“30-year olds; the third one was of those between the ages of 31â€“35 years; the fourth group comprised 36â€“43 year olds; and the fifth group was made up of women of 44 years and older. The study found that mothers of children with disabilities face a plethora of psychological, social and economic challenges, some of which seem to escape the attention of policy makers and development practitioners. Witchcraft accusation was identified in this study as the greatest challenge that mothers of children with disabilities face. As a result these mothers do not get support from family members and the community. In the absence of family and community support, government and non-governmental organisations have to come up with initiatives to support mothers of children with disabilities.
Troubled Subjectivities, Elusive Solidarities â€“ Feminist Art Activism as Micropolitical Resistance
Authors: Vicente Natacha
Published: January 2018

It is widely held by leftist scholars (Silvia Federici, Jorge AlemÃ¡n and Suely Rolnik among others) that neoliberal capitalism has extended beyond the purely economic to colonize all aspects of life, including the psychological, effectively producing what is termed a neoliberal subjectivity characterized by, among other things, persistent denial and inaction in the face of threats brought on by rapacious capitalist practices, not only to prosperity but also to actual human survival. This article will consider a psychoanalytical perspective on how capitalism shapes the neoliberal subject, accounting for why the subject is numb to the other and to solidarity. It will then go on to explore how to resolve this numbness from a feminist perspective, through a combination of macropolitical and micropolitical approaches. This point is illustrated through a focus on the art and political activism of Bolivian feminist group Mujeres Creando.Â