Tag: African Studies

The global implications of RNC support for gay “conversion therapy”

August 11, 2016

BY TOM WAIDZUNASAssistant professor of sociology at Temple University Last week, police in Uganda raided an LGBT pride event. Witnesses described police brutality, especially toward transgender women. Among those arrested were Pepe Julian Onziema and Frank Mugisha, leaders of Sexual Minorities Uganda. The Anti-Homosexuality Act, which passed there in 2014, has since been overturned by … More The global implications of RNC support for gay “conversion therapy”

On ‘big data’ and the ways we evaluate women’s lives on a global scale

July 16, 2015

No Ceilings uses data sets to tell stories about gender inequality worldwide.What are the stories behind the data?Image: Screenshot, noceilings.org. BY ALICE KANGAssistant professor of political science and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln On March 9, 2015, one day after International Women’s Day, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gates Foundation co-chair Melinda … More On ‘big data’ and the ways we evaluate women’s lives on a global scale

What is "Malian music"?

June 10, 2015

BY RYAN THOMAS SKINNERAssistant professor of ethnomusicology at The Ohio State University For many, to think of a place called “Mali” is to hear, first and foremost, its music. Mali may be a poor, landlocked, and sunbaked country in the West African Sahel, but its widely acclaimed music culture—with its bluesy resonances, danceable rhythms, and … More What is "Malian music"?

Invisibility and its advantages: Why LGBT rights activists in Africa sometimes strategize to remain hidden.

August 29, 2012

A snapshot from a gay pride parade in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2006.As Ashley Currier demonstrates, Namibia and South Africa have complicatedhistories with leaders’ contradictory stances on LGBT rights. Photo from Creative Commons. BY ASHLEY CURRIERAssistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at University of Cincinnati When people learn that I study lesbian, gay, … More Invisibility and its advantages: Why LGBT rights activists in Africa sometimes strategize to remain hidden.

Libya’s declared adherence to Sharia law: What does it mean?

November 2, 2011

This map displays those countries that use Sharia law and to what extent. Here, author Zakia Salime looks at the different interpretations of Sharia law. Image from Creative Commons. BY ZAKIA SALIMEAssistant professor of sociology and women’s and gender studies at Rutgers University Should the West worry about Mustapha Abdul-Jalil’s declaration that Libya shall embrace … More Libya’s declared adherence to Sharia law: What does it mean?

Almost two decades after the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, the country still has a long way to go.

July 13, 2011

A beach in Cape Town, South Africa. In a recent report, South Africa received a lowest-possible rating for its lack of progress in addressing xenophobia. Image from Creative Commons. BY TONY ROSHAN SAMARAAssociate professor of sociology and anthropology at George Mason University Recent news out of South Africa that the rainbow nation received the lowest … More Almost two decades after the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, the country still has a long way to go.

Examining Ghana’s use of intellectual property law to protect adinkra and kente fabrics

April 27, 2011

In Ghana, adinkra and kente textiles derive their significance from their association with both Asante and Ghanaian cultural nationalism. In her new book The Copyright Thing Doesn’t Work Here, Boatema Boateng, associate professor of communication at the University of California, San Diego, focuses on the appropriation and protection of adinkra and kente cloth in order … More Examining Ghana’s use of intellectual property law to protect adinkra and kente fabrics

UMP book awards: MLA, International Tribal Art

December 3, 2010

This week we have been thrilled to learn of several prizes awarded to UMP authors: Anatoly Liberman is the recipient of MLA’s Prize for Distinguished Bibliography for A Bibliography of English Etymology. The prize is awarded every even-numbered year, and will be presented during the annual MLA convention on January 7th, 2011. Click here for … More UMP book awards: MLA, International Tribal Art

How will South Africa subsist in the public’s memory now that the World Cup is over?

July 12, 2010

Today’s post is an open letter to the editor from John Peffer, founding editor of Critical Interventions: Journal of African Art History and Visual Culture, which began publication in 2007. He teaches at Ramapo College in New Jersey. He is author of Art and the End of Apartheid. ——- Thank you for asking me to … More How will South Africa subsist in the public’s memory now that the World Cup is over?

Q&A with curator Wendy Grossman: On the popularity of Man Ray, his unique approach to African art, and his lasting influence on modernist art.

June 23, 2010

Today we present a Q&A with curator Wendy Grossman, compiler of Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens, an illustrated volume that uncovers a virtually unknown chapter in the inventive activities of Man Ray and raises thought-provoking questions about the role photographs played in shaping perceptions of African art. The publication accompanies the traveling … More Q&A with curator Wendy Grossman: On the popularity of Man Ray, his unique approach to African art, and his lasting influence on modernist art.