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The queue outside the embassy : Remittances, inequality and restrictive migration regimes

Upphovsperson: Lisa, Åkesson
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, African International Links
År: 2013
Ämnesord:
This article juxtaposes theoretical notions concerning the relationship between migrant remittances and socio-economic inequality with an anthropological case study of remittances in Cape Verde. Contemporary theorizing involves, firstly, the idea that remittances do not benefit the poorest; secondly, the conclusion that the impact of remittances changes over time; thirdly, the notion that family structure influences the distribution of remittances; and fourthly the proposition that remittances have a stronger impact on social stratification when linked to the return of a migrant. The primary aim of the article is to use these theoretical notions as entry-points for analysing how remittances interplay with patterns of inequality in Cape Verde. A second aim is to examine the explanatory power of the theories through applying them to this specific case. The article demonstrates that remittances in some cases benefit the poorest in Cape Verde and that this has to do with the long history of migration, which means that nearly everyone, irrespective of class, has a close relative abroad. It also shows that Cape Verdeans generally receive quite small amounts of money, which implies that they are seldom able to improve their economic situation in a more substantial way.In conclusion, the article contends that in order to fully appreciate the complex relationshipbetween remittances and socio-economic inequality it is necessary to take into account theimportance of other sources of income. Moreover, it argues that the contemporary restrictiveimmigration regimes in receiving countries have a fundamental impact on the socio-economic distribution of remittances. In studies of the relationship between remittances and inequality, this is an aspect that has been left out. Instead, theorizing tends to focus on factors that are internal to the countries of origin, and on the migrants’ links to these countries.

Who needs to reconcile with whom? : the conflict’s complexity in northern Mali calls for tailored solutions

Upphovsperson: Gaasholt, Ole Martin
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År: 2015
Ämnesord: Mali, Tuaregs, conflicts, political development, Political islam, Regional security, Political science, Statsvetenskap, Peace and conflict research, Freds- och konfliktforskning
While negotiations are taking place in Algiers, some observers insist on the need for reconciliation between Northern Mali and the rest of the country and particularly between Tuareg and other Malians. But the Tuareg are a minority in Northern Mali and most of them did not support the rebels. So who needs to be reconciled with whom? And what economic solutions will counteract conflict? This Policy Note argues that not only exclusion underlies the conflict, but also a lack of economic opportunities.

Literature searching and searching for facts

Upphovsperson: Andersson, Marianne
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | Uppsala
År: 2014
Ämnesord: Reference materials, Bibliographies, Indexes, Periodicals, Databases, Internet sources, Web resources, Directories, Encyclopaedias, Dictionaries, Yearbooks, Handbooks, Biographies, Information sources, SOCIAL SCIENCES, Africa
<p>Contents: <strong>Part 1 Literature searching</strong> -- Bibliographies, article indexes and journal collections -- Databases and library catalogues -- Digital archives, web portals and link collections -- <strong>Part 2 Searching for</strong> <strong>facts</strong> -- <strong> </strong>Country sources -- News services -- Subject related information -- References -- Subject related databases -- Web resources</p>

Sweden-Norway at the Berlin Conference 1884–85 : History, national identity-making and Sweden's relations with Africa

Upphovsperson: Nilsson, David
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Agrarian Change, Property and Resources |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Sweden, Africa, Foreign relations, colonialism, International politics, Colonial history
The image of Sweden is one of a small, democratic and peace-loving country without the moral burden of a colonial past. However, in this Current African Issues publication, the notion that Sweden lacks a colonial past in Africa is brought into question. At the Berlin Conference 1884–85, the rules for colonisation of Africa were agreed upon among a handful of white men. With the blessing of King Oscar II, the united kingdoms of Sweden-Norway participated in the Berlin conference, ratified the resulting convention and signed a trade agreement with King Leopold’s International Congo Association. Thereafter, hundreds of Swedish militaries, seamen and missionaries took an active part in the brutal colonial project in the Congo. What was Sweden-Norway really doing at the Berlin Conference and in the ensuing Scramble for Africa? Is it now time to re-assess Swedish identity in relation to Africa, an identity so far centered on colonial innocence? Dr DAVID NILSSON is a researcher at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research focuses on global longtermperspectives on sustainable development in Africa.

Women and the informal economy in urban Africa : from the margins to the centre

Upphovsperson: Kinyanjui, Mary Njeri
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet | London ; Uppsala : Zed Books ; Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År: 2014
Ämnesord: Africa, Kenya, Nairobi, Informal sector, Hidden economy, Women, Economic conditions, Women workers, Urban planning, Women’s role, gender roles, case studies, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP
In this highly original work, Mary Njeri Kinyanjui explores the trajectory of women's movement from the margins of urbanization into the centres of business activities in Nairobi and its accompanying implications for urban planning.While women in much of Africa have struggled to gain urban citizenship and continue to be weighed down by poor education, low income and confinement to domestic responsibilities due to patriarchic norms, a new form of urban dynamism - partly informed by the informal economy - is now enabling them to manage poverty, create jobs and link to the circuits of capital and labour. Relying on social ties, reciprocity, sharing and collaboration, women's informal 'solidarity entrepreneurialism' is taking them away from the margins of business activity and catapulting them into the centre.Bringing together key issues of gender, economic informality and urban planning in Africa, Kinyanjui demonstrates that women have become a critical factor in the making of a postcolonial city.

Youth and the labour market in Liberia : on history, state structures and spheres of informalities

Upphovsperson: Lindberg, Emy
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala, Sweden
År: 2014
Ämnesord: Liberia, youth, labour market, Labour mobility, Informal sector, Post-conflict reconstruction, history, Labour market research, Arbetsmarknadsforskning
This study explores the historical development of the Liberian labor market with a particular focus on young men and women. It asks, what constitutes and shapes the Liberian labour market? By looking at labour mobilization and the structure of the (in)formal labour market – both in peace and war – our understanding of the contemporary Liberian labour marketis substantially enhanced. The study finds that there are many recurring patterns of labor migration, labor mobilization and distribution that have existed in the Liberian pre-war, war and post-war settings. Historical structures of informality and patrimonialism continue to dominate Liberia today. In addition to this, the study's focus on youths provides an insight into how this section of society moves through the labour market. It also examines the idea of unemployed youths as particularly prone to violence.

Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War? : Perceptions, Prescriptions, Problems in the Congo and Beyond

Upphovspersoner: Eriksson Baaz, Maria | Stern, Maria
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Nordiska Afrikainstitutet; Zed Books
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Congo DR, conflicts, Violence against women, sexual abuse, Rape, gender relations, victims, War crimes, Humanitarian assistance, International cooperation, Human rights violations
All too often in conflict situations, rape is referred to as a 'weapon of war', a term presented as self-explanatory through its implied storyline of gender and warring. In this provocative but much-needed book, Eriksson Baaz and Stern challenge the dominant understandings of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. Reading with and against feminist analyses of the interconnections between gender, warring, violence and militarization, the authors address many of the thorny issues inherent in the arrival of sexual violence on the global security agenda. Based on original fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as research material from other conflict zones, Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War? challenges the recent prominence given to sexual violence, bravely highlighting various problems with isolating sexual violence from other violence in war. A much-anticipated book by two acknowledged experts in the field, on an issue that has become an increasingly important security, legal and gender topic.

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