Globalisation and homelessness in the USA: Building a social movement to end poverty

The authors explore the deleterious effects of economic globalisation on people in the USA, and explain the rise of poor people's organisations as a response to these conditions. They look at the impact of economic changes in terms of public policy and argue that the global economy is preventing a growing number of people from being able to meet their basic needs, by limiting or eliminating living-wage jobs as well as welfare programmes. However, poor people in the USA are organising to end poverty, and the Kensington Welfare Rights Union is given as a case study. Finally, the authors discuss the challenges faced by social workers and how they can be most effective in the face of a dying welfare state alongside growing exploitation and exclusion of the poor.     

报得春风又一枝——《非洲一体化与中非关系》读后感

*近年来,借着中非关系发展势头全面提升与国人对非洲兴趣日增这一东风,中国非洲学这一长期于困顿中踽踽行进的学科,似乎正在迎来久盼的春天。是否可以说,在历经三四代人之不懈努力后,中国的非洲学已到它的而立之年,它正由中国现代学术之边缘一隅之地,逐渐进入到人们关注的中心地带。事实上,非洲研究这一学科所可能蕴藏的蓬勃生机与丰富矿藏,已开始引起国内一些有学术敏觉力与前瞻性的人们的关注,政府部门亦正拟出台一系列推进中国非洲学发展的举措。而2006年底由社会科学文献出版社推出的罗建波博士所著的《非洲一体化与中非关系》一书,恰似…     

非盟与非洲安全体系的构建

安全问题是当今世界面临的重大问题,非洲安全问题尤其引人注目。本文主要观点来自2004年12月在南非召开的一次专家会议。距今虽有一段时间,但此次会议所带来的一些观点仍具新意。特别是对于“非洲安全”的认识,跳出了传统安全观的“主权安全”框架,强调“人的安全”,拓宽了“安全”概念。同时,还论述了“非洲安全体系的构建”、“非盟的和平安全‘角色’问题”,发人思考,值得一读。现刊发如下。     

African scholars and African Studies

This article focuses on the development of African Studies, principally in post-1945 Europe and North America, and its counterpart in post-independence Africa. African Studies enjoys an increasingly close connection with bilateral and multilateral development co-operation, providing research and researchers (along with their own conceptual frameworks and concerns) to assist in defining and providing direction for aid and related policies. This is leading to unhealthy practices, whereby African research is ignored in the formulation of international policies towards the continent; while external Africanists assume the function of interpreting the world to Africa, and vice versa. This dynamic reinforces existing asymmetries in capacity and influence, especially given the crisis of higher education in most African countries. It also undermines Africa's research community, in particular the scope for cross-national and international exchange and the engagement in broader development debates, with the result that those social scientists who have not succumbed to the consultancy market or sought career opportunities elsewhere are encouraged to focus on narrow empirical studies. This political division of intellectual labour needs to be replaced with one that allows for the free expression and exchange of ideas not only by Africans on Africa, but with the wider international community who share the same broad thematic and/or theoretical preoccupations as the African scholars with whom they are in contact.     

非洲联盟:理想与现实

非洲联盟的建立是非洲联合发展的新起点,它表明非洲的团结与合作已经从政治领域发展到全面合作,经济社会的一体化发展已提上首要日程;同时,非洲联盟提出的自主发展战略和计划,也增强了非洲抵御外部威胁和干扰的能力.但是,经济的依附性和脆弱性,战乱和疾病的困扰,沉重的外债负担,以及各国经济发展水平的巨大差异,也使非洲联盟的理想面临严峻的挑战.     

"非洲复兴与中非合作"研讨会纪要

10月 9日 ,中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所召开了“非洲复兴与中非合作”国际学术研讨会。会议由该所副所长杨立华教授和南非非洲研究所所长艾迪·马洛卡博士主持。南非方面的与会者有南非非洲研究所高级研究员阿达尔博士、南非威斯塔大学公共管理系教授米提博士、南非非洲研究所客座研究员萨马苏沃博士。中方学者除本所研究人员外 ,还有北京大学亚非研究所夏吉生教授和现代国际关系研究所曾强教授。此外 ,南非驻华使馆也派代表参加了会议。作为双方的学术交流项目 ,这次研讨会选在“中非合作论坛———亚的斯亚贝巴2 0 0 3年部长级会议”召…     

非洲国家要更多地靠自己——南非驻华大使谈非洲联盟

2002年7月，非洲统一组织第38届首脑会议和非洲联盟成立大会暨首届首脑会议在南非海滨城市德班举行，标志着非统组织画上了一个历史的句号，宣告了非盟的正式启动。8月8日，应中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所的邀请，南非驻……     

全球化进程中的非洲学——“审视非洲研究”NEH研讨班侧记

9月22～26日，我应邀参加了在美国伊利诺斯大学非洲研究中心举办的“审视非洲研究”NEH研讨班。这是该中心申请的国家人文科研基金(National Endowment for the Humanities,NEH)中关于非洲研究的重点项目，其目的是通过各国学者……     

应对气候变化:非洲的立场与关切

气候变化及其引起的消极影响已是不争的事实.非洲对形成气候变化的责任最小,却是受影响程度最深的地区.气候变化将对非洲的农业、水资源、沿海地区、生物多样性、人类健康和国家安全造成不可估量的损失,并最终影响宏观经济和社会的发展.非洲国家应对气候变化共同立场的形成,有利于非洲在未来的国际气候谈判中争取主动,并有效应对气候变化所引起的消极影响.非洲国家将在坚持原有气候原则和机制的基础上,保证自身作为发展中国家的发展权利,争取更多的资金和先进技术转让.气候变化对非洲既是挑战,也是难得的发展机遇.     

Racial animosity and political party partisanship in South Africa: the case of the African National Congress and the Black African majority

As it is in many countries, racial rhetoric is a feature of South African national government elections. The use of such rhetoric provokes the question, how much is political party support in the country driven by interracial animosities? Using the nationally representative public opinion dataset, the South African Social Attitudes Survey, this article looks at party closeness to the African National Congress (ANC) amongst the black African population. The ANC is one of the oldest and most powerful political parties on the African continent and currently dominates South Africa’s parliamentary government. Constructing four indexes of racial attitudes and behaviours, the article investigates whether partisanship with the ruling party can be predicted by racial animosity. The period under investigation is 2010–2014. Bivariate and multivariate quantitative techniques are employed to test the relationship between ANC partisanship and racial animosity. The results of this investigation show that racial enmity in the country is troublingly widespread. Public opinion analysis, however, found no correlation between racial acrimony and ANC partisanship. Other factors are driving black African identification with the country’s ruling party. The implications of these results for the study for political party support in South Africa are discussed and future avenues of research presented.     

非洲可持续发展面临巨大障碍--"非洲可持续发展"研讨会综述

3月 31日 ,中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所“非洲学重点学科”召开了“非洲可持续发展”专题学术研讨会。会上 ,首先由 7位学者发言 ,发言的题目分别是 :“《非洲发展新伙伴计划》与可持续发展战略”、“非洲农业的可持续发展战略”、“非洲可持续发展的国际环境”、“战争冲突对非洲可持续发展的影响”、“非洲的能源开发与环境保护”、“妇女在非洲可持续发展中的作用”和“艾滋病 :非洲可持续发展的巨大障碍”。此后 ,十多位与会学者在热烈的讨论中就下列观点达成了共识。1 .非洲可持续发展具有特殊性。　与会学者认为 ,与以往的发展理念…     

非洲的犹太人与犹太教

埃　及 ①第二次世界大战前 ,埃及有十多万犹太人 ,在开罗、亚历山大、杜姆亚特、塞得港、阿西尤特、莫赫拉、曼苏腊、坦塔、伊斯梅利亚、基纳等地都有活跃的犹太社团。 1945年 11月 2日 ,在《贝尔福宣言》公布之日 ,埃及全境发生骚乱 ,很多犹太人受到伤害 ,犹太商店遭抢劫 ,犹太教会堂被毁坏 ,《妥拉》经卷被当众焚烧。 1948年 9月 2 2日 ,开罗犹太人居住区遭炸弹袭击 ,犹太人家产被抢或被政府没收。 195 6年 ,40 0 0犹太人被逐 ,他们被迫宣布放弃一切财产拥有权。 195 7年 ,所有不具备自 190 0年起连续居住资格的犹太人被剥夺公民权。 196…     

泛非议会:21世纪非洲民主的新里程碑

泛非议会的成立是泛非主义思想在新形势下的成功实践,具有深厚的思想基础。泛非议会为非洲人民参与非洲事务开辟了广阔平台,首先是反映非洲人民的愿望、需求和呼声,使非洲的民主和人权进入了更高、更新的层次。泛非议会在非洲各国议会和区域议会组织的基础上建立起来,既超越它们,又同它们保持密切的联系和沟通,是非洲议会制度的新发展。泛非议会借鉴了欧洲议会的经验,但坚持以我为主,具有自身特色。泛非议会的各项工作已初获成果。     

开拓非洲市场不能急功近利

中非经贸合作发展迅速,前景广阔.但在我国对非贸易中,仍存在着贸易额较小、贸易不平衡问题突出、贸易结构有待改善等问题.开拓非洲市场既要积极进取,又要避免急功近利;既要统筹规划,又要重点开发.对非投资应有我们自己的特色,发展强项,重点放在农业和制造业领域.     

地雷:非洲发展的毒瘤

非洲是全球地雷问题最严重的地区之一,其中莫桑比克和安哥拉是世界上布设地雷较为密集的两个国家.旷日持久的地雷问题对非洲的发展产生了诸多危害,其主要体现在对人身的伤害、经济发展的破坏,及对生态环境的负面影响三方面.为此,国际社会、非洲国家和非政府组织在解决非洲地雷问题上进行了艰苦的努力.但国际社会对解决禁雷问题的声音并不一致,现在还不可能全面禁雷.非洲国家当务之急是进一步限制滥用地雷,同时加强排雷的国际合作.在今后相当长时间内,地雷问题仍将是困扰非洲安全与发展的重大问题.     

非洲经济在边缘化中曲折发展 --"非洲经济学术研讨会"综述

4月6～9日,上海师范大学非洲研究中心和北京大学非洲研究中心在上海师大联合主办非洲经济学术研讨会.来自北京大学、中央党校、外交部、人民日报社、中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所、中央民族大学、中国现代国际关系研究院、华东师范大学、浙江师范大学、湘潭大学、云南大学、外交学院、天津工程师范学院、东方日报社、上海师大等近20个相关单位的40多位专家学者参加了这次研讨会.     

中—南学者谈非洲安全问题

8月 17日 ,南非安全研究所 (InstituteforSecurityStudies)所长雅格布斯·西利尔斯博士 (JacobusCilliers)等一行访问了中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所 ,并与中方学者进行座谈。西利尔斯博士介绍了南非安全研究所的情况。该研究所于 1990年成立 ,主要研究武器控制、非洲冲突及维和事务、犯罪和治安状况、艾滋病、腐败、恐怖主义等问题 ,侧重非洲之角、中部非洲和南部非洲的研究。该所网站 (www .iss .co .za)包括所有的研究成果 ,读者可以免费阅览全文。西利尔斯博士认为 ,非洲安全面临的挑战主要包括 :非洲国家民主建设不健全 ;政府管理程…     

Democratization as liberation: competing African perspectives on democracy

Do Africans tend to view democracy in more procedural or more substantive terms? This article argues that African endorsements of liberal and procedural understandings are not as pervasive as much of the literature on democratization suggests. Drawing upon Afrobarometer survey results as well as extensive fieldwork and interviews conducted over the past decade in South Africa, it demonstrates both the historical development and significance of these definitional understandings. By employing a substantive approach and thereby bringing questions of poverty and material inequality to the centre of the analysis, this article seeks to offer a perspective on democratization that helps to explain many of the challenges to the institutionalization of democratic regimes that procedural understandings fail to capture.     

Generosity undermined: the Cotonou Agreement and the African Growth and Opportunity Act

This article argues that Africa's developmental efforts can be greatly enhanced by an improvement in its bargaining power and by a more genuine demonstration of generosity by its trading partners, in particular the developed countries. This generosity entails putting no conditions or restrictions on Africa's products, particularly agricultural exports, and eliminating farm subsidies in developed states. Unless this is done, concessions made to African countries will remain merely symbolic.     

African solutions to African problems and the Ebola virus disease in Nigeria

Africa grapples with the world's most serious public health crisis, but this article shows that there are public health solutions that work in the African setting. When the Ebola virus disease outbreak was announced in Nigeria in July 2014, some public health specialists worried that an apocalyptic outbreak would sweep through the vast slums of Lagos. The words “Ebola” and “Lagos” in the same sentence were viewed as a dangerous combination, due to the large population of Lagos and the inefficient health care system in the city. Contrary to this view, the outbreak of Ebola virus disease was successfully contained in Nigeria. This article focuses on the factors that were responsible for this success. It examines strategies developed within Nigeria that help to ensure the successful containment of the disease. The paper identifies lessons that can be learnt by other countries from the Nigerian experience.