Subaltern connections: Brazilian critical geographers,development and African decolonisation

Abstract

This article explores the relations to Africa and African decolonisation of three key figures in Brazilian critical geographies and development studies, Manuel Correia de Andrade (1922–2007), Josué de Castro (1908–1973) and Milton Santos (1926–2001). Based on an analysis of their works and unpublished archives, I argue the radical Third World perspectives these intellectuals expressed anticipated later critiques of development as a neocolonial device. Drawing upon current literature on decolonisation, international conferencing and anti-racist solidarity networks, I discuss these matters in relation to these authors’ interest in cultural diversity and internal colonialism. Crucially, they developed this sensitivity in the Brazilian Northeast, a region especially shaped by Afro–Brazilian and Indigenous cultural legacies. While supporting anti-imperialist nationalisms in the Third World, these Brazilian scholars fostered multilingual, internationalist and cosmopolitan activism and scholarship. This is revealed by the study of the transnational networks they developed during exile and the various persecutions that many of them suffered after the 1964 military coup. Finally, I argue these works can substantiate recent claims to ‘decolonise’ geography and development studies, on the condition that these fields of study take seriously their anti-imperial traditions and their ‘voices from the South’.     

Afro‐Cuban Religion,Ethnobotany and Healthcare in the Context of Global Political and Economic Change

‘Globalisation’, driven by neoliberal‐based policies, can be seen to have significant impacts on ethnobotanical practices, particularly through the commercialisation of traditional knowledge and rise in identity‐based social movements. Despite its relative political and economic isolation in comparison to more ‘neoliberalised’ areas of Latin America, local‐level shifts occurring in post‐Soviet Cuba are similar to those occurring elsewhere in the region. Afro‐Cuban ritual activities have proliferated, particularly in Havana, leading to an increased dependence on the rich magico‐medicinal pharmacopoeias employed in hybridised religions such as santería and palo monte – suggesting that ‘globalisation’ may have profound, albeit indirect, implications for even the most economically marginalised countries such as Cuba.     

Studies of immigrant crime in Denmark

ABSTRACT

Do the results of research on the relationship between crime and immigration status differ depending on the type of data examined? This question is posed and answered affirmatively in a paper based on a systematic review of ten Danish studies published between 2008 and 2017. The current review is motivated by the seemingly widespread perception that immigrants/descendants are at greater risk for committing crime than others even after adjusting for systematic differences between these groups. Using five criteria of relevance, a systematic search resulted in the identification of ten pertinent studies. The ten studies are reviewed in the current paper and form the basis of the conclusion that research results differ markedly depending on the type of data examined. This implies that public perceptions about crime and immigration status may rest on shaky ground. Five potential explanations are suggested to explain the inconsistencies found in the studies reviewed. Finally, five recommendations for future research are suggested in order move research forward.     

Africa’s Initial Encounter with Texas: The Significance of Afro‐Tejanos in Colonial Tejas, 1528–1821*

The topic of African slavery and the role of Afro‐Tejanos in Texas during the period of Spanish colonial rule has been totally neglected. Primary sources used in this study discuss Afro‐Tejano family life, economic activities, military duties, and their experiences both as slaves and as individuals who gained their freedom. Hispanic treatment of Africans gradually became more enlightened by the eighteenth century to the point that Afro‐Tejanos suffered a decline in their overall standard of living after Texas became an independent republic in 1836. The relationship of Afro‐Tejanos to Mexico’s current total of 500,000 Afro‐Mexicans is an issue of contemporary relevance because of recent efforts in Mexico to highlight its African heritage.     

略论百越民族及其后裔的葛织工艺

葛是与苎麻等植物不同的纺织原料。古代越族发明的葛纺织工艺可以追溯到新石器时代,此后,它在历史时代得到不断地发展。古越人及其后裔生产的各种葛织工艺品闻名天下,成为历代王朝的地方贡品。直到清朝以后,由于棉织业的发达等因素的影响,传统的葛织工艺,在东南、岭南等地区才走向衰落绝迹,只是在西南民族地区还有一些遗留。     

中国东北地区俄裔：族称和族群认同

东北地区俄裔(俄罗斯裔)的汉语族称有数种,这些汉语族称与俄裔的族群认同之间有密切的关系,俄裔的血缘构成对他们的族群认同产生一定的影响。     

Relationships,significations, and orientations toward a collective acting of the Afro descendants and Africans in Argentina

In this work, we will analyze the collective actions of Afro descendants and Africans in Argentina regarding social movements (SMs). That is, we intend to understand the relationships, significations, and orientations toward collective action. Following Alberto Melucci's approach, we should not consider SMs as an ‘empiric unit’ but an ‘analytical category’, through which it may be possible to understand Afro-Argentine collective social action. The SMs are social constructions, and their work should be analyzed as a result, not as a starting point. We consider an SM as instituting, not as instituted, as a form of collective action oriented toward the construction of a new identity. Individuals construct their objectives, make choices, and take action according to the perception of their environments in relation to the social expectations. Therefore, we understand an SM as a network formed by a wide variety of groups and individuals scattered but interconnected, a network submerged in the daily life and from where the collective identity and the links for action are structured.     

浅析加拿大多元文化政策的成因及其族裔问题

从建国之初的一元文化主义到20世纪中期的二元文化主义与多元文化主义，加拿大的民族文化政策经历了戏剧性的变化，这既有其历史成因，也有其现实环境。加拿大多元文化政策在协调与解决多民族国家共存的族裔矛盾、保持民族文化多样性问题上具有相当大的示范作用。但是，制定政策的理想性与政策执行的现实性之间的矛盾、政策存在的短暂历史空间以及移民源国复杂而又多样的文化差异性，注定了其在实施过程中步履维艰。因而，了解与分析加拿大多元文化政策所给予的训示具有现实意义。     

论浙江侨务资源可持续发展

浙江省作为后起之秀，已成为位列全国的第五大华侨省。改革开放后，浙籍侨胞的捐赠、投资、技术引进、信息互通，对浙江经济社会发展起着“资库、智库、信息库”的作用。根据浙江侨务资源的特殊性，为确保这一资源不衰不竭，应重点关注新华侨华人和后裔新生代，以民族文化为纽带，以经济商贸利益为基础，增强他们与浙江的感情联系，厘清他们在浙江捐投资的发展趋势，完善捐资投资环境，解决重利用轻保护，重引进轻培养的工作思路，势将进一步促进浙江经济建设的发展。