Suchergebnisse

Contends that corruption in African nations is not more prevalent than it is in East Asian nations. Three factors that determine the extent of corruption in a given nation are identified: the developmental nature, legitimacy, & economic history of a state; the state's form of social organization; & the interaction between the first two factors. Whereas relations between East Asian states & their private sectors resemble strong networks, it is claimed that such connections in African nations are simply loose relationships. Several additional differences that render corruption a better strategy for achieving economic development in East Asian nations are also noted. J. W. Parker

An in-depth study of 10 churches in African American neighborhoods of North Philadelphia examines the use of either church-based community organizing or a "traditional" (entrepreneurial leveraging) approach to enhance community economic development. In spite of sharing the same time, space, ideology, & social history, five clergy elected to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods by joining a broader group that challenged the system, while the other five chose to work within the system by accessing the existing power structure to gather resources. The community-organizing approach emphasizes shared leadership, broad parameters, the use of power to produce change, & political change. With the traditional approach, leadership rests almost totally with the pastor; the project's parameters are narrower; & political change is not a goal. Although the 10 projects were similar physically, significant differences in conceptualization & action corresponded with the two different strategies. It is shown that the pastor's personal history, as well as the context created by subcultures within their congregations, affects the social theology that determines which strategy is chosen. J. Lindroth

An in-depth study of 10 churches in African American neighborhoods of North Philadelphia examines the use of either church-based community organizing or a "traditional" (entrepreneurial leveraging) approach to enhance community economic development. In spite of sharing the same time, space, ideology, & social history, five clergy elected to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods by joining a broader group that challenged the system, while the other five chose to work within the system by accessing the existing power structure to gather resources. The community-organizing approach emphasizes shared leadership, broad parameters, the use of power to produce change, & political change. With the traditional approach, leadership rests almost totally with the pastor; the project's parameters are narrower; & political change is not a goal. Although the 10 projects were similar physically, significant differences in conceptualization & action corresponded with the two different strategies. It is shown that the pastor's personal history, as well as the context created by subcultures within their congregations, affects the social theology that determines which strategy is chosen. J. Lindroth

The ideological & political motivations underlying the official vocabulary & grammar of African affairs are examined. It is argued that the primary function of this language is intimidation, not communication, & that the language attempts to mask & encode present reality, while limiting future prospects to politically determined barriers enforced through selective & encoded vocabulary. After a brief outline & critique of various examples of official rhetoric, it is suggested that its primary function is the distortion of reality. Nouns representing officially sanctioned concepts are given primacy, while verbs are reduced to merely situating the noun in a temporal category. Nouns are presented as fixed, known, & nondebatable truths, & adjectives are used to rejuvenate nouns (official concepts) that have been challenged or failed. Despite these efforts toward rhetorical manipulation, it is concluded that the language-enforced myths of the government are rapidly deteriorating. T. Sevier

Pre-WWII Richmond, CA, included a small African American community numbering less than 300 in 1940. However, the construction of four shipyards in that year brought an influx of African American workers, & the black population reached 5,000 in 1943. The experience of these workers & the transformation of Richmond's African American community during WWII are recounted through an examination of the city's blues music clubs. African Americans from the southern US brought their culture & traditions with them, including blues music. More than social gathering places, these clubs provided assistance to black immigrants & community members & are seen as examples of spaces in which African Americans could control white access, rather than vice versa. The effects of postwar social & cultural changes on Richmond's blues are also discussed. J. Ferrari

Argues that the 1999 international military intervention in East Timor was strikingly different from the international intervention in Kosovo during the same year. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened in Kosovo over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's claim to sovereignty that NATO insisted it would continue to recognize. In contrast, although Indonesia's claim to sovereignty over East Timor was not recognized by the UN, the international community claimed Indonesia's consent was necessary for intervention. Attention is called to the extreme suffering of the people of East Timor during the years of non-intervention; Indonesia's resistance to any international security presence in East Timor; & Indonesian President B.J. Habibie's decision to allow the East Timorese to choose between autonomy within Indonesia or independence. The violence that erupted after the ballot prompted criticisms that Australia, the US, & the UN should have exerted more pressure on Indonesia to accept an international force to maintain security in East Timor. Further contrasts between the East Timor & Kosovo interventions are pointed out along with their implications for humanitarian interventions. J. Lindroth

Suggests that racism is not an innate human characteristic, but instead a historic & cultural belief that national elites promote to preserve their favored status. Cultural & institutional practices have been used to obscure economic class interests in favor of racialized social identities. As the world moved from an agricultural to an industrial economy, the opportunity to employ the available black labor force was consciously ignored by the social elites. It is argued that the incorporation of black labor into the industrial economy would have lifted the population out of poverty -- a prospect that the elites could not allow. Instead, a new social order was created through the import of poor Europeans & East Indians to diffuse the impact of black political potential. 51 References. M. Greenberg