Suchergebnisse

The article examines the reasons for the prominence of the ethnic discourse in contemporary African conflicts and the impact of such discourse on their management and outcome. It first raises the general question as to whether "ethnic representation" of conflicts exacerbates them or moderates them and why. It then turns its attention to the dynamics of "ethnicity construction" in Africa, under pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial rule, stressing especially the role it played as a political tool during decolonization. The article finally assesses the different attitudes of contemporary African governments toward public recognition of ethnic diversity. (Original abstract)

Few questions have galvanized the attention of observers of African affairs in recent years as forcefully as the performance of the state on the continent. The debate on the nature of the state—its capabilities, weaknesses, external and societal connections, and impact—has come to occupy center stage in the field of African political studies. This overriding preoccupation emanates from the underlying assumption that the state constitutes a superior means for the fulfillment of economic and social aspirations; participation in its activities is deemed beneficial, and various sectors of society strive to associate with its institutions and gain access to its resources. Some recent works have cast doubt on this assumption, however, and the trend in the literature has been shifting towards an emphasis on the diminishing role of the state in African social life. However, even in these new studies the focus has been primarily on the state itself, its difficulties, incapacities, and failures, rather than on societal response to its actions.

An analysis of the boundaries between civilian & military spheres in Israel, as perceived by Israeli-raised draftees compared to new immigrant counterparts, showing how the institutional civil-military permeability that characterizes Israeli society is reflected at the individual cognitive level. Response to a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 539 new M conscripts (N = 234 new immigrants & 309 nonimmigrants) show that, while the entire group professes a high willingness to serve in the military, the willingness of nonimmigrant draftees is markedly higher than that of the new immigrants. Furthermore, nonimmigrant draftees have difficulty distinguishing between collective needs related to their military service & their personal costs or rewards from military service (eg, physical danger, effects on their family, education & professional opportunities or social ties), while new immigrants do distinguish more clearly between collective needs & personal costs & rewards. For Israeli-raised draftees, cognitive boundaries are blurred between the national security functions of the armed forces & the personal incentives of serving in the military, contrasting with trends in contemporary western all-volunteer forces in which personal SE opportunities offered to the enlisted personnel become a major recruitment incentive. 8 Tables, 2 Figures, 18 References. Modified AA