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Based on a case study from the Chimanimani National Reserve in Mozambique, this article analyses to what extent different types of operational practices can contribute to the sustainability of protected areas in relatively unfavourable external conditions. While current conservation policies highlight community participation and market-based approaches, the same "best practices" are not equally valid under different conditions. Where unfavourable natural conditions, lack of infrastructure, difficult access and political instability limit the potential for upmarket ecotourism, actors should focus on community empowerment, diversification of livelihoods, and building joint conservation ideology, where they have direct influence through operational practices. ; peerReviewed

This article analyzes the way the Oromo intellectuals living in diaspora have reflected on and positioned themselves in the ethno-political conflict and related debate between the dominant Amharic- and Tigrinya-speaking "Abyssinian" groups and the descendants of the various Oromo groups, which were conquered by the former during the nineteenth century. Even though they are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, a large part of the Oromo perceive themselves as discriminated against and exploited by the groups holding political power, and many have fled the country. In the debate, the Oromo diaspora has had an important role. Theoretically, the article takes off from the concept of "orientational frame" launched by Kevin Gillan, which is developed further with support from postcolonial theory, particularly Arjun Appadurai's discussion about "ideoscapes." A key research question is whether diaspora intellectuals are what Homi Bhabha calls "strategic intellectuals" who provide resources for postcolonial discourse and practice that surpass the traditional claims to representation and objectivity made by the dominant discourse. Can they come up with an alternative space that does not merely revise or invert the dualities, but reconsiders the ideological bases of division and difference? The article is based on twenty-two individual interviews with members of the Ethiopian diaspora in the Nordic countries and representatives of academic institutions and non-governmental organizations in Ethiopia, participant observation in three ethnic identity-based culture and history workshops organized in Europe, and selected research papers and books published by key members of the diaspora.

Valtiollisen identiteetin rakentaminen, erilaisuus ja toiseus: luonnonresurssien hallinnoinnin politiikka Mosambikissa Artikkeliväitöskirjan kahdeksassa artikkelissa tekijä tutkii valtiollisen identiteetin rakentumisprosessia itsenäisessä Mosambikissa sekä sosialistisen yksipuoluejärjestelmän että monipuoluedemokratian kausilla. Tarkastelun kohteena ovat mm. itsenäisyyden ajan kansallinen lainsäädäntö, globaalit kehitysparadigmat ja perinteiset yhteisörakenteet. Yleisellä tasolla tutkimusongelma voidaan tiivistää seuraavasti: kuinka hyvin - tai huonosti - itsenäisen Mosambikin vallanpitäjät ovat onnistuneet tehtävässään rakentaa 'moderni' kansallisvaltio joka perustuu kansan suvereniteettiin, ja kuinka vallanpitäjät ovat suhtautuneet valtion sisällä toimiviin muihin ­ erityisesti perineteisiin afrikkalaisiin - sosio-poliittisiin järjetelmiin. Artikkelit on ryhmitelty kolmeen osakokonaisuuteen, joissa aiheen tarkastelu etenee afrikkalaisesta poliittisesta ajattelusta kansallisen lainsäädännön kautta pragmaattisempaan kehitysdiskurssiin ja kylätasolle. Yhdessä artikkelit tarjoavat laajan ja monitieteisen näkökulman tutkimusongelmaan. Niitä yhdistää semioottinen tutkimusorientaatio, jota tekijä kehittää suhteessa kansainvälisen politiikan viimeaikaisiin teoreettisiin virtauksiin, kuten post-kolonialismi ja hegemonisen diskurssin teoria. ; Nation building, difference and otherness: the politics of natural resource management in post-colonial Mozambique In the eight original articles which constitute the basis of the thesis the author looks at the process of nation building in Mozambique during both single-party rule and multi-party democracy, and in three different contexts ranging from modern national legislation and global development paradigms to traditional community organisation. The overall research question is how the political leadership of independent Mozambique has succeeded in its mission to build a modern nation-state based on sovereignty of the people, and how it has dealt with alternative forms of power, notably customary authorities? The articles are grouped into three sets, which proceed from African political thought through national legislation to more pragmatic development discourse, which is finally set in the context of local communities and their life-worlds. While the articles provide a broad multidisciplinary approach to the research question, they are united by a common semiotic orientation developed in relation to recent trends in international relations and political science, for example post-colonialism and hegemonic discourse theory.

AbstractDespite apparent success Mozambique is facing serious problems in institutionalising democracy in the context of economic liberalisation. The problems are linked to a basic contradiction between a need to construct a unified nation, and capacity to tolerate difference inside it which is an essential function of a democratic system. In Mozambique both neo-traditionalism and socialism, which can be interpreted as currents inside African nationalism, have roots in pre-independence political movements. In line with Western modernism the ruling party FRELIMO has been reluctant to accept any linkages between political pluralism and cultural difference based on denominational, ethnic or regional identity. On the other hand many opposition parties see cultural difference as a constitutive element of African socio-political reality, and promote devolution of power to cultural regions and local communities as an effective means to engage the whole population in the political process.