Politeia最新文献

{"title":"Exploring the Motivations for Youth Group Membership and Identity Construction in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana","authors":"E. Bagson","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10554","url":null,"abstract":"Globally, cities are relevant centres for peace and security studies; however, evidence abounds that many states are incapable of providing adequate social services, including policing the urban space. In sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), rapid urbanisation is synonymous with a rising youthful population, limited youth employment opportunities and emerging youth groups in the streets. Notwithstanding the role of cities as economic hubs, the rise in the unemployed youthful population and the limited urban space governmentality by states, youth group formation to effect collective effort as a survivalist strategy is not uncommon. While some scholars in SSA have largely focused on the initiation processes, consequences, shapes and forms of youth group formation and associated violence within cities, an overarching exposure on youth group identity construction and motivation for youth group membership despite the inherent risk in emerging secondary cities, is limited. Critical discourse analysis of media reports, relevant literature, data from key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) was instrumental in giving a historical perspective of youth group identity construction and young peoples’ motivation for youth group membership in the Tamale metropolis, Ghana. Drawing on the General Strain Theoretical framework, this study aims to foreground how the intersection of politics, economic, cultural, ecological and social marginalities induces young peoples’ desire for youth group membership and defines youth group identity. The study unravels that poverty and economic marginalities, political party-driven interest, religious dogmatism, and ethnic orientation posit strong motivation for youth group membership and defining identity.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48408447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introduction to Special Issue on Youth Groups and Gangs in the African Context","authors":"D. Omanga, K. M. Agade","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/11239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/11239","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction to special issue ","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48893691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combattants and Baswahili: Beyond Ethno-regional Tensions among Congolese Immigrants of Cape Town, South Africa","authors":"R. S. Vuninga","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10629","url":null,"abstract":"This paper focuses on the combattants (French for “fighters”), a diaspora group from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their activities in Cape Town, South Africa. While the combattants publicly identify as socio-political activists, for ordinary Congolese (especially eastern Congolese) they are simply a Congolese gang because of the violence that characterises their modus operandi. This research focuses on understanding the combattants’ antagonism toward eastern Congolese, especially in the last term of President Joseph Kabila in office. While acknowledging that the politics of the DRC largely shape the everyday lives of Congolese migrants in South Africa, this paper looks more into the role played by the host country—South Africa—in intra-Congolese migrants’ identity conflicts and the formation of gang-like groups such as the combattants. This paper stresses the links between the South African migration system that favours some Congolese ethno-regional groups (mainly those from the war zones—the eastern region/Kivu) over others (from the relatively peaceful western region that Kinshasa incarnates) and the hatred the combattants have towards eastern Congolese. Focusing roughly on the period between 2011 and 2018, the paper argues that feuds between the combattants (from western Congo) and eastern Congolese are also a struggle between the “winners” and the “losers” produced and reproduced through South African migration laws and policies.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48060272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Killing as a Resource: Gang Rivals in South Africa","authors":"Godfrey Maringira","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10603","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10603","url":null,"abstract":"While killing is delegitimised by law, gangs who kill their rivals are legitimated within their social group. The central analytical argument is that the killing of gang rivals is a form of “capital” (Bourdieu 1986) that forges and produces enduring social networking relationships among gang groups. Killing is a celebrated practice within certain gang groups. The act of killing is also a rite of passage, which establishes a member within the gang group. Killing defines the “commanders” of gang groups and those who have the potential to lead a gang in the future. Killing is a source of identity and recognition. It produces certain kinds of statuses within the gang group. Those who kill the most are honoured in the gang group, while feared by the rivals. While this paper argues that killing sustains gang practices, it also examines the increased invisibility of gangs as victims of the same violence that they perpetrate.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48496737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Policing Gangs: Facebook, Extra-judicial Killings and Popular Imaginaries of Super-cop Hessy in Eastlands, Nairobi","authors":"D. Omanga, Pamela C. Mainye, Erick Juma Kashara","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10609","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10609","url":null,"abstract":"Police and gangs have rarely featured as important loci of popular cultural forms, especially in Africa. As an institution, the police in Kenya are abstruse, opaque and often seen as against, and not for society. Popular culture is not only a window and a peek into how a society mainstreams ways of “looking” but also a way through which society articulates potentially controversial subjects. Nothing comes close to the controversy surrounding the subject of police killings of suspected gang members in Eastlands, Nairobi, Kenya. News reports on crime in Nairobi, drawing from news-gathering routines and news values that privilege specific experiences while excluding others, have framed gang violence in specific “singular narratives.” However, Facebook use in Eastlands Nairobi provides a unique canvas through which the imaginary of a “super-cop” is given multiple, if not conflicting meanings. “Super-cops” describe an unorthodox form of policing where specific policemen (mostly male), through a mix of public consent and state sanction, particularly in Eastlands, Nairobi, use extrajudicial means to confront suspected violent gangs. This paper reveals how Facebook groups’ discourse in Eastlands provides lenses that circulate alternative, if not equally controversial readings of so-called “super-cops” in ways that draw from Kenya’s conflicted urban histories to managing violent gangs in the city.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44216319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Verbal Irony in the Discourse of Sungusungu Vigilantism in Suneka Township, Kisii County, Kenya","authors":"Norah N Mose","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10559","url":null,"abstract":"When the state cannot provide adequate security, or citizens do not trust the state to do so, alternatives have been sought. In most cases, the alternatives lie in the nexus between the rich and the poor who opt for private security companies or vigilante groups (or gangs) respectively. Vigilantes have dominated security spaces in urban slums and rural areas in Kenya. This paper focuses on the discourse of Sungusungu vigilante groups in Kisii with reference to the Suneka township from the late 1990s to the present. The study that directed this paper was qualitative. Primary data were obtained using in-depth interviews, while secondary data were collected through a review of relevant literature. Irony was revealed through the way Sungusungu managed to control crime considerably within the short time of their emergence in Kisii, which the state had failed to address adequately. Thus, resenting attitudes were expressed towards the state. Secondly, after controlling crime rates, Sungusungu ironically engaged in the same crimes, besides degenerating into other illegal activities, including extortion, torture and illegal arrests. Consequently, the government dissociated from Sungusungu, banned them and reorganised community policing groups. Strangely, some members of Sungusungu found their way into community policing groups. Over time, Sungusungu have been associated with different identities, including community policing and Nyumba Kumi (Ten Households) on the one hand, and terror groups, underground movements, extortionists and “these people” on the other hand. There is no clear-cut identity difference between Sungusungu and community policing. As a result, the term “sungusungu” has been used as a generic identity for community policing, Nyumba Kumi or any group of people who partner with the state in the maintenance of social order in the community. Still, the debate around Sungusungu, community policing and Nyumba Kumi remains fluid and hazy, and as Kenya approaches the 2022 general elections, Sungusungu are getting involved in the murky waters of politics.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":"9 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41298264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tailoring the Ablative Strategy for Atrial Fibrillation: A State-of-the-Art Review.","authors":"Zefferino Palamà, Martina Nesti, Antonio Gianluca Robles, Antonio Scarà, Silvio Romano, Elena Cavarretta, Maria Penco, Pietro Delise, Mariano Rillo, Leonardo Calò, Luigi Sciarra","doi":"10.1155/2022/9295326","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2022/9295326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In spite of technological progress and the improving skills of operators, atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation results appear to date to be at a plateau. In any case, the superiority of ablation over pharmacological therapy in terms of effectiveness, reduction of hospitalizations, and improvement has been well demonstrated in recent randomized trials. Triggers, substrate, and modulating factors (elements of Coumel's triangle) play different roles in paroxysmal and persistent AF, so induction and perpetuation mechanisms of arrhythmia may be different in each patient. Although effective ablative strategies are available for the treatment of paroxysmal AF triggers and persistent AF substrates, an adequate clinical evaluation of the patient is crucial in order to increase the chances of success. Recognizing triggers allows not only performing an effective ablation but also to avoid unnecessary lesions and at the same time reducing the risk of complications. AF beginning and triggers could be recorded by 12-lead ECG, continuous Holter monitoring, or implantable devices. In case of an unsuccessful noninvasive evaluation, nonpulmonary vein triggers should be investigated with an electrophysiological study. Persistent AF needs more effort to perform an accurate substrate characterization. Among the many methods proposed, recently the use of high-density mapping and multipolar catheters seems of particular benefit in order to clarify the arrhythmia mechanisms. Surgical and hybrid techniques allow to treat regions such as the posterior wall or Bachmann's bundle, which is fundamental for an ablative strategy that goes beyond just pulmonary vein isolation. Too often, patients are referred to electrophysiology laboratories without adequate preprocedural screening and planning in order to submit them to a standard \"ready-made\" procedure. The accurate search for triggers in paroxysmal AF and the correct recognition of the link between a possible underlying heart disease and the substrate in persistent AF could allow us to tailor the interventional approach in order to overcome the current plateau, increasing ablative procedure success and minimizing complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":"36 1","pages":"9295326"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9017557/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91277502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Political Power and Housing Provision in Contemporary South Africa: Khutsong Township Settlement Project","authors":"J. Zaaiman, Gift Mupambwa","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/7242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/7242","url":null,"abstract":"This article interrogates the power dynamics in Khutsong Township from the prism of applicable theories on urban politics. The housing project in the Khutsong Township was unique due to a change in the initial objective. The intention was a resettlement project due to dolomite hazards; but it eventually became a settlement project. This was a result of the core role-players who affected the outcomes of the project, based on their interpretation of the main aspects. The article reports the empirical study on these power relationships and compares the results to the mentioned urban political theories. From the main findings, it can be concluded that the local power situation in this project is explained best by referring to hyper-pluralism, party hegemony and a negative public choice perspective. The article thereby reveals the unique and dynamic multi-directionality of the power exercised in this case. Thus, the article contributes to understanding power configurations that may emerge in housing projects within South Africa.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49149550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Portrait of a Gentle Giant: PROF. DR. CLIVE NAPIER","authors":"Tau Motau","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10036","url":null,"abstract":"Obituary \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41668658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Party-state Collapse and Trajectory of Factionalism in the ANC Post-apartheid: Reflections from Buffalo City, 2005–2015","authors":"Dr Tatenda Mukwedeya","doi":"10.25159/2663-6689/10313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/10313","url":null,"abstract":"Party – state collapse is whereby the functions of the party and state are largely combined into one body, with a dominant role for the party. This paper traces the collapse of the party and state during the African National Congress’s (ANC) political dominance post-apartheid and traces how this process shaped factional politics within the party between 2005- 2015. The gradual conflation of the party and state occurred partly through two processes related to the party’s imperatives of pursuing a transformative agenda. Firstly, the state itself had to be transformed in the way it operated and to reflect the demographic composition of the country. This presented an opportunity for the ANC to deploy its cadres into the state. Secondly, the party relied on the state as an economic actor to be a vehicle for redistribution and the transformation of the broader society for equity and growth. Hence, black economic empowerment, state preferential procurement and other policies to uplift previously disadvantaged social groups became one of the stepping-stones for the emergent African middle and upper class. Whilst these two processes transformed the state, the paper argues that they also fundamentally transformed the party itself, as it became a site of accumulation and intense intra-party contestation. Patronage networks emerged to secure and defend political power and the material benefits it came with. The paper draws on primary research in the ANCs Buffalo City region in the Eastern Cape Province at the peak of factional battles between Mbeki and Zuma aligned officials.","PeriodicalId":32317,"journal":{"name":"Politeia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44912714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}