Inaug.--diss.--Greifswald. / Lebenslauf. "Literatur-verseichnis": p. 145-148.

Inaug.-diss. - Leipzig. / "Quellennachweis": p. 105-107.

Thesis (M.A. (International Politics))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

The thesis analyzes the Muslim presence and representations of Islam among the Meru people of Kenya in the 20th century. The circumstances leading to the establishment of pioneer Muslim communities by the 'Swahili', the Nubians and the Mahaji, in Meru are examined. The rejection or acceptance of Islam by the people of Meru is linked to theories of conversion. The main emphasis is on the local manifestations of Islam. Case material from Meru town and the neighbouring areas is cited. Local representations of Islam and Muslim identity are analyzed in relation to the oppositional dyad of Dini / Ushenzi. The thesis argues that the opposition of Dini to Ushenzi has continuously impinged upon the local manifestation of Islam in Meru. Examples of how this stereotyped notion is transposed from its coastal cultural milieu and applied in a 'fossilized' form by Muslims in Meru are given. The shift in the early 1960s from the previous emphasis on distinctions between the three Muslim groups, to the need for a common Muslim community identity, is linked to the post-independence social-economic crisis that threatened the presence of Islam in Meru. The mechanics of the construction and consolidation of an urban Muslim community identity are examined. The analysis of the internal dynamics of the emergent urban Muslim community focuses on the notion of the propriety of religious practice and behaviour. An examination of the influence of Tabligh during the last decade, (1980- 1990) reveals an increase in the Muslim activities in Meru. Throughout the 1980s Islam spread slowly, almost unobtrusively, in the rural areas in the northern part of Meru. The analysis of the forces underpinning this process; and the resultant dilemma of conflicting identities of individual converts living in the rural areas, is placed within the local social context.

No description available.

Every day, 1500 women die in pregnancy or due to childbirth related complications worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of maternal mortality. Maternal health care use is critical in reducing maternal mortality worldwide. Cameroon has one of the highest maternal mortality rates worldwide (over 1000 deaths per 100,000 live births), but there is little knowledge about maternal health care use in the Far-North province. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of education, urban and rural residence, social networks, and cultural beliefs on the use of maternal health care use in the Far-North province. A maternal health questionnaire was completed by 110 Cameroonian women between the ages of 18-45. Participants were recruited door-to-door in the urban town of Maroua and rural village of Moutourwa in the Far-North province. Questionnaires assessed maternal health care history, social networks and demographics. Follow-up interviews were conducted with nine questionnaire participants to gain a greater understanding of how daily activities, food consumption and beliefs in the supernatural impact maternal health care use. Poisson regression analyses were used to determine the association among education, social network characteristics, urban and rural residence, and maternal health care service use in Maroua and Moutourwa. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed themes of witchcraft, diet and social ties. Women in the rural sample had a greater risk of failing to seek prenatal consultations than women in the urban sample (RR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.61-0.88). When stratified by urban/rural location, education played a greater role in women’s use of prenatal services in Moutourwa (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.50-0.94) compared to Maroua (RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.41-1.06). Qualitative analyses suggested that beliefs in witchcraft may deter women from speaking about pregnancy, and that mothers often believe that envious women can cause harm to mother and child through the use of witchcraft. Social network analysis revealed that women who belonged to a women’s organization were more like to use prenatal services (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.07-1.62). Both qualitative and quantitative findings have implications for maternal health interventions in the Far-North province of Cameroon. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2010-07-29 11:15:40.276

No description available.

The aspect of witchcraft integral to this thesis pertains specifically to the dynamics of witchcraft accusation and what prompts its occurrence. In this connection the social-psychological perception of the Limited Good and the emotion of envy form part of this complex of dynamics. Four African groups: the Nupe, Gonja, Nyoro, and Ewe were similarly examined. As the Limited Good changes in form and symbolic character in the course of increasing market input on these African groups, witchcraft not only acts as a levelling mechanism but also as a legitimizing institution.

No description available.

No description available.