This doctoral thesis identifies and analyzes narratives of Greenland's future that emerged in the context of developing and modernizing the dependency's natural resources industries in the 1900s until the 1960s. After almost two centuries of Danish colonial rule, the turn of the 20th century witnessed a profound change in Greenland's governance. Although contested at first, the notion of cultural progress increasingly linked developing a modern industry to a productive economy under Danish auspices. Ideas of modernity that connected rationalities of the market with political power and science were unparalleled in the colonial discourse on Greenland's future. How were the development of Greenland's natural resource industries and its role in Danish governance debated? Which narratives emerged in this context? As the studies in this compilation thesis suggest, the rationalities of science, markets, and power became entangled in an unprecedented way during these decades, creating new ways to imagine Greenland's future. The first paper analyzes the application of a private stakeholder group of Copenhagen's financial and economic elite for access to Greenland as a private, for-profit venture to extract and trade with the colony's living resources in 1905. The motif of an Arctic scramble was constructed through the authority of science, still resonating in the debate on rare earth mining today. The second paper identifies the business relationships between the group's members, connecting major Danish financial institutes and private economic interests in the late 19th and early 20th century. The third paper focuses on the commercialization of Greenlandic fisheries in the 1910s until the late 1920s and the fisheries scientist Adolf Severin Jensen (1866-1953). Jensen's work is an example of how applied sciences connected both scientific and political agendas, carried out in a colonial setting. The fourth paper focuses on the narrative analysis of (Danish-language) Greenlandic newspaper coverage of Qullissat between 1942 and 1968. Representations of the coal mine and nearby settlement on Greenland's west coast, which were closed down in 1972, are at the center of this study. While the coal mine was presented as a Danish success to establish an independent energy supply and to introduce modernization measures, it was presented as a Greenlandic failure to adapt to modern demands of economic productivity in the years leading up to its closure.

On July 31st of last year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo held its first multiparty democratic elections in over forty years. These elections followed nearly half a century of the oppressive dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, as well as a recent civil war. The Congo was first recognized as a cohesive land area during the 1884-85 Berlin West Africa Conference, which formally recognized King Leopold II of Belgium's hold over the economically strategic area. The Congo "Free State", as it became known, officially became a Belgian colony in 1908 when Leopold conceded personal administrative control to his country, and remained so until its independence in May of 1960, which involved the interests of many Western powers, including the United Nations. There is much debate on the influence of the West on the Congo's current instability, from Belgian colonial policy to Western interference in the years directly following Congolese independence. This thesis will attempt to prove the negative impact that the West has had on the current state of the Congo, and defend the Congolese against the argument that they in fact have promoted their own instability and could have effectively changed their own destiny. This will be accomplished through a multi-faceted analysis of Belgian educational policies, Western economic and political policies and influences, including sections on colonial influences and the secession of the province of Katanga, as well as an in depth analysis of the potential of Patrice Lumumba as a stable leader for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Pourquoi le passé colonial français lointain (esclavagisme aux Antilles entre XVe et XIXe siècles) ou plus récent (Algérie française de 1830 à 1962 ; colonisation française en Afrique de 1895 à 1958) hante les œuvres d’écrivains francophones en postcolonialisme ? Comment l’irrésolution de tensions historiques façonne les récits de l’Antillaise Maryse Condé (Célanire cou-coupé, La Belle Créole) et de l’Algérienne Assia Djebar (Les nuits de Strasbourg, La disparition de la langue française) ? Par l’étude de personnages aux frontières mémorielle, territoriale et identitaire, ces auteurs déroulent les maux de l’histoire à travers le prisme de la mémoire. Les décès, assassinats et tortures, et la pérennité de cette violence à travers les générations soulignent l’irrésolution d’une mémoire coloniale et impérialiste. Avec la question de l’altérité et du regard porté sur la figure de l’autre, cette étude analyse des frictions identitaires : solidarité ethnique et sociale ; cercle vicieux qui lie bourreaux et victimes ; stigmatisation du couple mixte ; transgression des codes sociaux soulignant leur inanité ; communauté LGBTI et propension individuelle à intérioriser des préjugés malgré leur préjudice ; peurs issues de l’indéterminisme de personnages métis. Avec des personnages passeurs de frontières, la marge et le centre, la frontière et l’entre-deux deviennent des espaces d’exploration d’un multiculturalisme illimité. C’est donc une décolonisation des imaginaires dont il est question. / Why, postcolonialism, do distant French colonial events (slavery in the West Indies in the 15th to 19th centuries) and more recent French colonial histories (French Algeria from 1830 to 1962; the French colonization of Africa from 1895 to 1958) continue to haunt the novels of Francophone authors? How are the novels of West Indies writer Maryse Condé (Célanire cou-coupé, La Belle Créole) and Algerian writer Assia Djebar (Les nuits de Strasbourg, La disparition de la langue française) shaped by unresolved historical tensions? By creating characters that struggle with issues of cultural memory, identity and territory, these writers revisit historical sorrows through the prism of memory. Death, assassination, torture, and enduring violence through generations underline the irresolution of colonial and imperial memory. By taking a critical look at marginalization and at those who have been marginalized, this study analyses frictions related to identity: ethnic and social solidarity; vicious circles that link victims and perpetrators; stigmatization of mixed couples; transgression of social codes, which underline their inanity; the LGBTI community and the propensity of its members to internalize prejudices despite their obvious bias; fears of racial indeterminacy. With these migrant characters, the edge and the center, the border and the cross borders, become places of exploration for multiculturalism. It is, therefore, a decolonization of imagination that is at play.

The global incidence of dengue has increase 30-fold over the past 50 years in the western or Asian Pacific, this region is also a contemporary epicenter for resource extraction and ecological destabilization. Dengue is addition to yellow fever, chikungunya and most recently zika virus, are transmitted by the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti- a domesticated mosquito adept at breeding in artificial household containers and within homes. The history of the domestication and global distribution of Aedes aegypti is intrinsically linked to European expansion into and among tropical worlds. Contemporary population genetics research suggest the westward expansion of the mosquito vector beginning with trans-Atlantic Slave Trade moving to the Americas and then making a jump across the Pacific, which I argue occurred first within the Philippines and then spread eastward through the greater Indian Ocean. I argue that Spanish and American colonization facilitated the biological invasion of Ae. aegypti and dengue in the Philippines and created the conditions for contemporary epidemics. The discourse within the dominant voices of public health, CDC and WHO, omit this history as well as down play the significance of land use and deforestation while focusing predominantly upon dengue’s prevention and control. This omission is an act of erasure and a means of furthering western imperialism through paternalistic interventions. Mosquito-borne disease epidemics are unintended consequences of past human action and if public health discourse continues to frame epidemics as random and unfortunate events, we risk missing key patterns and continuing to perpetuate the circumstances of disease and adaptation.

[pt] Essa tese contém três artigos sobre o impacto da história sobre desenvolvimento econômico de longo prazo, através dos canais de instituições e cultura. O primeiro artigo estuda instituições de administração da terra na Índia colonial e identifica mecanismos através de que variações naquela instituição têm consequências de longo prazo sobre investimento e produtividade agrícola. O segundo artigo estuda a relação entre várias dimensões de diversidade cultural e crescimento em distritos Indianos, usando uma estratégia de variáveis instrumentais. Esses resultados acham os mais fortes impactos para diversidade religiosa. O impacto significativo da diversidade religiosa em melhorar produtividade e reduzir pobreza pode ser resultado da ênfase maior sobre instituições seculares em face da concorrência religiosa. O ultimo artigo examina a formação dos valores culturais como canal através de que desenvolvimento econômico pode ser impactado por condições iniciais. Achamos que traços geográficos inerentes tornam algumas regiões mais propensas a serem agrícolas. Essas regiões, dominados por homens, têm menos templos dedicados às divindades femininas e também têm piores índices da alfabetização feminina. / [en] This thesis consists of three papers examining the impact of history on long-run development processes through the channels of institution and culture. The first paper studies land revenue institutions in colonial India and identifies a multi-channel mechanism through which variations in that institution have long-run consequences for agricultural investment and productivity. The second paper examines the relationship between various dimensions of cultural diversity and growth in Indian districts using an instrumental variables strategy. These results find the strongest impacts for religious diversity. The significant impact of religious diversity in increasing productivity and reducing poverty may be due to increased emphasis on secular institutions in the face of religious competition. The last paper studies the formation of cultural values as a channel through which development outcomes may be impacted by initial conditions. We find that inherent geographical traits render certain regions more likely to be agricultural, male-dominated societies with a lower propensity to worship female deities, which in turn leads to worse female literacy outcomes.

Directed by: Professor Meredith Rolfe What are the factors that contribute to peace after civil conflict? What are the factors that contribute to conflict recurrence after civil conflict? In this comparative analysis, Burkina Faso’s military coup in 1988 and Togo’s military coup from 1987-1990 provide two most similar cases that allow for a better understanding of what leads to peace or conflict recurrence. Colonial histories, economics, and natural resource mining are three major factors present in this comparative case analysis that explain why Burkina Faso’s conflict has ended with peace while Togo’s conflict has recurred. Through a colonial history analysis, the importance of colonial extractive institutions becomes clear in both the economic development and the patterns of conflict of each country. The institutions from the colonial administration in each state have shaped the institutions after independence. This has resulted in poor levels of development and ineffective institutions and systems of governance. Moreover, colonial asymmetric intervention and the resulting treatment of ethnic groups connects to post-independence ethnic inequalities and tensions that have fueled conflict recurrence in Togo. The clear ethnic oppression of the Kwa peoples in Togo has fueled the continuation of conflict. In comparison, the lack of clear ethnic oppression in Burkina Faso contributes to how peace developed after conflict. The economic analysis here presents the issues of how poor economic performance and lower levels of development can fuel conflict and vice versa. Both countries are underdeveloped and suffer from poor institutions. In addition to this, there are also issues regarding protectionism. Burkina Faso has very strong economic protections which have prevented serious issues of economic volatility, but these protective measures have also contributed to limited growth. Togo on the other hand has very few economic protections which have resulted in a highly volatile and vulnerable economy. Additionally, economic decision making and diagnostics in both governments are considered. In Togo, a poor economic diagnosis had resulted in a serious economic crisis before the start of the conflict. Burkina Faso on the other hand did not suffer from poor economic issue diagnostics and therefore did not suffer the same consequences. Finally, through an analysis of natural resource mining policies in both Burkina Faso and Togo, it become clear that there are very different opportunities for human development which is key in conflict prevention in this analysis. In Burkina Faso mining policies allow for better levels of human development while in Togo mining policies prevent opportunities for improved human development. Here, it becomes clear that economic growth is not as important as policies promoting human development in efforts to promote peace and prevent conflict recurrence. The combination of colonial histories, issues of economics and economic development, and mining policies are studied in this research to clarify why Togo experienced conflict recurrence while Burkina Faso had lasting peace. Clearly, economic growth as evidenced by the Togolese experience does not prevent conflict recurrence. Instead, better opportunities for human development and a more stable economy provided the basis for peace in Burkina Faso. Mining policy in Burkina Faso is the source of the opportunities for human development. Moreover, colonial histories account for institutional quality, ethnic divisions, and levels of development in both Togo and Burkina Faso. By addressing colonial histories and generating a better understanding of their impact on present-day societies, peace and conflict can be better addressed. Moreover, it becomes clear that opportunities for human development present themselves as a way to obtain peace after civil conflicts.

This dissertation examines and writes the early history of distribution and exhibition of moving images in Southeast Asia by observing the intersection of transnational itinerant entertainment and colonialism. It is a cultural history of turn-of-the-century Southeast Asia, and focuses on the movement of films, people, and amusements across oceans and national borders. The starting point is two simultaneous and interrelated processes in the late 1800s, to which cinema contributed. One process, colonialism and imperialism, separated people into different classes of people, ruler and ruled, white and non-white, thereby creating and widening a colonial binary. The other process was bringing the world closer, through technology, trade, and migration, and compressing the notions of time and space. The study assesses the development of cinema in a colonial setting and how its development disrupted notions of racial hierarchies. The first decade of cinema in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore, is used as a point of reference from where issues such as imperialism, colonial discourse, nation-building, ethnicity, gender, and race is discussed. The development of film exhibition and distribution in Southeast Asia is tracked from travelling film exhibitors and agents to the opening of a regional Pathé Frères office and permanent film venues. By having a transnational perspective the interconnectedness of Southeast Asia is demonstrated, as well as its constructed national borders. Cinematic venues throughout Southeast Asia negotiated segregated, colonial racial politics by creating a common social space where people from different ethnic and social backgrounds gathered. Furthermore, this study analyses what kind of worldview the exhibited pictures had and how audiences reproduced their meanings.

L’objectif de ce mémoire est de rendre compte d’une figure particulièrement dynamique dans l’écriture de Leïla Sebbar, celle de l’adolescent fugueur. Mohamed dans Le Chinois vert d’Afrique (1982) et Shérazade dans Shérazade, 17 ans, brune, frisée, les yeux verts (1984), personnifient une réalité autre que celle accolée aux jeunes descendants de l’immigration maghrébine (surtout algérienne), partagés entre les codes culturels du pays d’origine et ceux du pays de naissance. L’hybridité des personnages et leur mobilité aléatoire permettent de réévaluer les discours sociaux dominants émis en France, pays tiraillé entre les aspirations d’unité nationale et l’histoire coloniale. Le premier chapitre fera état du contact des fugueurs avec la représentation picturale et sa place dans la constitution de leur identité. À la lumière de ces observations, la seconde partie du travail se penchera sur la prise de conscience du regard de l’Autre et le questionnement de l’image préconçue de l’adolescent de banlieue inculte en mal d’insertion sociale. La déconstruction de ce cliché permettra dans le troisième chapitre d’aborder la réappropriation de l’objet culturel par les fugueurs, procédant à une véritable démocratisation de la culture élitiste. Le quatrième chapitre sera enfin consacré au mouvement des fugueurs dans l’espace et dans le temps. Nous y verrons comment les fugueurs, intermédiaires entre la ville et sa banlieue mais aussi entre le paradis perdu du pays d’origine et le désarroi des parents immigrés, provoquent la relecture de l’histoire des générations passées tout en gardant un œil critique sur l’avenir. / The purpose of this master’s thesis is to study the dynamic figure of the runaway in the writing of Leïla Sebbar. Mohamed in “Le Chinois Vert d’Afrique” (1982) and Shérazade in “Shérazade, 17 ans, brune, frisée, les yeux verts” (1984), personifie a reality that the young descendants of the North African immigration must encounter, torn between the cultural codes of the country of origin and the country of birth. The blend of the characters’ culture and their constant mobility reassess the dominant social discourse during a time when France was torn between the aspirations of a national unity and colonial history. The first chapter examines the cultural blend of the runaways with the pictorial representation and its place in the formation of the young protagonists’ identity. In light of these observations, the second part of the thesis will focus on the characters’ awareness of the Other’s perception. The stereotypical suburban teenager lacking culture resulting in the character feeling out of place is being questioned. The breakdown of the “cliché” in the third chapter will address the importance of culture by characters, allowing for a democratization of an upper class culture. The fourth chapter is devoted to the movement of the runaways in space and time. Between the city and its suburbs, the lost paradise that Algeria represents, and the distress of the parents that have left their beloved country, the last part of this study will focus on the characters’ contribution to the rewriting of the history of past and future generations.

Actor training, like the theatre in Brazil, has historically been a middle and upper class pursuit that followed European models, namely Stanislavski's system. Yet within Brazil there is a wealth of diverse cultures that are inherently theatrical and well suited for application in actor training. In this study I explore one such culture, the Afro Brazilian religion Umbanda. First, I examine its formation to illuminate how the religion itself performed (or served as a site for cultural interaction) throughout history. Then, I explore the practice of the religion both apart from and in relation to the theatre and Stanislavski's system. Using the archetypes of Umbanda as a base, I formulate a system of actor training that both allows access to a larger demographic of Brazilians, and also encourages cultural dialogue as an explicit part of acting process. I frame this study with two metaphors: anthropophagy, the notion of cannibalizing or consuming one culture by another; and, more specifically, the digestive tract. The anthropophagy movement in Brazil framed the country's thought throughout much of the 20th century; the digestive tract is a closer examination of the consuming process that epitomizes this system of actor training.