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This thesis is about the co-evolution of non-interventionist norms and interventionist practice among African states in the post-colonial era. To understand this co-evolution, this study begins from the year 1957, when the first post-colonial state emerged, and is divided into three phases: the early post-colonial period (1957-1970), the post-independence period (1970-mid 1980), and the post-Cold War period (1990-April 1998). Each phase looks at examples of African involvement in internal disputes to consider how the practice of intervention has evolved alongside the clause of non-intervention in Article 3(2) of the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The cases studied illustrate the view that African leaders, to justify intervening in internal disputes, have often cited two persistent and recurrent themes: "African exclusivity" (often defined as "African solutions for African problems") and "African Unity" (often called "solidarity"). These however are not the only themes that explicate how intervention has evolved in African affairs. There are complex regional political realities and sensitivities and factors such as the problem of regional instability posed by internal disputes, the spread of arms and the overflow of refugees into neighbouring countries that impinge on the thinking of intervention and non-intervention. While there is an apparent contradiction between non-interventionist norms and interventionist practice in the history under investigation, the thesis concludes that instead, it represents a careful and pragmatic balance of coping with short-term contingencies (through intervention) and longer-term security (through strengthening the norm) without undermining the undoubted interest of African leaders to secure non-interventionist norms for Africa.

An expanding body of research explores the social, political, cultural and personal challenges presented by the Western emphasis of curricula around the world. The aim of my study is to advance this field of inquiry by gaining insight into perceptions of Western modern science presented by students, teachers and administrators in a given Caribbean setting. Through this study I asked how my research participants described the nature of scientific knowledge, how they related scientific knowledge to other culturally-valued knowledges and the meanings they attached to the geographic origins of science teachers. Situating this work firmly within the practice of Foucauldian critical discourse analysis, I have utilised a conceptual framework defined by the power/knowledge and complicity/resistance themes of post-colonial theory to support my interpretation of participant commentary in an overall quest that is concerned about the ways in which Western modern science might be exerting a colonising influence. Fourteen students, nine teachers (both expatriate and local) and three administrators participated in the study. I combined a semi-structured question and answer interview format with a card sort activity. I used a procedure based on my own adaptation of Stephenson’s Q methodology, where the respondents placed 24 statements hierarchically along a continuum of increasing strength of agreement, presenting their rationalisations, personal stories and illustrations as they sorted. I used an inverse factor analysis, in combination with the interview transcripts, to assist me in the identification of three discourse positions described by my research participants: The truth value of scientific knowledge, The pragmatic use of science to promote progress, and The priority of cultural preservation. The interview transcripts were also analysed for emergent themes, providing an additional layer of data interpretation. The research findings raise concerns regarding the hegemonic potency of certain scientific assumptions and assertions of participants, leading me to emphasise the importance of developing teachers’ knowledge of the historical, philosophical and social background of Western modern science as well as focusing on developing the conceptual and intellectual engagement of students with Western modern science without demanding the kind of belief commitment that would insist that students replace alternative modes of meaning making.

An expanding body of research explores the social, political, cultural and personal challenges presented by the Western emphasis of curricula around the world. The aim of my study is to advance this field of inquiry by gaining insight into perceptions of Western modern science presented by students, teachers and administrators in a given Caribbean setting. Through this study I asked how my research participants described the nature of scientific knowledge, how they related scientific knowledge to other culturally-valued knowledges and the meanings they attached to the geographic origins of science teachers. Situating this work firmly within the practice of Foucauldian critical discourse analysis, I have utilised a conceptual framework defined by the power/knowledge and complicity/resistance themes of post-colonial theory to support my interpretation of participant commentary in an overall quest that is concerned about the ways in which Western modern science might be exerting a colonising influence. Fourteen students, nine teachers (both expatriate and local) and three administrators participated in the study. I combined a semi-structured question and answer interview format with a card sort activity. I used a procedure based on my own adaptation of Stephenson’s Q methodology, where the respondents placed 24 statements hierarchically along a continuum of increasing strength of agreement, presenting their rationalisations, personal stories and illustrations as they sorted. I used an inverse factor analysis, in combination with the interview transcripts, to assist me in the identification of three discourse positions described by my research participants: The truth value of scientific knowledge, The pragmatic use of science to promote progress, and The priority of cultural preservation. The interview transcripts were also analysed for emergent themes, providing an additional layer of data interpretation. The research findings raise concerns regarding the hegemonic potency of certain scientific assumptions and assertions of participants, leading me to emphasise the importance of developing teachers’ knowledge of the historical, philosophical and social background of Western modern science as well as focusing on developing the conceptual and intellectual engagement of students with Western modern science without demanding the kind of belief commitment that would insist that students replace alternative modes of meaning making.

Several writers have described the aim of global citizenship education as developing in students a global ethic of social justice. Western post-secondary institutions have endeavored to educate students for global citizenship by traveling to and volunteering in developing countries. Such programs have the potential to perpetuate the epistemic violence of colonialism by ignoring the ways in which students appropriate the developing world as ‘other’ as use these experiences to solely benefit themselves. In order to address such issues and concerns, this qualitative study used post-colonial theory to analyze the experiences and reflections of six participants who participated in a Canadian university global citizenship program in Thailand. The study suggests that culture and perceived cultural differences have a major effect on how students understand their identity and agency as global citizens, bringing forth dimensions of ambivalence and cultural hybridity. In order for programs to develop a global ethic of social justice, however, students need to be informed and reflexive about the social-historical context of the country they are visiting as well as their positionality in relation to the people they engage with. / Theoretical, Cultural and International Studies in Education

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of French and Italian, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-62).

First person plural in letters to the editor in two post-colonial contexts In writing letters to the editor, speech community members position themselves in a way that simultaneously helps construct both the public discourse on certain issues and the writer’s identity. An important tool in such identity construction in various contexts has been shown to be the first-person plural pronoun. The purpose of this study is to explain writers’ uses of first-person plural pronouns to construct identity in letters to the editor in the 21st-century post-colonial context in a Kenyan and a Sri Lankan newspaper. Assuming a variational pragmatics perspective, we analyze the pronouns to determine the intended reference and the relation to structural features of the letter and assigned responsibility for situational problems and solutions. The results indicate that despite marked variation between the Kenyan and Sri Lankan letters in how explicitly solutions are called for and responsible actors are named, first-person plural pronoun usage exhibits strong similarity. In both datasets, slightly over half the pronouns reference a national identity, which accords with the most prominent topic area by far being government form, policy, and services and the behavior of politicians and government officials. Among the other half, ambiguous reference is the most prominent category. Ambiguous and shifting use can mitigate directness in assigning blame and expectation, thus avoiding the construction of an identity judged unacceptable confrontational by local norms. Moreover, since interpretation of ambiguous language requires more participation from the reader, the assignment of responsibility becomes a more collaborative activity, reinforcing the community membership of the writer.

Individual factors may impact the retention rate of Puerto Rican women in treatment for mental health and substance abuse-related issues. The purpose of this research was to examine the demographic factors that may contribute to the low retention rate of Puerto Rican women in treatment for mental health and substance abuse. The theory of reasoned action was implicit in the intervention. Data were collected from 120 Puerto Rican women enrolled in an addiction center. The following demographic factors were chosen from prior treatment records: age at first chemical abuse, whether the participant was a child of an alcoholic, level of education, and the first language of the participant. The data were analyzed using logistic regression equations. The results of the analysis did not show a significant relationship between the demographic factors and retention rate. However, the current literature regarding the effective use of these services is still limited with this population. This current study can lead to positive social change by helping to promote awareness of how cultural factors can impact substance abuse treatment for minority women. Therefore, one recommendation for a future study would be to use a research design that would allow for more exploration of relevant cultural factors. Significant results from a future study could result in better services, which could lead to positive social change by helping to reduce recidivism and lower substance abuse in this vulnerable population.

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In this dissertation, I develop a postcolonial theoretical approach to localized Muslim feminism(s) in Aceh, Indonesia, based on interviews with women in Aceh in 2009 and 2010. One of the central aims of this study is to challenge the dominant exclusivist discourse of "Islamic" feminism by providing a viable alternative for "Muslim" feminism(s), derived from collaborative, indigenous, and post-secular politics. I address the need for a religious feminist model of subjectivity that incorporates both the political and ethical dimensions of agency in potentially non-patriarchal and non-state-centric formations. I suggest a communal understanding of religious law as an alternative to conceptualizing religious law (syariah) in terms of a personal ethical code or a system of laws emanating from a state. I propose an alternative discourse of feminist agency and religious identity, one that reaches beyond a secular-liberal epistemology and challenges the hegemonic discourse of state-centrism within a privatized religious identity. / Ph. D.