Uganda, as a territorial state, is the "child" of the late nineteenth century European expansionist violence. Since the construction and consolidation of the despotically strong but infrastructurally weak state, the country has... more
Uganda, as a territorial state, is the "child" of the late nineteenth century European expansionist violence. Since the construction and consolidation of the despotically strong but infrastructurally weak state, the country has witnessed intense political violence, gross violations of human rights, destruction of property, internal displacement and refugee migrations. Today, Acholiland in northern Uganda is ravaged by a genocidal war, internaI displacement, refugee migrations, humanitarian disaster and other forms of systematic violations of human rights. Yet, these crises have not received adequate attention from scholars, policymakers, human rights organizations and the rest of the international community. What are the causes of the crises? Why do the crises persist? Who are the protagonists? What are the effects of the crises on the society? Why has the international community failed to respond to the genocide and humanitarian disaster? These are sorne of the questions ...
Most refugees do not leave their home with a national passport in hand. Nor do they have prepaid tickets for their transport since they do not take national airlines or railways when they leave their countries. They leave in acute... more
Most refugees do not leave their home with a national passport in hand. Nor do they have prepaid tickets for their transport since they do not take national airlines or railways when they leave their countries. They leave in acute situations and for many of them their journey is hampered by acute problems. They flee in disguise, avoid the main roads; and are ignorant of what lies ahead since they travel through unknown territory often without guide. This makes flight for many a grope for safety in total darkness. And such flight is filled with numerous hardships and danger. (Bulcha, M. 1988. Flight and Integration: Causes of Mass Exodus from Ethiopia and Problems of Integration in the Sudan. Uppsala: Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 138.)
Human history has been punctuated by widespread and recurring violent conflicts. Attempts to explain the causes, utility and effects of the phenomenon have engaged the minds of scholars and other stakeholders for centuries. At the centre... more
Human history has been punctuated by widespread and recurring violent conflicts. Attempts to explain the causes, utility and effects of the phenomenon have engaged the minds of scholars and other stakeholders for centuries. At the centre of the inquiry are questions about human nature: whether and to what extent violence is innately determined in humans or influenced by the external environment. According to ethnology, aggression or violence is innate and essentially genetic, not learned or a response to environmental conditions. The role of the environment, K. Lorenz posits, is simply to provide stimuli that trigger or hinder intraspecific aggression. This view, which modifies and restates the Social Darwinian theory of natural selection, maintains that aggression is not dysfunctional. Rather, it serves a number of important functions: the preservation of species through natural selection; the creation of social ranks which imposes social order and stability, thus reducing intraspe...
A rather enigmatic Greek ostracon (O. Elusa 2) was recovered during the 1997 excavation season at Elusa in the Negev Desert. This ostracon is analysed in light of its archaeological setting, namely, a Byzantine pottery workshop, and the... more
A rather enigmatic Greek ostracon (O. Elusa 2) was recovered during the 1997 excavation season at Elusa in the Negev Desert. This ostracon is analysed in light of its archaeological setting, namely, a Byzantine pottery workshop, and the associated finds from the workshop, including a previously published ostracon (O. Elusa 1). Such an integrative approach underscores the importance of combining papyrological and archaeological information for the interpretation of excavated texts.
This article offers some approaches to understanding the material identity of papyri. It also raises awareness of the rather problematic relationship between the disciplines of papyrology and archaeology. Although these two disciplines... more
This article offers some approaches to understanding the material identity of papyri. It also raises awareness of the rather problematic relationship between the disciplines of papyrology and archaeology. Although these two disciplines are inextricably linked, they have for the most part developed along separate paths. Why has this been the case and how has it affected the ways in which papyri are used and interpreted by scholars? These questions will be addressed through the fundamental concepts of objectification and context. The ultimate goal is to build a critical framework for interpreting papyri that breaks down the artificial distinction between text and object. As part of this effort, an historical perspective will be sought by looking at some of the earliest controlled excavations of papyri and how the emerging discipline of papyrology was shaped by late 19th century colonialism and classicism.
