Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction

Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction. Faye D. Ginsburg and Rayna Rapp. eds. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995 (cloth and paper), xii. 450 pages.     

Seeing Like an Oil Company: Space, Security, and Global Capital in Neoliberal Africa

In this article, I seek to identify a limitation in the analysis James Scott offers in Seeing Like a State (1998) by asking to what extent his account of the follies of schemes for planned improvement by states provides critical leverage on the present world of neoliberal global capitalism. Scott has claimed that a dynamic of standardization, homogenization, and grid making applies not only to developmentalist states but also equally to the contemporary world of downsized states and unconstrained global corporations. I contest that claim by tracing how recent capital investment in Africa has been territorialized, and some of the new forms of order and disorder that have accompanied that selectively territorialized investment. Because such investment has been overwhelmingly in mineral resource extraction—particularly in oil—a contrast will become visible between the homogenizing, standardizing state optic Scott analyzed and a rather different way of seeing, proper to the contemporary global oil company.     

The Neoliberal World Order and Patriarchal Power: A Discursive Study of Korean Cinema and International Co-production

This research is an attempt to examine the ideological aspects of Korean cinema in the context of politico-economic changes. Korean cinema is in the process of economic restructuring, driven by neoliberal forces on a global scale. These economic forces also influence film texts on a concrete level, creating hybrid characters and narratives in blockbusters and co-produced films. These new genre films have tended to reinforce patriarchal ideology, making it increasingly pronounced, as Korean films become more technologically advanced and the production system globalized. To illustrate these effects, this article offers a textual analysis of Never Forever [Kim Jina 2007], which was the first U.S.–Korean co-production.     

MRSA in Africa: Filling the Global Map of Antimicrobial Resistance

We sought to assess the prevalence of methicillin-resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Africa. We included articles published in 2005 or later reporting for the prevalence of MRSA among S. aureus clinical isolates. Thirty-two studies were included. In Tunisia, the prevalence of MRSA increased from 16% to 41% between 2002–2007, while in Libya it was 31% in 2007. In South Africa, the prevalence decreased from 36% in 2006 to 24% during 2007–2011. In Botswana, the prevalence varied from 23–44% between 2000–2007. In Algeria and Egypt, the prevalence was 45% and 52% between 2003–2005, respectively. In Nigeria, the prevalence was greater in the northern than the southern part. In Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast, the prevalence was 55% and 39%, respectively. The prevalence of MRSA was lower than 50% in most of the African countries, although it appears to have risen since 2000 in many African countries, except for South Africa.     

Remotely Global: Village Modernity in West Africa.

Remotely Global: Village Modernity in West Africa. Charles Piot. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. 220 pp.     

Why Africa matters: evolution of Old World Salvia (Lamiaceae) in Africa

Background and Aims

Salvia is the largest genus in Lamiaceae and it has recently been found to be non-monophyletic. Molecular data on Old World Salvia are largely lacking. In this study, we present data concerning Salvia in Africa. The focus is on the colonization of the continent, character evolution and the switch of pollination systems in the genus.

Methods

Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Analyses were based on two nuclear markers [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and external transcribed spacer (ETS)] and one plastid marker (rpl32-trnL). Sequence data were generated for 41 of the 62 African taxa (66 %). Mesquite was used to reconstruct ancestral character states for distribution, life form, calyx shape, stamen type and pollination syndrome.

Key Results

Salvia in Africa is non-monophyletic. Each of the five major regions in Africa, except Madagascar, was colonized at least twice, and floristic links between North African, south-west Asian and European species are strongly supported. The large radiation in Sub-Saharan Africa (23 species) can be traced back to dispersal from North Africa via East Africa to the Cape Region. Adaptation to bird pollination in southern Africa and Madagascar reflects parallel evolution.

Conclusions

The phenotypic diversity in African Salvia is associated with repeated introductions to the continent. Many important evolutionary processes, such as colonization, adaptation, parallelism and character transformation, are reflected in this comparatively small group. The data presented in this study can help to understand the evolution of Salvia sensu lato and other large genera.     

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Africa

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Africa. Ruth Stone. ed. New York: Garland, 1998. 852 pp., scores, and CD.     

African Connections: Archaeological Perspectives on Africa and the Wider World

African Connections: Archaeological Perspectives on Africa and the Wider World. Peter Mitchell. New York: AltaMira Press, 2005. 307 pp.