This paper begins by tracing the history of Ethnography and Ethnographic studies over the course of the past few centuries, and reviews existing approaches and techniques used in the field of Ethnography with a view to ascertain their salient features, strengths and possible lacunae and limitations. This paper also traces the methods used in the field of Anthropology from the very early days, and reviews the most current and uptodate techniques in the field of Anthropology such as Development...
The objective of this paper is to present comprehensive principles of language spread that are applicable in post-globalized scenarios, by expanding upon and consolidating our already-published works in which had we studied different aspects of diachronic and synchronic linguistics and language dynamics including language dynamics in India. Admittedly, these principles and theories cannot be comprehensive, inclusive or wide-ranging enough to account for all dimensions of language spread in al...
The earliest known example of an Indus seal dates to 1873 in the form of a drawing published by Alexander Cunningham. Since then, thousands of examples of the Indus script have been discovered, and the Indus script has been subject to very serious analysis by many scholars from all over the world and still continues to fascinate, enchant and frustrate innumerable researchers who have made many a vain attempt to understand its true nature and meaning. The nature of the Indus script remains elu...
This paper is meant to read together with the paper ‘The reconfirmation and reinforcement of the Indus script thesis: a logical assessment and inquiry as to the elusive and enigmatic nature of this script‘, which was published in the ICFAI Journal of History and Culture in January 2011. In the aforementioned paper, we had clearly shown that the Indus script used in the Indus Valley civilization which flourished from 2600 BC to 1900 BC, was a logo-syllabic script. In this paper, we show th...
This paper proposes a generalized and a universal approach towards collective and individual identity formation, and one which is expected to work in practically every conceivable scenario across cultures. Our approach also has at its core, the concept of the ‘Psychic unity of mankind’ which implies that human thought processes, urges and impulses are essentially the same in all cultures and societies, though the nature of enculturation may vary from context to context. This approach work...
The objective of this paper is to formalize and document observations on language spread in multilingual or polyglot societies as understood from a study of spoken and written language in various phases in Indian history starting from the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient India, the mature phase of which began in 2600 BC, to modern Post-independent India, and formalize them into principles wherever possible,so that these can be used as a basis to make further observations and draw further ...
This paper extends the concepts delineated in our earlier paper ‘Historiography by Objectives: A new approach for the study of history within the framework of the proposed Twenty-first Century school of Historiography’ and uses them to enunciate the core principles which we believe will form a part of the proposed Twenty-first century school of Historiography. This paper therefore strives to provide the vehicular platform upon which the objectives set forth in the aforesaid paper should b...
This paper is the last in our trilogy on Twenty-First Century Historiography. It attempts to bring all our endeavours to their logical culmination and as such may be construed to be our apotheosis in this regard. The first paper proposed a basic approach for Historiography in the Twenty-first Century and laid out the basic objectives of Twenty-first Century Historiography. The second paper laid out the core principles of Twenty-first Century Historiography, and these were seen a necessary adj...
Abstract The Qur’àn had played a great role on thè languages of thè world, and thè Yoruba language (Southwestem Nigeria) is not an exemption. The paper looked into thè Qur’àn with its characteristic features, its influence on thè Arabie language and thè view of scholars on its tra slation.lt studied thè rhetorical application of al-Mushàkalah (Homonyms) in thè Qur'àn translated in o Yoruba Language. Al-Mushàkalah as a topic under thè branch of Arabie Rhetoric, known £S al-B...
Abstract African diaspora is a phenomenal history of primordial occurrence ostensibly buried alive in a shallow grave. Its seeming resurrection in contemporary time has become a reality seeking a global attention. One of the flying wings of that reality which can never be clipped is religion. Being a diehard cultural pivot, religion connotes different things to different people at different times. It is the totality of life to the average living majority of African Muslims in diaspora. Relig...
Abstract The reintroduction of Sharia in the twelve states of northern Nigeria between 1999 and 2000 underscores the salience of Islam in the politics and governmentalities of the region. Popular pressure led to the reintroduction of Sharia in Kano, but its trajectory signified usage for administrative convenience and legitimacy prompted by the challenges of democratic change. The reintroduction of Sharia was a convergence of state Islam and popular Islam. Hisbah was established to enforce a ...
Abstract The advent of Islam in Ibadan, in about 1829, was made possible by the arrival of some Muslim scholars from the Northern part of the country. They were Igun Olorun, Ahmad Qifu and Uthman Baasunu who respectively became the first three Imams in the city. For the spread of the faith, these Mallams and their indigenous disciples adopted education and preaching methods. For education, they established Qur’anic schools in almost all quarters and villages where people were taught Arabic ...
Abstract Most studies of print media portrayal of women show that there is a general bias against women: not only are women under-represented, they are also negatively portrayed. But there is an emerging body of studies that challenge this dominant position, and suggest that the portrayal of women is gradually changing. This study queries the print media portrayal of women in politics in Nigeria focusing on the 2007 and 2011 general elections. Through a content analysis of 4,386 political st...
The Kerygma has come to mean the core of apostolic preaching, the good news of salvation through Jesus - His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection, His sending of the Spirit, His coming again – with the call to faith and repentance, leading to forgiveness, a personal relationship with Jesus and baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is proclaimed with a view to engendering faith in the hearers, which is the essential foundation for further teaching and catechizing. “So faith comes from ...
Abstract The use of mobile phones to deceive and defraud in Nigeria has received widespread comments and complaints but not empirical investigations. Guided by Buller and Burgoon’s interpersonal deception theory, this article examined the strategies employed by deceivers, the dimension of lies told and why mobile phone deception works among Nigerians. This it did through interviews with victims and near-victims of deception, focus group discussions with users, and participant observation. M...