Research Papers/Topics in Social Anthropology

Postulating ‘Ethnography of Enculturation’: A high-level overview of various social science research techniques that can be used to study human enculturation processes

We had first introduced the concept of “Ethnography of enculturation” in our paper on generic identity theory. We had also published two other papers on ethnography, the gist of which can be understood to enhance the readership experience of this paper. This is however, not mandatory. We believe the “Ethnography of enculturation” would constitute a very important concept and component of twentyfirst century social sciences since it would give us an insight and understanding into how h...

Big Five Personality Traits, Educational Level and Marital Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Spousal Social Support Among Workers in Nsukka Local Government Area.

ABSTRACT This empirical study investigated big five personality traits, educational level and marital satisfaction: the moderating role of spousal social support among workers in Nsukka local government area. Two hundred and thirty two (232) married workers, comprising 122 males and 110 females were randomly selected using cross sectional design from workers of different sections in Nsukka Local Government Area. Their ages ranged between 18 to 65 years. Three instruments that were locally sta...

Public Perception Of Drug Addiction And Its Socio-Economic Implications In Nigeria: A Study Of Enugu Urban

ABSTRACT This study was aimed at investigating the perception of the general public on the socio-economic implications of drug addiction in Nigeria. The study was conducted in Enugu urban and a sample of six hundred (600) respondents aged 18 years and above resident in Enugu urban were selected through simple random sampling. Structured questionnaires developed by the researcher were administrated to the respondents by six research assistants. In addition in depth interviews were conduct...

Articulating comprehensive frameworks on socio-cultural change: Perceptions of social and cultural change in contemporary Twenty-first century Anthropology from a ‘Neo-centrist’ perspectiv

This paper articulates new perspectives and integrates existing frameworks on cultural change from the point of view of Twenty-first century anthropology. This paper also identifies the key drivers of cultural change across epochs and investigates the mechanics of cultural change, and our proposed approaches towards cultural change (characterized by Activism which we believe is an adjunct for the globalisation of the field) are intertwined with our core philosophy of Neo-centrism which is int...

The relevance of Culture and Personality Studies, National Character Studies, Cultural Determinism and Cultural Diffusion in Twenty-first Century Anthropology: An assessment of their compat

This paper re-examines the core tenets of our “Proactive-interactive-symbiotic approach to long-term cultural change”, also known as the “Symbiotic School of socio-cultural change”, against the backdrop of eminent pre-existing schools of thought such as the Culture and Personality School, Cultural Determinism, Cultural Relativism, and diffusionist schools such as the British School, the German School and the American School, and other ethnographic methods and techniques to revalidate ...

A Critical Review of Environmental Conservation in Zimbabwe

Abstract: The discourse on "environmental conservation" is highly dynamic and has generated controversies of epic proportions in conservation sciences and environmental anthropology. Given the nebulous nature of conservation, coupled with the varying interpretations evoked by the deployment of the concept across different disciplines, a more robust understanding of the no tion calls into question its practical manifestations and application in particular situated contexts — particularly wit...

Critical reflections on the principle of beneficence in biomedicine

Abstract Medical ethics as a scholarly discipline and a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, anthropology and sociology. As such there are a number of values in medical ethics such as autonomy, non-maleficence, confidentiality, dignity, honesty, justice and beneficence, among others. These values act as guidelines for professionals ...

Ethical quandaries in spiritual healing and herbal medicine: A critical analysis of the morality of traditional medicine advertising in southern African urban societies

Abstract This paper critically examines the morality of advertising by practitioners in spiritual healing and herbal medicine heretofore referred to as traditional medicine, in southern African urban societies. While the subject of traditional medicine has been heavily contested in medical studies in the last few decades, the monumental studies on the subject have emphasised the place of traditional medicine in basic health services. Insignificant attention has been devoted to examine the eth...

Critical Reflections on the Impact(s) of the So-Called ‘Teacher Incentive’ on Zimbabwe’s Public Education

Abstract For some decades, Zimbabwe’s public education has been ranked one of the best in Southern Africa, Africa and the world-over. This was chiefly a result of high quality teachers, high quality supervision of examinations adopted from its colonial master (Britain), and good working conditions for education practitioners, among other reasons. This reality, however, has turned the otherwise since the turn of the new millennium and especially in the recent years due to economic meltdown i...

Ethnography Of ‘Herero Mall’ (Windhoek) As A Postapartheid Social Space

Abstract The post-apartheid city represents an important reflector of a society in transition. Urban space as a mixture of complex interrelations and social interactions provides a prism through which society in transition is illuminated. This transition is captured in social spaces. Yet, there is a dearth of studies focusing on locating the meaning of social spaces in post-apartheid urban Namibia. Employing ethnography as a methodological choice, participant observation combined with in-dep...

Social Capital, its Uses and Contradictions, and its Relevance to the West African Ebola Crisis of 2013 – 2015

Social capital has been proposed as a useful concept for the understanding of epidemics of Emerging Infectious Diseases, such as the epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which occurred in West Africa in 2013 – 2015. This paper reviews some of the literature around the social capital concept, highlights the contested nature of that concept, and considers how the concept might be best applied to the study of the recent EVD crisis. It is argued that the emphasis in such studies must always be...