Projects

Abstract :

The presence of Internally Displaced Women (IDW) from the Anglophone crisis has become a strategic communications lever for the municipality of Douala IV. Acting in a context of national media silence and strong political sensitivity, the municipality deliberately adopted the principle of “Doing is Communicating” (Watzlawick et al., 1972, p. 48). The positive image of the territory is not constructed by speech, but by concrete proof of action on the ground.

This approach is anchored in the Theory of Social Constructivism (Berger & Luckmann, 1966), where the municipality seeks to externalize its political intention and construct a favorable reality. It achieves this by actively supporting the resilience and self-organization of the IDW. Associations, training and various supports allow women to project their strength of character, thus deconstructing the Social Representation (SR) of the passive victim to impose that of the active entrepreneur (Abric, 1994).

Individual successes are integrated into municipal storytelling (Salmon, 2007) and showcased during public events (Goffman, 1959). This positive instrumentalization directly serves Place Branding: the success of the IDW becomes proof of performance which strengthens the reputation of Douala IV (Fombrun, 1996) as an efficient, humane and united city (Kavaratzis & Hatch, 2013). The visible and successful management of IDW legitimizes social spending among local citizens and ensures strategic alignment with the financing criteria of social associations and national NGOs, guaranteeing the attractiveness and stability of the territory.

Abstract :

Based on research in American, Hungarian, and Ghanaian archives, as well as oral testimonies collected from now-aged Ghana Young Pioneers, the thesis explores the politics of nation and youth in the Cold War era. The overlapping dynamics of national politics and Cold War tensions highlight how efforts to create a new society involved a struggle over the future of the polity.

The research foregrounds the experiences of young Ghanaians recruited in the 1960s  by the Kwame Nkrumah-led government to travel to the Soviet Union for training. It follows their mission as agents of the new nation and their fate following the 1966 coup that toppled Nkrumah and dramatically realigned Ghana’s politics in the Cold War world. By centering Ghanaian youth migration and political displacement, processes that unfolded in Ghana and outside the country, the study demonstrates how identity politics may be rooted in interlocking dynamics of power and oppression.

This perspective –informed by multi-sited and multimodal research – foregrounds African identities and insists on understanding African history in a global context. The transnational framework also shows how migration could create ‘sacrificial citizens’, whose individual interests sometimes intersected with national priorities, sending them along uncertain trajectories that brought great cost to migrants themselves. The focus on historical actors from Ghana will center local knowledge and develop a decolonial understanding of the global Cold War.

Abstract:

Mining contributes meaningfully to the socioeconomic development of many nations. For instance, the sector accounted for 7.5% and 7.6% of Ghana’s GDP in 2021 and 2022, respectively, according to the Ghana Statistical Service; 16% of Botswana’s GDP in 2019 (Yager, 2023); and 4.4% of China’s GDP (China Statistical Yearbook, 2023).

Notwithstanding these benefits, mining activities have displaced many communities globally and brought hardship to affected persons(Cernea, 2021).  Previous studies have largely focused on the aftermath of displacement (Botchwey & Yankey, 2023; Downing, 2002.; Oware Twerefoo, 2021; Terminski, 2012) to mention but a few.

There is a dearth of knowledge about pre-displacement events, the processes leading to displacement, and post-displacement lives. As a contribution to understanding these processes, my doctoral research focuses on three communities-Salman and parts of Teleku-Bokazo and Nkroful in the Ellembelle district of Ghana’s Western Region, a region known for its long mining history and intense mining activities, with severe mining-related problems. The Ellembelle district is unique among its neighbours as it is the only district among them and it also hosts Ghana’s Oil and Gas hub, complicating environmental effects. There is limited literature on mining in this district compared to its neighbouring municipalities, according to the Environmental Protection Authority.

My research in these communities aims to accomplish the following objectives: 1. To examine how communities reacted to the pre-displacement news. 2. To investigate the processes and efforts deployed by these communities to resettle in their new environments. 3. To evaluate the social and economic effects of displacement on affected individuals.

Methodologically, the study utilises an Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Approach (Creswell & Creswell, 2023) beginning with qualitative data collection to inform the design of the quantitative phase. The qualitative phase currently ongoing involves key interviews with residents and Focus Group Discussions to capture their experiences regarding the phenomenon under study, as well as interviews with mining company officials and regulatory authorities.  

Using multistage and purposive sampling methods, questionnaires will be administered to individuals. In research on mining-induced displacement and livelihood reorganization, combining qualitative and quantitative methods provides comprehensive insights.

Theoretically, the study utilises Michael Cernea’s Impoverishment Risk and Restructuring (IRR) Model(Cernea, 2021), a framework for understanding the risks and socioeconomic disruptions displaced persons face, and Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) (Salleh, 1997) to highlight how environmental changes and displacement processes affect men and women differently. Combined, these frameworks provide a comprehensive approach to analysing the phenomenon under study.