SAGE Journal Articles

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Journal Article 15.1 Khan, A., & Cheri, L. (2016). An examination of poverty as the foundation of crisis in Northern Nigeria. Insight on Africa, 8(1), 59–71. DOI: 10.1177/0975087815612283
Abstract: Northern Nigeria is a region that contradicts its natural endowments. Despite the existence of many economic resources such as tin, kaolin, a variety of agricultural products, and a huge fertile land, the people remain in abject poverty leading to plethora of crisis in forms of insurgency, electoral violence, and crime. Out of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, three are in the northern part of the country and they have the worst indices of poverty compared to the other zones. The Northwest with 77.7%, North Central having 67.5% and Northeast with 76.3%, northern Nigeria becomes a hub of joblessness, crime, illiteracy, maternal mortality, early marriage and, recently, terrorism. This article uses content analysis to unravel the link between the present turmoil in northern Nigeria and the poverty indices that triggered the lingering crisis. This article shows that ineffectiveness of poverty alleviation programmes, poor resource utilization, lack of private initiative, and overdependence on scarce public jobs are the factors that caused and sustained poverty in northern Nigeria to serve as the foundation of the turbulence in all sectors of society. It recommends, inter alia, the strengthening of the private sector to provide jobs for the jobless, adherence to prudence, transparency, and accountability in poverty alleviation programmes.

Journal Article 15.2 Hall, A., & Branford, S. (2012). Development, dams and Dilma: the saga of Belo Monte. Critical Sociology, 38(6), 851–862. DOI: 10.1177/0896920512440712
Abstract: The Belo Monte hydropower scheme on the River Xingu in Brazilian Amazonia symbolizes the persistent contradictions between industrial modernization and resource conservation in a fragile environment. For over 30 years, local populations have battled with the energy authorities, contesting the top-down planning approach regularly applied in Brazilian infrastructure expansion. Reconfigured over the past decade as “neo-developmentist,” the model complements neoliberalism and is based on a strong alliance between the state as financial backer and the private sector as executor of such major schemes as Belo Monte. Following her predecessors, President Dilma continues to employ authoritarian tactics with little apparent regard for dealing comprehensively with its anticipated severe economic, ecological, and social impacts, and with minimal consultation of diverse local groups, especially poorer agricultural and indigenous populations. More transparent and democratic planning procedures are necessary for Belo Monte and similar schemes if Brazil’s environmental credentials are not to be seriously compromised.

Journal Article 15.3 Weaver, H. N. (2016). Where Wounded Knee meets wounded knees: Skate parks and Native American youth. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 12(5), 513–526. DOI: 10.20507/AlterNative.2016.12.5.6
Abstract: As contemporary peoples, Native Americans exist within multifaceted realities and participate in many everyday popular pleasures. One pleasure prominent in the lives of many young Native Americans is the activities that take place at skate parks. Skate parks have been linked to wellness promotion for both young people and communities and can function as a venue to nurture and mentor Native American youth in ways that parallel traditional methods. Some proponents of skate parks use the popularity of skateboards and skating to link past and present in ways that teach history and expand ideas about contemporary Indigenous aesthetics. This phenomenon can also be a visible means to challenge stereotypes and rigid definitions of us and them. This article draws on scholarly literature, the popular press, and personal experience to examine the growth of skate parks in Native American communities and their implications for Indigenous identity and wellbeing.