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Rongxin Li, a scholar of democracy trained between Beijing and Paris, rightly argues that the word "democracy" is "unconsciously linked to 'the West'."

This point has been demonstrated by historians of the word, like John Keane, Benjamin Isakhan, and Kathleen McCrudden-Illert, who show that the "standard" or "official" or "male" narrative of democracy is incredibly biased, full of holes, and generally founded on dubious claims of cultural manifestation and imperial lineages.

Li's point is about how the word is understood today. Once evoked, the signifier tends to point to the following signifiers:

- Abraham Lincoln (supporter of colonialism in 19th C 'USA', mass executioner of Indigenous people)

- Magna Carta (aristocrats further empowering themselves in medieval imperial England)

- French Revolution (a time of terror and murder)

- American Revolution (establishment of a parasitic federation of colonies which murdered Indigenous and Black peoples, virtually enslaved Central and East Asian immigrants, etc, to establish itself)

- Voting (typically a majoritarian process that can, in FPTP systems, lead to minorities deciding for the majority)

etc., etc.,

I've, of course, taken a baldly critical view here of the aforementioned points in an attempt to join hands with John Dunn and "break democracy's spell".

Li argues that we need to be aware of the shortcomings of what we signify when we utter, read, or think the word "democracy" and to be more sensitive to the other words in the world - especially in other languages - and what they, in turn, signify.

We are literally surrounded by thousands of years of cultural resources which do, once put to analysis, show themselves to be against tyranny, against paternalism, for peace, for equality, for popular control of power, and so forth.

Now it's over to you: what do you think the word "democracy" should be unconsciously linked to? And why would that be preferable to 'the West'?

Including how the wild horse has become a symbol of freedom, and its role in frontier history. Open to all possible suggestions.

Specifically, can it be applied to the abuse of minorities by the powerful?

I am currently in Washington (will be heading to New York, Boston and Harvard as well as Philidelphia while I am here) I am already looking into the Library of Congress, Smithsonian (Anthro & NMAI archives), American Philosophical Society, Penn State University Library and Harvard University Libraries.

I have been told that collections in New York have been moved to Boston, and also that there are good archives in Boston anyway that I should look into.

I am working on my PhD that is focusing on the history of medicine (meaning both the material culture and remedies and the ceremonial practices that relate to healing) of Native American communities, primarily I am focusing on Mi'kmaq communities outside of Halifax Nova Soctia in the mid 19th Century. I am interested in medical approaches (outlined above) generally but mainly in attitudes of Mi'kmaq peoples and healers toward Euro-Canadian medicine and vice-versa.

If anyone is able to provide me with any helpful advice on archives that I may not have considered/know about then please contact me

All the best

Farrah

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HUMOR

The contributions of African Americans to the overall humor of the United States—and to the world—has been very significant, especially if we consider the elements of playfulness and humor in hip-hop.

Within living memory, the “place” of AA humor has undergone more change than any other genre. Many features of African-American humor can be traced to West Africa. These features include extensive word play, an abundance of street language, punning, signifying, verbal put-downs, mocking of an enemy’s relatives, chanting of ridicule verses, using the whole body (including bent-knee3s) for dancing and communicating feelings, admiring trickster figures, and verbal quickness and wit.

Hip Hop grew out of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s. It rejects the status quo and emphasizes the individual. Besides music and rap, it includes break dancing, tagging, graph writing, and entrepreneurship. It is not restricted to African Americans, and is in fact, now global.

A major feature is the language play, especially in spelling and naming. Name some African-Americans who are famous for their verbal quickness and wit, and discuss how African-American humor has changed over the decades.

I am interested in locating literature regarding the utilitarian use of red ochre in the archaeological record. I have some ethnographic information from Native American tribes on the west coast of the United States, but would be interested in researching this subject globally. My research interest is for prehistoric information, however, I would also welcome any modern or recent historic information that may be available.

For my first year seminar, I have been teaching out of Joel Spring's Deculturalization text, one chapter of which gives a summary of the educational methods used by White Americans to pacify and "deculturalize" the various indigenous peoples. One of my lectures attempted to match each of the phases of these educational "crusades" with the overall geography of the time, namely, where the Native American tribes were currently located at the time of each educational movement. There is a fairly clear correlation, e.g., the Indian Boarding School Movement began precisely when the Eastern tribes have been effectively eliminated or exiled to Oklahoma and the only barrier to easy transport to the West Coast were the Lakota and Sioux et al.

Unfortunately, I had to piece together the actual geographical location of many of the Native American tribes during the different eras from many different sources, since there does not seem to exist an atlas that simply shows the year-by-year geographic domains -- at least, during the years between the various Indian Wars.

The use of antibody based therapy on the two American health workers has opened an ethical debate, in addition to a therapeutic debate on best available options.

In the era of globalization challenges of Disparities among humanity are growing everywhere. The powerful forces hit different places differently! The polarized arguments regarding the gains and pains of globalization have been gaining momentum and the for and against debates do not seems to reach any consensus and hence it remains an open-ended question!

A distinguished Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria of CNN contends that

“…hetre is a wretched view of contemporary life owing to globalization, those against it professes that a dysfunctional global order producing stagnant earnings, growing uncertainty, insecurity and environmental deterioration…“ Such groups of opinions are enthusiastically backed by the evolution of the right-wing nationalists and become fertile ground for the evolution of populist politicians. But is this representation in fact true?

“Are we moving so painfully that we need to be back to the old age practice and is that practical” He inquires.

What is the bottom line for such rambling nabobs of resentment! The key story for the development community that has been pouncing globally making head-lines and considered as one of breathtaking progress since 1990 is regarding infant mortality. According to the most recent UNICEF statistics,

The world made phenomenal improvement in infant survival in the recent few decades and millions of kids have better survival chances than in 1990. To illustrate 1 in 26 children passed before attaining age 5 in 2017, contrasted to 1 in 11 in 1990. It has boosted up improvement in slashing child mortality in the 2000–2017 period contrasted with the 1990s, with the annual percentage of a cutback in the overall under-five mortality rate rising from 1.9 percent in 1990–2000 to 4.0 percent in 2000–2017. Despite the universal improvement in reducing infant mortality over the previous few decades, about 5.4 million kids under age 5 passed in 2017—roughly half of those deaths took place in sub-Saharan Africa. Mortality rates among older kids and young adolescents (aged 5-14) also declined by over 50 percent since 1990, even though approximately one million infants vanished in this age group in 2017 alone. The overall burden of infant deaths is a plea for critical and united effort to significantly enhance the survival chances of the world’s children.

Besides, undernourishment has dropped by 41%, one billion people have climbed out of absolute poverty and on and on. Inequality from a universal context has dwindled greatly. All these have resulted essentially because of countries from China, India, Ethiopia that has followed more market-friendly practices and western countries have helped them access to markets, humanitarian aids have been scaled up and loan forgiveness has been granted. These are policies supported by these very global elites. Look at any resolution at a universal viewpoint and the statistics are astonishing. I share the cold response some will have to these statistics. These figures relate to the world but may not be especially true for the Ethiopian situation. Things might have advanced for the Chinese, but not for the dozens of rich countries. More bewilderingly, the left traditionally is connected to universal thinking is now becoming critical of these chronicles.

We deprived women of the workforce market in the 1950s and in a dangerous situation and women can hardly work higher than centrism secretaries, 1980 when 2/3 of the world stagnated under state communism, oppression and desolation. What group of elites? Kings, commissars, moderates, or who run the world better than the current hatch batch of politicians, businessmen, and professionals and so forth?

Even in the West, it is unambiguous to take for granted the wondrous progress they live longer! The air and water are cleaners, science and conversations are essentially free economically there have been gains crucially though they have not been distributed equally! However, there have been remarkable advancements in access and freedoms for substantial sections of the community of the state. People who are locked out and pushed down are … female membership in the three organs of the government has been surging. In each sector, there has been astonishing development. I realize that a greater number of Ethiopian are nevertheless under economic pressure and these people often feel marginalized, dominated, ignored and left behind from the progress made. And even they think these happened by deliberate policy designs!

Extensive research further establishes that some of their discomforts come from observing the community that those who were supposed to be stay behind are moving up, coming into the vigorous competition, taking big business and creating a new challenge and a new system. That these gains might create discomforts to some is not a reason to pose nor forget that it represents a deep and lasting human progress we should celebrate!

Nevertheless, there seems nonstop discussions, controversies and attitudes whether globalization is grace or a curse remains wrestling ground and hence I humbly believed that we could share great opinions on such vital agenda and it could be a top opportunity to be enlightened and get a tremendous lesson from the wonderful people of academic community!

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HUMOR

The contributions of African Americans to the overall humor of the United States—and to the world—has been very significant, especially if we consider the elements of playfulness and humor in hip-hop.

Within living memory, the “place” of AA humor has undergone more change than any other genre. Many features of African-American humor can be traced to West Africa. These features include extensive word play, an abundance of street language, punning, signifying, verbal put-downs, mocking of an enemy’s relatives, chanting of ridicule verses, using the whole body (including bent-knee3s) for dancing and communicating feelings, admiring trickster figures, and verbal quickness and wit.

Hip Hop grew out of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s. It rejects the status quo and emphasizes the individual. Besides music and rap, it includes break dancing, tagging, graph writing, and entrepreneurship. It is not restricted to African Americans, and is in fact, now global.

A major feature is the language play, especially in spelling and naming. Dscuss how African-American humor has changed over the decades.