Women and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women and Development - Essay Example These women's groups are formed for many different reasons, be these purely social (through women's practical gendered interests, to arrange day care for children in communities directly affected by war, for example), economic (i.e., organizing labor teams when men are away from the home, fighting, for example, or arranging microfinance initiatives to develop their communities, for example) or more political (i.e., strategic gendered interests, as in Uganda, where women's groups pressurized parliament to effect the largest female political representation in the whole of Africa). These different women's groups, aside from being formed for many different reasons, are, as we shall see, run differently and aim for different solutions, dependent on the particular set of problems present in the particular country under study. The following sections will look, through an analysis of ten different academic research papers (as listed in the References section), at specific cases of different political situations in different countries, and will analyze how women and women's groups have been formed in these situations, and how they have responded to these situations. As a As a general background to this paper, it should be noted that, as discussed in the Introduction to Part III of the 1997 book, Women's Voices, Women's Power: Dialogues of Resistance from East Africa, published by Broadview Press, much of African culture is rooted in the traditions of the past, with men's dominance over women explained, and justified, by reference to historical tradition and to cultural traditions: for example, in Marangoli, men are classed as the decision-makers, with men having rights of authority and power over women, as defined in their ideology. That women's groups arise within this historical (traditional) context, is a testament to the power of women, and their ingenuity in the face of severe trauma and tragedy. Unfortunately, in many African countries, such as Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda or South Africa, the politicization of differences has often led to civil war or violent conflict, based on ethnic, racial, religious and other differences (Tripp, 2000). In countries such as these, for example, in Uganda, women's movements have arisen, which have conceptualized the relationship between gender and race/ethnicity/religion, in order to minimize such differences, to try to minimize the resulting violence (Tripp, 2000). Women's movements are thought to be a significant force, in African countries, in terms of depoliticizing difference and searching for the common ground in situations where the politicization of difference has led to violence: for example, since the Rwandan genocidal tragedy, women's movements in that country have been instrumental in initializing contact between Tutsi's and Hutu's (Tripp, 2000). Even though women were not active participants in the genocide, the politicization of ethnicity and the orchestration of genocide and rape inflicted against the Tutsi, as well as the retributions for these events have left powerful resentments and strongly painful memories (Tripp,

How important were Hadrians trips around the Empire in establishing Essay

How important were Hadrians trips around the Empire in establishing his policies of consolidation - Essay Example pulations and territories in it, Hadrian’s trips became the turning point and the crucial element of the successful consolidation: Hadrian’s trips did not simply bring the territories and populations back to the political and social order, but under Hadrian’s leadership, the territories that had been separated before became one, cohesive and increasingly effective mechanism of the imperial domination. That the years of Hadrian’s political ruling were not easy is difficult to deny: Hadrian was met with the utmost displeasure on the side of other political leaders and the public itself. Hadrian had to abandon many territories and provinces won by Trajan and destroyed the theatre which Trajan had created in the Campus Martius (Anonymous 1921, P29). As the time passed, Hadrian was no longer capable of enduring the pressure of his political opponents and had to devise a strategy that would consolidate the empire and would, simultaneously, strengthen his political position. In the situation Hadrian was in, he did not see the way to consolidate the empire other than to set out on a trip across the imperial possessions. The fact is that Hadrian led his people not by violence but by dignity (Cassius Dio 1925, P437). Although â€Å"the Alexandrians had been rioting, and nothing would make them stop until they received a letter from Hadrian rebuking them, so true is it that an emper or’s word will have more force than arms† (Cassius Dio 1925, P441). Hadrian’s trips highlighted the turning point in the political and territorial development of the Empire: they put an end to the existing conflicts and began the new era of consolidation under Hadrian. Campania was the first on Hadrian’s way to consolidation. There, Hadrian aided the region by giving them gifts and benefactions (Anonymous 1921, P31). The role of Hadrian’s traveling to Campania is difficult to underestimate. He was able to choose and attach the most prominent men to his train of friends (Anonymous