For centuries, millions of African people were captured and coerced into slave trades. The Saharan trade, the Red Sea trade, the Indian Ocean trade and the trans-Atlantic trade all plundered and exported enslaved people. 12 million were taken from Africa to the Americas. A further 6 million people were exported in other trades. As many were coerced into inland slavery - under
Africa is now majority Protestant Christian. How does it impact clan dynamics since Catholic Christianity destroyed clans in Europe? Do you see a growing reduction in kinship intensity in very religious Christian communities in Africa?
I like to see the kind of questions you are asking. Most require discussion-based answers, and forums like this often devolve into diatribe. I don’t think your questions are at all inappropriate, but it is difficult to get to the depth of discussion online. I offer as a starting point that some cultures are not monolithic in terms of government and belief systems of the people governed. Christians generally proceed from the standpoint that true belief results in right living, and not the reverse; modern western thought generally allows, even encourages, independent thought, not centrally controlled. See how difficult it is to flesh out these ideas, let alone in forums like this?
Independent thought in the west is the product of individualalism. Individualism came downstream of banning of cousin marriage and polygamy in Europe by the Catholic Church. The individualism that's essential to many Protestant denomination is not compatible with the kinship intensity you find in many African countries.
I'm not sure exactly what you are saying. Perhaps it would help me if I understand a little more about where you're "coming from". Your name suggests that you might be coming from an Islamic worldview, in other words, that you view the world from the perspective of one whose essential education and experience are rooted in Kuranic thought, and may have an understanding of Western (is it fair to use that term, or is there a better term to differentiate Christian/Western European/Greek thought from that based on the Koran?). I would challenge a number of inferences and assumptions your post suggests, but these may be peripheral to your main question. (Do you see how difficult it is to discuss complex questions and still remain civil--I mean to say, not to take offense, especially over points which might be minor, or reflect a trivial difference of understanding?)
My assumption that individualism is a product of Catholic Church doesn't come an any ideas in the Muslim world. It comes from Joseph Heinrich's book, the Weirdest people in the world. I'm curious about the spread of Protestantism in Africa since I read a lot of Max Weber when I was growing up.
I'm not at all familiar with Heinrich or Weber. I do need to get some work done today, though, so I'm sorry I can't communicate further now, but perhaps tomorrow? One of my favorite writers is Francis Schaeffer, q.v.
So strong a set of arguments for rejecting other worldviews and embracing (which includes acting on, or implementing) the Judeo-Christian, or biblical worldview. Not necessarily Western interpretations--remember, the Hebrews including Jesus were/are Asian--but applying principles of love and right living based on solid fact, and illuminated in the Bible.
Why is there low to little in agricultural productivity in Africa since the 60s? Shouldn't modern technologies led to some growth even if they aren't tailored for Africa's different climatic and soil fertility problems? Is some kind of institutional problem?
Given that many modern African countries rely on resource wealth as opposed their traditional "wealth in people", how has this changed the political economy of modern African societies?
Do you think it's possible to impose Western style institutions in another country via charter cities? How do you expect the emergence of charter/autonomous cities like you saw in late Middle ages Europe impact the dynamics of rural clanish communities?
Africa is now majority Protestant Christian. How does it impact clan dynamics since Catholic Christianity destroyed clans in Europe? Do you see a growing reduction in kinship intensity in very religious Christian communities in Africa?
I like to see the kind of questions you are asking. Most require discussion-based answers, and forums like this often devolve into diatribe. I don’t think your questions are at all inappropriate, but it is difficult to get to the depth of discussion online. I offer as a starting point that some cultures are not monolithic in terms of government and belief systems of the people governed. Christians generally proceed from the standpoint that true belief results in right living, and not the reverse; modern western thought generally allows, even encourages, independent thought, not centrally controlled. See how difficult it is to flesh out these ideas, let alone in forums like this?
Independent thought in the west is the product of individualalism. Individualism came downstream of banning of cousin marriage and polygamy in Europe by the Catholic Church. The individualism that's essential to many Protestant denomination is not compatible with the kinship intensity you find in many African countries.
I'm not sure exactly what you are saying. Perhaps it would help me if I understand a little more about where you're "coming from". Your name suggests that you might be coming from an Islamic worldview, in other words, that you view the world from the perspective of one whose essential education and experience are rooted in Kuranic thought, and may have an understanding of Western (is it fair to use that term, or is there a better term to differentiate Christian/Western European/Greek thought from that based on the Koran?). I would challenge a number of inferences and assumptions your post suggests, but these may be peripheral to your main question. (Do you see how difficult it is to discuss complex questions and still remain civil--I mean to say, not to take offense, especially over points which might be minor, or reflect a trivial difference of understanding?)
My assumption that individualism is a product of Catholic Church doesn't come an any ideas in the Muslim world. It comes from Joseph Heinrich's book, the Weirdest people in the world. I'm curious about the spread of Protestantism in Africa since I read a lot of Max Weber when I was growing up.
I'm not at all familiar with Heinrich or Weber. I do need to get some work done today, though, so I'm sorry I can't communicate further now, but perhaps tomorrow? One of my favorite writers is Francis Schaeffer, q.v.
So strong a set of arguments for rejecting other worldviews and embracing (which includes acting on, or implementing) the Judeo-Christian, or biblical worldview. Not necessarily Western interpretations--remember, the Hebrews including Jesus were/are Asian--but applying principles of love and right living based on solid fact, and illuminated in the Bible.
Why is there low to little in agricultural productivity in Africa since the 60s? Shouldn't modern technologies led to some growth even if they aren't tailored for Africa's different climatic and soil fertility problems? Is some kind of institutional problem?
I suppose problems of lack of making use of economies of scale a lot of the time
Is that true? Most of Asia is still dominated by family farms and they still managed to increase cereal yields per hectares. Why is Africa different?
Fair point well presented. Perhaps more a matter of techniques then. And technology.
Given that many modern African countries rely on resource wealth as opposed their traditional "wealth in people", how has this changed the political economy of modern African societies?
Do you think it's possible to impose Western style institutions in another country via charter cities? How do you expect the emergence of charter/autonomous cities like you saw in late Middle ages Europe impact the dynamics of rural clanish communities?
How do you think the population explosion in Africa that's currently taking place would impact the incentives for state building?
Thoroughly interested reading this