Emilie Charron | Concordia University (Canada) (original) (raw)
Papers by Emilie Charron
Academia Letters, 2021
Julius Nyerere's seminal text, Ujamaa-essays on socialism (1968), is an impassioned work which ur... more Julius Nyerere's seminal text, Ujamaa-essays on socialism (1968), is an impassioned work which urges a more profound understanding of Africans' collective history. Ujamaa was written as a nostalgic call for an Africa before the arrival of Europeans and their perceived morally bankrupt ways. Nyerere argued that 'traditional' Africans were in a way proto-socialists, that is, putting the socialist philosophy into practice unconsciously, without the awareness of its political implications. In turn, the Europeans' introduced mercantilism, which out-performed the traditional barter economy and eventually became the global hegemonic system of capitalism. As Nyerere's argument would suggest, increased interactions with European traders through African intermediaries ended up disrupting and permanently changing the traditional subsistence economy which was common practice on the continent for hundreds of years. The aim of this work will be to examine the merits and flaws of Nyerere's main argument of Ujamaa. This will be done through several means, most importantly through historical analysis, which will be employed to assess the accuracy of the picture that Nyerere paints of the traditional African past. Introducing historical data to analyze the theory will help us see what holds true from his perspective and what needs work, especially through the economic and political case studies. Furthermore, it will be crucial to critically examine the notions of 'development' in the context of the African continent and where Africa fits in the global socioeconomic order in the contemporary age of International Relations.
Cross-cultural interactions are thought to be a relatively new phenomenon, but surely the emergen... more Cross-cultural interactions are thought to be a relatively new phenomenon, but surely the emergence of free-standing sculpture in Archaic Greece demonstrates that various peoples of the Mediterranean have been exchanging knowledge and goods for over two millennia. It is crucial to investigate the blending of cultural and artistic practices at the time to understand how it leads to the ‘height’ of Greek art in the Classical Period. Though Greeks borrowed techniques from their Egyptian and Near East neighbours, the influence was reciprocal. These interactions further solidify, rather than undermine the worldview of Ancient Greek society.
Between Arts and Science, 2018
The Ancient Egyptian civilization can credit its long existence to its social norms, which highly... more The Ancient Egyptian civilization can credit its long existence to its social norms, which highly value stability through tradition. At the center of this worldview was the concept of Ma'at, which was personified by a goddess, that emphasized order through ritual, repetition and conformity. The Ancient Egyptians' devotion to order, and subsequent fear of chaos, was exemplified by their belief that all unknown or unfamiliar events and people were deemed chaotic. This can expand to how Egyptians contextualized themselves in relation to others in the Old World. This is best represented by the chronology of Ancient Egypt, where the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms are viewed as the most stable and conveniently deemed quintessentially " Egyptian. " Juxtaposed with the Intermediate periods, which are characterized as chaotic due to foreign rulers, it becomes clear that this ancient civilization had a skewed outlook on its history. The Egyptian perspective was particularly biased against the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period. Their disdain for being under " foreign " rule under the Hyksos had more to do with their own cultural biases and ethnocentrism than a validated fear of being overpowered by invaders.
Drafts by Emilie Charron
Academia Letters, 2021
Julius Nyerere's seminal text, Ujamaa-essays on socialism (1968), is an impassioned work which ur... more Julius Nyerere's seminal text, Ujamaa-essays on socialism (1968), is an impassioned work which urges a more profound understanding of Africans' collective history. Ujamaa was written as a nostalgic call for an Africa before the arrival of Europeans and their perceived morally bankrupt ways. Nyerere argued that 'traditional' Africans were in a way proto-socialists, that is, putting the socialist philosophy into practice unconsciously, without the awareness of its political implications. In turn, the Europeans' introduced mercantilism, which out-performed the traditional barter economy and eventually became the global hegemonic system of capitalism. As Nyerere's argument would suggest, increased interactions with European traders through African intermediaries ended up disrupting and permanently changing the traditional subsistence economy which was common practice on the continent for hundreds of years. The aim of this work will be to examine the merits and flaws of Nyerere's main argument of Ujamaa. This will be done through several means, most importantly through historical analysis, which will be employed to assess the accuracy of the picture that Nyerere paints of the traditional African past. Introducing historical data to analyze the theory will help us see what holds true from his perspective and what needs work, especially through the economic and political case studies. Furthermore, it will be crucial to critically examine the notions of 'development' in the context of the African continent and where Africa fits in the global socioeconomic order in the contemporary age of International Relations.
Cross-cultural interactions are thought to be a relatively new phenomenon, but surely the emergen... more Cross-cultural interactions are thought to be a relatively new phenomenon, but surely the emergence of free-standing sculpture in Archaic Greece demonstrates that various peoples of the Mediterranean have been exchanging knowledge and goods for over two millennia. It is crucial to investigate the blending of cultural and artistic practices at the time to understand how it leads to the ‘height’ of Greek art in the Classical Period. Though Greeks borrowed techniques from their Egyptian and Near East neighbours, the influence was reciprocal. These interactions further solidify, rather than undermine the worldview of Ancient Greek society.
Between Arts and Science, 2018
The Ancient Egyptian civilization can credit its long existence to its social norms, which highly... more The Ancient Egyptian civilization can credit its long existence to its social norms, which highly value stability through tradition. At the center of this worldview was the concept of Ma'at, which was personified by a goddess, that emphasized order through ritual, repetition and conformity. The Ancient Egyptians' devotion to order, and subsequent fear of chaos, was exemplified by their belief that all unknown or unfamiliar events and people were deemed chaotic. This can expand to how Egyptians contextualized themselves in relation to others in the Old World. This is best represented by the chronology of Ancient Egypt, where the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms are viewed as the most stable and conveniently deemed quintessentially " Egyptian. " Juxtaposed with the Intermediate periods, which are characterized as chaotic due to foreign rulers, it becomes clear that this ancient civilization had a skewed outlook on its history. The Egyptian perspective was particularly biased against the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period. Their disdain for being under " foreign " rule under the Hyksos had more to do with their own cultural biases and ethnocentrism than a validated fear of being overpowered by invaders.