Sabine Jell-Bahlsen | Rhode Island School of Design (original) (raw)

Papers by Sabine Jell-Bahlsen

African Affairs, 1997

... Document details. Title African experiences of cinema. Editors Bakari, I.;Cham, MB Book Afric... more ... Document details. Title African experiences of cinema. Editors Bakari, I.;Cham, MB Book African experiences of cinema. ... The inter-relation of aesthetics, history, politics, and ideology, as well as the cultural, social, and economic forces involved in African cinema are described. ...

In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. Oxford University Press, 2016—. Article published June 18, 2024; , 2024

There are several moments of approaching the image of Mami Wata and their associated concepts, be... more There are several moments of approaching the image of Mami Wata and their associated concepts, beliefs, and behaviors: first, the art history of the famous Mami Wata icon; second, anthropology, ethnography, archaeology, religious studies, myth, psychology, healing, and initiate scholarship; third, artistic inspirations in fiction, fine art, and music; fourth, New World and Caribbean connections; and, finally, Christian narration and agency.

Dialectical Anthropology, Sep 1, 1988

There are current ly no funding sources interested in anthropological film research, per se. But ... more There are current ly no funding sources interested in anthropological film research, per se. But before getting down to specifics, I will outline the general procedure involved in the planning of a film. There is a general perception of film makers as people who spend their time making films. This view may fit Hollywood producers, but it certainly does not apply to independent film makers, nor to anthropologists making films: these film makers are usually compelled to spend most of their time trying to raise money for their films. Fundra is ing is a burning problem for everyone involved in independent film productions; analysis, and open discussion, of funding problems is overdue. I will look at three aspects of fundraising for anthropological film: first, there is the practical side of fundraising; secondly the ideological side; and finally, how do anthropological films fit into existing funding structures?

Visual Anthropology, 2000

Page 1. Visual Anthropology, Vol. 13, pp. 363-393 © 2000 OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) NV... more Page 1. Visual Anthropology, Vol. 13, pp. 363-393 © 2000 OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) NV Reprints available directly from the publisher Published by license under Photocopying permitted by license only the Harwood ...

Research in African Literatures, 1995

... She may be barren, or she has only one daughter, or all of her children die. Idu, Amaka, and ... more ... She may be barren, or she has only one daughter, or all of her children die. Idu, Amaka, and Efuru lose their hus-bands. Efuru loses not only her husband, but also her only daughter. ... 1988. Translation: Francis Ebiri and Augustine Onowu. 15. ...

Dialectical Anthropology, Mar 1, 2004

Stanley Diamond, the founder of Dialectical Anthropology has left us with a remarkable legacy and... more Stanley Diamond, the founder of Dialectical Anthropology has left us with a remarkable legacy and challenge to continue his vision. Inspired by his memory, his relentless critique of Western civilization, colonialism and capitalism, and shared inspirations from the non-Western world, we carry on with his critique and search for alternatives. Diamond's oeuvre is complex, as has been outlined earlier by Wolf-Dieter Narr, 1 and others. 2 This editorial focuses on one specific aspect of Diamond's work, his search for a future vision of humanity as an alternative to contemporary Western civilization. Stanley Diamond has most succinctly formulated this search in his book, In Search of the Primitive. 3 As Wolf-Dieter Narr has pointed out earlier, 4 Stanley Diamond's notion of ''the primitive,'' is not idealized, or nostalgic, nor is it uni-lineally evolutionary, demeaning, or relativistic. Instead, Diamond's vision invokes ''the primitive'' as an a priori, original, or pristine model of human society, ''a primary human potential,'' 5 or social formation he conceptualized as having been ''first'', a primus inter pares, resulting in a ''primitive civilized dichotomy.'' 6 From this perspective, later social developments appear as aberrations, or negations of prior achievements, but a dialectical relation with this primary human potential may create new and modern forms of society. Primitive is, I believe, the critical term in anthropology, the word around which the field revolves, yet it remains elusive, connoting but never quite denoting a series of related, social, political, economic, spiritual and psychiatric meanings. That is, primitive implies a certain level of history, and a certain mode of cultural being. 7 In contrast to Diamond's version of the primitive, other authors, notably writing in the service of colonialism have used the term, ''primitive,'' differently, emphasizing as deficiencies the absence of European style institutions in non-European societies e.g. the absence of political power, or of a monolithic state structure, thus justifying colonial conquest and intervention. After first having stimulated and

International Journal of African Historical Studies, Sep 1, 2007

Introduction by Vivian Bickford-Smith & Richard Mendelsohn History as cultural redemption in ... more Introduction by Vivian Bickford-Smith & Richard Mendelsohn History as cultural redemption in Gaston Kabore's precolonial-era films by Mahir Saul Beyond 'history': two films of the deep Mande past by Ralph A. Austen Tradition & resistance in Ousmane Sembene's films, Emitai & Ceddo by Robert Baum The transatlantic slave trade in cinema by Robert Harms 'What are we?': Proteus & the problematising of history by Nigel Worden The public lives of historical films: the case of Zulu (1964) & Zulu Dawn (1980) by Carolyn Hamilton Breaker Morant (1980): an African war through an Australian lens by Richard Mendelsohn From Khartoum to Kufrah: narratives of conquest & resistance by Shamil Jeppie Cheap if not always cheerful: French West Africa in the world wars in Black & White in Colour & Le Camp de Thiaroye by Bill Nasson Whites in Africa: Kenya's colonists in the films Out of Africa, Nowhere in Africa & White Mischief by Nigel Penn Beholding the colonial past in Claire Denis's Chocolat by Ruth Watson The Battle of Algiers: between fiction, memory & history by Patrick Harries Raoul Peck's Lumumba: history or hagiography? by David Moore Flame & the historiography of armed struggle in Zimbabwe by Teresa Barnes Picturing apartheid: with a particular focus on 'Hollywood' histories of the 1970s by Vivian Bickford-Smith Hotel Rwanda: too much heroism, too little history - or horror? by Mohamed Adhikari Looking the beast in the (fictional) eye: The Truth & Reconciliation Commission on film by David Philips.

Dialectical Anthropology, Nov 1, 1994

The impact of the African field experience on the European or American student is intense. It cha... more The impact of the African field experience on the European or American student is intense. It challenges all that has been taken for granted, deeply changes the individual and introduces new directions of thought, values and actions. During my first year in the field in Nigeria, in 1978, most of my personal habits, ideas and values-as a German woman living in the United States-were gradually taken apart and refashioned. I had to: 9 scrap my breakfast habits and desire for privacy, 9 learn sharing one glass with at least 30 people, 9 forget about germs, 9 realize the relative unimportance of my preconceived research outline as opposed to unanticipated events, 9 revise my interview techniques and adapt to local thought and language (Notes & Queries upside down), 2 9 pay close attention to understand what people were saying, 9 scrutinize translations, 3 9 realize that mere observations could harbor misunderstandings, and much more.

Dialectical Anthropology, Nov 16, 2012

This paper reviews gold and copper mining in Papua New Guinea (PNG) along the “triad stakeholder ... more This paper reviews gold and copper mining in Papua New Guinea (PNG) along the “triad stakeholder model” (Ballard and Banks 2003) proposing a triad relationship between (1) trans-national mining corporations, (2) the nation-state of Papua New Guinea, and (3) indigenous local communities, their socio-ecological environment and claims. Gold mining could be a huge asset, but turns out to be a curse to the independent part of the world’s second largest island known as “a mountain of gold in a sea of oil.” Our paper is based on research that began during our year-long residency at the country’s only Technical University in Lae. We are discussing several issues related to the nation’s gold resources and their exploitation: varied mining technologies and locations, the environmental impact, economics, human cost and gender issues, indigenous culture versus international corporate culture, state interferences, and urban development. One example is the industrial port city of Lae, founded during the gold rush of the 1920s that inaugurated rapid urban development. Once gloriously known as the “Pearl of the Pacific,” the town experienced administrative expansion and suffered from the subsequent exhaustion of nearby gold mines entailing a reverse development.

An Interview with Flora Nwapa on Mammy Water, Ogbuide, the water goddess of Oguta Lake, the impac... more An Interview with Flora Nwapa on Mammy Water, Ogbuide, the water goddess of Oguta Lake, the impact of Christianity, women, and Nwapa's novel, Efuru. By Sabine Jell-Bahlsen at Enugu 1987.

Dialectical Anthropology, May 9, 2016

After prolonged stays in the non-Western world, this was a welcome opportunity for me to reconnec... more After prolonged stays in the non-Western world, this was a welcome opportunity for me to reconnect with academic anthropology in the USA. Moreover, contributions to the journal also broadened the scope of my exposure to recent trends in anthropology and to new geographic areas and discourses. Dr. Josephine Diamond had expanded contacts to India, and the country's striving intellectual community has provided an important input for the growth of Dialectical Anthropology. Stanley Diamond had taught us to be highly critical, to remain intellectually alert and had cautioned against ''The Inauthenticity of Anthropology'' (Diamond 1974b). From this perspective, anthropology is more than merely an academic career. The journal was originally published by Elsevier, later sold to Kluwer and then Springer. An academic journal needs to be economically viable in order to survive. As editor-inchief, I could travel to conferences and scout for authors. However, editing an academic journal may also involve a lot of unpaid work. By 2008, I was preoccupied with various other projects and discontinued my editorship. My intellectual journey had begun 40 years earlier and taken me to many stations other than a straight academic career; learning from past experiences involves my active engagement with the people and future of my previous research.

Visual Anthropology, Oct 1, 2005

ABSTRACT This article examines contemporary Papua New Guinean architecture created in the oscilla... more ABSTRACT This article examines contemporary Papua New Guinean architecture created in the oscillation between Melanesian culture and Western impact. Some of the country's indigenous buildings are truly remarkable, especially the prestigious structures known as “Haus Tambaran” in the Sepik River area which have lent inspiration to many outstanding samples of contemporary Papua New Guinean design. We have studied both the indigenous and contemporary architecture of the Sepik region in the field and in additional research in collaboration with the late Professor Wallace Ruff and are comparing and contrasting contemporary architectural design with indigenous buildings. Here, we focus on a church at Ambunti, East Sepik Province. There is no electricity available on the site to facilitate climate control. Moreover, this contemporary building serves Western political, social, religious and educational functions. At the same time, the church incorporates aspects of the country's architectural heritage, including aesthetics as well as site-design and design with climate. Our comparison contrasts the modern building's functions, aesthetics, and design solutions with the area's indigenous local equivalent, the Haus Tambaran, and reveals elements borrowed, left aside, or altered in the process of adaptation. Issues discussed here include historic precedent, aesthetics, ownership, gender, and other social issues, as well as design and construction. Formal aspects, their meanings and functions, as well as environmental considerations and design solutions are borrowed, translated, or transformed, recalling but also differing from “Green Architecture,” to serve contemporary Western needs.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Jun 1, 1997

... When I met him in 1978, he had attained the highest male water-priesthood title, Eze Ugo, and... more ... When I met him in 1978, he had attained the highest male water-priesthood title, Eze Ugo, and acted as an assistant to the priestess in ... Ibibio woman revolted against the consummation of marriage, and in the words of her mother, each time she laid down on the bed with her ...

International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2001

Dialectical Anthropology, Jun 13, 2007

Ura (ula) kwere Izu a burula onwu. Sleep that lasts a week has (turned to) become death. [On the ... more Ura (ula) kwere Izu a burula onwu. Sleep that lasts a week has (turned to) become death. [On the transitional nature of sleep and death]. 1 Ani du mu uzo echi. Earth, show me the road back [reincarnation]. 2 Nmayi na engwe uge, ndu aka ekwendi. Drinks have a last drop-life does not [the everlasting soul]. 3 Okporo enyi anaghi echi echi. The path [as in okpro uzo] trod by an elephant never blocks. 4

Western Folklore, 1994

L'A. analyse deux films concernant la deesse, l'esprit de l'eau en Afrique (« Mammy w... more L'A. analyse deux films concernant la deesse, l'esprit de l'eau en Afrique (« Mammy water, in search of the water spirit in Nigeria » de Sabine Jell-Bahlsen et « Mami wata, der Geist der weissen Frau » de Tobias Wendl et Daniela Weise). Si le premier s'interesse aux communautes Igbo, Ibibio et Ijo et met l'accent sur l'esprit primordial et indigene, le second montre davantage l'association avec la sirene, les charmeurs de serpent et le culte du cargo chez les Ewe du Togo.

This book is based on long-term research and multiple stays in the Oguta area of Imo State, South... more This book is based on long-term research and multiple stays in the Oguta area of Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria. Ethnographic descriptions are interlaced with local voices. . The lives and experiences of women and men in the riverine communities on Oguta Lake provide the background for Flora Nwapa#s novels, Efuru, and Idu, and emphasize the belief in the life-giving power of water.