North African People Research Articles

A case of sharp force trauma on an island without metals. Reconsidering isolation of pre-Hispanic Gran Canaria island

This paper addresses the first case of perimortem trauma caused by a sharp metal weapon in a pre-Hispanic cranium in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) dated before the first contacts with Europeans in the late Middle Ages. The fact that metalliferous minerals did not exist in the archipelago confers extraordinary significance to this injury, as evidence of an event involving the arrival of new population after the initial colonization of the Island around the 2nd century CE.The chronocultural context of the violent event is analized in order to evaluate the possible role of this contact in the processes of change among ancient canarians. To this end statistical chronological modelling is assessed to specify timing behind major archaeological expressions of shifts detected on the island.The results question the traditionally proposed isolation for the indigenous population, and reinforce the most recent proposals suggesting migration of new North African people to Gran Canaria and their contribution to the socioeconomical dynamics of the pre-Hispanic society.

Genetic Population Flows of Southeast Spain Revealed by STR Analysis

The former Kingdom of Granada, comprising the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA), was once inhabited for over 700 years (711–1492 AD) by a North African population, which influenced its creation and establishment. The genetic data on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) in 245 unrelated donor residents were examined in order to assess any possible admixture. As the two surnames in Spain follow an inheritance similar to the Y chromosome, both surnames of all 245 unrelated individuals were queried and annotated. The Spanish Statistics Office website was consulted to determine the regions with the highest frequency of individuals born bearing each surname. Further, several heraldry and lineage pages were examined to determine the historical origin of the surnames. By AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis, the populations of the three provinces can be treated genetically as a single population. The analysis of allele frequencies and genetic distance demonstrated that the GMA population lay in the Spanish population group but was slightly more similar to the North African populations than the remainder of the Spanish populations. In addition, the surnames of most individuals originated in Northern and Central Spain, whereas most surnames had higher frequencies in Southern Spain. These results confirm that the GMA population shows no characteristics that reflect a greater genetic influence of North African people than the rest of the populations of the Iberian Peninsula. This feature is consistent with the historical data that African inhabitants were expelled or isolated during the repopulation of the region with Spaniards from Northern Spain. The knowledge of present populations and their genetic history is essential for better statistical results in kinship analyses.

North-African Jewish People in Paris: Multiple Identities—Ethnic-Religious, National and Transnational

The purpose of this study is to compare native-born and immigrant Jewish people from North African roots who reside in greater Paris regarding their multiple identities: ethnic-religious, as Jewish people; national, as French citizens; and transnational, as migrants and ‘citizens of the world’. This study employed the correlative quantitative method using survey questionnaires (N = 145) combined with qualitative semi-structured interviews. The main results indicate that both groups have strong Jewish and religious identities. However, while immigrants had fewer opportunities for upward mobility and were more committed to national integration, the younger second-generation have higher socio-economic status and more choices regarding their identities in contemporary France. In conclusion, even among people of the same North African origin, there are inter-generational differences in several dimensions of identity and identification which stem from being native-born or from their experience as immigrants. Different social and political circumstances offer different integration opportunities and thus, over the years, dynamically construct identities among North African Jewish people as minorities. Nonetheless, the Jewish community in Paris is not passive; it has its own strength, cohesiveness, vitality and resilience which are expressed not only in economic but also in social and religious prosperity of Jewish organizations shared by both the native-born and immigrants, who can be considered a ‘privileged’ minority.

Seeing Mediterranean

Food columnist Craig Claiborne wrote in 1988 that Mediterranean food had been named the “latest culinary trend,” noting the “flood” of restaurants, cookbooks, and even a diet book that were “riding the Mediterranean wave.” This so-called trend, the culinary Mediterranean that appeared in the American press of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, was of course a constructed geography. One of the things that makes it intriguing today is what it can tell us about historically constructed categories of race, religion, and ethnicity that marked diverse Middle Eastern and North African peoples who made homes for themselves in the United States in the twentieth century. Representations of this newly popular, supposedly unitary, Mediterranean cuisine filtered into the press in ways that noticeably skewed away from the actual Mediterranean peoples who had originated it, and especially away from those Mediterraneans who were Muslim or Arab. To see how the Middle East and North Africa gradually became “Mediterranean” in the American press, I examine how journalists initially distinguished European Mediterranean foodways from what they saw as orientalist cuisines to the south and east. I then trace the growing popularity of these “exotic” cuisines as the boundaries of the Mediterranean expanded to absorb them into a seemingly postcolonial frame whose imperial and Eurocentric legacies nonetheless remained vividly in place. Finally, I point toward tactical choices made by some members of Middle Eastern and North African diasporas to make their voices and agendas heard in rendering their cuisines accessible, and saleable, to American consumers.

Regards des Africains sur l’impérialisme romain en Afrique

This article reports on the different positions of the North African peoples in relation to the Roman occupation of North Africa. Generally the presence of an imperialist power divides the subjugated people into two distinct parts : the protagonists who adapt to it to improve their initial situation and the opponents who, pushed by the nationalist fiber, do not intend to cede their heritage to foreigners. However, since ancient North Africa was not made up of a single nation, let alone a single state, to these two trends was added a third; a party indifferent to this domination.

A Snapshot of Social Risk Factors and Associations with Health Outcomes in a Community Sample of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) People in the U.S.

Social factors (e.g. housing, food security, etc.) contribute significantly to health. The purpose of this study is to describe social risk and social exclusion factors in one of the largest Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations in the U.S. and their association with health outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a community convenience sample of 412 adults who self-identify as MENA. Weighted, adjusted linear regression models were used to examine relationships of interest. Prevalent social risks included transportation barriers to healthcare (33%), food insecurity (33%), and financial strain (25%). In adjusted models, perception of being treated unfairly (Estimate (SE) 0.08 (0.04), p < 0.05) and fear of deportation (0.26 (0.06), p < 0.001) were associated with more social risk factors. More social risk factors were associated with worse self-reported health (0.09 (0.03), p < 0.01), more chronic conditions (0.11 (0.03), p < 0.004), and more mental health symptoms (0.34 (0.14) p < 0.01).Social risk is high among those perceiving unfairness and fear deportation. Those with more social risk factors reported worse health. These findings have implications for social needs screening and referral models that can best serve U.S. MENA sub-populations.

عملية الشُّعلة عام 1942 وأثرها في نشأة النفوذ الأمريکي بشمال أفريقيا The Operation Torch in 1942 and its Effect on the Establishment of American Influence in North Africa

يهدف هذا البحث إلى دراسة الأسباب التي أدت إلى قيام الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا بتنفيذ عملية الشعلة، وأثر هذه العملية في التأسيس لنشأة النفوذ الأمريکي في منطقة الشمال الأفريقي، وذلک من خلال الوثائق والمصادر المتاحة، بالإضافة إلى کتابات ومذکرات القادة والسياسيين الذين عاصروا هذا الحدث، وقد اعتمدت في دراسة هذا الموضوع على المنهج التاريخي القائم على وصف أحداث العملية، ثم تحليلها واستنباط النتائج، وتأتي أهمية دراسة عملية الشعلة في أنه بعد دخول الولايات المتحدة الحرب العالمية الثانية في ديسمبر 1941، طلب الاتحاد السوفيتي فتح جبهة ثانية لتخفيف ضغط هتلر على الجبهة الشرقية، وذلک من خلال القيام بعملية إنزال عسکري على سواحل فرنسا المطلة على القنال الإنجليزي وتحرير فرنسا، إلا أن بريطانيا رفضت تلک الفکرة، واقترحت بدلا من ذلک القيام بعملية إنزال على سواحل أفريقيا الشمالية التابعة لحکومة فيشي الفرنسية الخاضعة للألمان، مما يسهل عملية غزو أوروبا عن طريق السيطرة على إيطاليا، ومن ثم تحرير فرنسا.وافقت الولايات المتحدة على القيام بهذه العملية بالتعاون مع بريطانيا، وسميت بـ (عملية الشعلة)، التي نجحت وشکلت بذلک أول تواجد عسکري أمريکي فعلي على أرض عربية، ونتج عنها وضع الولايات المتحدة الملامح الأساسية لسياستها الخارجية تجاه شمال أفريقيا، وقد تمثلت تلک السياسة في تفضيل المساومات الاستراتيجية مع الزعماء المحليين الأقوياء على التنمية السياسية والاقتصادية لشعوب أفريقيا الشمالية. Theaim of This research is studying the reasons that led the United States and Britain to implement the operation torch, and its effect on establishment of American influence in the North African region.And that is through the available documents and sources, in addition to the writings of the leaders and politicians who lived at that time.I studied this subject through the historical method, which was Built on describing the events of the operation torch, then analyze those events to arrive the results. The importance of studying operation torch is that it is after the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the Soviet Union requested the opening of a second front to relieve Hitler's pressure on the Eastern Front, by making an amphibious military landing on the coast of France overlooking the English Channel and the liberation of France. Britain rejected that idea, and instead proposed an amphibious military landing on the coast of North Africa under the French government of Vichy, which would facilitate the process of liberating Europe by controlling Italy, and then liberating France .The United States agreed to carry out this process in cooperation with Britain, and it was called the Operation Torch, which succeeded and formed the first American military presence on Arab land. As a result, the United States set the basic features of its foreign policy towards North Africa.This policy built on preference strategic bargaining with strong local leaders over the political and economic development for North African peoples.

Public service delivery, corruption and inequality: key factors driving migration from North Africa to the developed world

The present paper aims: on the one hand, to investigate the impact of public service delivery, corruption and inequality on North African migration to developed countries; and on the other hand, to zoom in on the role of education and good governance in mitigating migration flows from North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia) over the period 1996–2015, by using pooled OLS regression, fixed-effect and random effect models. The main findings indicate that higher inequality is expected to stimulate migration from North Africa to the developed world. The results also show that enhancing government effectiveness and widening access to good-quality basic services negatively influence North African people’s migration decisions. In fact, rampant inequality and failure to scale up public service delivery bring about a worsening of living conditions and serve as repellent factors in North African sending countries. Furthermore, political stability and control of corruption tend to negatively affect North African migration to developed countries. To sum up, enhancing North African countries’ governance capabilities, alleviating inequality, ensuring broad access to high-quality public services, and cracking down on corruption, will undoubtedly bring tangible benefits, open up more opportunities for people and reduce incentives for migration.

Genetic structure in the paternal lineages of South East Spain revealed by the analysis of 17 Y-STRs

The genetic data of 17 Y chromosome short tandem repeats in 146 unrelated donor residents in the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA) were analyzed to determine the genetic legacy of the male inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Granada. A total of 139 unique haplotypes were identified. Observed allele frequencies and haplogroup frequencies were also analyzed. By AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis, the populations of the 3 provinces could be treated genetically as a single population. The most frequent haplogroup was R1b1b2 (58.22%). By network analysis of all individuals, we observed a distribution according to haplogroup assignment. To improve the characterization of GMA population, it was compared with those of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and southern Europe. In our analysis of allele frequencies and genetic distances, the GMA population lay within the Spanish population group. Further, in the STRUCTURE analysis, there was no African component in the GMA population, confirming that, based on our genetic markers, the GMA population does not reflect any male genetic influence of the North African people. The presence of African haplogroups in the GMA population is irrelevant when their frequency is compared with those in other European populations.

Lost in transition: the dietary shifts from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages in the North Eastern Iberian Peninsula

The Late Antiquity to the Early Middle age transition in the North Eastern Iberian Peninsula was a historical period of cultural, social and political changes. Both Germanics and North African peoples settled in this region in successive migratory waves. The impact of these population movements on the cultural habits of the local population has been barely explored. This paper explores the dietary changes of the population who were buried in the necropolis of the Churches of Sant Pere de Terrassa (Barcelona, Spain) during the Visigoth (fifth to eighth centuries ad) and Carolingian periods (ninth to tenth centuries ad). This study investigates the δ13C and δ15N stable isotopic values in bone collagen from 68 human samples and 36 faunal remains in order to improve the understanding of dietary changes that occurred during this transition. The results indicate a human diet based on C3-plants and livestock sources. On average, the Visigoth samples exhibited an enriched isotopic signal compared to that of the Carolingian period, which may be attributed to the consumption of high trophic level of animal protein. Some δ13C results of the adult human samples suggest that C4-plants (most probably millet) made proportionately smaller but significant contributions to the diet during the Visigoth period. The paleodietary data obtained here will be important for future further studies focused on the transition from the Late Antiquity to the Early Medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula, and the attending regional scale of changes. This will also give insight about how profound a transformation in policy and economy occurred during that period affected human consumer patterns in the region.

Spanish adaptation of the Allophilia Scale

&lt;p&gt;The aim of this study is to adapt and to obtain evidences of validity of the Allophilia Scale to Spanish population. Participants were 960 individuals from all over Spain. Questionnaires to measure prejudice toward North African people, stress and empathy were used to analyze the criterion validity of the Allophilia scale. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the items of the questionnaire fit a model with five factors, corresponding to the dimensions proposed by the original authors (affection, comfort, kinship, engagement, enthusiasm). Additionally, it has been found that the Allophilia scale is related with other variables such as prejudice toward North African people (cognitive, emotions and behaviors), stress (interaction, resources, identity) and empathy. In light of these results, we conclude that the questionnaire is methodologically valid and can be used by the scientific community to measure cooperative and participatory intergroup behavior and as a complement to traditional measures of prejudice and negative intergroup behaviors.&lt;/p&gt;

Fantasy and Censorship: Dino Buzzati’s correspondence from Italian colonies

The aim of my contribution is to study the role and influence of Fascist censorship in the journalistic articles that Dino Buzzati wrote from tha Italian colonies for the Corriere della Sera between 1933 and 1940. The articles are collected in the volume L’Africa di Buzzati.By placing Buzzati’s work in a precise historical framework and discussing the problem of his ‘orientalism’, the article demonstrates that Buzzati’s work from Africa can be read as a document of Italian colonialism and that it confirmed, in terms of stereotypes and prejudices, not only the attitude of ‘the West’ towards North African peoples, but also his bias against cultural and social realities which were distant from the ones he was familiar with.In terms of politics and ideology, the texts of Il Buttafuoco are difficult to decipher, especially with reference to the problem of racism. Buzzati’s narrative was determined not only by the influence of Fascist censorship but also by his aesthetic choices. In particular, the role of space played by the desert, the preference for anti-heroic figures and the diffuse use of imagination show the complexity of the relationship between Buzzati and political power, but also the originality in the way Buzzati used these figures to build a symbolism around the represented reality.

Isolation and prominent aboriginal maternal legacy in the present-day population of La Gomera (Canary Islands).

The present-day population structure of La Gomera is outstanding in its high aboriginal heritage, the greatest in the Canary Islands. This was earlier confirmed by both mitochondrial DNA and autosomal analyses, although genetic drift due to the fifteenth century European colonization could not be excluded as the main factor responsible. The present mtDNA study of aboriginal remains and extant samples from the six municipal districts of the island indeed demonstrates that the pre-Hispanic colonization of La Gomera by North African people involved a strong founder event, shown by the high frequency of the indigenous Canarian U6b1a lineage in the aboriginal samples (65%). This value is even greater than that observed in the extant population (44%), which in turn is the highest of all the seven Canary Islands. In contrast to previous results obtained for the aboriginal populations of Tenerife and La Palma, haplogroups related to secondary waves of migration were not detected in La Gomera aborigines, indicating that isolation also had an important role in shaping the current population. The rugged relief of La Gomera divided into several distinct valleys probably promoted subsequent aboriginal intra-insular differentiation that has continued after the European colonization, as seen in the present-day population structure observed on the island.

Central Corneal Thickness Measurement in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review

The aim of this study is to evaluate the central corneal thickness (CCT) for non-glaucomatous and glaucomatous subjects in Sub-Saharan Africans (SSA). This is a review of literature for corneal thickness measurement in Sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted an electronic search from the following databases: Pubmed, Google, Embase websites for the articles of original studies on central corneal thickness conducted in Africa. 1637 non-glaucomatous patients had drawn from 5 SSA countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia) and 705 glaucomatous patients from 5 SSA countries (Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast). The patient’s ages were range of 5 to 90 years for non-glaucomatous and 7 to 90 years for glaucomatous patients. The outcome of the central corneal thickness (CCT) was ranged of 440μm 670μm and its mean value varied from 512 μm to 550 μm for non glaucomatous subjects. The thicker and thinner mean values were found in Nigeria and South Africa respectively. The type of glaucoma founded was primary openangle glaucoma (POAG), pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PEX), and the mean IOP was range of 11.55mmHg to 32.72mmHg. The mean value of CCT for glaucomatous subjects varied from 508.07μm 538μm. The thicker and thinner mean values were found in Nigeria and Ethiopia respectively. The CCT is naturally thin for the SSA, it is for non-glaucomatous such as glaucomatous subjects, but it is thicker for younger than older age. This finding is comparable to the North African people, African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans but for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans is always included in the normal value.

Why are there (almost) no left-handers in China?

Surveys of Chinese students since the 1980s report that less than 1% are left-handed. This is an extraordinarily low number given the generally accepted view that between 10 and 12% of humans are left-handed. Are there actually very few left-handers in China and, if so, why? A number of sometimes overlapping reasons have shaped Chinese attitudes toward left-handedness. Some of these reflect the transcendent human reactions to biological laterality. Others have been shaped by Chinese historical and cultural experience. What is true in China can be identified in other societies: attitudes and practices toward left-handers have been and continue to be shaped by over-determined forces, which at the same time transcend specific cultures, while they respond to historical and cultural pressures. Like the Chinese, many North and East African peoples attempt to 'cure' left-handedness by a combination of restraints and severe punishments. Religion has often reinforced these practices. In China, we can see how a combination of traditional values and practical considerations seems to have merged to reduce both the actual and reported prevalence of left-handedness. When we add in the population of India, and much of the remaining Islamic world, we can conclude that for two-thirds of the world's population, being born left-handed exposes one to discrimination and stigma.

Design of high-flexion total knee prosthesis considering activities of North African peoples

Design of high-flexion total knee prosthesis considering activities of North African peoples

Reconstructing Empire in British and French Africa

It was indeed empire that European leaders at the end of World War II needed to reconstruct. They had come very close to losing a struggle with another form of empire, the Nazi Reich, and in South East Asia they had lost valued territories to a country that had dared to play the empire-game with them—Japan. At the same time, both British and French leaders felt, with some reason, that they had been saved by their empires: by the resources in men and material contributed by the dominions and colonies of Great Britain and by the symbolic importance of French Equatorial Africa's refusal to follow Vichy, followed by the contributions of North African territories and diverse African people to the reconquest of European France from the Mediterranean. Both post-war governments acknowledged the dilemma they faced: their physical and moral weakness at war's end meant they had to find new bases to relegitimate empire, and their economic weakness meant they needed the production of empire all the more. Both were acutely conscious that another war might make them dependent on empire yet again. Leaders of political movements in the colonies were aware of exactly these points too.

CFTR Mutations in Turkish and North African Cystic Fibrosis Patients in Europe: Implications for Screening

To obtain more insight into the variability of the CFTR mutations found in immigrant cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who are living in Europe now, and to estimate the test sensitivity of different frequently used methods of DNA analysis to detect CF carriers or patients among these Turkish or North African immigrants. A survey among 373 European CF centers asking which CFTR mutations had been found in Turkish and North African CF patients. 31 and 26 different mutations were reported in Turkish and North African patients, identifying 64.2% (113/176) and 87.4% (118/135) alleles, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean sensitivity (detection rate) of three most common CFTR mutation panels to detect these mutations differed between Turkish and North African people, 44.9% (79/176) versus 69.6% (94/135) (p < 0.001), and can be increased to 57.4% (101/176) and 79.3% (107/135) (p < 0.001), respectively, by expanding these panels with 13 mutations which have been found on two or more alleles. 35.8% and 12.6%, respectively, of CF alleles in Turkish and North African patients living in Europe now had not been identified. Among these populations, the test sensitivity of common CFTR mutation panels is insufficient for use in screening programs in Europe, even after expansion with frequent Turkish and North African mutations. This raises questions about whether and how to implement CF carrier and neonatal screening in a multiethnic society.

The ancient inhabitants of Jebel Moya redux: measures of population affinity based on dental morphology

AbstractThis paper reexamines some of the methods and craniometric findings in the classic volume The Ancient Inhabitants of Jebel Moya (Sudan) (1955) by Mukherjee, Rao &amp; Trevor, in light of recent archaeological data and relative to a new dental morphological study. Archaeological evidence characterises these inhabitants as having been heavily influenced by outside sources; yet they managed to establish and maintain their own distinctive culture as seen in the site features and surviving artefact collections. The dental study, modelled after the original craniometric‐based investigation and using the same or similar comparative samples, detected complementary indications of outside biological influence. In the study, up to 36 dental traits were recorded in a total of 19 African samples. The most influential traits in driving inter‐sample variation were then identified, and phenetic affinities were calculated using the Mahalanobis D2 statistic for non‐metric traits. If phenetic similarity provides an estimate of genetic relatedness, these affinities, like the original craniometric findings, suggest that the Jebel Moyans exhibited a mosaic of features that are reminiscent of, yet distinct from, both sub‐Saharan and North African peoples. Together, these different lines of evidence correspond to portray the Jebel Moya populace as a uniform, although distinct, biocultural amalgam. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

European CF survey: a concerted action on the identity and frequency of CFTR gene mutations among Turkish and North-African CF patients in Europe

Background: Mutation spectra of the CFTR gene vary between populations. Knowledge of these mutation spectra is needed for diagnostic purposes, for counselling in CF families and for screening, either neonatal to improve prognosis, or preconceptional and prenatal to provide for reproductive options. There is only limited knowledge about the mutation spectra in migrant populations in Europe. Aims: To determine the identity and frequency of mutations found in Turkish and North-African CF patients and to determine the test-sensitivity of common CF-gene mutation panels when offering carrier screening to Mediterranean people. Methods: In a survey among 373 European CF-centres, we asked which mutations have been found among Turkish and North African CF patients. Results: Fifty mutations had been found on 75.2% (95% CI: 70.4 80.0%) of CFTR alleles of patients ( n 156) originating from Turkey or North Africa. The mean sensitivity of common CF-gene mutation panels to detect these mutations was 50.6% (95% CI: 45.0 56.2%), and differed significantly between Turkish and NorthAfrican people: 41.7% (95% CI: 34.7 48.6%) versus 66.4% (95% CI: 57.7 75.2%). A sensitivity of 63.6% (95%CI: 58.2 69.0) can be achieved by expanding the mutation panels with these Mediterranean mutations. Conclusion: A low test-sensitivity of common CF-gene mutation panels for carrier screening of Mediterranean people was observed. This raises questions on whether and how to implement CF-carrier screening in a multi-ethnic society. 1. Genetics' S 1