Small Ethnic Groups Research Articles

Similarities of Guamanian ALS/PD to Post-Encephalitic Parkinsonism/ALS: Possible Viral Cause

Guamanian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with parkinsonism-dementia (ALS/PD) has been the subject of intensive study since its discovery in 1947 because of its extraordinarily high incidence in a small ethnic group (Chamorros) whose dietary lack and customs have suggested possible causes. As yet, these and other suspected causes have eluded proof. Because of marked similarities between Guamanian ALS/PD and late onset post-encephalitic (encephalitis lethargica) parkinsonism and ALS it is suggested that they have a common cause. The parkinsonism and ALS in the two disorders are clinically very similar and neuropathological studies have shown a very similar distribution of neurofibrillary tangles in neurons. Some clinical differences, such as ocular features in the post-encephalitic cases and dementia in Guamanian ALS/PD, can be explained by differences in the severity of infection and the interval between the encephalitis and onset of sequelae. Although unproven, influenza A (HswilN1 strain) has long been suspected as the cause of encephalitis lethargica because of simultaneous pandemics of the two diseases in the 1920s. Because influenza A can persistently infect cells and has a marked propensity to mutate it is an optimal candidate among other RNA viruses for delayed nervous system infection as a possible cause of ALS/PD.

The Last Arab Jews: The Communities of Jerba, Tunisia

The once numerous and vital Jewish communities of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have disappeared, succumbing during the past century to the assimilating temptations of French culture, or, more recently, to the pressures of migration. Only the two communities of the island of Jerba still remain. Only they have succeeded in maintaining and reproducing their religious and social institutions, in adjusting to the new realities around them while preserving intact their cultural, communal identity. This lavishly-illustrated book, first published in 1984, portrays the life and history of two Jerban Jewish villages and explores the paradoxes of their continuity. How and why are they so fully Jewish while, at the same time, so thoroughly embedded in their Muslim, North African environment? Although its focus is one small ethnic group, the implications of this study extend to the broad subject of relations between Arabs and Jews in modern times.

African Legal Tradition J. M. Sarbah, J. B. Danquah, N. A. Ollennu

The Systematic study of African customary law and of the establishment of its role in the legal systems of African states was initiated, above all, by works of A. N. Allott. The scholar gives unflagging attention to the local legal schools which laid a serious basis for the present-day comparative study both of customary law and of national legal systems, for clarifying the possible ways of their development, and for a search for optimal legal forms which would take due account of the interests of small ethnic groups. The formation of national legal systems of African states has aroused a major interest in the customary law of ethnic groups. A. N. Allott correctly observed that it was necessary to pay heed, in particular, to the historical aspect of customary law.The most vivid example of the high level of development of autochthonous legal institutions and of their study by local legal scholars is furnished by the legal school of the ethnolinguistic group known as Akan (the Gold Coast, later Ghana).Present day Ghana in the pre-colonial period formed the states of the Akan peoples—Fanti and Ashanti—and of the inhabitants of the Birim-Volta river region—Akim and Akuapem. Screened by a tropical forest from the north and facing the Gulf of Guinea, the region remained isolated from external influences for many long epochs, creating specific systems of state law. The types and forms of their customary law mechanism characterize the level of development and specific features of appropriate societies.

Ethno‐political activity and the psychology of terrorism

Abstract Studies of terrorist psychology have typically focused either on single individuals or group dynamics within the organizations that these individuals have joined. Less attention has been paid to the background conditions which give rise to these individuals and organizations, even for environments in which generalization appears to be feasible. This paper focuses on one such environment. Its principal goal is to highlight the theoretical connections between a society's ethnic cleavages; the development of ethno‐political activity, especially organized violence and terrorism; and the implications of this activity for the functioning of institutions in “democratic” and “non‐democratic” societies. A related objective is the identification of policy responses to latent or manifest ethno‐political activity and an assessment of their potential efficacy. These points are illustrated by examining a small ethnic group, the South Moluccans in Holland, which would appear to have had little motivation to eng...

Parenté métaphorique et relations interethniques chez les Rukuba (Nigeria central)

This article describes the commercial, political, and ritual relations between the Rukuba (Plateau State, Nigeria) and other ethnic groups in their immediate vicinity or stemming from the same genealogical tree. Special attention will be paid to those interethnic relations which the Rukuba refer to as « brotherhood » relations. The region where the Rukuba live is composed of a mosaic of small ethnic groups all concerned with preserving their ethnic differences. Indeed, according to Greenberg this region has one of the highest degrees of linguistic diversity in the world. Linguistic isolation did not, however, hinder numerous exchanges between ethnic groups, especially on the level of ritual. It is difficult to generalize on the quality of the relations between the Rukuba and those strangers they call « brothers » since it varies a great deal. This article will nevertheless shed new light on the concepts of « stranger » and « metaphorical (fictive) kinship ». Among other things, it will also elaborate on the communicative function ritual can fulfill for people who speak different languages.

Les délégués au Premier Congrès des peuples d'Orient (Bakou, 1er-8 septembre 1920)

Edith Chabrier, The delegates to the First Congress of the Peoples of the East, Baku (1-8 September 1920). There were two thousand delegates present at the First Congress of the Peoples of the East organized in Baku by the Communist International. These delegates belonged to many various and highly heterogeneous ethnic entities. They were classified into Communists and non-Party members, according to somewhat doubtful criteria. We can point out five groups: the "profiteers"; Muslims of Russia and Central Asia, fiery champions of the positions of national Communism; delegations of Transcaucasia consisting mainly of representatives of small ethnic groups protected by Bolsheviks; foreign Eastern delegates - in this group, the only ones to raise their voices were the Turkish nationalists; and the representatives of the Komintern and of the Western Communist parties, who got all the credits.

Family resemblance in attitudes to foods.

University of PennsylvaniaAlthough it seems likely that family experience should be a major factor in theacquisition of food preferences and attitudes to foods, prior research has not justifiedassignment of a significant portion of variance to family influences. This studydiffers from its predecessors, in that it compares young adults (instead of youngchildren) with their parents and explores attitudes to food, especially sensitivity tocleanliness and contamination of foods (disgust), as well as food preferences.Questionnaires were answered by 34 university students (mean age = 19) and theirfamilies. Results indicate small positive parent-child correlations for food preferences(r = .1 to .3 for most items) and considerably larger correlations in the area ofdisgust or contamination sensitivity (r = .3 to .6 for most items). Children's pref-erences and attitudes are about equally related to those of their mother and father.Some small ethnic-group (half of the families were Jewish, half were Christian)effects were found in contamination sensitivity; these were minor in comparisonto the family effects.

Estimating russification of ethnic identity among non-Russians in the USSR

Abstract Many scholars have asserted that extensive ethnic russification has occurred in Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, but little effort has been devoted to making quantitative estimates of the extent of assimilation or of the differences among ethnic groups in tendencies to assimilate. A method of estimating ethnic reidentification in the USSR is described and evaluated. The expected number of survivors to the second census date for each age cohort of a given ethnic group is compared to the reported number of cohort members at the second census date to determine the net number who have changed their ethnic self-identification between censuses. The method establishes relative differences in the propensity to reidentify ethnically among 26 Soviet ethnic groups. Many small ethnic groups in European Russia are found to have very high estimated rates of ethnic russification; non-Russian Slavs—Ukrainians and Belorussians—are found to have fairly low estimated rates of ethnic russification. The implications of the Russian gain in population through ethnic reidentification also are assessed.

Bulgarians in the Byzantine empire

Among the various ethnic groups that played an important role in the overall life of the Byzantine Empire - Goths, Armenians, Georgians, Franks, Turks - a significant place is held by the Bulgarians. The "Bulgarian question" with its two sides - the relations with the Bulgarian state and the fate of the Bulgarians living in Byzantium, faced the Empire for 7-8 centuries. There were two main factors that kept this phenomenon strong for centuries. On the one hand, the geographical proximity between the two countries, which conditioned the continuous interstate relations and facilitated greatly the movement of larger or smaller ethnic groups (in both directions). On the other hand, no less important was the incorporation of the Bulgarians (after the conversion to Christianity in 864) into the Byzantine community - an event that radically changed the historical path of Bulgaria until then. When we add to these two main factors the initial infiltration of Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians into the lands of the Empire, we obtain the basis on which the question of the Bulgarians in Byzantium developed for centuries.

Social and cultural dynamics of the peoples of the Soviet north

The vast expanses of tundra and taiga stretching from Kol'skiy Poluostrov to Chukotka have long been utilized by small ethnic groups with a chiefly northern economy—reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, sea mammal hunting. At present, judging by the data of the all-Union census of 1970, their total number is a little over 150 000. The peoples of the north include the Nentsy, formerly Samoyed (28 705), Evenki, formerly Tungus (25 149), Khanty, formerly Ostyak (21 138), Chukchi (13 597), Eveny, formerly Lamut (12 029), Nanaytsy, formerly Gol'd (10 005), Mansi, formerly Vogul (7 710), Koryaki (7 487), Dolgany (4 877), Nivkhi, formerly Gilyak (4 420), Sel'kupy, formerly Ostyak Samoyed (4 282), Ul'chi or Ol'chi (2 448), Saamy or Lapps (1 884), Udegeytsy (1 469), Eskimosy (1 308), Itel'meny (1 301), Kety, formerly Yeniseians (1 182), Orochi (1 089), Nganasany (953), Yukagiry (615), Negidal'tsy (537), Aleuty (Itogi,1973, p 21–22) (441); and also some not accounted for in the census— Entsy (300), Oroki (400) and Chuvantsy (700) (Novaya zhizn', 1967, p 7–9)

The Indonesian Takeover of East Timor

Research Article| October 01 1976 The Indonesian Takeover of East Timor Robert Lawless Robert Lawless Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Far Eastern Survey (1947) 16 (10): 948–964. https://doi.org/10.2307/2643535 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Robert Lawless; The Indonesian Takeover of East Timor. Far Eastern Survey 21 May 1947; 16 (10): 948–964. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2643535 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAsian Survey Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1976 Regents of the University of California Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The USSR Experience in Solving the National Question and the Liberated Countries of the East

A almost two thirds of the world population lives in the countries of the East. All of the great (or primary) human races are represented here. The ethnic as well as the religious composition off -the population is notable for its great complexity. In spite of the processes, accelerated during recent decades, of consolidating the small and very small ethnic groups, tribes, and nationalities into relatively large national communities, ethnographers still place the number of large and small ethnic groups in this area in the hundreds. The majority of the countries of the East have an ethnically nonhomogeneous population. Moreover, within the individual states there sometimes live dozens of peoples (for example, there are no less than 150 in Indonesia, about 90 in the Philippines, over 70 in India, etc.). Only Korea, Somaliland, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and a few other Arab states have a relatively homogeneous ethnic composition. An important feature of the ethnic map of the East is the fact that for a number of reasons (the roots of which usually lie in the historical past), often the political boundaries here do not coincide with the ethnic ones. As a result, the territories settled by many large and small ethnic groups are split by political cordons, and these peoples themselves live within the borders of different states. This ethnic nonhomogeneousness of the population and the features of the settlements of many peoples produce numerous intraand interstate conflicts and complications. Frequently these conflicts are intensified by the open or disguised meddling of former colonial powers, which are trying to compensate for the loss of direct political power in the former colonies by spreading various forms'of indirect domination. Although the disintegration of the colonial system and the formation of the young sovereign states have created objective possibilities for overcoming the conflicts and hostility between nations, numerous obstacles stand in the way of realizing these possibilities. The tension in the relations between the nationalities (frequently complicated by uneven levels of social and economic development and national consolidation of the different peoples, as well as by racial or religious conflicts) , is an actual fact in the political life of many of the states in the East. The struggle to find a democratic solution to the national question, to

Marxism, Nationalism, and Russia

The XIXth-century founders of contemporary Marxism willed a surprisingly slim written legacy to their followers on what role, if any, nationalism would play in paving road to socialism. Perhaps it was their preoccupation with economics, but fact remains that neither Marx nor Engels took time to lay down in black and white a cohesive national program for their disciples of yesterday and today to follow. Nevertheless, their comments on nationalism, scattered up and down their voluminous writings, had a significant effect on revolutionary strategy of Lenin and development of Bolshevik nationality policy. Their literary outpourings have assumed an even greater importance today in face of growing national movements in Asia and Africa. The conflict between nationalism and proletarian internationalism has sharpened in last generation and posed a difficult question for Marxists concerning independence movements in colonial and semi-colonial nations; namely, where do loyalties of industrial proletariat lie in freedom movements led by national bourgeoisie? The dilemma is not readily resolved by turning to works of two Socialist prophets. Unfortunately, Marx and Engels displayed an ambivalent attitude toward problems of nationalism, national selfdetermination, and national struggles in backward areas of world. On one hand, for example, they viewed nationalism as a fading phenomenon, while on other they urged proletariat to establish itself as the nation. Marx and Engels openly supported principle of national self-determination of historical peoples for Poles, Hungarians, Italians, and Irish, but bitterly denounced same aspirations of Ukrainians, Croats, Czechs, and other small ethnic groups of multi-national Russian, Prussian, and Austrian empires. Despite over-all internationalist import of their revolutionary ideology, Marx and Engels exhibited unmistakable taint of German chauvinism through their call for unification of Germany at expense of Danish self-determination in Schleswig province. The workers of different nations had too much in common to be drawn into fratricidal wars among capitalist states, Marx said; but this did not discourage Engels from urging German workers to fight to last

The Yugoslav Experiment

Yugoslavia strikes the foreign visitor as being, by Western standards, a very backward country, though it is by no means uniformly so—the spread runs all the way from the Central European level of Slovenia and parts of Croatia to the most retarded Asian standards of the Autonomous Territory of Kosovo-Metohija on the northeast border of Albania. On the economic side, this diversity is basically an asset since the more advanced regions can do much to assist the development of the rest of the country, but at the same time it is closely related to certain deep-rooted problems which inevitably slow down the rate of progress. In this connection, I need only mention here the division of the country into six major nationalities and a considerably larger number of smaller ethnic groups: it is hard for a person coming from an environment which is, in point of language and customs, relatively uniform to imagine the number and intractability of the problems created by this kind of extreme cultural heterogeneity. For this and other reasons, some of which I shall touch upon later, Yugoslavia has none of that air of a highly dynamic, rapidly developing economy which is perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Soviet Union.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

On the Myths concerning the Origin of Corn among the Munda

Among the various primitive peoples of Middle-East India, we can find approximately three types of myths concerning the origin of corn, each of which has its own distribution center. The first is the Chota Nagpur plateau of southern Bihar, which is inhabited by one of the two main groups of the present Austro-asiatic peoples in India, consisting of the Santals, Mundas, Hos, Kharias, Birhors etc.. Here we find such a type of myth in which the Creator has the seed of corn beforehand and gives it to the original human couple. The omniscient and omnipotent Creator has the mythological stage to himself. The second is the southern part of Orissa, especially Koraput Districts, where we find another main group of the Austro-asiatic people, such as the Saoras, Gadabas, Bondos, Parengas etc.. Among these peoples there appears the so-called "personified corn-sisters" as a unique motif, and the Creator does not play any important role, if he does not completely disappear from the mythological stage. The third and the last center is probably in Madhya Pradesh, which is inhabited by the so-called Gond peoples. Here we meet the same "blood motif" as in some of the creation myths, particularly that of the Earth. Corn grows out from the earth covered with human blood, and here too the Creator does not seem to play such a remarkable role as in the first center. From these three centers each type of myth spread out and partially mingled with the others. Evidence of this mixture is most remarkable among such small ethnic groups as the Juangs, Kamars, Baigas etc., which are usually classified as protoagriculturists in India. Hence, in reference to the myth of the origin of corn, we can distinguish firstly the Munda peoples(in the widest sence of the term) from the Gond peoples; secondly within the former, the Chota Nagpur group is to be distinguished from the southern Orissa group and both from the proto-agriculturists, including those who speak Austro-asiatic languages.