Strength Beyond Structure

Strength Beyond Structure
Author: Mirjam De Bruijn
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2007
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9004156968

Drawing on a wide range of historical and anthropological case studies from various parts of Africa, this anthology provides an understanding of the importance of agency in processes of social transformation, especially in the context of crisis and structural constraint.

Advanced Steel Design of Structures

Advanced Steel Design of Structures
Author: Srinivasan Chandrasekaran
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2019-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1000706540

Advanced Steel Design of Structures examines the design principles of steel members under special loads and covers special geometric forms and conditions not typically presented in standard design books. It explains advanced concepts in a simple manner using numerous illustrative examples and MATLAB® codes. Features: Provides analysis of members under unsymmetrical bending Includes coverage of structures with special geometry and their use in offshore applications for ultra-deep water oil and gas exploration Presents numerical modeling and analysis of steel members under fire conditions, impact, and blast loads Includes MATLAB® examples that will aid in the capacity building of civil engineering students approaching this complex subject Written for a broad audience, the presentation of design concepts of steel members will be suitable for upper-level undergraduate students. The advanced design theories for offshore structures under special loads will be an attractive feature for post-graduate students and researchers. Practicing engineers will also find the book useful, as it includes numerous solved examples and practical tutorials.

The Winds of History

The Winds of History
Author: Andreas Zeman
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 500
Release: 2023-10-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 3110765004

Based on extensive archival research in six countries and intensive fieldwork, the book analyzes the history of the village of Nkholongue on the eastern (Mozambican) shores of Lake Malawi from the time of its formation in the 19th century to the present day. The study uses Nkholongue as a microhistorical lens to examine such diverse topics as the slave trade, the spread of Islam, colonization, subsistence production, counter-insurgency, decolonization, civil war, ecotourism, and matriliny. Thereby, the book attempts to reflect as much as possible on the generalizability and (global) comparability of local findings by framing analyses in historiographical discussions that aim to go beyond the regional or national level. Although the chapters of the book deal with very different topics and can also stand on their own, they are united by a common interest in the social history of rural Africa in the longue durée. Contrary to persistent clichés of rural inertia in Africa, the book as a whole underscores the profound changeability of social conditions and relations in Nkholongue over the years and highlights how people's room for maneuver kept changing as a result of the Winds of History, the frequent and often violent ruptures brought to the village from outside.

Bridging Mobilities

Bridging Mobilities
Author: Nyamnjoh, Henrietta M.
Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2013-12-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9956791512

This is a study on the creative appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by mobile Africans and the communities to which they belong, home and away. With a focus on Cameroonian migrants from Pinyin and Mankon who are currently living in Cape Town and the Netherlands, this book examines the workings of the social fabric of mobile communities. It sheds light on how these communities are crafting lives for themselves in the host country and simultaneously linking up with the home country thanks to advances in ICTs and road and air transport. ICTs and mobilities have complemented social relational interaction and provide migrants today with opportunities to partake in cultural practices that express their Pinyin-ness and Mankon-ness. Pinyin and Mankon migrants are still as rooted in the past as they are in the present. They were born into a community with its own sense of home, moral ethos and cultural pride but live in a context of accelerated ICTs and mobility that is fast changing the way they live their lives. Drawing on this detailed ethnographic case study and related literature, Henrietta Nyamnjoh argues that while ICTs continue to enhance mobility for those who move and for those who stay put, they have become inextricably linked in forging networks and reconfiguring existing ones. Contrary to earlier studies that predicted radical social change and the passing of traditional societies in the face of new technologies, ICTs have been appropriated to enhance the workings of existing social relations and ways of life while simultaneously pointing to new directions in ever more creative and innovative ways.

Structural Engineering and Geomechanics - Volume 1

Structural Engineering and Geomechanics - Volume 1
Author: Sashi K. Kunnath
Publisher: EOLSS Publications
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2020-06-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1780210159

An understanding of dynamic effects on structures is critical to minimize losses from earthquakes and other hazards. These three books provide an overview of essential topics in structural and geotechnical engineering with an additional focus on related topics in earthquake engineering to enable readers gain such an understanding. One of the ultimate objectives of these books is to provide readers with insights into seismic analysis and design. However, in order to accomplish that objective, background material on structural and geotechnical engineering is necessary. Hence the first two sections of the book provide this background material followed by selected topics in earthquake engineering. The material is organized into three major parts. The first section covers topics in structural engineering. Beginning with fundamental mechanics of materials, the book includes chapters on linear and nonlinear analysis as well as topics on modeling of structures from different perspectives. In addition to traditional design of structural systems, introductions to important concepts in structural reliability and structural stability are discussed. Also covered are subjects of recent interest, viz., blast and impact effects on structures as well as the use of fiber reinforced polymer composites in structural applications. Given the growing interest in urban renewal, an interesting chapter on restoration of historic cities is also included. The second part of the book covers topics in geotechnical engineering, covering both shallow and deep foundations and issues and procedures for geotechnical modeling. The final part of the book focuses on earthquake engineering with emphasis on both structures and foundations. Here again, the material covered includes both traditional seismic design and innovative seismic protection. And more importantly, concepts in modeling for seismic analysis are highlighted.

»Failed« Migratory Adventures?

»Failed« Migratory Adventures?
Author: Susanne U. Schultz
Publisher: transcript Verlag
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2022-03-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3839460093

The effects of the intra-African and European deportation regimes brought about since the European Union's externalization of its migration and development policy by transferring it to countries of sub-Saharan Africa remain largely understudied - especially their effects on people's everyday life after forced returns. Based on extensive field research, Susanne U. Schultz's book analyses the supposedly "failed" migration of Malian men, the social situations in which they find themselves following deportation, and the implications of their "failure" for their social environment and broader society. This important ethnographic study creates empirical knowledge on key issues in migration research, policy, and practice in the context of a charged debate.

Advances in Ready Mixed Concrete Technology

Advances in Ready Mixed Concrete Technology
Author: Ravindra K. Dhir OBE
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 485
Release: 2013-09-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1483151611

Advances in Ready Mixed Concrete Technology contains the proceedings of the first International Conference on Ready-Mixed Concrete held at Dundee University in Scotland from September 29 to October 1, 1975. Contributors focus on the significant progress that has been made in ready mixed concrete technology. Some practices are highlighted along with possible areas for research. This text is organized around seven themes; the first of which deals with plant and equipment. Production methods and their development in the ready mixed concrete industry are reviewed, along with developments in batching plant and equipment to meet the needs of the ready mixed concrete industry. The chapters that follow explore the materials used in making concrete, properties of fresh and hardened concrete, mix design and quality control, and transportation and placing. The final section discusses the economics of ready mixed concrete, with emphasis on the cost of placing concrete by pump and the relative economics of alternative materials in Portland cement concrete. This book will be of interest to ready mixed concrete producers, their customers in the construction industry, and their suppliers of concrete materials, plant, and equipment.

Agency and Changing World Views in Africa

Agency and Changing World Views in Africa
Author: Dieter Neubert
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3643902360

Current debates on the transnational impact of world views (interpretive frameworks) often refer to the concepts of 'globalization' or 'travelling models, ' with an emphasis on domination or on a process of translation. This volume highlights situations where different world views are confronted with each other within Africa, and the question of how the actors mediate between the two. The conceptual chapters foster a critical view on the normative implications of agency itself, as well as how they reflect on the claim of interpretive hegemonony of human rights, concepts of law, democracy, or neoliberalism. In addition, the book examines the confrontation of world views in particular cases. Essays examine distinct empirical grounds, such as law (e.g. Islamic law, children's rights, law and development, political ideology), and analyze the role of transcendental powers. (Series: Contributions to Research on Africa / Beitrage zur Afrikaforschung - Vol. 40) [Subject: African Studies, Politics, Human Rights, Law

Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa

Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa
Author: Mirjam de Bruijn
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2009-03-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9956579149

'We cannot imagine life now without a mobile phone' is a frequent comment when Africans are asked about mobile phones. They have become part and parcel of the communication landscape in many urban and rural areas of Africa and the growth of mobile telephony is amazing: from 1 in 50 people being users in 2000 to 1 in 3 in 2008. Such growth is impressive but it does not even begin to tell us about the many ways in which mobile phones are being appropriated by Africans and how they are transforming or are being transformed by society in Africa. This volume ventures into such appropriation and mutual shaping. Rich in theoretical innovation and empirical substantiation, it brings together reflections on developments around the mobile phone by scholars of six African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania) who explore the economic, social and cultural contexts in which the mobile phone is being adopted, adapted and harnessed by mobile Africa.