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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Category of 'Civilised' in Liberia and Elsewhere
Author:Brown, David
Year:1982
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:20
Issue:2
Pages:287-303
Language:English
Geographic term:Liberia
Subjects:social classes
History and Exploration
colonialism
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/160307
Abstract:In the independent Republic of Liberia the word 'civilisation' and its more common derivative 'civilised' or 'kwi', have retained their positive connotations, at least until very recently, and possibly still today. Though it has never described a status defined by legislation, the term 'civilised' is of very wide currency at all levels of the society, not merely in the Americo-Liberian dominated coastal centres, but also throughout the 'tribal' hinterland. Surprisingly, the term has only rarely been discussed in the relevant sociological literature, and in those few cases in which it has been considered, its meaning has emerged with very little clarity indeed. Most authors have recognised the connection between the notion of civilisation and the structure of the Liberian state - the quasi-colonial position of the Americo-Liberian elite, and its uneasy alliance with autochthonous interests before the overthrow of President William Tolbert in April 1980 - but few have attempted to specify the nature of its underlying political associations. Exploring these themes further, the present author for this purpose widens the scope of the discussion to include not only pre-coup Liberia, but also other African societies in a comparable phase of their development. Notes.
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