American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Aladeloba E.O., Olawale S.B., *Okesoto, J.O., Mnitp, RTP., Alabi, J.O, Ajibi, I.J, Adesiyan, O.R

The paper espouses the historical origin of the Oluwole phenomenon in Lagos Nigeria. The study is a combination of desktop and surveying research. The desktop approach reviews existing literature on the historical evolution of Oluwole phenomenon in Lagos, Nigeria. The survey approach involves researchers as participants’ observer, soliciting for some landed documents and exchange of foreign currencies. Results obtained were literary expressed and inferences made on them. Data solicited include the mode of operation of Oluwole phenomenon actors, the operators, and their demographic, ethnographic and socio-economic characteristics. The study reveals that Oluwole phenomenon as spatial and contextual challenges resulted from dysfunctional governance exhibited in the nation’s political instability, ineffective physical planning and social segregation within the built environment. The paper recommends for inter-governmental agency relationship and co-operation, promotion of participatory governance, planning of socially inclusive cities among others, as a way of preventing social environmental menace like the Oluwole phenomenon.

Abdelah Alifnur

 A community based qualitative study was conducted to assess mobility, conflict and the mechanisms of managing conflict in three selected sites in the western border areas of Afar region namely Kalkalsa, Finto and Garriro. The first two sites are found in Awra District and the latter one is located in Chifra District of Afar region. The study focused on mobility driven resource based conflict between the local community and their neighbours. Data was collected from March to April, 2017 using interviews. The study participants were 120 beneficiaries of GIZ run environmental conservation projects in the aforementioned areas. The collected data was thematically analyzed and the results showed that forced mobility is a response to climate change in which the communities of Kalkalsa and Finto move northward towards Yalo and Teru and Megale during periods of difficulty. On the other hand, communities of Garriro move Westwards to Amhara Region and Eastwards to Asaita and Afambo. Mobility is often attached to conflict since it comes in to play with basic resource. Resource based conflicts are prevalent in the study sites some of which have resulted in loss of human and animal life. The natures of conflicts vary from one site to another. Unlike in Kalkalsa and Finto, the conflict in Garriro is old existing and serious. It has also an inter-ethnic mode. Land and water are the key factors of this inter ethnic conflict. In an effort to handle such like consequences, communities have instituted formal and informal channels of conflict resolution. The intra-group conflicts of the Afar pastoralists are solved by indigenous mechanism of conflict resolution. Whereas the inter-ethnic and cross border conflicts are dealt by joint (formal and customary) institutions which apply different techniques. This new trend of integration between formal and informal channels is important and needs to be strengthened. The political actors in each part should work pro-actively so as to control the emerging conflict in the border between Afar and Amhara where the study sites are located.

Daniel Shorkend

The significant, Enlightenment philosophers in aesthetics, such as Schopenhauer and Hegel form the bedrock of many of our ideas in aesthetics. After briefly unpacking their ideas in this regard, I argue for the inability of such philosophers to deal with non-mimetic art, such as abstract painting and in the process their views on aesthetics only apply to a limited domain of the visual arts. Insofar as this is the case I then put forward an alternative aesthetics that accommodates advances in the arts, namely a metaphoric conception of art. This conception of aesthetics also appears to argue for the pervasiveness of aesthetic experience, thus also undermining the said philosophers’ hierarchical elevation of the arts from common experience. This invites an alternative aesthetics, where sport may be regarded as a kind art. In this regard, the role of metaphor, in both positive and negative ways devolving from the post-modern “language turn” leads to a holistic conception of experience, whether parcelled off as art or sport and this is argued for as the so-named “argument from intertwining”. 

Mary Nyangweso

Although religion continues to play a significant role in human history and general behavior, it is often minimized, overlooked and discounted especially in the academia and in national development. As a field of study, religious studies encounters numerous challenges, including that of relevance. Claims that religion and its study are irrelevant and impractical in modern society just because of misperceived notions that it is unscientific and therefore unlikely to lead directly to a specialized profession as in the case of the Science, Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) based fields of study, undermine the significant role of religious studies in the academy and in development. This attitude toward religion and religious studies is expressed broadly regarding the humanities as well. Studies indicate that assertions that students who major in religious studies or the humanities waste time since humanities’ graduates are unemployable are not verifiable. This study draws from findings of a national survey and existing secondary data to highlight the place of religion, religious studies and the humanities in the academia and in national development. The study employs intersectionality as a framework to argue for the central role of religion and the humanities in national development.

Umeogu, Bona Christus, Ph.D1, Onebunne Jude Ifeanyichukwu, Ph.D2 Ojiakor, Caroline Ifeoma, Ph.D3*

This study explored the confluence of psychological and media communication metaphor exploited in religious persuasion by 21st century church leaders in the use and abuse of social media communication for religious worship. Typically, the study contrasts the truism that religious abuse of social media communication in propagating false spiritualism has diminished the merits of social media as the greatest breakthrough of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool in religious evangelism. The study conceptualizes that the versatility of the social media has also deepened the thrust of religious evangelism positively, and negatively. Against this background, Rashdall’s (1907) “moral criterion” in the use of the Theory of good and evil gifts this current examination the philosophical underpinnings of man’s vulnerability in exploiting nature’s endowments and human development for both psychological hedonism and rationalistic utilitarianism. In the case of the use/abuse of the social medial for religious evangelism, there is a strong conformity of opinions to the fact that under the current circumstances of uncontrollable high-tech falsehood; man’s free-will in the choice of his actions and the gift of reasons and feelings above any other animal leads to the conclusion that human advancements (such as social media) should lead man to a better life despite volumes of spiritual falsehood communicated through those platforms.