Construction of Social Cohesion and Living Together in the Cameroonian Public Space: Differences of Opinion versus the Emergence of a Common Sense in Discourse

Social cohesion and living together increasingly appear to be a response by the public authorities to the emergence of identity claims in Cameroon, in a context marked by the Anglophone crisis. Indeed, the socio-historical evolution reveals that living together in Cameroonian society changes considerably according to the social crises that animate it. It is therefore necessary to question the construction of these two concepts, in a dynamic marked by the reconfiguration of the public space characterised by occurrences in journalistic discourse. The aim of this proposal is to analyse the different conceptions that emerge from debates on cohesion and living together in the Cameroonian public space, in order to detect the true meaning that emerges from them. Our general objective is to explore the possibilities of constructing a problematic in the public space, namely living together, based on what is said by the actors in televised debates. The observation of the public space in particular that circumscribed by televised debates, reveals a frequency of their discursive use. The questions we asked ourselves were the following: How are the notions of living together and social cohesion constructed in televised debates in Cameroon? How do citizens position themselves in the face of the multitude of identity allegiances with which they identify in the public space? In order to provide some answers to this question, we observed and analysed the statements made by actors on stage in televised debates on four television channels. We were particularly interested in the debates on living together and social cohesion, and by means of discourse analysis we were able to detect the content of these notions. Our analysis of the television debates shows that social cohesion is presented as the manifestation of “living together”, in the sense that it implies an interweaving of identities between the different strata of the population with a view to their full participation in the construction of the whole society. Furthermore, “living together” is conditioned by the requirements of good governance, whereas at the level of public authorities, it is seen more as a political option.

Revisiting Ubuntu in the Midst of a Violent Conflict： Reflections on the Marikana Tragedy in South Africa

South Africa comes from a bitter past of gross inequalities and human rights abuses suffered by the majority of Africans as a result of the colonial and apartheid legacy. When apartheid was dismantled in 1994, through the spirit of reconciliation which was spearheaded by the country＇s late and former President, Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the country was transformed into a democracy where citizens opted to live together on the basis of equality and mutual respect for each other. The ＂New＂ South Africa immediately raised hope for change in the hearts of the majority, whose human rights were previously violated; who thought that the new dispensation would immediately bring improvements in their socioeconomic conditions. Based on the conflict perspective, this paper critically reflects on the recent case of violent conflict in South Africa known as the Marikana tragedy, to explore the efficacy of fostering meaningful reconciliation in the midst of a violent conflict. Through interviews carried out with survivors and wives of the deceased victims in October 2014, the paper demonstrates how the South African government has failed to meet the post-apartheid expectations, but instead, continues to serve the interests of capital at the expense of the majority of people whose working and living conditions have not improved 20 years into democracy. By interrogating their general understanding of democracy and reconciliation strategies used to address the conflict both by the government and the owners of capital, the paper concludes that meaningful reconciliation is a complex process that will take many more years than anticipated. It requires not only urgent redress of soeio-economic imbalances through the implementation of the new National Development Plan （NDP）, but also the implementation of carefully crafted conflict resolution strategies that are embedded in the application of Ubuntu principles by all those involved in the conflict.

Multicultural Practice in Secondary Schools With Multicultural Background

In Sri Lanka,after 30 years of civil war,multicultural education is being seen as important to help change students’attitudes towards different ethnic and religious groups.Therefore,the major aim of this study was to investigate the views of students and staff about the multicultural policies and practices in Sinhala-medium secondary schools with multicultural background.The sample of the study comprised of 321 students,116 teachers and five principals from five Sinhala-medium schools.In addition,four education policy-makers also contributed to the study.The key findings indicated that the majority of Sinhala and Tamil students were engaged in the school activities but Muslim students less so.In addition,all five schools had a variety of extra-curricular activities that were designed for minority ethnic groups.This is a good example for other multicultural schools in Sri Lanka.Research findings show that overall the majority of teachers suggested that they wanted some training about multicultural education.Most students were satisfied that their teachers know some expressions in the language of different students.However,teachers in these multicultural schools wanted language training to build a good intercultural relationship between teachers and students.Counsellors and teachers did not have the knowledge and skills required to provide cross-cultural counselling.Therefore,both teachers and counsellors need proper training.The research makes clear how extra/co-curricular activities are important to promote social cohesion in Sri Lanka.

The Tatonnement of Leon Walras and Diagonal Dominant Hypothesis

This essay poses Walras＇s theory of price mechanism in its merits and limitations. Walras proposed two laws as conditions for general equilibrium, namely： （1） the law of the variation of equilibrium prices, a subjective condition; and （2） the law of the establishment of equilibrium prices, an objective condition. Walras jointed both laws in order to develop his law of supply and demand. This paper offers a formal Walrasian approximation in terms of the Lyapounov＇s function, taking the diagonal dominant hypothesis as departure point, rediscovered almost a century after it was originally proposed by Walras. The paper concludes with critical reflection concerning the idea of equilibrium economics as medium of social cohesion.