Critical Arts articles

Recent articles from Critical Arts

Thirty years of publishing.(Editorial)
July 1, 2009... The year 2009 is witness to Critical Arts' thirtieth year of publishing. It also witnesses the first time that three issues will be published annually. (Our inexperience in the early 1980s did see the intention to publish three to four issues a year. This schedule largely failed, given our...

Pleasuring body parts: women and soap operas in Brazil.(Critical essay)
July 1, 2009... Abstract In this article I look at women's interpretations of one of the most popular forms of entertainment across Latin America, namely telenovelas (soap operas). In particular, I look at how they are incorporated into the everyday lives of the poorest women in Brazil. I find that not...

Broken strings: interdisciplinarity and /Xam oral literature.(Critical essay)
July 1, 2009... Abstract Long of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists, the Lloyd-Bleek archive of /Xam narratives and accounts has recently engaged literary scholars and poets. Yet this engagement has produced few dedicated studies, and little critical analysis of conventional anthropological...

Corruption, tribalism and democracy: coded messages in Wambali Mkandawire's popular songs in Malawi.(Critical essay)
July 1, 2009... Abstract Popular music in Malawi cites corruption and tribalism as amongst the major threats to democracy in the country. Corruption, which involves the plundering of national public resources by a few individuals, affects the distribution of and access to these resources by the majority...

Innocent violence: social exclusion, identity, and the press in an African democracy.
July 1, 2009... Abstract The violent attacks on African immigrants and refugees in marginal settlements surrounding South Africa's largest cities in May 2008 occasioned a rush of mostly well-intentioned attempts by journalists, public intellectuals, and government officials to discover the causes and...