This chapter addresses the implications of an archaeology that includes studies of children and their material environment. Focusing on examples of African populations, it offers models that contribute to theories about child behavior. The construction of an archaeology of children is feasible and important for furthering our understanding of the past. Through ethnoarchaeological approaches, we have the opportunity to begin a discourse on children and to set a foundation for future studies on what the children left behind.
We discuss how academically-based interdisciplinary teams can address the extreme challenges of the world’s poorest by increasing access to the basic necessities of life. The essay’s first part illustrates the evolving commitment of research universities to develop ethical solutions for populations whose survival is at risk and whose quality of life is deeply impaired. The second part proposes a rationale for university responsibility to solve the problems of impoverished populations at a geographical remove. It also presents a framework for integrating science, engineering and ethics in the efforts of multidisciplinary teams dedicated to this task. The essay’s third part illustrates the efforts of Howard University researchers to join forces with African university colleagues in fleshing out a model for sustainable and ethical global development.
This chapter addresses the implications of an archaeology that includes studies of children and their material environment. Focusing on examples of African populations, it offers models that contribute to theories about child behavior. The construction of an archaeology of children is feasible and important for furthering our understanding of the past. Through ethnoarchaeological approaches, we have the opportunity to begin a discourse on children and to set a foundation for future studies on what the children left behind.
This essay proposes African-based ethical solutions to profound human problems and a working African model to address those problems. The model promotes sustainability through advanced agroecological and information communication technologies. The essay’s first section reviews the ethical ground of that model in the work of the Senegalese scholar, Cheikh Anta Diop. The essay’s second section examines an applied African model for translating African ethical speculation into practice. Deeply immersed in European and African ethics, Godfrey Nzamujo developed the Songhaï Centers to solve the problem of rural poverty in seventeen African countries. Harnessing advanced technologies within a holistic agroecological ecosystem, Nzamujo’s villages furnish education spanning the fields of ethics, information communication technology, microbiology, international development, and mechanical, electrical, civil and biological engineering in a community-based and centered development enterprise. The essay proposes a global consortium of ecovillages based on Nzamujo’s model. The final section explores funding methods for the consortium. The conclusion contemplates a return to Africa to supplement environmental ethics that enhance life’s future on earth.
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