Research activities at the Academy are encouraged in order to enhance the quality of the cadet educational experience, promote the professional development of the faculty, provide support to the Army, and to enhance the reputation of the Academic Program. Enhancing the interdisciplinary culture of the Academy is an important goal of this research effort at USMA. The Minerva Research Initiative at West Point connects departments and research centers in order to bridge critical research agendas together to achieve multi-dimensional outcomes and help promote an enriched environment for cadets as they move into leadership roles.
                                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Muhajir invited internal faculty and staff to highlight Africa related topics and Minerva specific research during fall semester of 2012. Robert Rasmussen, former Africa Project Intern talked about “Sino-African Relations and Impacts.” CPT Dylan Malcomb, talked about his MSC research experience on “Foreign Aid and Development in Malawi, Southern Africa,” and Kristine Ringler invited cadet participation into the Minerva Africa project during her talk on media analysis of Tanzania’s 2012 Housing and Population Census.

 

 

On January 29 to February 13, 2013, Dr. Makame Muhajir visited Tanzania to conduct fieldwork for on-going research. Dr. Muhajir talked to Tanzanians about the highly politicized 2012 national population census, and both religious and political security issues in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Respondents also included prominent politicians, diplomats, and government officials, clergymen, Muslim clerics, and street people who had formed their opinions from everyday interactions.

 

On this particular trip, Dr. Muhajir wanted to learn why an increasing number of Tanzanians have dramatically changed their personal, religious, political and race-related feelings. Among key observations, he saw people still bogged down by old-fashioned state-controlled political attitudes when executing multi-party democratic politics – which were implemented over the last 20 years with involuntary popular support. He also noticed that the socio-cultural environment has deteriorated in religious tolerance. Much of the motivated anger he took note of, correspond with an increased level of religious violence and political riots recorded in the country. The fieldwork will be incorporated into the classroom and give cadets the opportunity to engage in the research in the coming year.