JOURNAL INFORMATION
Seychelles Research Journal is published twice a year, in February and August. The aim of this online, open access journal is to demonstrate the vibrancy of research in and about Seychelles. Boundaries are drawn loosely to include comparable issues elsewhere in the western Indian Ocean and in small island states further afield.
Information on how to submit proposed articles and on the refereeing process is explained elsewhere in the website. New proposals are always encouraged.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Editor: Dennis Hardy
Deputy Editor/Web Design: Jane Woolfenden
.…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
International Advisers:
- Ashton Berry, Consultant, Australia
- David Brewster, National Security College, Australia
- Christian Bueger, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Hong Kong Baptist University
- Geoffrey Harris, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
- Kelly Hoareau, University of Tasmania, Australia
- Pascal Nadal, Diocesan Service of Catholic Education, Mauritius
- Peter Rudge, University of Staffordshire, UK
- Nilanthi Samaranayake, CNA, USA
- Jivanta Schottli, Dublin City University, Ireland
- Erika Techera, University of Western Australia
- Kris Valaydon, Founding Editor, Island Studies, Mauritius
Internal Advisers:
- Diana Benoit, Sir James Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute
- Penda Choppy, Creole Language and Culture Research Institute
- Christine Pejakovic, Education and Socio-Economic Research Institute
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
This is a publication of the University of Seychelles http://www.unisey.ac.sc
The views and opinions represented in this publication are not necessarily those of the institutions to which the authors and/or advisers are affiliated and, additionally, should not be attributed to the publisher.
©2024 – Seychelles Research Journal, The University of Seychelles
Cover photograph © Jane Woolfenden
ISSN 1659-7435
CONTENTS
♦ EDITORIAL
Read the editorial here: Editorial-Seychelles_Research_Journal-6-(2)
♦ ARTICLES
‘We would also appreciate having Creole classes as well’: Private school parents’ attitudes towards the role of Kreol Seselwa in education ♦ Page 3 ♦
Mats Deutschmann
In much of the research on language policy and language ideologies to date, there has been a general tendency to associate parents who send their children to private English Medium of Instruction (EMI) schools with negative attitudes towards local languages and their role in education. This has also been the general anecdotal discourse in Seychelles. This study puts such assumptions to the test and investigates attitudes and language ideologies of EMI school parents empirically. Based on the questionnaire responses of 176 participants (parents whose children attend various private schools in Seychelles), a more complex picture emerges. Results suggest that a majority of parents believe that Kreol Seselwa should be given a more prominent role in private educational contexts than it has to date. For example, 55% believe that it should be used as support language in education, and 43% of parents believe that it should be introduced as a separate subject. Furthermore, a clear majority acknowledge that Kreol Seselwa is the most important language in everyday oral communication in Seychelles. A large proportion of parents also recognize its importance in written communication. The results have implications for language policy decisions in the private school sector in Seychelles and elsewhere; decisions which, in turn, may set precedents for more general language-in-education policy reforms nationally and internationally.
Read the full article here: We_would_also_appreciate_having_Creole_classes_as_well-Private_school_parents’_attitudes_towards_the_role_of_Kreol_Seselwa_in_education-Mats_Deutschmann-Seychelles_Research_Journal-6-(2)
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Knowledge Systems in the Blue Economy ♦ Page 29 ♦
Kelly Hoareau
Processes within global environmental governance forums require information and knowledge that facilitate negotiations aimed at progressing development agendas and related priorities. Globalized knowledge generalizes world views and experiences and can erase geographical and cultural differences, encompassing decontextualized views. The local knowledge system influences the quality of communication, implementation, decision-making, and adaptive management and has the potential to enable impactful and sustained engagement in the blue economy, allowing local communities to advocate for their priorities at global environmental governance level. These local knowledge systems can facilitate impactful local and international collaboration that supports the advancement of, and investment in, local priorities identified in sustainable development frameworks like the blue economy. This paper explores the links between knowledge systems and global environmental governance in relation to advancing a more sustainable blue economy by highlighting the local knowledge system in Seychelles, a country recognized as one of the early leaders in the blue economy space.
Read the full article here: Knowledge_Systems_in_the_Blue_Economy-Kelly_Hoareau-Seychelles_Research_Journal-6-(2)
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Agrivoltaics on Mahé (Seychelles): A first potential analysis based on an acceptance study ♦ Page 39 ♦
Vera Weber and Benno Rothstein
Agrivoltaics is an emerging technology that combines the agricultural and energy-generation sectors by enabling dual land use. The use of photovoltaic modules on agricultural land, for example in overhead or interspace systems, which are the focus of this work, can create synergy effects from which both sectors can benefit. This study aims to analyse the potential of agrivoltaics in Seychelles. The focus of the potential analysis is on an acceptance study in which the perception of 75 farmers towards agrivoltaics, and their willingness to implement the new technology, is analysed. The data collection was carried out with the help of personal surveys. The results of the studies show that agrivoltaics have potential in Seychelles. Potential was identified in the use of irrigation systems and the self-supply of electricity, amongst other things. The results of the study also show that there is a need for further research on agrivoltaics in Seychelles, for example in the area of field studies/test setups and financing concepts.
Read the full article here: Agrivoltaics_on_Mahé_(Seychelles)-A_first_potential_analysis_based_on_an_acceptance_study-Vera_Weber_and_Benno_Rothstein-Seychelles_Research_Journal-6-(2)
……………………………………………………………………………………….
The Impermanence of Location: Is Seychelles drifting closer to the Middle East? ♦ Page 58 ♦
Dennis Hardy
This paper (originally a presentation) argues that although Seychelles has seemingly stayed where it always was, it can no longer be regarded as a remote archipelago with little contact to the outside world. It is this duality of being a fixed point in space combined with a different meaning that I call ‘the impermanence of location’. As well as providing some examples of how this impermanence has been evident over a long period, I focus on the implications of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Seychelles, I argue, is shifting ever closer along a geopolitical path towards the epicentre of that troubled region.
Read the full article here: The_Impermanence_of_Location-Is_Seychelles_drifting_closer_to_the_Middle_East-Dennis_Hardy-Seychelles_Research_Journal-6-(2)
Seychelles Research Journal 