Absent parent/s: Psychological implications on children
- Authors: Magqamfana, Simnikiwe Happy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Single parent families -- South Africa , Father and child -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Father figures -- Psychological aspects , -- Children, Black -- South Africa -- Psychology , College students, Black -- South Africa -- Psychology , Child development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96886 , vital:31343
- Description: The present study intends to explore the psychological implications on the university students who grew up in households where their biological fathers are absent. Most studies associate the absence of the biological fathers with psychological challenges which, among others, include negative emotions such as anger, challenges with maintaining romantic relationships and tend to perform poorly at school. Such research on absence of fathers tends to privilege the biological father discourse in its analysis and often mentions in passing the role played by ‘other’ family members as ‘fathers’. Since during data collection participants kept on referring to the role of other family members or father figures, the study then expanded its scope of inquiry to include this phenomenon. Semi-structured face to face interviews were used to collect data from five university students and thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Psychoanalytic theory was used to specifically to understand or conceptualize the psychological implications on participants caused by the absence of the biological father. Black Social organization theory and Structural Functionalism theory were used to conceptualize the role of other family members/families or father figures in participants’ experiences and the influence of the society they grew up in. This study found that the participants accepted the role of the biological father as central in their lives and its absence resulted in psychological and economical difficulties. To cope with such difficulties, the support from other family members or other father figures was found to be significant in participants lives. Also, this study found that father absence motivates the participants to succeed to better their lives and majority of the participants regarded their grandmothers as father figures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Magqamfana, Simnikiwe Happy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Single parent families -- South Africa , Father and child -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Father figures -- Psychological aspects , -- Children, Black -- South Africa -- Psychology , College students, Black -- South Africa -- Psychology , Child development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96886 , vital:31343
- Description: The present study intends to explore the psychological implications on the university students who grew up in households where their biological fathers are absent. Most studies associate the absence of the biological fathers with psychological challenges which, among others, include negative emotions such as anger, challenges with maintaining romantic relationships and tend to perform poorly at school. Such research on absence of fathers tends to privilege the biological father discourse in its analysis and often mentions in passing the role played by ‘other’ family members as ‘fathers’. Since during data collection participants kept on referring to the role of other family members or father figures, the study then expanded its scope of inquiry to include this phenomenon. Semi-structured face to face interviews were used to collect data from five university students and thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Psychoanalytic theory was used to specifically to understand or conceptualize the psychological implications on participants caused by the absence of the biological father. Black Social organization theory and Structural Functionalism theory were used to conceptualize the role of other family members/families or father figures in participants’ experiences and the influence of the society they grew up in. This study found that the participants accepted the role of the biological father as central in their lives and its absence resulted in psychological and economical difficulties. To cope with such difficulties, the support from other family members or other father figures was found to be significant in participants lives. Also, this study found that father absence motivates the participants to succeed to better their lives and majority of the participants regarded their grandmothers as father figures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Acorn girl
- Authors: Kukard, Gina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: South African fiction (English)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96969 , vital:31382
- Description: My thesis encapsulates a coming-of-age novella told through short vignettes of flash fiction and prose poetry. It makes use of the distillation and fragmentation of these forms to explore themes such as the nature of violation, and works between genres to engage the tension between inner and outer realities, and the blurred lines between passivity and resistance. Moving fluidly between memoir and fiction and set in modern day South Africa, it draws inspiration from both my own experiences and the writing of others, especially Raul Zurita’s resistance poetry in Dreams for Kurosawa, Claudia Rankine’s subtle absurdity in Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, bizarro elements as seen in Athena Villaverde’s The Clockwork Girl and the use of physicality to explore the emotional world, as seen in Shelley Jackson’s The Melancholy of Anatomy: Stories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kukard, Gina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: South African fiction (English)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96969 , vital:31382
- Description: My thesis encapsulates a coming-of-age novella told through short vignettes of flash fiction and prose poetry. It makes use of the distillation and fragmentation of these forms to explore themes such as the nature of violation, and works between genres to engage the tension between inner and outer realities, and the blurred lines between passivity and resistance. Moving fluidly between memoir and fiction and set in modern day South Africa, it draws inspiration from both my own experiences and the writing of others, especially Raul Zurita’s resistance poetry in Dreams for Kurosawa, Claudia Rankine’s subtle absurdity in Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, bizarro elements as seen in Athena Villaverde’s The Clockwork Girl and the use of physicality to explore the emotional world, as seen in Shelley Jackson’s The Melancholy of Anatomy: Stories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An exploration of social media as a key site for the expression of post-racial politics
- Authors: Bell, Joshua
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , South Africa -- In mass media
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94049 , vital:30995
- Description: This research sets out to examine colourblind racism in contemporary South Africa, specifically, as expressed on social media networks. In South Africa, a nation lauded for its transition from Apartheid to liberal democracy, racism still continues to exist. In the new democracy, racism continues in old, familiar forms but it has been suggested that racism also assumes new and emergent forms such as ‘colourblind’ racism. This is evident in recent controversies involving local public figures and their expressions of ‘soft’, ‘colourblind’ racism on Facebook. It is the new platforms and modes of racism unique to democratic South Africa which this thesis attempts to explore. Specifically, this study is framed by ‘post-racialism’, a concept developed by scholars globally to capture the suggestion that in liberal democratic societies across the world, racism continues with racial inequality now underpinned by an ideology of colourblindness as opposed to overt policies of segregation. Colourblindness denies the relevance of race as a collective issue, proposing instead that other social factors such as class are more pertinent in considerations of social inequality. The purpose of colourblind narratives may be identified as the reduction of racism to mere individual action, denying systemic white privilege and historical responsibility for reparation as well as preventing racially subjugated groups from critically interrogating racial power and privilege (Goldberg, 2015: 28-30). Post-racial theorists agree that the projection of colourblind politics which claims to no longer ‘see race’ has instead served to secure the normalisation of white privilege and black subjugation (Bonilla-Silva et al, 2004: 559-560). The purported existence of colourblind /post-racial racism and its impact requires exploration in the context of South Africa today. In expanding on the definition of racism, we are able to see that racism is an adaptive system of power that is able to reproduce and reconceptualise itself to changes within society. As modalities of racism have evolved, so have the platforms for its propagation. This research offers social media as a site of exploration for post-racial narratives. The case studies of Penny Sparrow, Helen Zille and Mabel Jansen are presented in this study as exemplars of post-racial liberalism, denial and exclusion. This research calls for the expansion of racial understanding so as to contest racial power structures as a continuing systemic issue in contemporary South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Bell, Joshua
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , South Africa -- In mass media
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94049 , vital:30995
- Description: This research sets out to examine colourblind racism in contemporary South Africa, specifically, as expressed on social media networks. In South Africa, a nation lauded for its transition from Apartheid to liberal democracy, racism still continues to exist. In the new democracy, racism continues in old, familiar forms but it has been suggested that racism also assumes new and emergent forms such as ‘colourblind’ racism. This is evident in recent controversies involving local public figures and their expressions of ‘soft’, ‘colourblind’ racism on Facebook. It is the new platforms and modes of racism unique to democratic South Africa which this thesis attempts to explore. Specifically, this study is framed by ‘post-racialism’, a concept developed by scholars globally to capture the suggestion that in liberal democratic societies across the world, racism continues with racial inequality now underpinned by an ideology of colourblindness as opposed to overt policies of segregation. Colourblindness denies the relevance of race as a collective issue, proposing instead that other social factors such as class are more pertinent in considerations of social inequality. The purpose of colourblind narratives may be identified as the reduction of racism to mere individual action, denying systemic white privilege and historical responsibility for reparation as well as preventing racially subjugated groups from critically interrogating racial power and privilege (Goldberg, 2015: 28-30). Post-racial theorists agree that the projection of colourblind politics which claims to no longer ‘see race’ has instead served to secure the normalisation of white privilege and black subjugation (Bonilla-Silva et al, 2004: 559-560). The purported existence of colourblind /post-racial racism and its impact requires exploration in the context of South Africa today. In expanding on the definition of racism, we are able to see that racism is an adaptive system of power that is able to reproduce and reconceptualise itself to changes within society. As modalities of racism have evolved, so have the platforms for its propagation. This research offers social media as a site of exploration for post-racial narratives. The case studies of Penny Sparrow, Helen Zille and Mabel Jansen are presented in this study as exemplars of post-racial liberalism, denial and exclusion. This research calls for the expansion of racial understanding so as to contest racial power structures as a continuing systemic issue in contemporary South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An explorative study into Faith healing as an African belief system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Authors: Tsotsi, Liso
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Spiritual healing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ethnopsychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67753 , vital:29137
- Description: The present study specifically focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous healing system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape, as well as to compare conclusions reached with other categories of indigenous healers. The inter-category comparisons on a broader level allowed for a further comparative discourse with the mainstream western medical psychiatric view of mental illness. Therefore, the scope of this study does not include in-depth analyses of findings, but rather the generation of themes for comparative discussions. While there exists vast literature on the diagnostic and treatment perspectives of the other two categories of indigenous healing systems (traditional healers and herbalists), a limited number of studies have been focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous mode of healing. The present study attempted to address this gap in the literature in an effort to promote future collaborative work across all viewpoints, in the management of mental illnesses. This study, grounded in qualitative research, utilized thematic analysis as its theoretical framework. Non probability judgmental sampling was used to secure self-identifying Faith healers, where conclusions from them were drawn from data collected, using in depth semi-structured interviews and observation. The main findings of the study indicated that Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses are based mainly on indigenous cultural theories. Furthermore, that collaboration with other viewpoints is hampered by animosity, feelings of distrust and the fear of appearing inferior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Tsotsi, Liso
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Spiritual healing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ethnopsychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67753 , vital:29137
- Description: The present study specifically focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous healing system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape, as well as to compare conclusions reached with other categories of indigenous healers. The inter-category comparisons on a broader level allowed for a further comparative discourse with the mainstream western medical psychiatric view of mental illness. Therefore, the scope of this study does not include in-depth analyses of findings, but rather the generation of themes for comparative discussions. While there exists vast literature on the diagnostic and treatment perspectives of the other two categories of indigenous healing systems (traditional healers and herbalists), a limited number of studies have been focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous mode of healing. The present study attempted to address this gap in the literature in an effort to promote future collaborative work across all viewpoints, in the management of mental illnesses. This study, grounded in qualitative research, utilized thematic analysis as its theoretical framework. Non probability judgmental sampling was used to secure self-identifying Faith healers, where conclusions from them were drawn from data collected, using in depth semi-structured interviews and observation. The main findings of the study indicated that Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses are based mainly on indigenous cultural theories. Furthermore, that collaboration with other viewpoints is hampered by animosity, feelings of distrust and the fear of appearing inferior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An intracategorical intersectional framework for understanding ‘supportability’ in womxn’s narratives of their pregnancy
- Authors: Kalyanaraman, Yamini
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Prenatal care -- South Africa , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Psycology , Medical care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96647 , vital:31304
- Description: In South Africa, the current Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is 135 per 100,000 live births, with a long way to go before it can achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) global target of under 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. This research project focuses on the narratives of pregnant womxn in the Eastern Cape Province, using an intracategorical intersectional framework and Macleod’s ‘supportability’ model as a base. The study aims to locate womxn’s pregnancies within the interweaving biological, psychological, social, economic, cultural and political contexts within which they occur, while focusing specifically on the aspect of ‘supportability’. Through purposive sampling and snowballing methods, the research team recruited participants who were 18 years and older, in or past the second trimester of their pregnancy, and able to access antenatal care. Research data were produced using photo-elicitation techniques on 92 photographs and narratives from 32 interviews. An intersectional thematic analysis was used to generate themes, which highlighted different aspects that enabled or hindered pregnancy ‘supportability’. In accordance with prior research, it was revealed that womxn found emotional and tangible support the most beneficial. Findings from this study reveal the interconnectedness between a womxn’s personal (emotional, physical and cognitive) experiences of pregnancy, the micro-interactions of support (un)available from partners, family, friends, healthcare workers, workplaces and community members, and the macrostructures of socioeconomic policies, religiosity, cultural practices and healthcare systems. For example, gendered perceptions (a macro-structure) influence the instrumental support provided by partners (a micro-interaction), which impacts the womxn’s well-being (personal). Certain themes that emerged from the different narratives were: the importance of making available pregnancy-related information to the womxn; a desire for non-judgement and acceptance of their pregnancies within their community; and the need for adequate communication in microinteractions. The findings of this research also indicate that, despite the financial tensions inherent in each womxn’s life, the participants were driven by overarching hopes for their child’s future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kalyanaraman, Yamini
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa , Prenatal care -- South Africa , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Psycology , Medical care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96647 , vital:31304
- Description: In South Africa, the current Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is 135 per 100,000 live births, with a long way to go before it can achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) global target of under 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. This research project focuses on the narratives of pregnant womxn in the Eastern Cape Province, using an intracategorical intersectional framework and Macleod’s ‘supportability’ model as a base. The study aims to locate womxn’s pregnancies within the interweaving biological, psychological, social, economic, cultural and political contexts within which they occur, while focusing specifically on the aspect of ‘supportability’. Through purposive sampling and snowballing methods, the research team recruited participants who were 18 years and older, in or past the second trimester of their pregnancy, and able to access antenatal care. Research data were produced using photo-elicitation techniques on 92 photographs and narratives from 32 interviews. An intersectional thematic analysis was used to generate themes, which highlighted different aspects that enabled or hindered pregnancy ‘supportability’. In accordance with prior research, it was revealed that womxn found emotional and tangible support the most beneficial. Findings from this study reveal the interconnectedness between a womxn’s personal (emotional, physical and cognitive) experiences of pregnancy, the micro-interactions of support (un)available from partners, family, friends, healthcare workers, workplaces and community members, and the macrostructures of socioeconomic policies, religiosity, cultural practices and healthcare systems. For example, gendered perceptions (a macro-structure) influence the instrumental support provided by partners (a micro-interaction), which impacts the womxn’s well-being (personal). Certain themes that emerged from the different narratives were: the importance of making available pregnancy-related information to the womxn; a desire for non-judgement and acceptance of their pregnancies within their community; and the need for adequate communication in microinteractions. The findings of this research also indicate that, despite the financial tensions inherent in each womxn’s life, the participants were driven by overarching hopes for their child’s future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention
- Authors: Koloko, Mojalefa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Somalia -- Politics and government -- 1991- , Somalia -- History -- 1991- , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- United States , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- 1991- , Military assistance, American -- Somalia , Extrajudicial exeutions -- Somalia , Shabaab (Organization)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657 , vital:29125
- Description: This study examines the nature of the United States intervention in Somalia, specifically the use of drone strikes that first targeted the militant Sunni Islamist transnational group, al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, and now target the Somali organisation, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin, commonly known as al-Shabaab. The use of drone strikes in the US led war on terror has raised concerns about sovereignty as the extra-judicial killings are conducted without the consent of the concerned states. Furthermore, drone strikes also raise questions about the processes of liberal intervention as the US conducts them without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is argued in this study that what is understood to be the “golden era” of liberal interventionism is a legacy of the post-Cold War unipolar dominance of the United States in global governance and security. It is argued that US unipolarity was accompanied by a shifting perception regarding the security position of weak states, whose weakness becomes understood as a source of global insecurity. This perception that so called “weak” and “fragile” states are sources of threats is a departure in International Relations theory, because the discipline is historically preoccupied with studying the actions of powerful states and their consequence for the global order. It is argued that the discourse on the war on terror, and its focus on “failed states” as breeding grounds for alleged terrorists, represents the height of the repositioning of less powerful states from a peripheral status in IR analysis and practice, to their current position that are now being represented as core sources of threat to international peace and security. Through life history interviews with Somali nationals in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, South Africa, the study examines the consequences of US actions from the eyes of Somali people. The findings of this study show that despite all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the war on terror, the manner in which it is conducted, as well as the tactics that it employs, the majority of Somali participants showed an overwhelming support for the US intervention. Participants expressed support for the US extra-judicial killings because they are understood to undermine al-Shabaab strength which is a major source of insecurity. The study also shows that the lack of necessary collaboration between the US intelligence and the Somali ground forces has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths, which participants fear can be used by al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalise more Somalis. The study also shows that most Somalis resent the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia because Kenya and Ethiopia are seen as 10 pursuing national interests that are not invested in Somali peace and stability. The study concludes that US extra-judicial killings have failed to constrain the actions of al-Shabaab. Somalis expressed that the leadership of current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, holds the unique possibilities of creating national unity that rises above clan divisions and the radical Jihadist ideology of al-Shabaab.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Koloko, Mojalefa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Somalia -- Politics and government -- 1991- , Somalia -- History -- 1991- , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- United States , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- 1991- , Military assistance, American -- Somalia , Extrajudicial exeutions -- Somalia , Shabaab (Organization)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657 , vital:29125
- Description: This study examines the nature of the United States intervention in Somalia, specifically the use of drone strikes that first targeted the militant Sunni Islamist transnational group, al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, and now target the Somali organisation, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin, commonly known as al-Shabaab. The use of drone strikes in the US led war on terror has raised concerns about sovereignty as the extra-judicial killings are conducted without the consent of the concerned states. Furthermore, drone strikes also raise questions about the processes of liberal intervention as the US conducts them without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is argued in this study that what is understood to be the “golden era” of liberal interventionism is a legacy of the post-Cold War unipolar dominance of the United States in global governance and security. It is argued that US unipolarity was accompanied by a shifting perception regarding the security position of weak states, whose weakness becomes understood as a source of global insecurity. This perception that so called “weak” and “fragile” states are sources of threats is a departure in International Relations theory, because the discipline is historically preoccupied with studying the actions of powerful states and their consequence for the global order. It is argued that the discourse on the war on terror, and its focus on “failed states” as breeding grounds for alleged terrorists, represents the height of the repositioning of less powerful states from a peripheral status in IR analysis and practice, to their current position that are now being represented as core sources of threat to international peace and security. Through life history interviews with Somali nationals in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, South Africa, the study examines the consequences of US actions from the eyes of Somali people. The findings of this study show that despite all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the war on terror, the manner in which it is conducted, as well as the tactics that it employs, the majority of Somali participants showed an overwhelming support for the US intervention. Participants expressed support for the US extra-judicial killings because they are understood to undermine al-Shabaab strength which is a major source of insecurity. The study also shows that the lack of necessary collaboration between the US intelligence and the Somali ground forces has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths, which participants fear can be used by al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalise more Somalis. The study also shows that most Somalis resent the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia because Kenya and Ethiopia are seen as 10 pursuing national interests that are not invested in Somali peace and stability. The study concludes that US extra-judicial killings have failed to constrain the actions of al-Shabaab. Somalis expressed that the leadership of current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, holds the unique possibilities of creating national unity that rises above clan divisions and the radical Jihadist ideology of al-Shabaab.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Black forest
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tsitsi S A
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92759 , vital:30745
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tsitsi S A
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92759 , vital:30745
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Changes and continuities over time in the cultural significance of the Nyaminyami water spirit among the BaTonga people of northwestern Zimbabwe
- Authors: Matanzima, Joshua
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Water spirits -- Zimbabwe , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Religion , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Rites and ceremonies , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Social life and customs , Mythology, Tsonga , Mythology, Zimbabwean , Nyaminyami (Spirit)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94189 , vital:31015
- Description: Research attests that beliefs in water spirits are an integral part of cultures of many indigenous communities across the globe. These water spirits play significant political, religious and socio-economic roles for the people concerned. However, the functions of water spirits are not constant, but change over time, especially when the people believing in water spirits undergo drastic socio- economic processes of change. It is in this context that this thesis traces the cultural significance over time, of the Nyaminyami water spirit, among some BaTonga people, living in the immediate vicinity of the Kariba gorge area, in north-western Zimbabwe. While previous studies document the existence of beliefs in Nyaminyami, none of these has systematically traced the historical significance of Nyaminyami, in terms of changes and continuities over time. Thus, this thesis makes a valuable contribution to knowledge with regards to the history and religion of the BaTonga people. The thesis argues that Nyaminyami‘s cultural significance or functions evolved over time, due to numerous socio- economic and political processes of change. The major changes that significantly influenced the practices relating to Nyaminyami include colonialism, Kariba dam construction and resettlement, the migration after resettlement in the 1960s and 1970s, the independence of Zimbabwe, and the alienation of the Kariba waterscape from the BaTonga. To be able to arrive at specific findings and conclusions, the thesis is underpinned by theories about resettlement, approaches to water divinities, and theories of religion and social change. The thesis has five ethnographic chapters that focus on specific time periods, illustrating the major socio- economic changes of each epoch, and showing how these changes impacted upon practices and beliefs relating to Nyaminyami. The thesis also documents how Nyaminyami beliefs are variedly distributed along different social variables that include gender, age, income and geographical location. In order to achieve the findings presented, the thesis utilized ethnographic evidence obtained from semi- structured interviews, participant observation, anthropology of extraordinary experience, document review and archival research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Matanzima, Joshua
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Water spirits -- Zimbabwe , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Religion , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Rites and ceremonies , Tsonga (African people) -- Zimbabwe -- Social life and customs , Mythology, Tsonga , Mythology, Zimbabwean , Nyaminyami (Spirit)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94189 , vital:31015
- Description: Research attests that beliefs in water spirits are an integral part of cultures of many indigenous communities across the globe. These water spirits play significant political, religious and socio-economic roles for the people concerned. However, the functions of water spirits are not constant, but change over time, especially when the people believing in water spirits undergo drastic socio- economic processes of change. It is in this context that this thesis traces the cultural significance over time, of the Nyaminyami water spirit, among some BaTonga people, living in the immediate vicinity of the Kariba gorge area, in north-western Zimbabwe. While previous studies document the existence of beliefs in Nyaminyami, none of these has systematically traced the historical significance of Nyaminyami, in terms of changes and continuities over time. Thus, this thesis makes a valuable contribution to knowledge with regards to the history and religion of the BaTonga people. The thesis argues that Nyaminyami‘s cultural significance or functions evolved over time, due to numerous socio- economic and political processes of change. The major changes that significantly influenced the practices relating to Nyaminyami include colonialism, Kariba dam construction and resettlement, the migration after resettlement in the 1960s and 1970s, the independence of Zimbabwe, and the alienation of the Kariba waterscape from the BaTonga. To be able to arrive at specific findings and conclusions, the thesis is underpinned by theories about resettlement, approaches to water divinities, and theories of religion and social change. The thesis has five ethnographic chapters that focus on specific time periods, illustrating the major socio- economic changes of each epoch, and showing how these changes impacted upon practices and beliefs relating to Nyaminyami. The thesis also documents how Nyaminyami beliefs are variedly distributed along different social variables that include gender, age, income and geographical location. In order to achieve the findings presented, the thesis utilized ethnographic evidence obtained from semi- structured interviews, participant observation, anthropology of extraordinary experience, document review and archival research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Clinical psychologists’ perceptions of the phenomenon of schizophrenia in a psychiatric setting in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Hamman, Colette
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Schizophrenia -- Diagnosis -- South Africa , Schizophrenia -- Treatment -- South Africa , Schizophrenics -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Schizophrenics -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71398 , vital:29845
- Description: Numerous international and South African scholars are critical of the dominant research on the phenomenon of schizophrenia. Rather than refuting dominant biomedical psychiatric conceptualisations of schizophrenia, there is a call for incorporating a focus on the psychology of the person diagnosed with schizophrenia. In South Africa, the integration of the psychosocial components of psychotic experiences into the understanding and treatment of psychosis are still neglected in biomedically-focused psychiatric settings. In relation to this call, the role of clinical psychologists working within these settings seems pertinent. Against this background, this study aimed to explore and describe the perceptions of clinical psychologists, working in a psychiatric setting in South Africa, in relation to the phenomenon of schizophrenia. Informed by a social constructionist theoretical framework, this study utilised a qualitative research design and a semi-structured interview schedule. In-depth, individual interviews were conducted with three clinical psychologists and the transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. From the data, perceptions were identified as largely polarised in relation to the phenomenon of schizophrenia. These polarised perceptions included: Physical impact of schizophrenia versus social impact of schizophrenia; rehabilitation of schizophrenia versus recovery within schizophrenia; diagnostic frameworks as useful versus diagnostic frameworks as limiting; and institutionally-defined identity versus self-defined identity. In terms of these polarised perceptions, an overarching theme of the medicalisation versus the demedicalisation of schizophrenia was identified. Therefore, the perceptions of clinical psychologists in this study were largely polarised towards either a medicalisation of the phenomenon of schizophrenia or a demedicalisation of it. However, perceptions were also identified that evidenced an integration of the two sides of the polarities, and a holding of tension between seemingly incompatible or incongruent frameworks. The participants perceived psychologists as positioned in the middle ground between the medicalisation and demedicalisation of schizophrenia in a biomedical psychiatric setting. In response to the call for a focus on the psychology of the person diagnosed with schizophrenia, the findings support both the value and the need for an “integration of polarised perceptions”, “holding of the tension”, and “middle ground positioning” of clinicians between medicalised and demedicalised aspects of the phenomenon of schizophrenia.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Hamman, Colette
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Schizophrenia -- Diagnosis -- South Africa , Schizophrenia -- Treatment -- South Africa , Schizophrenics -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Schizophrenics -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71398 , vital:29845
- Description: Numerous international and South African scholars are critical of the dominant research on the phenomenon of schizophrenia. Rather than refuting dominant biomedical psychiatric conceptualisations of schizophrenia, there is a call for incorporating a focus on the psychology of the person diagnosed with schizophrenia. In South Africa, the integration of the psychosocial components of psychotic experiences into the understanding and treatment of psychosis are still neglected in biomedically-focused psychiatric settings. In relation to this call, the role of clinical psychologists working within these settings seems pertinent. Against this background, this study aimed to explore and describe the perceptions of clinical psychologists, working in a psychiatric setting in South Africa, in relation to the phenomenon of schizophrenia. Informed by a social constructionist theoretical framework, this study utilised a qualitative research design and a semi-structured interview schedule. In-depth, individual interviews were conducted with three clinical psychologists and the transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. From the data, perceptions were identified as largely polarised in relation to the phenomenon of schizophrenia. These polarised perceptions included: Physical impact of schizophrenia versus social impact of schizophrenia; rehabilitation of schizophrenia versus recovery within schizophrenia; diagnostic frameworks as useful versus diagnostic frameworks as limiting; and institutionally-defined identity versus self-defined identity. In terms of these polarised perceptions, an overarching theme of the medicalisation versus the demedicalisation of schizophrenia was identified. Therefore, the perceptions of clinical psychologists in this study were largely polarised towards either a medicalisation of the phenomenon of schizophrenia or a demedicalisation of it. However, perceptions were also identified that evidenced an integration of the two sides of the polarities, and a holding of tension between seemingly incompatible or incongruent frameworks. The participants perceived psychologists as positioned in the middle ground between the medicalisation and demedicalisation of schizophrenia in a biomedical psychiatric setting. In response to the call for a focus on the psychology of the person diagnosed with schizophrenia, the findings support both the value and the need for an “integration of polarised perceptions”, “holding of the tension”, and “middle ground positioning” of clinicians between medicalised and demedicalised aspects of the phenomenon of schizophrenia.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Communicating in/from the Cave: a communication for development/social change project aimed at enhancing communication, action and learning within the science cave, a learner-led Grade 10 science club in a public school in Makhanda
- Authors: Bombi, Thandi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Communication in science -- South Africa , Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Communication in science -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Student centered learning -- South Africa , Student centered learning-- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96837 , vital:31330
- Description: This research seeks to design, execute and reflect on a process where the principles and techniques of Communication for Development and Social Change are applied to enhance, support and develop qualitative changes within a learner-led Grade 10 science club at a public school in Makhanda. It draws and reflects on an ethnographic action research (Tacchi et al 2003) cycle proposed to explore the club’s communicative ecology (Foth & Hearn 2007) and resources, and understand how these have the potential to encourage the expression of voice (Couldry 2010: 580) and participation (Carpentier, 2011) in the members of the club. The research then attempts to understand the kind of communication, action and learning that takes place as well as the ways in which the framework is able to support the club (or not). The research uses an ethnographic narrative, told from the perspective of the researcher informed by field notes, interviews and participant reflections written during the intervention. This narrative, alongside an analytical summery of the club’s complex communicative ecology, tells the story of a club building confidence within a closed group and using that to connect with a wider public, articulating its needs, resources and potential supporting stakeholders for the club’s future development. The club is able to share its achievements with a community of peers and uses the platform of Facebook, to communicate with and inspire other like-minded people with an interest in science and their community.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Bombi, Thandi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Communication in science -- South Africa , Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Communication in science -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Student centered learning -- South Africa , Student centered learning-- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96837 , vital:31330
- Description: This research seeks to design, execute and reflect on a process where the principles and techniques of Communication for Development and Social Change are applied to enhance, support and develop qualitative changes within a learner-led Grade 10 science club at a public school in Makhanda. It draws and reflects on an ethnographic action research (Tacchi et al 2003) cycle proposed to explore the club’s communicative ecology (Foth & Hearn 2007) and resources, and understand how these have the potential to encourage the expression of voice (Couldry 2010: 580) and participation (Carpentier, 2011) in the members of the club. The research then attempts to understand the kind of communication, action and learning that takes place as well as the ways in which the framework is able to support the club (or not). The research uses an ethnographic narrative, told from the perspective of the researcher informed by field notes, interviews and participant reflections written during the intervention. This narrative, alongside an analytical summery of the club’s complex communicative ecology, tells the story of a club building confidence within a closed group and using that to connect with a wider public, articulating its needs, resources and potential supporting stakeholders for the club’s future development. The club is able to share its achievements with a community of peers and uses the platform of Facebook, to communicate with and inspire other like-minded people with an interest in science and their community.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Discursive psychological analysis on the construction and performance of identity through rights talk on social media related to #FeesMustFall
- Authors: Mashaba, Tumelo Thabo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Identity , Right to education , Human rights , Social media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , College students -- Political activity -- South Africa , College students -- Attitudes -- South Africa , College students, Black -- Psychology -- South Africa , College students, Black -- Attitudes -- South Africa , College students -- Psychology -- South Africa , Student protestors -- Attitudes -- South Africa , Student movements -- South Africa , Internet and activisim -- South Africa , Internet in political campaigns -- South Africa , Higher education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96668 , vital:31306
- Description: #FeesMustFall emerged at the end of 2015 after an announcement that tuitions would increase. The student protests occurred across higher education institutions within the country in which mass shutdowns were initiated, there was the presence of violence and the use of social media. The protests occurred in 2016 but experienced a shift in tone in terms of the violence present in the protests. The research sought to unpack how identity was constructed and performed through rights talk in regards to #FeesMustFall on social media. The methodology worked from a social constructionist perspective where the research consisted of a discursive psychological analytical approach to the texts presented. The discursive repertoires that were identified were: emotions repertoire; struggle repertoire; apartheid repertoire; racial repertoire; and rights repertoire. The subject positions revealed through the repertoires indicated that protesters and supporters constructed and performed their identity in particular ways. They were positioned as black; working class; victims who are enacting a sense of agency; denied their rights; have moral authority and are a parallel to the protesters under apartheid. The repertoire of struggle, racial and apartheid all link with each other. The rights repertoire is the foundation and the emotions repertoire is the tone of the student protests.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mashaba, Tumelo Thabo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Identity , Right to education , Human rights , Social media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , College students -- Political activity -- South Africa , College students -- Attitudes -- South Africa , College students, Black -- Psychology -- South Africa , College students, Black -- Attitudes -- South Africa , College students -- Psychology -- South Africa , Student protestors -- Attitudes -- South Africa , Student movements -- South Africa , Internet and activisim -- South Africa , Internet in political campaigns -- South Africa , Higher education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96668 , vital:31306
- Description: #FeesMustFall emerged at the end of 2015 after an announcement that tuitions would increase. The student protests occurred across higher education institutions within the country in which mass shutdowns were initiated, there was the presence of violence and the use of social media. The protests occurred in 2016 but experienced a shift in tone in terms of the violence present in the protests. The research sought to unpack how identity was constructed and performed through rights talk in regards to #FeesMustFall on social media. The methodology worked from a social constructionist perspective where the research consisted of a discursive psychological analytical approach to the texts presented. The discursive repertoires that were identified were: emotions repertoire; struggle repertoire; apartheid repertoire; racial repertoire; and rights repertoire. The subject positions revealed through the repertoires indicated that protesters and supporters constructed and performed their identity in particular ways. They were positioned as black; working class; victims who are enacting a sense of agency; denied their rights; have moral authority and are a parallel to the protesters under apartheid. The repertoire of struggle, racial and apartheid all link with each other. The rights repertoire is the foundation and the emotions repertoire is the tone of the student protests.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Ekhakhamela
- Authors: Machi, Nolwazi Fortunate
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Xhosa poetry
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/76332 , vital:30549
- Description: My collection of isiZulu poems is based on my rural and traditional upbringing. It draws on language and customs which have shaped and defined me as a woman born in the South of KwaZulu-Natal. I write about how I have to conform to both a rural life and an urban one that forms my second world. I find myself having to switch between these lives, which benefits me a lot, and I feel a responsibility to bring hope to young people especially from the rural side, that nothing is wrong with being who and where they are. My writing is influenced by authors such as Nazim Hikmet, Mafika Gwala, and Mazisi Kunene who encourages black writers to write about their own customs and stories rather than embracing ‘western civilization’ and foreign languages. I also like the contemporary subjects and the humour in Dr Nakanjani Sibiya’s work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Machi, Nolwazi Fortunate
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Xhosa poetry
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/76332 , vital:30549
- Description: My collection of isiZulu poems is based on my rural and traditional upbringing. It draws on language and customs which have shaped and defined me as a woman born in the South of KwaZulu-Natal. I write about how I have to conform to both a rural life and an urban one that forms my second world. I find myself having to switch between these lives, which benefits me a lot, and I feel a responsibility to bring hope to young people especially from the rural side, that nothing is wrong with being who and where they are. My writing is influenced by authors such as Nazim Hikmet, Mafika Gwala, and Mazisi Kunene who encourages black writers to write about their own customs and stories rather than embracing ‘western civilization’ and foreign languages. I also like the contemporary subjects and the humour in Dr Nakanjani Sibiya’s work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Empire in Lusaka: hip-hop, young men and masculinity in an African city
- Authors: Mulolani, Happy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Empire (Television program : 2015) -- Influence , Hip-hop -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Psychology -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Social conditions -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Rap musicians -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Masculinity -- Zambia -- Lusaka
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92650 , vital:30736
- Description: This study examines young Zambian men who are aspiring hip hop artists in Lusaka and the meanings they make of the representations of masculinity in Empire, a popular US television drama. Broadcast locally via satellite on the South African cable network, DStv, Empire narrates the story of a family of powerful men as they battle for the control of Empire, a successful hip-hop label. Of significance is how the programme’s representations of masculinity resonate with the young men’s own ideas of masculinity within a highly patriarchal and conservative urban African space. The young male hip-hop artists encounter their everyday experiences in a context of a range of socio-economic challenges within the urban space of Lusaka which presents them with very limited economic opportunities and resources. Underpinned by a constructivist approach, this reception study explores how these young male artists encounter their everyday experiences in the city and how its structural constraints are navigated through hip-hop, a highly popular local cultural form. The male artists’ reactions to the programme are dependent on their socio-economic location and the types of skills and resources they draw on in order to traverse their everyday experience of city life which concurrently is perceived as exclusionary and as impacting on their livelihoods and aspirations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mulolani, Happy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Empire (Television program : 2015) -- Influence , Hip-hop -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Psychology -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Young men -- Social conditions -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Rap musicians -- Zambia -- Lusaka , Masculinity -- Zambia -- Lusaka
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92650 , vital:30736
- Description: This study examines young Zambian men who are aspiring hip hop artists in Lusaka and the meanings they make of the representations of masculinity in Empire, a popular US television drama. Broadcast locally via satellite on the South African cable network, DStv, Empire narrates the story of a family of powerful men as they battle for the control of Empire, a successful hip-hop label. Of significance is how the programme’s representations of masculinity resonate with the young men’s own ideas of masculinity within a highly patriarchal and conservative urban African space. The young male hip-hop artists encounter their everyday experiences in a context of a range of socio-economic challenges within the urban space of Lusaka which presents them with very limited economic opportunities and resources. Underpinned by a constructivist approach, this reception study explores how these young male artists encounter their everyday experiences in the city and how its structural constraints are navigated through hip-hop, a highly popular local cultural form. The male artists’ reactions to the programme are dependent on their socio-economic location and the types of skills and resources they draw on in order to traverse their everyday experience of city life which concurrently is perceived as exclusionary and as impacting on their livelihoods and aspirations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Exploring Lay people’s understanding of substance abuse
- Authors: Ranase, Asanda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Substance abuse -- South Africa , Substance abuse -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Psychology -- Qualitative research -- South Africa , Social constructionism -- South Africa , Lay analysis (Psychoanalysis) -- South Africa , Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders , Dependency (Psychology) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114881 , vital:34046
- Description: South Africa has been identified as one of the drug centres of the world (UNODC, 2016). Substance abuse has been implicated in violent crimes and accidental deaths, as well as in the increasing the risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases (Harker Burnhams & Parry, 2015; Pasche & Myers, 2012; van Heerden et al., 2009). Even though substance abuse is evidently a challenge facing South Africa, there is currently a paucity of literature exploring how substance abuse is understood, specifically among lay people. Research indicates that there is a clear need for qualitative inquiry on lay people’s understanding of substance abuse (Keatley et al, 2017; Lang & Rosenberg, 2017; Sorsdahl et al., 2012 ). Available South African research in this area centres on trends, attitudes and perceptions of substance abuse (Sorsdahl, Stein, & Myers, 2012). Previous studies indicate that professionals often define substance abuse according to observable indicators, as well as the type of substance used (APA, 2013). Research shows that lay people tend to lean towards moral models of understanding, in contrast to professionals who align with the medical models. Located within social constructionism, this study provides insight into how the understanding of substance abuse is shaped by society (Gergen & Gergen, 1996). This study aims to explore how lay people understand substance abuse and use, and whether this understanding confirms or contradicts that of professionals/DSM. The study made use of an exploratory research design. The sampling procedures used was a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. A total of 50 participants were recruited and twelve focus groups were conducted. The information was analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged: severity of substance abuse; use, abuse and dependence; functionality; loss of control; gateway substance use and experimenting; and mental health literacy. The findings of this study indicate that lay peoples’ understanding of substance abuse centres on the impact that substance use and abuse have on peoples’ lives. Further suggested by the findings is that, lay people often associate poor interpersonal relationships, functionality or lack thereof and loss of control with substance abuse problems. This view is consistent with that of professionals and the DSM5 (APA, 2013). The findings of this research indicate that there are similarities in the views of lay people and those of professionals regarding substance abuse problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ranase, Asanda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Substance abuse -- South Africa , Substance abuse -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Psychology -- Qualitative research -- South Africa , Social constructionism -- South Africa , Lay analysis (Psychoanalysis) -- South Africa , Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders , Dependency (Psychology) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114881 , vital:34046
- Description: South Africa has been identified as one of the drug centres of the world (UNODC, 2016). Substance abuse has been implicated in violent crimes and accidental deaths, as well as in the increasing the risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases (Harker Burnhams & Parry, 2015; Pasche & Myers, 2012; van Heerden et al., 2009). Even though substance abuse is evidently a challenge facing South Africa, there is currently a paucity of literature exploring how substance abuse is understood, specifically among lay people. Research indicates that there is a clear need for qualitative inquiry on lay people’s understanding of substance abuse (Keatley et al, 2017; Lang & Rosenberg, 2017; Sorsdahl et al., 2012 ). Available South African research in this area centres on trends, attitudes and perceptions of substance abuse (Sorsdahl, Stein, & Myers, 2012). Previous studies indicate that professionals often define substance abuse according to observable indicators, as well as the type of substance used (APA, 2013). Research shows that lay people tend to lean towards moral models of understanding, in contrast to professionals who align with the medical models. Located within social constructionism, this study provides insight into how the understanding of substance abuse is shaped by society (Gergen & Gergen, 1996). This study aims to explore how lay people understand substance abuse and use, and whether this understanding confirms or contradicts that of professionals/DSM. The study made use of an exploratory research design. The sampling procedures used was a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. A total of 50 participants were recruited and twelve focus groups were conducted. The information was analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged: severity of substance abuse; use, abuse and dependence; functionality; loss of control; gateway substance use and experimenting; and mental health literacy. The findings of this study indicate that lay peoples’ understanding of substance abuse centres on the impact that substance use and abuse have on peoples’ lives. Further suggested by the findings is that, lay people often associate poor interpersonal relationships, functionality or lack thereof and loss of control with substance abuse problems. This view is consistent with that of professionals and the DSM5 (APA, 2013). The findings of this research indicate that there are similarities in the views of lay people and those of professionals regarding substance abuse problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Exploring multiple dimensions of identiy development in black South African adolescents
- Authors: Buso, Masimbulele
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) , Adolescent psychology -- South Africa , Identity (Psychology) in adolescence -- South Africa , Teenagers, Black -- Psychology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96702 , vital:31310
- Description: South Africa, just like most African countries, is a country rich in social, political and economic history due to colonisation, specifically the apartheid system. The current socio-political and economic climate of the country is said to influence the process of identity development and formation during adolescence. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to explore the various identities that black adolescents are exploring given the context of the country. Additionally, the aim of this research was to explore the methods in which adolescents utilise to develop their identity and the challenges encountered during this process. The study made use of three data collection methods; a Short Reflective exercise, a Nominal Group Technique and Focus Groups. Data was analysed using thematic analysis to generate main themes and sub themes. The main themes discussed in this study revealed that adolescents experiences multiple aspects of their identity, which exist in a complex interwoven system influenced by both external and internal factors. The main challenge was the difficulty in integrating the dominant westernised/individualistic ideology with the collectivistic ideology that adolescents are raised according to. Overall, the study indicated that the majority of the participants had a positive self-concept and a positive outlook with regards to their future. Recommendations emphasise the need for further research that would be based on the South African context to further explore black identity and to gain contextual information that can be used to combat some of the social issues that the South African youth is challenged with.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Buso, Masimbulele
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) , Adolescent psychology -- South Africa , Identity (Psychology) in adolescence -- South Africa , Teenagers, Black -- Psychology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96702 , vital:31310
- Description: South Africa, just like most African countries, is a country rich in social, political and economic history due to colonisation, specifically the apartheid system. The current socio-political and economic climate of the country is said to influence the process of identity development and formation during adolescence. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to explore the various identities that black adolescents are exploring given the context of the country. Additionally, the aim of this research was to explore the methods in which adolescents utilise to develop their identity and the challenges encountered during this process. The study made use of three data collection methods; a Short Reflective exercise, a Nominal Group Technique and Focus Groups. Data was analysed using thematic analysis to generate main themes and sub themes. The main themes discussed in this study revealed that adolescents experiences multiple aspects of their identity, which exist in a complex interwoven system influenced by both external and internal factors. The main challenge was the difficulty in integrating the dominant westernised/individualistic ideology with the collectivistic ideology that adolescents are raised according to. Overall, the study indicated that the majority of the participants had a positive self-concept and a positive outlook with regards to their future. Recommendations emphasise the need for further research that would be based on the South African context to further explore black identity and to gain contextual information that can be used to combat some of the social issues that the South African youth is challenged with.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Exploring the meaning of informal social alcohol consumption rituals in performing masculinity amongst male university students
- Authors: Makgale, Obakeng
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use , Drinking of alcoholic beverages -- South Africa , College students -- Conduct of life -- South Africa , Male college students -- Conduct of life -- South Africa , Masculinity
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96680 , vital:31308
- Description: Alcohol use amongst university students has received a significant amount of attention in different countries across the world (Dempster, 2011; Kobin, 2013; Maphisa & Young, 2018). The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of informal social alcohol drinking rituals in performing masculinity amongst male university students. This study used a Social Constructionist approach to gender as theoretical framework. Thus, gender is understood as constructed through social interactions, where a person performs their masculinity before an approving audience (Butler, 2009; Sallee, 2011). This research employed a qualitative research approach. Four participants were selected for in-depth interviews which were analysed using Thematic Network Analysis (Attride-Sterling, 2001). Two global themes emerged from the data set. The first global theme focused on “Men and Alcohol” and concerns the facilitative role that alcohol use and tolerance plays in masculine performance, exploring how masculinities compete for the hegemonic position through excessive alcohol use. The second global theme concerns the “Wolf Pack” and focuses on how peer groups engage in informal social drinking rituals and how these rituals function within the group dynamic. Informal social drinking rituals appear to play a significant role in successful display of hegemonic forms of masculinity in this context, and also play a significant role in expanding one’s social network. However, the consequences associated with this social practice places one in the position of having to maintain participation in heavy drinking in order to feel secure, leaving one vulnerable to negative consequences associated with excessive drinking.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Makgale, Obakeng
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use , Drinking of alcoholic beverages -- South Africa , College students -- Conduct of life -- South Africa , Male college students -- Conduct of life -- South Africa , Masculinity
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96680 , vital:31308
- Description: Alcohol use amongst university students has received a significant amount of attention in different countries across the world (Dempster, 2011; Kobin, 2013; Maphisa & Young, 2018). The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of informal social alcohol drinking rituals in performing masculinity amongst male university students. This study used a Social Constructionist approach to gender as theoretical framework. Thus, gender is understood as constructed through social interactions, where a person performs their masculinity before an approving audience (Butler, 2009; Sallee, 2011). This research employed a qualitative research approach. Four participants were selected for in-depth interviews which were analysed using Thematic Network Analysis (Attride-Sterling, 2001). Two global themes emerged from the data set. The first global theme focused on “Men and Alcohol” and concerns the facilitative role that alcohol use and tolerance plays in masculine performance, exploring how masculinities compete for the hegemonic position through excessive alcohol use. The second global theme concerns the “Wolf Pack” and focuses on how peer groups engage in informal social drinking rituals and how these rituals function within the group dynamic. Informal social drinking rituals appear to play a significant role in successful display of hegemonic forms of masculinity in this context, and also play a significant role in expanding one’s social network. However, the consequences associated with this social practice places one in the position of having to maintain participation in heavy drinking in order to feel secure, leaving one vulnerable to negative consequences associated with excessive drinking.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
If you strike a woman: an analysis of how women are represented in political cartoons of South Africa’s Women’s Day, 2009-2017
- Authors: Levin, Bianca
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Caricatures and cartoons -- South Africa , Women in mass media -- South Africa , Political cartoons -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92661 , vital:30731
- Description: On 7 August 2017, two days prior to South Africa’s National Women’s Day, video footage of a representative of the State, Mduduzi Manana, beating up a woman went viral. This marred the Women’s Day celebrations of that year, as it became clear to the public that the he was not going to be punished. As important political commentators, cartoonists used Manana’s actions as an opportunity to depict the violence women face, even in a month dedicated to women. In these cartoons, Manana became the face of a patriarchal system, one which has deeply affected the quality of life for women who, to date, cannot claim their Constitutional rights. This thesis is interested in the mini-narratives of such cartoons, ones which offer a view on the status of South African women. Through this qualitative study, a textual analysis in the spirit of Critical Discourse Analysis of seven selected cartoons leads to a discussion of what their representations of women means for gender justice. What this research shows is that the representations that cartoons offer of the position of women in South Africa are complex. These cartoons articulate that South Africa has a long way to go to reach equality and gender justice. In order for gender justice to be realised, the representation of women needs to evolve into one which recognises women’s plight but does not relegate them to the state of victimhood.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Levin, Bianca
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Caricatures and cartoons -- South Africa , Women in mass media -- South Africa , Political cartoons -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92661 , vital:30731
- Description: On 7 August 2017, two days prior to South Africa’s National Women’s Day, video footage of a representative of the State, Mduduzi Manana, beating up a woman went viral. This marred the Women’s Day celebrations of that year, as it became clear to the public that the he was not going to be punished. As important political commentators, cartoonists used Manana’s actions as an opportunity to depict the violence women face, even in a month dedicated to women. In these cartoons, Manana became the face of a patriarchal system, one which has deeply affected the quality of life for women who, to date, cannot claim their Constitutional rights. This thesis is interested in the mini-narratives of such cartoons, ones which offer a view on the status of South African women. Through this qualitative study, a textual analysis in the spirit of Critical Discourse Analysis of seven selected cartoons leads to a discussion of what their representations of women means for gender justice. What this research shows is that the representations that cartoons offer of the position of women in South Africa are complex. These cartoons articulate that South Africa has a long way to go to reach equality and gender justice. In order for gender justice to be realised, the representation of women needs to evolve into one which recognises women’s plight but does not relegate them to the state of victimhood.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Investigating the linguistic effectiveness of early reading schemes in isiXhosa: a phonological and orthographical analysis of three isiXhosa Grade 1 graded reader series
- Authors: Katz, Jennifer L
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Education, Elementary -- South Africa , Literacy -- South Africa , Xhosa language -- Readers , Native language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92798 , vital:30748
- Description: Literacy in South Africa is in crisis. Inadequate learning and teaching materials, extensive curriculum changes, under-resourced schools and under-qualified teachers are all contributing factors to an alarming situation. Grade 1 African language reading schemes in South Africa are failing to provide young children with the necessary and appropriate practice required to facilitate home language literacy acquisition (NEEDU 2013). A detailed analysis of three isiXhosa Grade 1 graded reader series will show the short-comings of texts translated from English with no cognisance of isiXhosa phonic structures and little appreciation for the agglutinative nature of Nguni languages. Formulating a new, effective approach to the development of African language readers to facilitate reading literacy is urgent and of national importance. The innovative phonics-based methodology, as well as an appropriate instructional level used to develop the Vula Bula Grade 1 isiXhosa readers appears to be a viable blueprint for the development of early readers that can effectively help to ameliorate current deficient literacy levels in African languages. This research thus combines applied linguistics with literacy materials development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Katz, Jennifer L
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Education, Elementary -- South Africa , Literacy -- South Africa , Xhosa language -- Readers , Native language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92798 , vital:30748
- Description: Literacy in South Africa is in crisis. Inadequate learning and teaching materials, extensive curriculum changes, under-resourced schools and under-qualified teachers are all contributing factors to an alarming situation. Grade 1 African language reading schemes in South Africa are failing to provide young children with the necessary and appropriate practice required to facilitate home language literacy acquisition (NEEDU 2013). A detailed analysis of three isiXhosa Grade 1 graded reader series will show the short-comings of texts translated from English with no cognisance of isiXhosa phonic structures and little appreciation for the agglutinative nature of Nguni languages. Formulating a new, effective approach to the development of African language readers to facilitate reading literacy is urgent and of national importance. The innovative phonics-based methodology, as well as an appropriate instructional level used to develop the Vula Bula Grade 1 isiXhosa readers appears to be a viable blueprint for the development of early readers that can effectively help to ameliorate current deficient literacy levels in African languages. This research thus combines applied linguistics with literacy materials development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Language-in-education policy and language practices in Botswana primary schools: a case study of 3 schools
- Authors: Tselayakhumo, Dumelang
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Translanguaging (Linguistics) , Multilingual education -- Botswana , Home and school -- Botswana , Language in contact -- Botswana , Language and education -- Case studies -- Botswana , Language policy -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68271 , vital:29226
- Description: This is a multiple case study of language practices in relation to the language-in-education policy of Botswana. The impetus for this study came after realising a decline in the academic achievement of learners as they move to higher levels of education. Taking into cognisance other factors like socio-economic background and marginalised communities, this study intended to investigate language practices at 3 primary schools at Standard 1, Standard 4 and Standard 7. Cases were selected from 3 various schools in different districts that present the language situation in Botswana. School A was in Kgalagadi district where the dominant spoken language is Shekgalagarhi, a minority language of Botswana. School B was in Southern district where the dominant spoken language is Setswana, the national language of Botswana and School C was in Gaborone city, the capital city of Botswana, where languages of Botswana come into contact and parents mainly use English to communicate with their children at home. Observation of language practices at these schools was the primary technique of data collection. The researcher also used questionnaires and focus group discussions for authentication. It was realised that whereas the language-in-education policy of Botswana is monoglossic, as it separates languages into separate functions, language practices in the three primary schools were transglossic, as they involved the use of different language varieties in the classroom. However, the researcher discovered that there was limited translanguaging that limited learner creativity and participation in class. The language practices revealed compliance and non-compliance of some schools to the national language-in-education policy. The researcher found language teaching to be one of the factors that limited content acquisition in content subject lessons. Realising the irrelevance of the policy to the linguistic needs of learners, this study proposes guidelines on the implementation of a multilingual micro policy that considers both the strong and the weak versions of translanguaging. This will open ways for translanguaging henceforth, active participation and enhanced performance for all Batswana. It also proposes the study of 3 languages: a minority language of Botswana, Setswana and English as compulsory subjects to embrace multilingualism and for the development of indigenous languages.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Tselayakhumo, Dumelang
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Translanguaging (Linguistics) , Multilingual education -- Botswana , Home and school -- Botswana , Language in contact -- Botswana , Language and education -- Case studies -- Botswana , Language policy -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68271 , vital:29226
- Description: This is a multiple case study of language practices in relation to the language-in-education policy of Botswana. The impetus for this study came after realising a decline in the academic achievement of learners as they move to higher levels of education. Taking into cognisance other factors like socio-economic background and marginalised communities, this study intended to investigate language practices at 3 primary schools at Standard 1, Standard 4 and Standard 7. Cases were selected from 3 various schools in different districts that present the language situation in Botswana. School A was in Kgalagadi district where the dominant spoken language is Shekgalagarhi, a minority language of Botswana. School B was in Southern district where the dominant spoken language is Setswana, the national language of Botswana and School C was in Gaborone city, the capital city of Botswana, where languages of Botswana come into contact and parents mainly use English to communicate with their children at home. Observation of language practices at these schools was the primary technique of data collection. The researcher also used questionnaires and focus group discussions for authentication. It was realised that whereas the language-in-education policy of Botswana is monoglossic, as it separates languages into separate functions, language practices in the three primary schools were transglossic, as they involved the use of different language varieties in the classroom. However, the researcher discovered that there was limited translanguaging that limited learner creativity and participation in class. The language practices revealed compliance and non-compliance of some schools to the national language-in-education policy. The researcher found language teaching to be one of the factors that limited content acquisition in content subject lessons. Realising the irrelevance of the policy to the linguistic needs of learners, this study proposes guidelines on the implementation of a multilingual micro policy that considers both the strong and the weak versions of translanguaging. This will open ways for translanguaging henceforth, active participation and enhanced performance for all Batswana. It also proposes the study of 3 languages: a minority language of Botswana, Setswana and English as compulsory subjects to embrace multilingualism and for the development of indigenous languages.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Making meaning of reality television celebrities: the reception of South African Idol by young adults in Joza, Grahamstown
- Authors: Magade, Mncedi Eddie
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Talent shows (Television programs) -- South Africa , Television viewers -- South Africa , Television programs -- South Africa , Mass media -- South Africa , South African Idol (Television program) , Reality television shows
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94217 , vital:31018
- Description: Reality television or “factual entertainment” is a hybrid of old television formats and factual programming in order to create a “new” entertaining show designed to draw the attention of audiences and increase viewership ratings. South African Idol is one popular local example. Adapted from the British programme Pop Idol, the show promises upward mobility for the young star who wins the competition. This show has become a subject of conversation amongst young people in South Africa who aspire to the “success” and “celebrity” status that is produced by participating on the show. This paper uses a Cultural Studies framework in order to examine the relationship between texts and audiences as an aspect of the “circuit of culture,” with its interrelated moments of production, texts, consumption and lived experience. My research focuses on the text and audience “moments” of this circuit. Audience studies research suggests that we should situate television viewing and the meanings made of TV programs in the natural setting of the home, and that this setting should be taken seriously as a unit of analysis. This study therefore, seeks to understand the ways in which audiences make meaning of this television programme within the domestic context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Magade, Mncedi Eddie
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Talent shows (Television programs) -- South Africa , Television viewers -- South Africa , Television programs -- South Africa , Mass media -- South Africa , South African Idol (Television program) , Reality television shows
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94217 , vital:31018
- Description: Reality television or “factual entertainment” is a hybrid of old television formats and factual programming in order to create a “new” entertaining show designed to draw the attention of audiences and increase viewership ratings. South African Idol is one popular local example. Adapted from the British programme Pop Idol, the show promises upward mobility for the young star who wins the competition. This show has become a subject of conversation amongst young people in South Africa who aspire to the “success” and “celebrity” status that is produced by participating on the show. This paper uses a Cultural Studies framework in order to examine the relationship between texts and audiences as an aspect of the “circuit of culture,” with its interrelated moments of production, texts, consumption and lived experience. My research focuses on the text and audience “moments” of this circuit. Audience studies research suggests that we should situate television viewing and the meanings made of TV programs in the natural setting of the home, and that this setting should be taken seriously as a unit of analysis. This study therefore, seeks to understand the ways in which audiences make meaning of this television programme within the domestic context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019