Performing the township: pantsula for life
- Van Niekerk, Heather Elizabeth
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Heather Elizabeth
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pantsula (Dance) South Africa Johannesburg , Pantsula (Dance) South Africa Makhanda , Dance Social aspects South Africa , Sophiatown (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/57874 , vital:26998
- Description: Pantsula dance is a performing art born from the townships of Johannesburg. It is a dance form performed across South Africa, in a variety of contexts; in theatres, music videos and competitions in community halls, on national and international stages and on television, and in the streets of townships, cities and suburbs across South Africa and abroad. Its performance is widespread, but it has its beginnings as a dance form born in areas created to marginalise and oppress. There is a scarcity of academic scholarship related to pantsula dance. This thesis aims to be a contribution to that pre-existing body of knowledge in the hope that there can be further engagement on this important, and increasingly mainstream, art form. I have focused my thesis on analysing pantsula dance as a performance of 'the township'. This has been attempted through an ethnographic engagement with pantsula dancers based in different township areas of Johannesburg and Graha mstown: various members of Impilo Mapantsula, Via Katlehong, Intellectuals Pantsula, Via Kasi Movers, Dlala Majimboz and the cast of Via Katlehong's Via Sophiatown. The research was conducted between 2013 and 2016 and serves to represent various moments within the ethnographic research process, while coming to understand various aspects of pantsula dance. An engagement with notions of 'the township', the clothing choices of the pantsula 'uniform', the core moves, inherent hybridity in the form itself, and the dedication to the dance form as a representation of the isipantsula 'way of life', are addressed throughout the thesis. As well as engaging with the memory and representation of Sophiatown as an important component to pantsula dance. Pantsula dance, an intrinsically South African dance form, provides a celebratory conception of 'the township' space and allows people from different backgrounds to engage in an important part of South Africa's past, present and future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Heather Elizabeth
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pantsula (Dance) South Africa Johannesburg , Pantsula (Dance) South Africa Makhanda , Dance Social aspects South Africa , Sophiatown (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/57874 , vital:26998
- Description: Pantsula dance is a performing art born from the townships of Johannesburg. It is a dance form performed across South Africa, in a variety of contexts; in theatres, music videos and competitions in community halls, on national and international stages and on television, and in the streets of townships, cities and suburbs across South Africa and abroad. Its performance is widespread, but it has its beginnings as a dance form born in areas created to marginalise and oppress. There is a scarcity of academic scholarship related to pantsula dance. This thesis aims to be a contribution to that pre-existing body of knowledge in the hope that there can be further engagement on this important, and increasingly mainstream, art form. I have focused my thesis on analysing pantsula dance as a performance of 'the township'. This has been attempted through an ethnographic engagement with pantsula dancers based in different township areas of Johannesburg and Graha mstown: various members of Impilo Mapantsula, Via Katlehong, Intellectuals Pantsula, Via Kasi Movers, Dlala Majimboz and the cast of Via Katlehong's Via Sophiatown. The research was conducted between 2013 and 2016 and serves to represent various moments within the ethnographic research process, while coming to understand various aspects of pantsula dance. An engagement with notions of 'the township', the clothing choices of the pantsula 'uniform', the core moves, inherent hybridity in the form itself, and the dedication to the dance form as a representation of the isipantsula 'way of life', are addressed throughout the thesis. As well as engaging with the memory and representation of Sophiatown as an important component to pantsula dance. Pantsula dance, an intrinsically South African dance form, provides a celebratory conception of 'the township' space and allows people from different backgrounds to engage in an important part of South Africa's past, present and future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Photosensitizer, pH sensing and optical limiting properties of BODIPY dyes
- Authors: May, Aviwe Khanya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Dyes and dyeing -- Chemistry , Halogenation , Photochemotherapy , Bromination , Photosensitizing compounds , Nonlinear optics , BODIPY dyes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63964 , vital:28515
- Description: A series of BODIPY dyes have been successfully synthesised and structurally characterised to examine the effect of halogenation at the 2,6-positions and the introduction of styryl and vinylene groups at the 3,5-positions. The photophysical properties were studied, to assess the effect of the enhancement of the rate of intersystem crossing through halogenation on the fluorescence properties and the generation of reactive oxygen species. This is important in the assessment of the suitability of applying these molecules as photosensitizer dyes for photodynamic therapy and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy. Upon bromination, the dyes showed moderately high singlet oxygen quantum yields. The inclusion of BODIPY dyes into cyclodextrins was explored since it makes them water soluble and hence suitable for biomedical applications, but no singlet oxygen was detected in aqueous media for the inclusion complexes. In order to red-shift the main spectral band of the BODIPY dyes into the therapeutic window, styryl groups were introduced at the 3,5-positions via a modified Knoevenagel condensation reaction. Since the main spectral band lies well above 532 nm, the second harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser, there is relatively weak absorbance at this wavelength. The 3,5-distyryl and 3,5-divinylene BODIPY dyes were assessed for their potential utility for application in nonlinear optics (NLO), and they demonstrated typical nonlinear absorption behaviour characterised by reverse saturable absorption (RSA) in z-scan measurements. Furthermore, the dyes possess excellent optical limiting parameters, such as their third-order suspectibility and hyperpolarizability values, in a wide range of solvents. One dye containing dimethylamino moieties on styryl groups attached at the 3,5-positions was assessed for potential application as an on/off fluorescence sensor. The dye proved to be successful, since intramolecular charge transfer in the S1 state was eliminated in the presence of acid and this results in a fluorescence “turn on” effect. This process was found to be reversible with the addition of a base.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: May, Aviwe Khanya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Dyes and dyeing -- Chemistry , Halogenation , Photochemotherapy , Bromination , Photosensitizing compounds , Nonlinear optics , BODIPY dyes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63964 , vital:28515
- Description: A series of BODIPY dyes have been successfully synthesised and structurally characterised to examine the effect of halogenation at the 2,6-positions and the introduction of styryl and vinylene groups at the 3,5-positions. The photophysical properties were studied, to assess the effect of the enhancement of the rate of intersystem crossing through halogenation on the fluorescence properties and the generation of reactive oxygen species. This is important in the assessment of the suitability of applying these molecules as photosensitizer dyes for photodynamic therapy and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy. Upon bromination, the dyes showed moderately high singlet oxygen quantum yields. The inclusion of BODIPY dyes into cyclodextrins was explored since it makes them water soluble and hence suitable for biomedical applications, but no singlet oxygen was detected in aqueous media for the inclusion complexes. In order to red-shift the main spectral band of the BODIPY dyes into the therapeutic window, styryl groups were introduced at the 3,5-positions via a modified Knoevenagel condensation reaction. Since the main spectral band lies well above 532 nm, the second harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser, there is relatively weak absorbance at this wavelength. The 3,5-distyryl and 3,5-divinylene BODIPY dyes were assessed for their potential utility for application in nonlinear optics (NLO), and they demonstrated typical nonlinear absorption behaviour characterised by reverse saturable absorption (RSA) in z-scan measurements. Furthermore, the dyes possess excellent optical limiting parameters, such as their third-order suspectibility and hyperpolarizability values, in a wide range of solvents. One dye containing dimethylamino moieties on styryl groups attached at the 3,5-positions was assessed for potential application as an on/off fluorescence sensor. The dye proved to be successful, since intramolecular charge transfer in the S1 state was eliminated in the presence of acid and this results in a fluorescence “turn on” effect. This process was found to be reversible with the addition of a base.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Poem to be sung
- Authors: Ndyoko, Nomtha
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African poetry (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63592 , vital:28444
- Description: My collection of poems expresses the complexities that exist beneath the surface of my life – my tongue, our bleak country, the politics of having a dark skin, my ancestors who speak to me in unexplainable ways, and the speech of nature – the wind, the sea, death, birds. It is in writing poems and songs that I make a space to be alive, a space to meet my ancestors and to say the unsayable. The poems move between the ordinary, the magical, the abject, and the spiritual, often expressing the contradictions that exist within life. The main influence on my poetry has come from music, from African jazz musicians such as Zim Ngqawana, Thandiswa Mazwai and Msaki Mvana. Literary influences have come from Spanish poets such as Juan Ramón Jiménez, whose strong imagery and short lines capture profound emotion, and from ancient Chinese poetry that moves in a fluid and minimal way. I have also been inspired by the African spirituality expressed in Mazisi Kunene’s poetry and the down-to-earth associative poetry of Mangaliso Buzani and Mxolisi Nyezwa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Ndyoko, Nomtha
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African poetry (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63592 , vital:28444
- Description: My collection of poems expresses the complexities that exist beneath the surface of my life – my tongue, our bleak country, the politics of having a dark skin, my ancestors who speak to me in unexplainable ways, and the speech of nature – the wind, the sea, death, birds. It is in writing poems and songs that I make a space to be alive, a space to meet my ancestors and to say the unsayable. The poems move between the ordinary, the magical, the abject, and the spiritual, often expressing the contradictions that exist within life. The main influence on my poetry has come from music, from African jazz musicians such as Zim Ngqawana, Thandiswa Mazwai and Msaki Mvana. Literary influences have come from Spanish poets such as Juan Ramón Jiménez, whose strong imagery and short lines capture profound emotion, and from ancient Chinese poetry that moves in a fluid and minimal way. I have also been inspired by the African spirituality expressed in Mazisi Kunene’s poetry and the down-to-earth associative poetry of Mangaliso Buzani and Mxolisi Nyezwa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Pregnant women’s construction of social support from their intimate partners during pregnancy
- Authors: Bottoman, Phathiswa Esona
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Relations with men Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects Pregnant women -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62560 , vital:28207
- Description: There is a growing body of research aimed at understanding social support during pregnancy in South Africa. Pregnancy is constantly referred to as one of the challenging and stressful periods affecting women’s physical and psychological well-being. Various research studies on social support argue that social support is paramount at this stage. Research on social support indicates that having adequate and quality social support impacts on how pregnant women experience pregnancy. My interest in social support comes in the wake of absent fathers in South Africa and with the emerging trend of “new” fathers. Although there is a volume of research on social support, it tends to be realist. Using a social constructionist framework, I explore other ways of talking about social support in an attempt to expand the discourse around social support. I explore how pregnant women talk about social support during pregnancy from their intimate partners in the small rural municipality of Elundini, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Intimate partner support was limited to heterosexual partners regardless of their marital status. The sampling procedure followed a non-probability sampling method. Participants of the study were between 24 and 32 years old. Their gestational age ranged between five and eight months. Fourteen in-depth interviews using photo-elicitation were conducted with seven participants and were analysed using a social constructionist informed thematic analysis. The major theme that emerged from the analysis was partner involvement and absence during pregnancy. The analysis of results suggests that expectant father presence translates to social support. Participants constructed his presence as reassurance in the context of possible abandonment. Absence was constructed in different ways: participants constructed absence as unjust and unfair, absence and marriage, temporary absence in the form of cultural phenomenon of ukwaliswa/ukubukubazana, absence as normal but burdening to the pregnant women’s social network. Participants reported that social support from the expectant father affected pregnancy wantedness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Bottoman, Phathiswa Esona
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Relations with men Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects Pregnant women -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62560 , vital:28207
- Description: There is a growing body of research aimed at understanding social support during pregnancy in South Africa. Pregnancy is constantly referred to as one of the challenging and stressful periods affecting women’s physical and psychological well-being. Various research studies on social support argue that social support is paramount at this stage. Research on social support indicates that having adequate and quality social support impacts on how pregnant women experience pregnancy. My interest in social support comes in the wake of absent fathers in South Africa and with the emerging trend of “new” fathers. Although there is a volume of research on social support, it tends to be realist. Using a social constructionist framework, I explore other ways of talking about social support in an attempt to expand the discourse around social support. I explore how pregnant women talk about social support during pregnancy from their intimate partners in the small rural municipality of Elundini, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Intimate partner support was limited to heterosexual partners regardless of their marital status. The sampling procedure followed a non-probability sampling method. Participants of the study were between 24 and 32 years old. Their gestational age ranged between five and eight months. Fourteen in-depth interviews using photo-elicitation were conducted with seven participants and were analysed using a social constructionist informed thematic analysis. The major theme that emerged from the analysis was partner involvement and absence during pregnancy. The analysis of results suggests that expectant father presence translates to social support. Participants constructed his presence as reassurance in the context of possible abandonment. Absence was constructed in different ways: participants constructed absence as unjust and unfair, absence and marriage, temporary absence in the form of cultural phenomenon of ukwaliswa/ukubukubazana, absence as normal but burdening to the pregnant women’s social network. Participants reported that social support from the expectant father affected pregnancy wantedness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Slanting the light
- Authors: Marais, Shirley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63558 , vital:28440
- Description: Through my poetry I attempt to make sense of my encounters with myself by bringing to creative expression my experiences of and felt responses to people, places and situations. Among the poets who have had a significant influence on my work are Robert Berold, for his quiet assertion of intense, dramatic images; Frank O’Hara for his disciplined sense of mischief; Joan Metelerkamp for her meticulous attention to form and the way she makes a poem breathe; Robert Creeley for his ability to create free-floating meaning; and Mangaliso Buzani, for his fierce, honest poetics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Marais, Shirley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63558 , vital:28440
- Description: Through my poetry I attempt to make sense of my encounters with myself by bringing to creative expression my experiences of and felt responses to people, places and situations. Among the poets who have had a significant influence on my work are Robert Berold, for his quiet assertion of intense, dramatic images; Frank O’Hara for his disciplined sense of mischief; Joan Metelerkamp for her meticulous attention to form and the way she makes a poem breathe; Robert Creeley for his ability to create free-floating meaning; and Mangaliso Buzani, for his fierce, honest poetics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Still
- Authors: Hall, Leila
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63638 , vital:28450
- Description: This thesis is a novella in fragments set in contemporary Lesotho. It tells the story of a Mosotho woman in her 30s who has spent a long time living out of the country. She returns to search for a former lover who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. The nonlinear narrative follows her journey, exploring a range of themes, including sexuality, gender and class relations, memory and time, relationship to place, non-conformity and defiance in the face of societal pressure and conformism. The style of writing is inspired by a diverse range of writers, including Sonallah Ibrahim for his understated, sparse and minimalist prose, Tina May Hall for her ability to tell a story in fragmented vignettes, Noy Holland for her understanding of time as synchronous and non-linear, and Ayi Kwei Armah for his skill in evoking the feelings, textures and specificities of a place.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Hall, Leila
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63638 , vital:28450
- Description: This thesis is a novella in fragments set in contemporary Lesotho. It tells the story of a Mosotho woman in her 30s who has spent a long time living out of the country. She returns to search for a former lover who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. The nonlinear narrative follows her journey, exploring a range of themes, including sexuality, gender and class relations, memory and time, relationship to place, non-conformity and defiance in the face of societal pressure and conformism. The style of writing is inspired by a diverse range of writers, including Sonallah Ibrahim for his understated, sparse and minimalist prose, Tina May Hall for her ability to tell a story in fragmented vignettes, Noy Holland for her understanding of time as synchronous and non-linear, and Ayi Kwei Armah for his skill in evoking the feelings, textures and specificities of a place.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Stories in watercolour
- Authors: Molefhe, Wame Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63552 , vital:28436
- Description: Expected release date-April 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Molefhe, Wame Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63552 , vital:28436
- Description: Expected release date-April 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Teacher-in-role as a problem-posing method for learners in a special needs school in South Africa
- Authors: Hellemann, Phemelo Cordelia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Special education -- Activity programs -- South Africa , Special education -- South Africa , Drama in education -- South Africa , Drama -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa , Children with mental disabilities -- Life skills guides , Kuyasa School (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62549 , vital:28205
- Description: Paulo Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy urges for a creative and collaborative educational environment between learners and teachers that encourages critical thinking and engagement. This research explores how special needs pedagogical approaches in South Africa can transform their classroom practices to embrace creative and collaborative teaching methods such as drama. Drama-in-education (D-i-E) is an area where the learner and teacher relationship is characterised by creativity and engagement. This qualitative study considers the uses of drama as a teaching and learning method for learners in the Skills Phase class at Kuyasa Special School, Grahamstown. The research aimed to provide learners with intellectual barriers to learning with access to D-i-E. This was done through a series of practical drama lessons, which broadly aimed to enhance life skills and work environment competencies such as communication, problem-solving and interpersonal relations. The lessons followed a cross- curricular approach that integrated aspects of the Life Orientation (Grade 10-12) curriculum and the Drama (Creative Arts Grade 7-9) curriculum. This practice-led study reflects on how Dorothy Heathcote’s teacher-in-role (t-i-r) drama technique was implemented to teach topics and themes extracted and adapted from the Life Orientation learning area. This drama-based pedagogy employs three elements of Freire’s problem-posing education model, which are learner-centred, problem-posing and liberated pedagogy. The study discusses how these elements manifested in the lessons conducted, and how this approach benefited and improved the learners’ critical thinking skills, self-esteem and confidence. This study therefore provides a broad understanding of the possibilities of a drama-based pedagogy within a South Africa context of learning disability, proposing an alternative pedagogical approach in South African special schools. The findings contribute to the academic literature on D-i-E in South Africa and advocate for the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities within the performing arts education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Hellemann, Phemelo Cordelia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Special education -- Activity programs -- South Africa , Special education -- South Africa , Drama in education -- South Africa , Drama -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa , Children with mental disabilities -- Life skills guides , Kuyasa School (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62549 , vital:28205
- Description: Paulo Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy urges for a creative and collaborative educational environment between learners and teachers that encourages critical thinking and engagement. This research explores how special needs pedagogical approaches in South Africa can transform their classroom practices to embrace creative and collaborative teaching methods such as drama. Drama-in-education (D-i-E) is an area where the learner and teacher relationship is characterised by creativity and engagement. This qualitative study considers the uses of drama as a teaching and learning method for learners in the Skills Phase class at Kuyasa Special School, Grahamstown. The research aimed to provide learners with intellectual barriers to learning with access to D-i-E. This was done through a series of practical drama lessons, which broadly aimed to enhance life skills and work environment competencies such as communication, problem-solving and interpersonal relations. The lessons followed a cross- curricular approach that integrated aspects of the Life Orientation (Grade 10-12) curriculum and the Drama (Creative Arts Grade 7-9) curriculum. This practice-led study reflects on how Dorothy Heathcote’s teacher-in-role (t-i-r) drama technique was implemented to teach topics and themes extracted and adapted from the Life Orientation learning area. This drama-based pedagogy employs three elements of Freire’s problem-posing education model, which are learner-centred, problem-posing and liberated pedagogy. The study discusses how these elements manifested in the lessons conducted, and how this approach benefited and improved the learners’ critical thinking skills, self-esteem and confidence. This study therefore provides a broad understanding of the possibilities of a drama-based pedagogy within a South Africa context of learning disability, proposing an alternative pedagogical approach in South African special schools. The findings contribute to the academic literature on D-i-E in South Africa and advocate for the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities within the performing arts education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The changing face of Rhodes University: exploring aspects of visuality, sexuality and protest between the apartheid and postapartheid periods
- Authors: Stein, Jonathan Harry
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Rhodes University , Apartheid South Africa , Post-apartheid era South Africa , College students Attitudes , Student movements South Africa , Decolonization South Africa , Aesthetics Political aspects South Africa , Sex Political aspects South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60530 , vital:27790
- Description: This thesis seeks to provide an historical overview of changing trends within specific spheres of the institutional and student culture of Rhodes University between the apartheid and post-apartheid periods. In particular, this thesis seeks to examine changes and developments within the visual and aesthetic culture of the university, and within the sphere of sexual norms and relations within the Rhodes student community. The historical dimensions of these two spheres of the university’s culture will be explored in light of the #RhodesMustFall protest of 2015 and the #RUReferenceList protest of 2016, which drew attention to a perceived lack of institutional transformation related to these two areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Stein, Jonathan Harry
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Rhodes University , Apartheid South Africa , Post-apartheid era South Africa , College students Attitudes , Student movements South Africa , Decolonization South Africa , Aesthetics Political aspects South Africa , Sex Political aspects South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60530 , vital:27790
- Description: This thesis seeks to provide an historical overview of changing trends within specific spheres of the institutional and student culture of Rhodes University between the apartheid and post-apartheid periods. In particular, this thesis seeks to examine changes and developments within the visual and aesthetic culture of the university, and within the sphere of sexual norms and relations within the Rhodes student community. The historical dimensions of these two spheres of the university’s culture will be explored in light of the #RhodesMustFall protest of 2015 and the #RUReferenceList protest of 2016, which drew attention to a perceived lack of institutional transformation related to these two areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The development and implementation of a psychoeducational programme: a case study on mental toughness in a novice triathlete
- Authors: Coertzen, Marlé
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sports -- Psychological aspects , Triathletes -- Mental health , Toughness (Personality trait) , Triathlon -- Psychological aspects , Achievement motivation , Mental discipline , Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63010 , vital:28354
- Description: As an academic and applied discipline, sport psychology is interested in identifying, understanding, measuring and developing the various mental constructs that interact with physical factors, aiming to produce optimum performance and enhance athletes’ experience of sport participation. The programmes developed within sport psychology are not only applicable to sport, but have applicability within other areas, such as the performing arts, business and professions that are considered high risk, such as the military. Using a mixed methods approach and a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques, the goal of this research was to document the process of developing and implementing a psychoeducational mental toughness programme and to evaluate the programme through exploring the participant’s subjective experience of such a programme. The aim of the research was to contribute to the existing literature on mental toughness programmes. This was attained through administering the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) and a semi-structured interview, which informed the development and implementation of a psychoeducational mental toughness programme relative to the idiosyncrasies of the participant and grounded in strengths-based approaches to mental toughness development. Results were obtained based on post-implementation data collected through a second administration of the SMTQ and a semi-structured interview. The participant experienced the programme as positive and results were indicative of changes in his experiences of self-confidence and control, related to the global themes of mindset, flexibility and mindfulness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Coertzen, Marlé
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sports -- Psychological aspects , Triathletes -- Mental health , Toughness (Personality trait) , Triathlon -- Psychological aspects , Achievement motivation , Mental discipline , Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63010 , vital:28354
- Description: As an academic and applied discipline, sport psychology is interested in identifying, understanding, measuring and developing the various mental constructs that interact with physical factors, aiming to produce optimum performance and enhance athletes’ experience of sport participation. The programmes developed within sport psychology are not only applicable to sport, but have applicability within other areas, such as the performing arts, business and professions that are considered high risk, such as the military. Using a mixed methods approach and a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques, the goal of this research was to document the process of developing and implementing a psychoeducational mental toughness programme and to evaluate the programme through exploring the participant’s subjective experience of such a programme. The aim of the research was to contribute to the existing literature on mental toughness programmes. This was attained through administering the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) and a semi-structured interview, which informed the development and implementation of a psychoeducational mental toughness programme relative to the idiosyncrasies of the participant and grounded in strengths-based approaches to mental toughness development. Results were obtained based on post-implementation data collected through a second administration of the SMTQ and a semi-structured interview. The participant experienced the programme as positive and results were indicative of changes in his experiences of self-confidence and control, related to the global themes of mindset, flexibility and mindfulness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The English East India Company and the British Crown: c. 1795-1803, the first occupation at the Cape of Good Hope
- Authors: Jordan, Calvin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: East India Company , East India Company -- Influence , Cape of Good Hope (Colony) , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- History -- 1795-1872 , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government -- 1795-1872 , British -- South Africa -- History -- 19th century , Great Britain -- Colonies -- Commerce , Great Britain -- Colonies -- Administration -- History -- 19th century , Merchant marine -- Great Britain -- History
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63164 , vital:28369
- Description: My thesis aims to investigate the relationship between the English East India Company (EEIC) and the British colonial administration at the Cape of Good Hope during the first British occupation (1795 to 1803). Studies and literature that concern the EEIC have rarely gone beyond the surface, detailing the presence of the EEIC at the Cape, and neglecting the Company’s involvement in the administration thereof. My thesis draws on prior works but attempts to address both temporal and spatial gaps in this literature on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, and the history of the EEIC. This study takes note of the seaborne related activity around the ports, bays and islands at the Cape – including the regulation of these spaces and issues related to securing British trade and colonial possessions more generally. I question the framing of the Cape primarily as a constituent of a national unit by locating the colony within a broader global and maritime context. A key interest is to determine the degree to which the EEIC influenced and participated in the British governance of the Cape, particularly by exploring the maritime dimensions of the relationship between the EEIC and colonial governance during this particular period. This involves understanding the embeddedness of the Cape in British (Crown and Company) networks and the constitution of a ‘British maritime zone’. This study uses archival sources drawn from the British colonial government records, Company records, and the private diaries and letters of Lady Anne Barnard that relate to the Cape. It is shown that a uniquely configured governance convention was constituted to secure the mutual commercial and imperial interests of both Crown and Company. By keeping the Cape secure, the British sought to keep their greater seaborne Empire secure. This study reveals that the EEIC was significantly involved in and influenced the way the British administration governed the Cape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Jordan, Calvin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: East India Company , East India Company -- Influence , Cape of Good Hope (Colony) , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- History -- 1795-1872 , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government -- 1795-1872 , British -- South Africa -- History -- 19th century , Great Britain -- Colonies -- Commerce , Great Britain -- Colonies -- Administration -- History -- 19th century , Merchant marine -- Great Britain -- History
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63164 , vital:28369
- Description: My thesis aims to investigate the relationship between the English East India Company (EEIC) and the British colonial administration at the Cape of Good Hope during the first British occupation (1795 to 1803). Studies and literature that concern the EEIC have rarely gone beyond the surface, detailing the presence of the EEIC at the Cape, and neglecting the Company’s involvement in the administration thereof. My thesis draws on prior works but attempts to address both temporal and spatial gaps in this literature on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, and the history of the EEIC. This study takes note of the seaborne related activity around the ports, bays and islands at the Cape – including the regulation of these spaces and issues related to securing British trade and colonial possessions more generally. I question the framing of the Cape primarily as a constituent of a national unit by locating the colony within a broader global and maritime context. A key interest is to determine the degree to which the EEIC influenced and participated in the British governance of the Cape, particularly by exploring the maritime dimensions of the relationship between the EEIC and colonial governance during this particular period. This involves understanding the embeddedness of the Cape in British (Crown and Company) networks and the constitution of a ‘British maritime zone’. This study uses archival sources drawn from the British colonial government records, Company records, and the private diaries and letters of Lady Anne Barnard that relate to the Cape. It is shown that a uniquely configured governance convention was constituted to secure the mutual commercial and imperial interests of both Crown and Company. By keeping the Cape secure, the British sought to keep their greater seaborne Empire secure. This study reveals that the EEIC was significantly involved in and influenced the way the British administration governed the Cape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The experiences of recently diagnosed HIV-positive individuals, as shared on an online forum
- Authors: Wylde, Charlotte Anne
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: HIV-positive persons Social networks , HIV infections Diagnosis Psychological aspects , HIV infections Social aspects , HIV infections Electronic discussion groups , Internet Social aspects , Stigma (Social psychology) , Phenomenological psychology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60222 , vital:27756
- Description: An HIV-positive diagnosis can be an overwhelming and traumatic experience. This study explores the experiences of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. Employing an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a sample of the initial posts from threads on an online forum, was collected and explored, in order to determine the dominant themes from the experiences expressed in the posts, as well as the support sought from the forum. The online forum was accessed as an unobtrusive observer, and posts from January to December 2015 were explored. The online forum provides a platform for disclosure following an HIV-positive diagnosis, when anxiety and fear of stigma can impact on an individual’s ability to disclose to their social support network of family and friends. The experiences expressed on the online forum reflect the emotional, mental and physical impact of an HIV-positive diagnosis on an individual. The findings in this study reflected themes of shock, guilt and hopelessness, and concerns and fears regarding disclosure and stigma associated with HIV, as well as the importance of social support for the coping mechanisms of individuals after receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. This research demonstrates the importance of Internet accessibility for information and support for chronic illnesses, such as HIV, and the role of the online forum platform for providing a safe environment for individuals recently diagnosed HIVpositive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Wylde, Charlotte Anne
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: HIV-positive persons Social networks , HIV infections Diagnosis Psychological aspects , HIV infections Social aspects , HIV infections Electronic discussion groups , Internet Social aspects , Stigma (Social psychology) , Phenomenological psychology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60222 , vital:27756
- Description: An HIV-positive diagnosis can be an overwhelming and traumatic experience. This study explores the experiences of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. Employing an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a sample of the initial posts from threads on an online forum, was collected and explored, in order to determine the dominant themes from the experiences expressed in the posts, as well as the support sought from the forum. The online forum was accessed as an unobtrusive observer, and posts from January to December 2015 were explored. The online forum provides a platform for disclosure following an HIV-positive diagnosis, when anxiety and fear of stigma can impact on an individual’s ability to disclose to their social support network of family and friends. The experiences expressed on the online forum reflect the emotional, mental and physical impact of an HIV-positive diagnosis on an individual. The findings in this study reflected themes of shock, guilt and hopelessness, and concerns and fears regarding disclosure and stigma associated with HIV, as well as the importance of social support for the coping mechanisms of individuals after receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. This research demonstrates the importance of Internet accessibility for information and support for chronic illnesses, such as HIV, and the role of the online forum platform for providing a safe environment for individuals recently diagnosed HIVpositive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The power of mysticism: understanding political support for President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe
- Manzira, Rufaro Coucou Annette
- Authors: Manzira, Rufaro Coucou Annette
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mysticism -- Psychology , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 1980- , Mugabe, Robert Gabriel, 1924-2019 , Allegiance -- Zimbabwe , Political capital -- Zimbabwe , Political psychology -- Zimbabwe , ZANU-PF (Organization : Zimbabwe) , Apotheosis , Zimbabwe -- Kings and rulers -- Religious aspects
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63693 , vital:28472
- Description: Significant debate exists within Zimbabwean studies about the basis for which people support on an ongoing basis the ruling Zimbabweans African National Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. In academic literature, the party and state president (Mugabe) is typically seen as an oppressor such that any support for Mugabe is understood based on compulsion rather than consent. Genuine support for the ruling party though implies that Mugabe is a liberator. In drawing upon Zimbabwean academic literature which seeks to understand why Mugabe might be understood as a liberator, this thesis seeks to provide an innovative sociological analysis focusing on the mysticism surrounding the person and ruler-ship of Mugabe. The mysticism portrays Mugabe as being blessed by the ancestors and spirits, as having divine and sage-like qualities, as speaking for the bones of the dead heroes, and as acting as a modern day national chief who cares for his national subjects and defends his chiefdom against enemies from within or without. This portrait of Mugabe resonates with many Zimbabweans as it speaks to their everyday experiences and their longings for nation-building and national belonging. Hence, it should not be strictly understood as a ruling party ideology foisted upon citizens as a means of political deception. This is explored through interviews with a small number of ZANU-PF supporters.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Manzira, Rufaro Coucou Annette
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mysticism -- Psychology , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 1980- , Mugabe, Robert Gabriel, 1924-2019 , Allegiance -- Zimbabwe , Political capital -- Zimbabwe , Political psychology -- Zimbabwe , ZANU-PF (Organization : Zimbabwe) , Apotheosis , Zimbabwe -- Kings and rulers -- Religious aspects
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63693 , vital:28472
- Description: Significant debate exists within Zimbabwean studies about the basis for which people support on an ongoing basis the ruling Zimbabweans African National Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. In academic literature, the party and state president (Mugabe) is typically seen as an oppressor such that any support for Mugabe is understood based on compulsion rather than consent. Genuine support for the ruling party though implies that Mugabe is a liberator. In drawing upon Zimbabwean academic literature which seeks to understand why Mugabe might be understood as a liberator, this thesis seeks to provide an innovative sociological analysis focusing on the mysticism surrounding the person and ruler-ship of Mugabe. The mysticism portrays Mugabe as being blessed by the ancestors and spirits, as having divine and sage-like qualities, as speaking for the bones of the dead heroes, and as acting as a modern day national chief who cares for his national subjects and defends his chiefdom against enemies from within or without. This portrait of Mugabe resonates with many Zimbabweans as it speaks to their everyday experiences and their longings for nation-building and national belonging. Hence, it should not be strictly understood as a ruling party ideology foisted upon citizens as a means of political deception. This is explored through interviews with a small number of ZANU-PF supporters.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The relationships between perceived competence, goal orientation and mind sets on the motivation to participate in sport at university
- Authors: Nel, Marcus Craig
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: College sports -- South Africa -- Makhanda , College students -- Attitudes , Sports -- Psychological aspects , Motivation (Psychology) , Competition (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61592 , vital:28040
- Description: The research sought to uncover the links that exist between perceived competence, goal orientations and mind sets with the motivation to participate in sports. The research was conducted in a South African university context and was comprised of 212 participants. Data was collected through the use of Sports Motivation Scale 6, Intrinsic Motivation Inventory: Perceived Competence Subscale, Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire and the Self-Theory Questionnaire. The participants completed the questionnaires using a pen and paper technique at their various sports practices. Data was collected and analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in order to demonstrate the strength and nature of the relationships that existed between the variables. Findings generally supported previous findings. Using a deductive approach, the main findings found that various types of motivation based on Self-Determination Theory demonstrated a proportional relationship with task orientation and little to no relationship was found between motivation and ego orientation. The relationships between motivation and perceived competence were mixed, with the most significant relationship occurring between integrated regulation and perceived competence. Fixed mind sets also showed little to no relationship with motivation, whereas growth mind sets showed proportional relationships with the various kinds of motivation. Further relationships between these variables were also explained. It is recommended that data collection techniques are improved in future research. This research may be useful in indicating what factors are related to motivation to play sport at university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Nel, Marcus Craig
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: College sports -- South Africa -- Makhanda , College students -- Attitudes , Sports -- Psychological aspects , Motivation (Psychology) , Competition (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61592 , vital:28040
- Description: The research sought to uncover the links that exist between perceived competence, goal orientations and mind sets with the motivation to participate in sports. The research was conducted in a South African university context and was comprised of 212 participants. Data was collected through the use of Sports Motivation Scale 6, Intrinsic Motivation Inventory: Perceived Competence Subscale, Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire and the Self-Theory Questionnaire. The participants completed the questionnaires using a pen and paper technique at their various sports practices. Data was collected and analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in order to demonstrate the strength and nature of the relationships that existed between the variables. Findings generally supported previous findings. Using a deductive approach, the main findings found that various types of motivation based on Self-Determination Theory demonstrated a proportional relationship with task orientation and little to no relationship was found between motivation and ego orientation. The relationships between motivation and perceived competence were mixed, with the most significant relationship occurring between integrated regulation and perceived competence. Fixed mind sets also showed little to no relationship with motivation, whereas growth mind sets showed proportional relationships with the various kinds of motivation. Further relationships between these variables were also explained. It is recommended that data collection techniques are improved in future research. This research may be useful in indicating what factors are related to motivation to play sport at university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The role of African languages in the South African legal system: towards a transformative agenda
- Authors: Docrat, Zakeera
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Forensic linguistics -- South Africa , Communication in law -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Linguistic rights -- South Africa , Court interpreting and translating -- South Africa , African languages -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60809 , vital:27833
- Description: This interdisciplinary thesis, partly located in the emerging discipline of forensic linguistics, seeks to investigate the status and use of African languages in the South African legal system and how language can be used as a tool to transform the legal system. The research commences with an overview of the development of African languages in the legal system, pre and post Apartheid. The research proceeds to an overview of scholarly literature concerning the role of legislation, language policy and planning in regulating the use of African languages in the legal system, in order to give effect to South Africa’s constitutional provisions and enable linguistic transformation of the legal system. This research furthermore provides a critique of the constitutional language framework in relation to language rights of litigants in the legal system, when accessing justice through the medium of an African language. To this effect the research advances cases conducted in their entirety in an African language, illustrating that it is both possible and practicable. This research engages critically with the legislative and policy frameworks of the legal system, where issues concerning the equal recognition and use of African languages are highlighted. Language demographics in the form of statistics are provided, illustrative of the fact that the majority of South African’s speak an African language as their mother tongue. Additionally, the statistics provide that litigants in the legal system have poor proficiency in English, the language of record in courts. The research addresses the legislative and policy deficiencies of the non insertion of language requirements for legal practitioners and judicial officers that reflect the language demographics. Furthermore the need for linguistically competent legal practitioners and judicial officers is discussed in giving meaning to the constitutional language rights of litigants. A Canadian comparative jurisprudential case study is advanced, that can be emulated by the South African legal system. The Canadian model offers a precise and effective constitutional, legislative and policy framework where language rights are purposively interpreted in cases conducted in the official languages of the country. Furthermore the Canadian model provides that legal practitioners and judicial officers are linguistically competent in the official languages of the province in which they practice. This thesis highlights the issues hindering real transformation of the legal system, and concludes with recommendations which are both legally and linguistically sound.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Docrat, Zakeera
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Forensic linguistics -- South Africa , Communication in law -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Linguistic rights -- South Africa , Court interpreting and translating -- South Africa , African languages -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60809 , vital:27833
- Description: This interdisciplinary thesis, partly located in the emerging discipline of forensic linguistics, seeks to investigate the status and use of African languages in the South African legal system and how language can be used as a tool to transform the legal system. The research commences with an overview of the development of African languages in the legal system, pre and post Apartheid. The research proceeds to an overview of scholarly literature concerning the role of legislation, language policy and planning in regulating the use of African languages in the legal system, in order to give effect to South Africa’s constitutional provisions and enable linguistic transformation of the legal system. This research furthermore provides a critique of the constitutional language framework in relation to language rights of litigants in the legal system, when accessing justice through the medium of an African language. To this effect the research advances cases conducted in their entirety in an African language, illustrating that it is both possible and practicable. This research engages critically with the legislative and policy frameworks of the legal system, where issues concerning the equal recognition and use of African languages are highlighted. Language demographics in the form of statistics are provided, illustrative of the fact that the majority of South African’s speak an African language as their mother tongue. Additionally, the statistics provide that litigants in the legal system have poor proficiency in English, the language of record in courts. The research addresses the legislative and policy deficiencies of the non insertion of language requirements for legal practitioners and judicial officers that reflect the language demographics. Furthermore the need for linguistically competent legal practitioners and judicial officers is discussed in giving meaning to the constitutional language rights of litigants. A Canadian comparative jurisprudential case study is advanced, that can be emulated by the South African legal system. The Canadian model offers a precise and effective constitutional, legislative and policy framework where language rights are purposively interpreted in cases conducted in the official languages of the country. Furthermore the Canadian model provides that legal practitioners and judicial officers are linguistically competent in the official languages of the province in which they practice. This thesis highlights the issues hindering real transformation of the legal system, and concludes with recommendations which are both legally and linguistically sound.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Themes in self-presentation on a gay male dating site: a content analysis of the profiles of a sample of online daters from the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Lelimo, Thabang Lucky
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Online dating -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Identity , Self-presentation , Homophobia -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Language and sex , Communication and sex
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60233 , vital:27757
- Description: My thesis research explores themes in self-presentation in the dating profiles of gay men from the Eastern Cape Province on an online dating site for men only. Although there is a growing body of research on this topic, this research is generally located in Europe and North America. In South Africa, research on same-sex intimacies has a chequered history. In the apartheid past, gay men and lesbian women were largely ignored by psychologists and social scientists. And, when they did receive their attention, it was largely discriminatory. In the post-apartheid context, there is far more interest in queer sexualities. However, as this research focuses on HIV transmission and on discrimination and violent homophobia, it too has played a role in painting a gloomy picture of what it means to be queer in South Africa. This study both address a ‘gap in literature’ on gay male dating online by focusing on the South African context, and it addresses the crisis of representation by giving consideration to the ways in which gay men see and present themselves to others. This study takes the form of a content analysis of 200 dating profiles. Key themes in self-presentation emerging in the analysis are: Ethnicity; Age; Education; Geographic Location; Living Arrangements; Sexuality; Relationship Status; Lifestyle; Appearance; Political Outlook; Personality; Faith. I discuss important observations relating to these themes and the insights they provide on key issues shaping public debate on same-sex sexualities in the South African context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Lelimo, Thabang Lucky
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Online dating -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Identity , Self-presentation , Homophobia -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Language and sex , Communication and sex
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60233 , vital:27757
- Description: My thesis research explores themes in self-presentation in the dating profiles of gay men from the Eastern Cape Province on an online dating site for men only. Although there is a growing body of research on this topic, this research is generally located in Europe and North America. In South Africa, research on same-sex intimacies has a chequered history. In the apartheid past, gay men and lesbian women were largely ignored by psychologists and social scientists. And, when they did receive their attention, it was largely discriminatory. In the post-apartheid context, there is far more interest in queer sexualities. However, as this research focuses on HIV transmission and on discrimination and violent homophobia, it too has played a role in painting a gloomy picture of what it means to be queer in South Africa. This study both address a ‘gap in literature’ on gay male dating online by focusing on the South African context, and it addresses the crisis of representation by giving consideration to the ways in which gay men see and present themselves to others. This study takes the form of a content analysis of 200 dating profiles. Key themes in self-presentation emerging in the analysis are: Ethnicity; Age; Education; Geographic Location; Living Arrangements; Sexuality; Relationship Status; Lifestyle; Appearance; Political Outlook; Personality; Faith. I discuss important observations relating to these themes and the insights they provide on key issues shaping public debate on same-sex sexualities in the South African context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
There’s another story here
- Authors: Nkosi, Lindokuhle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63065 , vital:28360
- Description: Written in fragments and combining fiction and narrative non-fiction, this novella explores how South Africa's history of violence and current violence against women affects and influences how women relate to each other. Based in the knowledge that our memories and behaviours are linked to the experiences of our ancestors via our bodies, I engage what our violent history and the disappearing myths that are still embedded in our bloodstream mean for life today. Drawing on the experiences of several generations of women in my family, current affairs and the lives of women close to me, my novella picks at the fragile things that hold us together. I take influence from the prose poetry in Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, and the use of fragmentation, myth and biography in Lydia Yuknavitch’s A Chronology of Water and Lily Hoang’s A Bestiary, and use an amalgam of genres to ask how we hold each other; how we breath, create, love and dream.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Nkosi, Lindokuhle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63065 , vital:28360
- Description: Written in fragments and combining fiction and narrative non-fiction, this novella explores how South Africa's history of violence and current violence against women affects and influences how women relate to each other. Based in the knowledge that our memories and behaviours are linked to the experiences of our ancestors via our bodies, I engage what our violent history and the disappearing myths that are still embedded in our bloodstream mean for life today. Drawing on the experiences of several generations of women in my family, current affairs and the lives of women close to me, my novella picks at the fragile things that hold us together. I take influence from the prose poetry in Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, and the use of fragmentation, myth and biography in Lydia Yuknavitch’s A Chronology of Water and Lily Hoang’s A Bestiary, and use an amalgam of genres to ask how we hold each other; how we breath, create, love and dream.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Witches & villains: the nasty tales
- Authors: Dalldorf, Tamaryn
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Fairy tales -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63087 , vital:28362
- Description: My thesis compromises a variety of short stories which are modern re-writes of dark fairy tales. Fairy Tales often explore the dark side of human nature and in these stories I focus on the voices of female villains and the strange psychology which drives them. I find Fairy Tales absorbing because they reveal the vulnerabilities, dreams and fears of the human consciousness. My stories contain some satirical expositions of human nature and society. My influences are the anthology of short stories, “My mother She Killed Me and My Father He Ate Me”, The Grimm Fairy Tales (original) and The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault as well as the writing of Horacio Moya, Angela Carter and Alissa Nutting for their dark satire and mockery of social eccentricities. Kate Bernheimer’s “Form is Fairy Tale and Fairy Tale is Form” is very influential in terms of the style it recommends in writing such as: “every day magic”, “flatness” (a form of narration), abstraction and intuitive logic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Dalldorf, Tamaryn
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Fairy tales -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63087 , vital:28362
- Description: My thesis compromises a variety of short stories which are modern re-writes of dark fairy tales. Fairy Tales often explore the dark side of human nature and in these stories I focus on the voices of female villains and the strange psychology which drives them. I find Fairy Tales absorbing because they reveal the vulnerabilities, dreams and fears of the human consciousness. My stories contain some satirical expositions of human nature and society. My influences are the anthology of short stories, “My mother She Killed Me and My Father He Ate Me”, The Grimm Fairy Tales (original) and The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault as well as the writing of Horacio Moya, Angela Carter and Alissa Nutting for their dark satire and mockery of social eccentricities. Kate Bernheimer’s “Form is Fairy Tale and Fairy Tale is Form” is very influential in terms of the style it recommends in writing such as: “every day magic”, “flatness” (a form of narration), abstraction and intuitive logic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Young men’s talk about menstruation and hegemonic masculinity in the South African context: a discursive analysis
- Authors: Glover, Jonathan
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Menstruation -- Social aspects -- -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Hegemony -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Masculinity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sex role -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Men -- Attitudes , Men -- Psychology , Human body -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Men's studies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60244 , vital:27758
- Description: Current research in the sub-Saharan and other resource poor contexts indicates the largely negative social constructions of menstruation and menstruating women. Young men have been shown to reproduce these negative constructions and reinforce the stigmatized status of menstruation in these contexts. To my knowledge no studies have examined the ways in which young men talk about menstruation and menstruating women in South Africa. In this research, I aimed to explore the ways in which young men (in a resource poor area in the Eastern Cape) talk about menstruation in with their male peers in a focus group context and how this talk serves to enable specific subject positions (both masculine and feminine) that may reproduce, comply with and resist constructions of hegemonic masculinity (as outlined in previous South African research). By drawing on Raewyn Connell’s influential framework of masculinities and augmenting this with Margaret Wetherell and Nigel Edley’s contributions, this research adds to the growing body of research on masculinities in the South African context. I utilized a discursive framework in which to understand the interpretative repertoires drawn on in everyday talk about menstruation and the specific subject positions made available by these. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a total of 37 participants from two former Department of Education and Training schools in the Eastern Cape. Participants were young ‘black’ men with a mean age of 18.3 In analyzing and interpreting the data two overarching patterns emerged. In the first, the participants discursively distanced themselves from menstruation (and femininity in general) in order to avoid possible marginalisation and subordination in relation to local hegemonic masculine ideals. In doing this, the participants drew on a number of interpretative repertoires including: a dualistic repertoire, a bad (versus ideal) femininity repertoire and an abject femininity repertoire, which assisted in creating numerous subject positions. These subject positions allowed the young men to align themselves closer to hegemonic masculine ideals, and create distance by positioning menstruating women as the ‘other’. In the second overarching pattern, menstruation was constructed as a threat to masculine identity; within this construction, the young men discursively negotiated the ideological dilemmas surrounding this ‘highly feminine’ topic in ways that bolstered their positions within the gender hierarchy. Overall, hegemonic masculinities in this context were discursively reproduced and complied with in the participants’ accounts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Glover, Jonathan
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Menstruation -- Social aspects -- -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Hegemony -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Masculinity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sex role -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Men -- Attitudes , Men -- Psychology , Human body -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Men's studies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60244 , vital:27758
- Description: Current research in the sub-Saharan and other resource poor contexts indicates the largely negative social constructions of menstruation and menstruating women. Young men have been shown to reproduce these negative constructions and reinforce the stigmatized status of menstruation in these contexts. To my knowledge no studies have examined the ways in which young men talk about menstruation and menstruating women in South Africa. In this research, I aimed to explore the ways in which young men (in a resource poor area in the Eastern Cape) talk about menstruation in with their male peers in a focus group context and how this talk serves to enable specific subject positions (both masculine and feminine) that may reproduce, comply with and resist constructions of hegemonic masculinity (as outlined in previous South African research). By drawing on Raewyn Connell’s influential framework of masculinities and augmenting this with Margaret Wetherell and Nigel Edley’s contributions, this research adds to the growing body of research on masculinities in the South African context. I utilized a discursive framework in which to understand the interpretative repertoires drawn on in everyday talk about menstruation and the specific subject positions made available by these. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a total of 37 participants from two former Department of Education and Training schools in the Eastern Cape. Participants were young ‘black’ men with a mean age of 18.3 In analyzing and interpreting the data two overarching patterns emerged. In the first, the participants discursively distanced themselves from menstruation (and femininity in general) in order to avoid possible marginalisation and subordination in relation to local hegemonic masculine ideals. In doing this, the participants drew on a number of interpretative repertoires including: a dualistic repertoire, a bad (versus ideal) femininity repertoire and an abject femininity repertoire, which assisted in creating numerous subject positions. These subject positions allowed the young men to align themselves closer to hegemonic masculine ideals, and create distance by positioning menstruating women as the ‘other’. In the second overarching pattern, menstruation was constructed as a threat to masculine identity; within this construction, the young men discursively negotiated the ideological dilemmas surrounding this ‘highly feminine’ topic in ways that bolstered their positions within the gender hierarchy. Overall, hegemonic masculinities in this context were discursively reproduced and complied with in the participants’ accounts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Zooming in: an ethnographic study of visual journalism for smartphones - journalistic roles and routines at South Africa’s largest graphics unit, Graphics24
- Authors: Gouws, Andries Jacobus
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Smartphones , Visual communication -- Digital techniques , News Web sites -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Information visualization , Graphic arts , Graphics24 , Netwerk24
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63154 , vital:28368
- Description: This study examines the changing roles of graphics journalists in the digital era at Graphics24, the largest information graphics newsroom in South Africa, in the context of their work for Netwerk24, an online news site published in Afrikaans with a strong focus on mobile-first news. The study examines the discursive construction of these new journalistic roles in the digital era where even the core conceptualisation of what journalism is, is being re-examined. It considers external factors affecting the discourse of change, drawing on a hierarchy of influences analytical model, as well as norms specific to the creation of information graphics. Data for this study was gathered by using ethnographic immersion and semi-structured interviews. This study specifically looks at graphics journalists working in a mobile-first environment, and how the pressures of producing information graphics for consumption on smartphones affects their roles. Evidence of two widely differing discourses in the Graphics24 and Netwerk24 newsrooms was found. Visual journalists in this study have created a discourse around being distinct “service providers”, rather than mobile-first journalists, who do not see the need for full integration in the fast-paced mobile news environment of Netwerk24. Word-centric journalists have, by contrast, created a mobile-first discourse. They experience the separateness of the graphics team as a barrier that impedes the creation of good information graphics for mobile phone consumption. Although this is a very localised study in a very particular context, this study contributes to broader thinking in what is a very under-researched field: The changing roles of visual journalists in the digital era and the discursive construction of these roles. The study suggests that even in the digital era where the definition of newsrooms has become much more fluid and less fixed physically, ethnographic methods can still offer a meaningful way to explore journalistic roles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Gouws, Andries Jacobus
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Smartphones , Visual communication -- Digital techniques , News Web sites -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Information visualization , Graphic arts , Graphics24 , Netwerk24
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63154 , vital:28368
- Description: This study examines the changing roles of graphics journalists in the digital era at Graphics24, the largest information graphics newsroom in South Africa, in the context of their work for Netwerk24, an online news site published in Afrikaans with a strong focus on mobile-first news. The study examines the discursive construction of these new journalistic roles in the digital era where even the core conceptualisation of what journalism is, is being re-examined. It considers external factors affecting the discourse of change, drawing on a hierarchy of influences analytical model, as well as norms specific to the creation of information graphics. Data for this study was gathered by using ethnographic immersion and semi-structured interviews. This study specifically looks at graphics journalists working in a mobile-first environment, and how the pressures of producing information graphics for consumption on smartphones affects their roles. Evidence of two widely differing discourses in the Graphics24 and Netwerk24 newsrooms was found. Visual journalists in this study have created a discourse around being distinct “service providers”, rather than mobile-first journalists, who do not see the need for full integration in the fast-paced mobile news environment of Netwerk24. Word-centric journalists have, by contrast, created a mobile-first discourse. They experience the separateness of the graphics team as a barrier that impedes the creation of good information graphics for mobile phone consumption. Although this is a very localised study in a very particular context, this study contributes to broader thinking in what is a very under-researched field: The changing roles of visual journalists in the digital era and the discursive construction of these roles. The study suggests that even in the digital era where the definition of newsrooms has become much more fluid and less fixed physically, ethnographic methods can still offer a meaningful way to explore journalistic roles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018