'n Ondersoek na genderpolitieke kwessies in die kortverhale van Rachelle Greeff
- Authors: Gelderblom, Zel-Marí Kato
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women -- Political activity
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50756 , vital:42666
- Description: Hierdie verhandeling fokus op die genderpolitieke kwessies in die volgende geselekteerde kortverhale van Rachelle Greeff; “Borste en bandiet”, en “Snaaks watter simpel goed mens onthou”, uit die bundel Die rugkant van die bruid (1990), sowel as “Eters anoniem”, uit die bundel Onwaarskynlike Engele (1993). Die hoofdoel van die studie was om die essensies van genderpolitiek soos deur Greeff aangetoon, te bepaal ten einde die geslagsposisie van die hedendaagse vrou te belig. Daar is gekyk na die manier waarop Rachelle Greeff die fokus op die liggaamlikheid en spesifiek die uiterlike van die vrou plaas, sowel as die manier waarop Greeff stereotipes en taboes rondom die vrou afbreek. Judith Butler se genderteorie is gebruik om hierdie genderpolitieke kwessies te ondersoek, te bespreek en te analiseer. Hierdie is volgens my kennis die eerste verhandeling wat oor Rachelle Greeff se werk handel.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Gelderblom, Zel-Marí Kato
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women -- Political activity
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50756 , vital:42666
- Description: Hierdie verhandeling fokus op die genderpolitieke kwessies in die volgende geselekteerde kortverhale van Rachelle Greeff; “Borste en bandiet”, en “Snaaks watter simpel goed mens onthou”, uit die bundel Die rugkant van die bruid (1990), sowel as “Eters anoniem”, uit die bundel Onwaarskynlike Engele (1993). Die hoofdoel van die studie was om die essensies van genderpolitiek soos deur Greeff aangetoon, te bepaal ten einde die geslagsposisie van die hedendaagse vrou te belig. Daar is gekyk na die manier waarop Rachelle Greeff die fokus op die liggaamlikheid en spesifiek die uiterlike van die vrou plaas, sowel as die manier waarop Greeff stereotipes en taboes rondom die vrou afbreek. Judith Butler se genderteorie is gebruik om hierdie genderpolitieke kwessies te ondersoek, te bespreek en te analiseer. Hierdie is volgens my kennis die eerste verhandeling wat oor Rachelle Greeff se werk handel.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
300 grams
- Authors: Ainslie, Michelle
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140597 , vital:37903
- Description: This document consists of two (2) parts:Part A: Thesis (Creative Work)Part B: Portfolio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Ainslie, Michelle
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140597 , vital:37903
- Description: This document consists of two (2) parts:Part A: Thesis (Creative Work)Part B: Portfolio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A comparison of representations of the imperative of higher education change as „transformation‟ versus „decolonisation‟ in South African public discourse
- Authors: Makgakge, Rebecca Dineo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Education in mass media -- South Africa , Higher education and state -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Curricula -- South Africa , Discrimination in education -- South Africa , South Africa -- Colonial influence , Educational change -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142498 , vital:38085
- Description: The context of higher education in South Africa which has been shaped by the legacies of the old apartheid system is faced with a paramount task of the continuous process of restructuring and change. In shaping the restructuring and change of the higher education system the concept of transformation has been a constant theme for the post-apartheid government policies. However more recently we have seen the heightened prominence of the concept of change understood as decolonisation of South African higher education – as opposed to “transformation‘. This thesis was concerned with how these concepts of change, “transformation‘ and “decolonisation‘ have been used in debates surrounding higher education in South Africa. The thesis compares and contrasts the ways and context in which they are used. This study of 177 South African newspaper articles taken form independent media stables from the time 2008 to the present provides an analysis of representations of higher education change as “transformation‘ and as “decolonisation‘ evinced in the corpus. This required using both content and framing analysis as a method to analyse the corpus. Three themes emerged from the analysis that are relevant to the comparison between South African higher education institutional change represented as “transformation‘ and South African higher education institutional change represented at “decolonisation‘: the first theme concerns the differences and similarities in how the two terms are defined; the second theme concerns how the two ideas play themselves out when it comes to curriculum change and the final theme concerns the implications of seeing change as “transformation‘ and seeing change as “decolonisation‘ for changing institutional cultures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Makgakge, Rebecca Dineo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Education in mass media -- South Africa , Higher education and state -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Curricula -- South Africa , Discrimination in education -- South Africa , South Africa -- Colonial influence , Educational change -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142498 , vital:38085
- Description: The context of higher education in South Africa which has been shaped by the legacies of the old apartheid system is faced with a paramount task of the continuous process of restructuring and change. In shaping the restructuring and change of the higher education system the concept of transformation has been a constant theme for the post-apartheid government policies. However more recently we have seen the heightened prominence of the concept of change understood as decolonisation of South African higher education – as opposed to “transformation‘. This thesis was concerned with how these concepts of change, “transformation‘ and “decolonisation‘ have been used in debates surrounding higher education in South Africa. The thesis compares and contrasts the ways and context in which they are used. This study of 177 South African newspaper articles taken form independent media stables from the time 2008 to the present provides an analysis of representations of higher education change as “transformation‘ and as “decolonisation‘ evinced in the corpus. This required using both content and framing analysis as a method to analyse the corpus. Three themes emerged from the analysis that are relevant to the comparison between South African higher education institutional change represented as “transformation‘ and South African higher education institutional change represented at “decolonisation‘: the first theme concerns the differences and similarities in how the two terms are defined; the second theme concerns how the two ideas play themselves out when it comes to curriculum change and the final theme concerns the implications of seeing change as “transformation‘ and seeing change as “decolonisation‘ for changing institutional cultures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A critical appraisal of Saule’s portrayal of women as Amadelakufa (resilient)
- Authors: Molubo, Rendani
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women in literature , Feminism -- Africa , Saule, N -- Vuleka Mhlaba , Saule, N -- Inkululeko Isentabeni , Saule, N -- Libambe Lingatshoni , Xhosa fiction -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143982 , vital:38300
- Description: This study seeks to explore how Professor Ncedile Saule’s works Vuleka Mhlaba (2006), Inkululeko Isentabeni (2010) and Libambe Lingatshoni (2017), depict female characters to reveal the inner resilience women embody. It is important to portray females as bold, intelligent and courageous beings as African women are subjected to major patriarchal myths. South Africa prides itself with a progressive Constitution and Bill of Rights that speaks of gender equality and the liberation of all persons. However, in practice women still live under patriarchal bondages and their efforts are side-lined, thus, the essentiality of writings that contributes towards the empowerment of women through displaying their resilience. Women in literature are mostly depicted as subordinate, submissive and emotional. At times they are portrayed as victims. They are very seldom portrayed as heroes or independent beings. They are constantly placed behind a man instead of in front of a man. This research aims to display women as heroes in their own capacity, without having to be dimmed by a man. The researcher decided to utilise writings of a male author so as to provide a different perspective from the norm that most male authors are known to write about in issues pertaining female characters. This is also deliberately done to encourage more male writers to change the mythical narration about women and start admiring their contributions without having them shadow any man. The projection of female resilience through the gaze of a male author gives hope that there are men who see and admire women’s efforts. It also indicates that men realise now that African feminisms are not against men and instead advocate for equality between men and women and recognise the greatness that could come out of a partnership between the two genders. Women’s behaviour and characteristics are mostly socially constructed, hence the need to exhibit the boldness that black women possess, instead of them only being utilised as nurturing sources and household caretakers. One of the purposes of this research study is to illustrate the resilience that women possess and analyse the forms of torment that women in Saule’s chosen novels have experienced and how their experience engenders resilience and a determination to succeed. The women in Saule’s three novels selected for this study break the traditional status quo. The approach that this paper will utilize is that of African Feminisms, focusing on Walker’s Womanism, Ogunyemi’s Africana Womanism, and Stiwanism as the theoretical approaches. This is because African Feminisms concentrates on the issues related to gender, race and class that African women across spectrums face.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Molubo, Rendani
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women in literature , Feminism -- Africa , Saule, N -- Vuleka Mhlaba , Saule, N -- Inkululeko Isentabeni , Saule, N -- Libambe Lingatshoni , Xhosa fiction -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143982 , vital:38300
- Description: This study seeks to explore how Professor Ncedile Saule’s works Vuleka Mhlaba (2006), Inkululeko Isentabeni (2010) and Libambe Lingatshoni (2017), depict female characters to reveal the inner resilience women embody. It is important to portray females as bold, intelligent and courageous beings as African women are subjected to major patriarchal myths. South Africa prides itself with a progressive Constitution and Bill of Rights that speaks of gender equality and the liberation of all persons. However, in practice women still live under patriarchal bondages and their efforts are side-lined, thus, the essentiality of writings that contributes towards the empowerment of women through displaying their resilience. Women in literature are mostly depicted as subordinate, submissive and emotional. At times they are portrayed as victims. They are very seldom portrayed as heroes or independent beings. They are constantly placed behind a man instead of in front of a man. This research aims to display women as heroes in their own capacity, without having to be dimmed by a man. The researcher decided to utilise writings of a male author so as to provide a different perspective from the norm that most male authors are known to write about in issues pertaining female characters. This is also deliberately done to encourage more male writers to change the mythical narration about women and start admiring their contributions without having them shadow any man. The projection of female resilience through the gaze of a male author gives hope that there are men who see and admire women’s efforts. It also indicates that men realise now that African feminisms are not against men and instead advocate for equality between men and women and recognise the greatness that could come out of a partnership between the two genders. Women’s behaviour and characteristics are mostly socially constructed, hence the need to exhibit the boldness that black women possess, instead of them only being utilised as nurturing sources and household caretakers. One of the purposes of this research study is to illustrate the resilience that women possess and analyse the forms of torment that women in Saule’s chosen novels have experienced and how their experience engenders resilience and a determination to succeed. The women in Saule’s three novels selected for this study break the traditional status quo. The approach that this paper will utilize is that of African Feminisms, focusing on Walker’s Womanism, Ogunyemi’s Africana Womanism, and Stiwanism as the theoretical approaches. This is because African Feminisms concentrates on the issues related to gender, race and class that African women across spectrums face.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A critique of translated (isiXhosa to English) sworn statements by the South African Police Service
- Authors: Mvabaza, Aviwe
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Forensic linguistics , Translators -- South Africa , Xhosa language -- Translating , Police administration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/122869 , vital:35361
- Description: The thesis provides a critique of sworn statement translations in the South African Police Service. The study is a mixed method study, which is rooted in Translation and Forensic Linguistics. It focuses on translations of two languages, IsiXhosa and English, an activity that was observed by the researcher at the Ndevana Police Station under the Buffalo City Municipality near King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape Province. In addition to the data collection strategies, among others, the study also collected data through the use of questionnaires responded to by the Ndevana Location’s community members. Furthermore, it used a method of consented interviews with the police officers. The main aim of these interviews was to unearth the police officers’ views on whether they require Translators and Forensic Linguists to assist them. Moreover, the other data collection strategy used was the consented recordings of verbal statements made by complainants, facilitated by the capturing of translated written dockets after the reporting of an incident. The police officers involved and who were available in the precinct were Constables, Sergeants, Detectives, Warrant officers and the Captain. The study period was 90 days, and the data presented in the form of graphs is contained in the relevant upcoming chapters. The findings of the study were that there was indeed a need for Translators and/or Forensic Linguists in the precinct, as the statistics revealed, by both the police officers and the community members. An analysis of the transcribed material, the interviews with the police and the verbal statements made by the complainants written by the police were evidence of the need for Translators and Forensic Linguists by the South African Police Services.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Mvabaza, Aviwe
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Forensic linguistics , Translators -- South Africa , Xhosa language -- Translating , Police administration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/122869 , vital:35361
- Description: The thesis provides a critique of sworn statement translations in the South African Police Service. The study is a mixed method study, which is rooted in Translation and Forensic Linguistics. It focuses on translations of two languages, IsiXhosa and English, an activity that was observed by the researcher at the Ndevana Police Station under the Buffalo City Municipality near King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape Province. In addition to the data collection strategies, among others, the study also collected data through the use of questionnaires responded to by the Ndevana Location’s community members. Furthermore, it used a method of consented interviews with the police officers. The main aim of these interviews was to unearth the police officers’ views on whether they require Translators and Forensic Linguists to assist them. Moreover, the other data collection strategy used was the consented recordings of verbal statements made by complainants, facilitated by the capturing of translated written dockets after the reporting of an incident. The police officers involved and who were available in the precinct were Constables, Sergeants, Detectives, Warrant officers and the Captain. The study period was 90 days, and the data presented in the form of graphs is contained in the relevant upcoming chapters. The findings of the study were that there was indeed a need for Translators and/or Forensic Linguists in the precinct, as the statistics revealed, by both the police officers and the community members. An analysis of the transcribed material, the interviews with the police and the verbal statements made by the complainants written by the police were evidence of the need for Translators and Forensic Linguists by the South African Police Services.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A five year comparative analysis of annual baseline neurocognitive test scores for South African high school athletes
- Reichling, Marcelle Antoinette
- Authors: Reichling, Marcelle Antoinette
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: High school athletes -- Intelligence testing , Sports -- Psychological aspects , Neuropsychological tests , Brain -- Wounds and injuries -- Psychology , Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects , Brain -- Concussion , Head -- Wounds and injuries
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145863 , vital:38473
- Description: The primary objective of this study was to assess the pattern of change in neurocognitive performance for adolescent athletes on baseline measures of the Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test, over five consecutive years, with a view to providing an indication of the optimal interval for repeat baseline testing of high school athletes. Participants were non-clinical, predominantly South African high school athletes in the overall age range 13 to 18 years (N = 108), divided into five groups (Grades 8,9, 10, 11 and 12), and tested at five test intervals. Repeated-measures ANOVA analyses examined differences in score performance across the test intervals for each of the five composite scores of the ImPACT test (Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time, Impulse Control). For the Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites there were significant neurocognitive score changes between several test intervals. Taking these results into account, in conjunction with substantial variability in performance, it is concluded that there is a need for annual baseline testing throughout the high school years. The secondary objective was to generate normative tables (Means and Standard Deviations) on the ImPACT test for the five participant groups at each of the five test intervals, including data for: the five composite scores (Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time, Impulse Control); for the twelve subtest scores test that go to make up the composite scores; and for four additional memory subcomponent scores (Word Memory immediate recall, Word Memory delayed recall, Design Memory immediate recall, Design Memory delayed recall). The results provide a clinical and heuristic normative platform for future use with brain injured individuals, which can be used to facilitate clinical interpretations of postconcussion assessments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Reichling, Marcelle Antoinette
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: High school athletes -- Intelligence testing , Sports -- Psychological aspects , Neuropsychological tests , Brain -- Wounds and injuries -- Psychology , Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects , Brain -- Concussion , Head -- Wounds and injuries
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145863 , vital:38473
- Description: The primary objective of this study was to assess the pattern of change in neurocognitive performance for adolescent athletes on baseline measures of the Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test, over five consecutive years, with a view to providing an indication of the optimal interval for repeat baseline testing of high school athletes. Participants were non-clinical, predominantly South African high school athletes in the overall age range 13 to 18 years (N = 108), divided into five groups (Grades 8,9, 10, 11 and 12), and tested at five test intervals. Repeated-measures ANOVA analyses examined differences in score performance across the test intervals for each of the five composite scores of the ImPACT test (Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time, Impulse Control). For the Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites there were significant neurocognitive score changes between several test intervals. Taking these results into account, in conjunction with substantial variability in performance, it is concluded that there is a need for annual baseline testing throughout the high school years. The secondary objective was to generate normative tables (Means and Standard Deviations) on the ImPACT test for the five participant groups at each of the five test intervals, including data for: the five composite scores (Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time, Impulse Control); for the twelve subtest scores test that go to make up the composite scores; and for four additional memory subcomponent scores (Word Memory immediate recall, Word Memory delayed recall, Design Memory immediate recall, Design Memory delayed recall). The results provide a clinical and heuristic normative platform for future use with brain injured individuals, which can be used to facilitate clinical interpretations of postconcussion assessments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A mixed methods investigation of students’ attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods: a focus on postgraduate psychology students at a South African university
- Authors: Ngantweni, Xolelwa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders -- South Africa , Statistics , Psychology -- Research , College students -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Psychology -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140490 , vital:37894
- Description: Many University programs offer a course in either basic or intermediate statistics as part of the degree requirements prior to graduation (McGrath, Ferns, Greiner, Wanamaker and Brown, 2015). These statistics or quantitative research methods courses are integral in helping students gain vital skills in analysing quantitative data. Research (Schau, Stevens, Dauphinee, and Del Vecchio, 1995) does however indicate that most students have a perfunctory disposition towards these courses. My study sought to particularly investigate attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods amongst a sample of 61 postgraduate Psychology students at Rhodes University undertaking a ‘Quantitative Research Methods’ course as part of their degree offering. A mixed methods approach was used to investigate students’ attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods. The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS-36) (Schau, 2003) captured student’s attitudes towards statistics using a Likert Scale instrument; whereas detailed qualitative interviews accentuated findings from the SATS-36. Key quantitative findings from the SATS-36 including students’ perceptions of statistics being a difficult course as well as students having a low affect towards statistics are detailed. Key qualitative findings related to why students experience statistics anxiety such as students’ (1) fear of failing statistics, (2) The late introduction of statistics in the Psychology curriculum, and (3) The role of educator/s in alleviating or promoting feelings of statistics anxiety are noted. The significance of these findings as well as the contributions of the study to the teaching and learning of statistics and quantitative research methods courses at Rhodes University are explored, in light of other studies on the topic of statistics anxiety and attitudes towards statistics/ quantitative research methods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Ngantweni, Xolelwa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders -- South Africa , Statistics , Psychology -- Research , College students -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Psychology -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140490 , vital:37894
- Description: Many University programs offer a course in either basic or intermediate statistics as part of the degree requirements prior to graduation (McGrath, Ferns, Greiner, Wanamaker and Brown, 2015). These statistics or quantitative research methods courses are integral in helping students gain vital skills in analysing quantitative data. Research (Schau, Stevens, Dauphinee, and Del Vecchio, 1995) does however indicate that most students have a perfunctory disposition towards these courses. My study sought to particularly investigate attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods amongst a sample of 61 postgraduate Psychology students at Rhodes University undertaking a ‘Quantitative Research Methods’ course as part of their degree offering. A mixed methods approach was used to investigate students’ attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods. The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS-36) (Schau, 2003) captured student’s attitudes towards statistics using a Likert Scale instrument; whereas detailed qualitative interviews accentuated findings from the SATS-36. Key quantitative findings from the SATS-36 including students’ perceptions of statistics being a difficult course as well as students having a low affect towards statistics are detailed. Key qualitative findings related to why students experience statistics anxiety such as students’ (1) fear of failing statistics, (2) The late introduction of statistics in the Psychology curriculum, and (3) The role of educator/s in alleviating or promoting feelings of statistics anxiety are noted. The significance of these findings as well as the contributions of the study to the teaching and learning of statistics and quantitative research methods courses at Rhodes University are explored, in light of other studies on the topic of statistics anxiety and attitudes towards statistics/ quantitative research methods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A multimodal analysis of the representations of gender in contemporary South African children’s picture books produced by Book Dash
- Authors: Heydenrych, Ellen Frances
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Book Dash (South Africa) , Picture books for children -- South Africa , Sex role in literature , Patriarchy in literature , Children's literature, South African (English) -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164284 , vital:41106
- Description: In response to a demand for quality children’s picture books written and published by South Africans for local children, Book Dash – a South African non-profit organisation – has devised a publishing model in which they produce high quality children’s picture books in a twelve-hour period. Their aim is to publish books that represent a diverse range of South African children. However, while their objective is to create books that are representative of many races, this representation happens through gendered characters. In this thesis, I explore the representation of gender in Book Dash’s picture books. I use a combination of visual social semiotics, narrative theory, and critical discourse analysis, specifically focusing on the gendered ways in which the characters are represented. My analysis of these books shows how complex it can be to contest regimes of representation that work to fix patriarchal discourses and gender inequality. My findings reveal a paradox in the representation of gender norms in female characters, as some girl child characters are represented in roles that challenge gender norms, while female adult characters are consistently represented as conforming to the patriarchal feminine ideal. There is also a notable lack of father figures in these books. Such portrayals may contribute to the perpetuation of patriarchal discourses and gender inequality, particularly if these books are held up as examples of equality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Heydenrych, Ellen Frances
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Book Dash (South Africa) , Picture books for children -- South Africa , Sex role in literature , Patriarchy in literature , Children's literature, South African (English) -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164284 , vital:41106
- Description: In response to a demand for quality children’s picture books written and published by South Africans for local children, Book Dash – a South African non-profit organisation – has devised a publishing model in which they produce high quality children’s picture books in a twelve-hour period. Their aim is to publish books that represent a diverse range of South African children. However, while their objective is to create books that are representative of many races, this representation happens through gendered characters. In this thesis, I explore the representation of gender in Book Dash’s picture books. I use a combination of visual social semiotics, narrative theory, and critical discourse analysis, specifically focusing on the gendered ways in which the characters are represented. My analysis of these books shows how complex it can be to contest regimes of representation that work to fix patriarchal discourses and gender inequality. My findings reveal a paradox in the representation of gender norms in female characters, as some girl child characters are represented in roles that challenge gender norms, while female adult characters are consistently represented as conforming to the patriarchal feminine ideal. There is also a notable lack of father figures in these books. Such portrayals may contribute to the perpetuation of patriarchal discourses and gender inequality, particularly if these books are held up as examples of equality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A psychobiographical study of Maya Angelo
- Authors: De Waal, Leandra
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Angelou, Maya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46341 , vital:39569
- Description: Psychobiographies aim to gain a deeper understanding into the lives of notable or notorious individuals through the lens of a psychological theory. Thisstudy aimedto gain insight into the personality development of Maya Angelou through the useof Erikson’s Theory of PsychosocialDevelopment. The study exploresand describesher life experiences in terms of this theory, and understandsher life within her socio-historical context. Angelou is a renowned literary figure. Herjourney to becoming a writer was an arduous one, marked by great hardships from an early age. Despite early parental abandonment, childhood rape, exposure to racism, and difficulties in romantic relationships, she developed into a healthy adult who achieved much literary success and inspired individuals worldwide.Nonprobability purposive sampling was used to selectAngelou as the subjectand was madeon the basis of the researcher’s interest in Angelou’s life history.Datawas collected by triangulating multiple sources of informationand analysed using the approach developed by Miles and Huberman, which involves threesteps: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification.The main findings suggest that Angelou progressed through Erikson’s eight stages successfully, despite some delays in negotiations of crises.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: De Waal, Leandra
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Angelou, Maya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46341 , vital:39569
- Description: Psychobiographies aim to gain a deeper understanding into the lives of notable or notorious individuals through the lens of a psychological theory. Thisstudy aimedto gain insight into the personality development of Maya Angelou through the useof Erikson’s Theory of PsychosocialDevelopment. The study exploresand describesher life experiences in terms of this theory, and understandsher life within her socio-historical context. Angelou is a renowned literary figure. Herjourney to becoming a writer was an arduous one, marked by great hardships from an early age. Despite early parental abandonment, childhood rape, exposure to racism, and difficulties in romantic relationships, she developed into a healthy adult who achieved much literary success and inspired individuals worldwide.Nonprobability purposive sampling was used to selectAngelou as the subjectand was madeon the basis of the researcher’s interest in Angelou’s life history.Datawas collected by triangulating multiple sources of informationand analysed using the approach developed by Miles and Huberman, which involves threesteps: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification.The main findings suggest that Angelou progressed through Erikson’s eight stages successfully, despite some delays in negotiations of crises.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A q-metholological approach to audience reception of public awareness messages on sexual violence
- Authors: Bennie, Rachel
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Psychology -- Research -- Methodology , Psychology -- Research , Communication in social action -- South Africa , Psychology -- Research -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140805 , vital:37920
- Description: Public awareness poster campaigns are an often-used method for raising awareness about, and engaging audiences on the topic of rape and other forms of sexual violence (Potter, 2012). However, poster campaigns, as social artefacts, operate in a public arena in which numerous discourses about a phenomenon are produced, reproduced and interact with each other, with sometimes unintended/unanticipated discursive consequences (Böhmke, Bennie, Minnie, Moore, Pilusa & Pollock, 2015). How messages aimed at raising awareness of sexual violence are framed has the potential to reproduce dominant social narratives and gendered subject positions in ways that reinforce notions of men as active sexual agents and potential perpetrators, and women as sexually passive and potential victims (Gavey, 2005). Other approaches, such as bystander intervention, seek to move away from a focus on victims and perpetrators to emphasise the role that community members can play in risk detection, safety promotion and the prevention of sexual violence (McMahon & Banyard, 2012). Since a range of possible messages about sexual violence can be communicated through poster campaigns, it is important to critically examine the content and orientation of campaign material. This study focused on intended audience views regarding messages about sexual violence contained in anti-sexual violence poster materials. The purpose was to collaborate with a selected audience to better understand which messages are effective and which strategies of communication are perceived to be less so. Through the use of Q-methodology, volunteer participants were invited to express their opinions in relation to messages about sexual violence from a range of posters from several international campaigns. The analysis focused on uncovering the discursive subject positions that participants’ express in their attitudinal responses to the poster messages, providing not only a description of these positions, but also illustrating the level of resonance that the poster messages may find with intended audiences. The aim of the study is to potentially inform the development of more focused campaign material, tailored to the specific context from which participants were drawn. Analysis shows clear patterns of audience resistance towards stereotypical representations of sexual violence and messages that are geared towards the simple prohibition of behaviours. The findings highlight the need for the development of alternative strategies of engagement that focus on specific engagement with understandings of sexual violence in the context of intimate and/or acquaintance relationships and which are aimed at inviting audiences to take up a position in relation to sexual violence phenomena that troubles the reproduction of received notions of gendered subjectivities and (hetero) sexuality
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Bennie, Rachel
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Psychology -- Research -- Methodology , Psychology -- Research , Communication in social action -- South Africa , Psychology -- Research -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140805 , vital:37920
- Description: Public awareness poster campaigns are an often-used method for raising awareness about, and engaging audiences on the topic of rape and other forms of sexual violence (Potter, 2012). However, poster campaigns, as social artefacts, operate in a public arena in which numerous discourses about a phenomenon are produced, reproduced and interact with each other, with sometimes unintended/unanticipated discursive consequences (Böhmke, Bennie, Minnie, Moore, Pilusa & Pollock, 2015). How messages aimed at raising awareness of sexual violence are framed has the potential to reproduce dominant social narratives and gendered subject positions in ways that reinforce notions of men as active sexual agents and potential perpetrators, and women as sexually passive and potential victims (Gavey, 2005). Other approaches, such as bystander intervention, seek to move away from a focus on victims and perpetrators to emphasise the role that community members can play in risk detection, safety promotion and the prevention of sexual violence (McMahon & Banyard, 2012). Since a range of possible messages about sexual violence can be communicated through poster campaigns, it is important to critically examine the content and orientation of campaign material. This study focused on intended audience views regarding messages about sexual violence contained in anti-sexual violence poster materials. The purpose was to collaborate with a selected audience to better understand which messages are effective and which strategies of communication are perceived to be less so. Through the use of Q-methodology, volunteer participants were invited to express their opinions in relation to messages about sexual violence from a range of posters from several international campaigns. The analysis focused on uncovering the discursive subject positions that participants’ express in their attitudinal responses to the poster messages, providing not only a description of these positions, but also illustrating the level of resonance that the poster messages may find with intended audiences. The aim of the study is to potentially inform the development of more focused campaign material, tailored to the specific context from which participants were drawn. Analysis shows clear patterns of audience resistance towards stereotypical representations of sexual violence and messages that are geared towards the simple prohibition of behaviours. The findings highlight the need for the development of alternative strategies of engagement that focus on specific engagement with understandings of sexual violence in the context of intimate and/or acquaintance relationships and which are aimed at inviting audiences to take up a position in relation to sexual violence phenomena that troubles the reproduction of received notions of gendered subjectivities and (hetero) sexuality
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A skin that took them through
- Authors: Kgame, Mbali
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , African fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147638 , vital:38656
- Description: This project comprises of interlinked fictional short stories capturing experiences of the “invisibilised’’ young people- the street kids, drug addicts, cashiers, childminders, the sick, first graduates etc. These stories are a way to interrogate the fallacy of a “free and fair” South Africa by noting events taking place within homes, communities and countrywide. Told in a playful, innocent, curious, childlike voice and reasoning, my work draws inspiration from Werewere Likings ‘The Amputated Memory,’ for its ability to narrate the current without divorcing the past. I draw inspiration from Liking’s way of writing family connectivity and employing an emerging voice of the narrator starting from being a child scribbling to later becoming an elder. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s ‘Black Friday’ for scanning into young black people’s experiences in a society where their bodies move as misfits. My work also draws from Lesley Nneka Arimah’s ‘What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky’ for the interlinked stories. Lastly the stories in this project take from Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother for humanising bodies that have been reduced to frames.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Kgame, Mbali
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , African fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147638 , vital:38656
- Description: This project comprises of interlinked fictional short stories capturing experiences of the “invisibilised’’ young people- the street kids, drug addicts, cashiers, childminders, the sick, first graduates etc. These stories are a way to interrogate the fallacy of a “free and fair” South Africa by noting events taking place within homes, communities and countrywide. Told in a playful, innocent, curious, childlike voice and reasoning, my work draws inspiration from Werewere Likings ‘The Amputated Memory,’ for its ability to narrate the current without divorcing the past. I draw inspiration from Liking’s way of writing family connectivity and employing an emerging voice of the narrator starting from being a child scribbling to later becoming an elder. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s ‘Black Friday’ for scanning into young black people’s experiences in a society where their bodies move as misfits. My work also draws from Lesley Nneka Arimah’s ‘What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky’ for the interlinked stories. Lastly the stories in this project take from Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother for humanising bodies that have been reduced to frames.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A socio-political analysis of the adoption of certain AmaXhosa surnames
- Authors: Johnson, Stembele
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Names, Personal -- Xhosa , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Political aspects , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Sociological aspects , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Onomastics -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164298 , vital:41107
- Description: It is always assumed when you have a white surname that you have a white lineage or your forefathers were white, and that was always my struggle in school to explain the meaning of my surname and where it came from. Not only European surnames used by amaXhosa are difficult to explain but also many isiXhosa surnames are very hard to break down and explain. This is because many word from th e isiXhosa language, that are used in surnames are no longer used and if one does not know the history of certain names then it would be difficult to know the meaning of a surname or misinterpret its meaning to the modern words of isiXhosa that we know. S urnames are not of African origin, they came from the West, but because of colonialism surnames were enforced on African people. Most of the surnames they used, are said to be names of their forefathers (ancestors), and there is a small amount or none that links to femininity in these surnames. Surnames are part of naming and naming is part of onomastics. Naming is a very important tool used among various African cultures to convey certain messages, either to an individual, family members or a community. On omastics is multidisciplinary in nature. It can be approached from different perspectives. These include linguistic, historical, sociological, philosophical, economical and other perspectives. This research looks at the depth of certain amaXhosa surnames and even their links to other names like, nicknames and clan names etc.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Johnson, Stembele
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Names, Personal -- Xhosa , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Political aspects , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Sociological aspects , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Onomastics -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164298 , vital:41107
- Description: It is always assumed when you have a white surname that you have a white lineage or your forefathers were white, and that was always my struggle in school to explain the meaning of my surname and where it came from. Not only European surnames used by amaXhosa are difficult to explain but also many isiXhosa surnames are very hard to break down and explain. This is because many word from th e isiXhosa language, that are used in surnames are no longer used and if one does not know the history of certain names then it would be difficult to know the meaning of a surname or misinterpret its meaning to the modern words of isiXhosa that we know. S urnames are not of African origin, they came from the West, but because of colonialism surnames were enforced on African people. Most of the surnames they used, are said to be names of their forefathers (ancestors), and there is a small amount or none that links to femininity in these surnames. Surnames are part of naming and naming is part of onomastics. Naming is a very important tool used among various African cultures to convey certain messages, either to an individual, family members or a community. On omastics is multidisciplinary in nature. It can be approached from different perspectives. These include linguistic, historical, sociological, philosophical, economical and other perspectives. This research looks at the depth of certain amaXhosa surnames and even their links to other names like, nicknames and clan names etc.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A systematic review of the efficacy of internet-based interventions for depression and anxiety disorders: the possibilities and limitations for feasibility within South Africa
- Authors: Sealy-Fisher, Kay Tibeta
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Depression, Mental -- Treatment -- South Africa , Anxiety disorders -- Treatment -- South Africa , Internet in psychotherapy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144632 , vital:38364
- Description: Technological advances may alleviate the burden on South Africa’s mental healthcare system. This study is a systematic review of literature that assesses the efficacy of high quality online interventions for depression and anxiety, and that compares the reviewed studies’ characteristics to the South African context to assist in future developments of online interventions for depression and anxiety within South Africa. This was achieved through using a 2010 systematic review of Griffiths, Farrer, and Christensen as point of departure. This research had two aims: to provide an updated systematic review of the literature reporting on the efficacy of internet-based interventions for depression and anxiety disorders; and to evaluate the possibilities and limitations for the feasibility of implementing internet-based interventions for depression and anxiety disorders in the South African context. Databases accessed were PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Included studies must: (i) report on one or more internet-based intervention, (ii) target depression or anxiety or both, (iii) report the effect size or provide enough information to calculate it, (iv) report a measure of symptoms outcome, (v) be a Randomised Controlled Trial, (vi) include a control group that received no active intervention, (vii) be published and peer-reviewed, (viii) have been published after January 2010. The search yielded 2999 potential studies of which 20 full texts were reviewed. Of these, 75% (n=15) of the studies report effect sizes above 0.20, and 25% (n=5) of the studies report effect sizes above 0.80. Themes emergent from literature and included studies distinguished effective from non-effective studies included the use of cognitive behavioural therapy, therapist input and reminders to engage with the intervention, and duration of over 6 weeks. Attrition rates did not differ between experimental and control groups. Sample characteristics between the reviewed interventions and South Africa’s population were found to be different and is discussed. Unfortunately, 37 potential studies could not be accessed and thus not included, although several attempts were made. The majority of studies had effect sizes equal to that of face-to-face therapeutic interventions. Implications of application in South Africa’s context with limited technological familiarity, insufficiency of professionally trained therapists, poor literacy, and high costs of internet data are discussed. It is concluded that with appropriate adaptation, online internet interventions for depression and anxiety would be beneficial to South Africa’s people and assist in lowering the country’s burden of mental health disorders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Sealy-Fisher, Kay Tibeta
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Depression, Mental -- Treatment -- South Africa , Anxiety disorders -- Treatment -- South Africa , Internet in psychotherapy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144632 , vital:38364
- Description: Technological advances may alleviate the burden on South Africa’s mental healthcare system. This study is a systematic review of literature that assesses the efficacy of high quality online interventions for depression and anxiety, and that compares the reviewed studies’ characteristics to the South African context to assist in future developments of online interventions for depression and anxiety within South Africa. This was achieved through using a 2010 systematic review of Griffiths, Farrer, and Christensen as point of departure. This research had two aims: to provide an updated systematic review of the literature reporting on the efficacy of internet-based interventions for depression and anxiety disorders; and to evaluate the possibilities and limitations for the feasibility of implementing internet-based interventions for depression and anxiety disorders in the South African context. Databases accessed were PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Included studies must: (i) report on one or more internet-based intervention, (ii) target depression or anxiety or both, (iii) report the effect size or provide enough information to calculate it, (iv) report a measure of symptoms outcome, (v) be a Randomised Controlled Trial, (vi) include a control group that received no active intervention, (vii) be published and peer-reviewed, (viii) have been published after January 2010. The search yielded 2999 potential studies of which 20 full texts were reviewed. Of these, 75% (n=15) of the studies report effect sizes above 0.20, and 25% (n=5) of the studies report effect sizes above 0.80. Themes emergent from literature and included studies distinguished effective from non-effective studies included the use of cognitive behavioural therapy, therapist input and reminders to engage with the intervention, and duration of over 6 weeks. Attrition rates did not differ between experimental and control groups. Sample characteristics between the reviewed interventions and South Africa’s population were found to be different and is discussed. Unfortunately, 37 potential studies could not be accessed and thus not included, although several attempts were made. The majority of studies had effect sizes equal to that of face-to-face therapeutic interventions. Implications of application in South Africa’s context with limited technological familiarity, insufficiency of professionally trained therapists, poor literacy, and high costs of internet data are discussed. It is concluded that with appropriate adaptation, online internet interventions for depression and anxiety would be beneficial to South Africa’s people and assist in lowering the country’s burden of mental health disorders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A tribute to you
- Ndlebe-September, Thobeka Veronica
- Authors: Ndlebe-September, Thobeka Veronica
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Xhosa fiction -- 21st century , Xhosa fiction -- History and criticism , Short stories, Xhosa -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144989 , vital:38398
- Description: My collection of short stories reflects my interest in narrative biblical fiction, allegorical stories about people and nature that resonate with our daily lives. I have been greatly influenced by writers such as Joel Matlou, Flannery O’Connor, Barry Gifford, Miriam Tladi and Leah Harris amongst others. I have also been captivated by fairy tales and folk tales, and also the work of isiXhosa writers such as S. E. K. Mqhayi, Madiponi Masenya, and Hulisani Ramantswana. I have discovered that I can borrow certain styles and forms of writing to enhance my own stories which are situated within ‘local’ contexts such as education, poverty, employment, the body, life and death.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Ndlebe-September, Thobeka Veronica
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Xhosa fiction -- 21st century , Xhosa fiction -- History and criticism , Short stories, Xhosa -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144989 , vital:38398
- Description: My collection of short stories reflects my interest in narrative biblical fiction, allegorical stories about people and nature that resonate with our daily lives. I have been greatly influenced by writers such as Joel Matlou, Flannery O’Connor, Barry Gifford, Miriam Tladi and Leah Harris amongst others. I have also been captivated by fairy tales and folk tales, and also the work of isiXhosa writers such as S. E. K. Mqhayi, Madiponi Masenya, and Hulisani Ramantswana. I have discovered that I can borrow certain styles and forms of writing to enhance my own stories which are situated within ‘local’ contexts such as education, poverty, employment, the body, life and death.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Addo Elephant National Park 1900 – 1955: An Environmental History of the struggle between elephants and emerging commercial farmers in the Sundays River Valley
- Jones,Nicholas Austen Inskip
- Authors: Jones,Nicholas Austen Inskip
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Wildlife conservation -- South Africa -- Addo National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46922 , vital:39733
- Description: The research covers the first half of the 20th Century in the Sundays River Valley, and the relations between the elephants and the local farmers. The research includes some discussion of the implementation of new ideas to agriculture, irrigation, and colonial settlement with the interplay between the colonial farmers and the Administration. There is reference to the early politics surrounding nature conservation and the difficulties faced by farmers from wildlife and the difficulty wildlife face trying to co-exist alongside early intensive commercial agriculture.Included is the decision making process of the Colonial administration with reference to wildlife and agriculture relating to charismatic animal species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Jones,Nicholas Austen Inskip
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Wildlife conservation -- South Africa -- Addo National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46922 , vital:39733
- Description: The research covers the first half of the 20th Century in the Sundays River Valley, and the relations between the elephants and the local farmers. The research includes some discussion of the implementation of new ideas to agriculture, irrigation, and colonial settlement with the interplay between the colonial farmers and the Administration. There is reference to the early politics surrounding nature conservation and the difficulties faced by farmers from wildlife and the difficulty wildlife face trying to co-exist alongside early intensive commercial agriculture.Included is the decision making process of the Colonial administration with reference to wildlife and agriculture relating to charismatic animal species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Age is nothing but a number: Ben 10s, sugar mummies, and the South African gender order in the Daily Sun’s Facebook page
- Authors: Mlangeni, Ntombikayise Lina
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: May-December romances -- South Africa , Women in mass media , Men in mass media , Sex role in mass media , Masculinity in mass media , Feminism and mass media , Critical discourse analysis , Unemployment -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Daily Sun (South Africa) , Ben 10
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167077 , vital:41435
- Description: This thesis examines how meanings of masculinity and femininity are negotiated by South Africans on a social media platform linked to a popular local tabloid newspaper. In particular it explores conversations surrounding the Ben 10 phenomenon on the Daily Sun’s Facebook page. A Ben 10 is commonly understood as a young man who enters into a sexual relationship with an older woman, mostly in township settings, and readers engage vociferously over the meanings of such relationships. Using a constructivist understanding of gender, a thematic analysis is used to examine the Facebook comments on the Daily Sun’s most popular Ben 10 stories. South Africa’s constitution promotes the right to gender equality and freedom, which contributes to the normalisation of sex in public conversations and political debate. However, with high levels of unemployment and poverty in South Africa, the narrative of masculine success through work remains relatively unattainable. This tension between the narrative of male-bread winner through work and the reality of South Africa’s poverty and unemployment has been referred to as the crisis of masculinity. This thesis will argue that tabloids can play a strong political role by providing an alternative public sphere and that they can also assist their readers in coping with life in a democratic society by creating an imagined community of people sharing common experiences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Mlangeni, Ntombikayise Lina
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: May-December romances -- South Africa , Women in mass media , Men in mass media , Sex role in mass media , Masculinity in mass media , Feminism and mass media , Critical discourse analysis , Unemployment -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Daily Sun (South Africa) , Ben 10
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167077 , vital:41435
- Description: This thesis examines how meanings of masculinity and femininity are negotiated by South Africans on a social media platform linked to a popular local tabloid newspaper. In particular it explores conversations surrounding the Ben 10 phenomenon on the Daily Sun’s Facebook page. A Ben 10 is commonly understood as a young man who enters into a sexual relationship with an older woman, mostly in township settings, and readers engage vociferously over the meanings of such relationships. Using a constructivist understanding of gender, a thematic analysis is used to examine the Facebook comments on the Daily Sun’s most popular Ben 10 stories. South Africa’s constitution promotes the right to gender equality and freedom, which contributes to the normalisation of sex in public conversations and political debate. However, with high levels of unemployment and poverty in South Africa, the narrative of masculine success through work remains relatively unattainable. This tension between the narrative of male-bread winner through work and the reality of South Africa’s poverty and unemployment has been referred to as the crisis of masculinity. This thesis will argue that tabloids can play a strong political role by providing an alternative public sphere and that they can also assist their readers in coping with life in a democratic society by creating an imagined community of people sharing common experiences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Aileen wuornos : a psychobiographical study
- Authors: Fakude, Shuanize Xiluva
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women serial murderers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50789 , vital:42700
- Description: A psychobiographical study is an exploration of a unique individual’s entire lived life through a psychological lens. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the personality development of Aileen Wuornos within her socio-historical context by applying Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development. Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990 by shooting them at point blank range. Wuornos’s life was marked by a difficult formative environment, maternal abandonment, and adoption by her grandparents. Wuornos continued to experience physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of family members, friends and the community. Wuornos lived her life focusing on survival, and started to engage with petty crime and prostitution to do so. Her patterns escalated to include more serious criminal behaviour, culminating in serial murder. Wuornos was selected for this study using nonpropability purposive sampling. She was selected based on the researcher’s curiosity of her life events and experiences that led her to commit serial murders. Data was collected through a variety of primary and secondary sources on Wuornos and it was analysed using Miles and Huberman’s three steps process of data analysis, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings of this study indicate that Wuornos experiences severe difficulties in renegotiating the seven stages proposed by Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, and all the ego strengths that she developed were seriously delayed.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Fakude, Shuanize Xiluva
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women serial murderers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50789 , vital:42700
- Description: A psychobiographical study is an exploration of a unique individual’s entire lived life through a psychological lens. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the personality development of Aileen Wuornos within her socio-historical context by applying Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development. Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990 by shooting them at point blank range. Wuornos’s life was marked by a difficult formative environment, maternal abandonment, and adoption by her grandparents. Wuornos continued to experience physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of family members, friends and the community. Wuornos lived her life focusing on survival, and started to engage with petty crime and prostitution to do so. Her patterns escalated to include more serious criminal behaviour, culminating in serial murder. Wuornos was selected for this study using nonpropability purposive sampling. She was selected based on the researcher’s curiosity of her life events and experiences that led her to commit serial murders. Data was collected through a variety of primary and secondary sources on Wuornos and it was analysed using Miles and Huberman’s three steps process of data analysis, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings of this study indicate that Wuornos experiences severe difficulties in renegotiating the seven stages proposed by Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, and all the ego strengths that she developed were seriously delayed.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2020
An analysis of purple truths: an alternative history of the school of journalism and media studies at Rhodes University. Exploring the possibilities of digital media for telling history through multiple voices
- Authors: Geldenhuys, Jesamé
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Citizen journalism -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Social media and history -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Public history -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Digital media -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Digital humanities , User-generated content -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Social media -- Authorship , Rhodes University. School of Journalism and Media Studies -- History , Purple Truths
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142293 , vital:38066
- Description: In theory, notions of public history and participatory journalism signal the ability of users to become active collaborators in the journalistic process with a degree of agency and authority over media content. Similarities in public history and participatory journalism are manifested in audience participation where the traditional and hegemonic boundaries between readers and journalists/historians are challenged. In this thesis, I present Purple Truths, a digital public history website about the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, that highlights multivocality and plurality. It allowed for democratisation of the historical narrative by inviting audience participation to historical inquiry on a digital platform. It was constructed as a case study for the thesis to investigate participatory processes. Using a five-dimensional model developed by Netzer et al. (2014) for the construction of participation on news websites, I identified five major participation features that revealed how and where participation was happening on the website. The features were mapped and tabulated according to Carpentier’s (2011) maximalist/minimalist dimensions of participation (access, interaction and ‘real’) to determine the degrees of participation in this study towards the aim of using the Purple Truths website to democratise the historical narrative. My findings suggest that despite a diversity of strategies, the study did have to rely on existing norms and practices of editorial decision-making, even in the context of digital media, and significant stages of the news-production process (selection/filtering) remained in the hands of researcher/editor. Maximalist participation, demonstrated as equalised power relations in decision-making, has a utopian dimension and is difficult to translate into practice. However, participation research requires further investigation in the digital humanities in South Africa to explore notions of democratisation of the narrative in academic and social praxis as sites of interdisciplinary democratic renewal
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Geldenhuys, Jesamé
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Citizen journalism -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Social media and history -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Public history -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Digital media -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Digital humanities , User-generated content -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Social media -- Authorship , Rhodes University. School of Journalism and Media Studies -- History , Purple Truths
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142293 , vital:38066
- Description: In theory, notions of public history and participatory journalism signal the ability of users to become active collaborators in the journalistic process with a degree of agency and authority over media content. Similarities in public history and participatory journalism are manifested in audience participation where the traditional and hegemonic boundaries between readers and journalists/historians are challenged. In this thesis, I present Purple Truths, a digital public history website about the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, that highlights multivocality and plurality. It allowed for democratisation of the historical narrative by inviting audience participation to historical inquiry on a digital platform. It was constructed as a case study for the thesis to investigate participatory processes. Using a five-dimensional model developed by Netzer et al. (2014) for the construction of participation on news websites, I identified five major participation features that revealed how and where participation was happening on the website. The features were mapped and tabulated according to Carpentier’s (2011) maximalist/minimalist dimensions of participation (access, interaction and ‘real’) to determine the degrees of participation in this study towards the aim of using the Purple Truths website to democratise the historical narrative. My findings suggest that despite a diversity of strategies, the study did have to rely on existing norms and practices of editorial decision-making, even in the context of digital media, and significant stages of the news-production process (selection/filtering) remained in the hands of researcher/editor. Maximalist participation, demonstrated as equalised power relations in decision-making, has a utopian dimension and is difficult to translate into practice. However, participation research requires further investigation in the digital humanities in South Africa to explore notions of democratisation of the narrative in academic and social praxis as sites of interdisciplinary democratic renewal
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
An Analysis of Self-Help Agricultural Projects in Rothe Village, Lesotho
- Authors: Phiri, Bokang
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Community development -- Lesotho , Rural development -- Lesotho , Rural development projects - Lesotho -- Case studies , Agricultural development projects - Lesotho -- Case studies , Agricultural development projects - Lesotho -- Evaluation , Rural Self-Help Development Association
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144242 , vital:38324
- Description: The study analysed self-help agricultural projects in Rothe, Lesotho to ascertain whether they improve the quality lives of Rothe villagers. As much as government driven self-help projects in Lesotho contribute to growing the rural economy, there is limited research that looks the sustainability of these interventions. Much of the literature in Lesotho reveal that self-help agricultural projects have focused on people being provided with food-for-work, or cash-for-work, these offered little benefits and temporary relief for hunger for beneficiaries. This study seeks to understand how self-help agricultural projects can sustainable improve the lives of Rothe community in Lesotho. The study drew from Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to understand self-help agricultural projects in Rothe, Lesotho. The study employed a qualitative case study approach, supplemented by purposive and snowball sampling methods and semi-structured interviews to select and interview self-help project beneficiaries and Field Officers of RSDA in Rothe Village. The findings revealed that self-help agricultural projects are alternative development interventions for improving the quality lives of poor rural villagers. These development interventions enable people to access livelihoods resources, assets, and social capitals that are important to improve, and sustain livelihoods. Additionally, they improve capabilities of the poor, and contribute to their overall development. The thesis concludes that these development interventions have a role to play in alleviating rural poverty lives as a way to ensure equitable distribution of resources. The study recommends that the government, people on the ground and RSDA should work together to strengthen people’s capabilities through self-help agricultural projects to promote welfare and well-being of rural people.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Phiri, Bokang
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Community development -- Lesotho , Rural development -- Lesotho , Rural development projects - Lesotho -- Case studies , Agricultural development projects - Lesotho -- Case studies , Agricultural development projects - Lesotho -- Evaluation , Rural Self-Help Development Association
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144242 , vital:38324
- Description: The study analysed self-help agricultural projects in Rothe, Lesotho to ascertain whether they improve the quality lives of Rothe villagers. As much as government driven self-help projects in Lesotho contribute to growing the rural economy, there is limited research that looks the sustainability of these interventions. Much of the literature in Lesotho reveal that self-help agricultural projects have focused on people being provided with food-for-work, or cash-for-work, these offered little benefits and temporary relief for hunger for beneficiaries. This study seeks to understand how self-help agricultural projects can sustainable improve the lives of Rothe community in Lesotho. The study drew from Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to understand self-help agricultural projects in Rothe, Lesotho. The study employed a qualitative case study approach, supplemented by purposive and snowball sampling methods and semi-structured interviews to select and interview self-help project beneficiaries and Field Officers of RSDA in Rothe Village. The findings revealed that self-help agricultural projects are alternative development interventions for improving the quality lives of poor rural villagers. These development interventions enable people to access livelihoods resources, assets, and social capitals that are important to improve, and sustain livelihoods. Additionally, they improve capabilities of the poor, and contribute to their overall development. The thesis concludes that these development interventions have a role to play in alleviating rural poverty lives as a way to ensure equitable distribution of resources. The study recommends that the government, people on the ground and RSDA should work together to strengthen people’s capabilities through self-help agricultural projects to promote welfare and well-being of rural people.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
An anthropoligical Inquiry on knowledge and understanding of Diabetes: a cultural analysis of knowledge construction amongst the youth in Humewood, Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Bota, Zizipho
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Diabetes -- Port Elizabeth --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46659 , vital:39606
- Description: The study sought to inquire about the youth’s knowledge and understanding of diabetes in relation to its different types with regards to determined societal components such as education, culture, healthcare and socioeconomic status. It then became important to establish what the youth in Humewood, Port Elizabeth, understand about diabetes in relation to its three different types with regard to education, culture, healthcare and socioeconomic status in Humewood, Port Elizabeth. Previous studies have failed to inquire about knowledge construction and understanding of diabetes in Port Elizabeth, this provided an opportunity to do so, especially since diabetes is growing rapidly and is a lifelong illness. Most studies tend to focus on disseminating information to those that already have diabetes, overlooking the importance of diabetes education as a preventative strategy. The research followed a qualitative approach which included semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection amongst ten participants using convenience sampling. The data revealed the importance of diabetes education and representation, and showed that financial standing and healthcare are interconnected. Complex inferiorities and social stratification hinder the betterment of the general welfare and therefore signifying social injustice. This research is an important contribution to medical anthropology in the context of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Bota, Zizipho
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Diabetes -- Port Elizabeth --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46659 , vital:39606
- Description: The study sought to inquire about the youth’s knowledge and understanding of diabetes in relation to its different types with regards to determined societal components such as education, culture, healthcare and socioeconomic status. It then became important to establish what the youth in Humewood, Port Elizabeth, understand about diabetes in relation to its three different types with regard to education, culture, healthcare and socioeconomic status in Humewood, Port Elizabeth. Previous studies have failed to inquire about knowledge construction and understanding of diabetes in Port Elizabeth, this provided an opportunity to do so, especially since diabetes is growing rapidly and is a lifelong illness. Most studies tend to focus on disseminating information to those that already have diabetes, overlooking the importance of diabetes education as a preventative strategy. The research followed a qualitative approach which included semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection amongst ten participants using convenience sampling. The data revealed the importance of diabetes education and representation, and showed that financial standing and healthcare are interconnected. Complex inferiorities and social stratification hinder the betterment of the general welfare and therefore signifying social injustice. This research is an important contribution to medical anthropology in the context of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020