Exploitation status of infralittoral abalone (Haliotis midae) and alikreukel (Turbo sarmaticus) in the southern section of the Eastern Cape coast, South Africa
- Authors: Proudfoot, Lee-Anne , Kaehler, Sven , McGarry, Dylan K , Uppink, P A , Aereboe, Michael , Morris, K M
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6915 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011878
- Description: Intertidal size-frequency distributions and densities for Haliotis midae and Turbo sarmaticus were examined at 10 sites experiencing varying pressure of human exploitation along the southern section of the Eastern Cape coast, South Africa. Target species' densities and maximum sizes were related both to the numbers of collectors on the shore and to indirect indicators of exploitation such as number of households in the vicinity and distance to the nearest beach access point. For both species, there was variation in density (P < 0.05) and size (P < 0.05) among sites, with densities ranging between 0.03-2.23 m^(-2) and 0.07-4.93 m^(-2) for H. midae and T. sarmaticus, respectively. Maximum sizes ranged between 49.4-153.5 mm (H. midae) and 28.3-104.4 mm (T. sarmaticus) shell length. Population parameters such as mean maximum size and total density were significantly negatively related to exploitation indicators for both species. In addition, densities of sexually mature and legal-size individuals of T. sarmaticus were significantly negatively related to the number of households. However, only for H. midae were densities of subadults significantly negatively related to the number of collectors, suggesting that reproduction of abalone may be suppressed at the most exploited sites. Exploitation of T. sarmaticus tends to be localized near population centres, whereas H. midae is collected over a larger range of sites. Overall, T. sarmaticus is less affected by exploitation than H. midae.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Exploring and describing depressogenic cognitive schema, levels of depression and hopelessness among depressed and non depressed adults
- Authors: Ahlfeldt, Alan
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9845 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/393 , Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Description: The subject of mood disorders and in particular depression is pertinent with rapidly increasing incidences of depression and suicide a widespread phenomenon in the world today. In South Africa, the rates of depression are increasing steadily each year. Much research has been undertaken in the area of depression, with negative cognitive schema identified as a common factor, which increases an individual’s vulnerability or diathesis to depression and hopelessness. The primary aims of this research are to explore and describe the depressogenic cognitive schema of both a depressed as well as normal (nondepressed) individuals and identify the relationship these schema have to levels of depression and hopelessness. In order to achieve these objectives, three measures were administered, the Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Beck’s Hopelessness Scale and the Inferential Style Questionnaire. The research design is quantitative in nature and took the form of an exploratory-descriptive study. The researcher made use of frequency tests to identify frequencies of scores and descriptive statistics to identify the mean, range and standard deviations. T tests, a Pearson product- moment correlation coefficient and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) were also employed for statistical analysis within this research study. The findings of this research study identify that the depressed sample scored higher levels of depression, hopelessness and negative inferential style than that of the normal sample.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Exploring employee morale at the Port Elizabeth plant of Cadbury (South Africa)
- Authors: Wolfaardt, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003129 , Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Description: In the current business climate, performance is increasingly determined by how flexibly and effectively companies can utilize their human resources and this in tum, is influenced by employee morale. Morale refers to a state of psychosomatic health marked by an energetic, decisive resolution to achieve a given goal. When morale is low, employees may do what is required but do not have the energy to 'go the extra mile'. The importance of maintaining high morale is thus evident. The following project involved a study of morale in Cadbury's Port Elizabeth plant. Cadbury management was concerned about low morale following a recent merger with Bromor Foods. They thus wanted to assess: the state of current morale; any factors that may be influencing it; indicators of low morale (so that it may be monitored in the future) and finally, ways of addressing any existing morale issues. In order to achieve these aims, the researcher conducted interviews with various people to explore morale issues from employees' perspectives. She then sought confirmation for these views at the organizational level through the use of a survey. Statistical and thematic analyses showed morale to be low for middle managers and revealed a variety of indicators and influencing factors, as well as suggestions for addressing them. Despite the need to boost the sample size with convenience sampling, and thus, reduced representivity, the research was successful in answering the research aims.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Factors influencing species richness, cover and composition of vegetation on Namaqualand quartz fields
- Authors: Van Tonder, Carlo
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Plant diversity -- South Africa -- Namaqualand , Soil biology -- South Africa -- Namaqualand
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10752 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/630 , Plant diversity -- South Africa -- Namaqualand , Soil biology -- South Africa -- Namaqualand
- Description: Quartz fields contribute significantly to plant diversity in the Succulent Karoo biome. They are distinctly different from surrounding habitats and have high levels of plant endemism. Biological soil crusts are features of quartz field soils and fulfill a vital function in that they stabilize soils. It is important for managers of nature reserves and agricultural rangelands to know what factors influence quartz field soils and vegetation. Both stakeholders could benefit from new information that would allow for informed decision-making regarding land-use on quartz fields. The present study took place in the Namaqua National Park that contains a significant proportion of the Riethuis-Wallekraal quartz fields phytochorion. The first part of the study aimed to understand whether certain land-use activities potentially destabilize quartz field soils, which might have possible ramifications for associated biological soil crusts and vegetation. It was followed by relating variation in soil stability with species richness, cover and species composition of quartz field vegetation. Overall, positions assumed to be impacted by land-use activities had less stable soils compared to positions assumed not be impacted. Soil stability had a significant influence on species richness and cover but to a lesser degree on species composition. Quartz field vegetation was significantly influenced by soil physical and chemical properties as well as location in the quartz fields landscape. The second part of the study aimed at understanding how species richness of isolated quartz outcrops is related to their size compared to that of a mainland body of quartz outcrops. No clear species-area relationships emerged from the study. There were significant differences between isolated outcrops and mainland outcrops in substrate and vegetation composition. Findings are discussed in relation to Island Biogeography Theory.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Feeding dynamics and distribution of the hyperiid amphipod, Themisto gaudichaudii (Guérin, 1828) in the polar frontal zone, Southern Ocean
- Authors: Lange, Louise
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Themisto gaudichaudii -- Antarctic Ocean , Hyperiidae -- Antarctic Ocean , Zooplankton -- Antarctic Ocean
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5696 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005382 , Themisto gaudichaudii -- Antarctic Ocean , Hyperiidae -- Antarctic Ocean , Zooplankton -- Antarctic Ocean
- Description: The population structure and feeding dynamics of the hyperiid amphipod, Themisto gaudichaudii, was investigated during two cruises of the South African National Antarctic Programme conducted in the Indian sector of the Polar Frontal Zone during austral autumn (April) 2004 and 2005. During the 2004 cruise the frontal features that delimit the PFZ converged to form a single distinctive feature. In 2005, the research cruise was conducted in the vicinity of a cold-core eddy which was spawned from the Antarctic Polar Front. Total mesozooplankton abundance and biomass during the 2004 study ranged from 55.19 to 860.57 ind. m⁻³, and from 2.60 to 38.42 mg dwt m⁻³, respectively. In 2005 the abundance and biomass ranged from 23.1 to 2160.64 ind. m⁻³, and from 0.76 to 35.16 mg dwt m⁻³, respectively. The mesozooplankton community was numerically dominated by copepods, pteropods, and ostracods during both surveys. The abundance and biomass of Themisto gaudichaudii in the region of investigation was < 0.2 ind. m⁻³ (range 0.01 to 0.15 ind. m⁻³) and < 0.06 mg dwt m⁻³ (range 0.02 to 0.06 mg dwt m⁻³) during 2004, while in 2005 the abundance and biomass of the amphipod ranged from < 0.01 to 0.2 ind. m⁻³ and < 0.01 to 0.04 mg dwt m⁻³, respectively. These values correspond to < 1% of the total mesozooplankton abundance and biomass during both surveys. T. gaudichaudii exhibited no significant spatial patterns in abundance, biomass and total length during both 2004 and 2005 (p > 0.05 in all cases). A key feature of the two investigations was the virtual absence of juveniles (total length < 15 mm) among the amphipod population, supporting the suggestion that they exhibit strong seasonal patterns in reproduction. Gut content analysis during both years indicated that for both the male and female amphipods’, copepods were the most prevalent prey species found in stomachs, followed by chaetognaths and pteropods. Results of electivity studies indicate that T. gaudichaudii is an opportunistic predator, generally feeding on the most abundant mesozooplankton prey. Results of in vitro incubations indicated that the total daily feeding rate of T. gaudichaudii during 2004 ranged from 11.45 to 20.90 ind. m⁻³ d⁻¹, which corresponds to between 0.12 and 1.64% of the total mesozooplankton standing stock. In 2005, the feeding rate ranged between 0.1 and 1.73% of the total mesozooplankton standing stock. The low predation impact of T. gaudichaudii during this study can be related to their low abundances and high interannual variability throughout the region of investigation.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Feeding ecology, space use and habitat selection of elephants in two enclosed game reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Roux, Candice
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Shamwari Game Reserve (South Africa) , Kwandwe Game Reserve (South Africa) , Elephants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Feeding -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Nutrition -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Habitat -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5699 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005385 , Shamwari Game Reserve (South Africa) , Kwandwe Game Reserve (South Africa) , Elephants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Feeding -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Nutrition -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Elephants -- Habitat -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The development of small (<300 km²), private game reserves has become a trend, not only in the Eastern Cape Province, but also elsewhere in South Africa as a result of a shift in land use practise from agriculture to ecotourism. The resultant re-introduction of elephants to many of these reserves has lead to management concerns because of the limited research on small reserves regarding their impact on the vegetation. In this study I assessed the space use, habitat selection, diet and impact of two elephant populations on the vegetation in the Eastern Cape Province between February 2004 and March 2005. Home range sizes were calculated using the kernel utilization distribution method. Home range sizes for elephants on Kwandwe were significantly larger during summer than winter (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the home range sizes of the herds and males within a season and during summer the elephants utilized about 75 % of the reserve and only 54 % during winter. On Shamwari, the herd utilized about 92 % of the reserve during summer and 83 % during winter; while the males utilized 76 % of the reserve. Core areas for both elephant populations shrank from summer to winter and were concentrated around the permanent water sources on each reserve. Habitat selection was assessed using χ² tests and Bonferroni confidence intervals. On Kwandwe, there was a significant difference between observed and expected use of vegetation types (p<0.05) and karroid shrubland was strongly avoided by both herds during summer and winter. The preferred vegetation types of the males ranged from relatively open (short euphorbia thicket, bushclump karroid thicket and karroid shrubland) to completely open (old lands). On Shamwari, subtropical thicket, bontveld and montane grassland were avoided; while primary and secondary acacia thicket, riverine thicket and cultivated lands were preferred. The predominant vegetation type in the home ranges of herds on Kwandwe and Shamwari was subtropical thicket. The diet was assessed by direct observations over two seasons and dietary preferences were calculated. There was a significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of plants in the diet on the two reserves (p<0.05) and no significant effect of time of day or season (p>0.05). Seventeen woody plant species were utilized on Kwandwe and 23 species were utilized on Shamwari. Grass constituted a significantly greater percentage of the diet in summer than winter (p<0.05). Elephants on Kwandwe showed a selective preference for Ozoroa mucronata, Pappea capensis and Acacia karroo; while on Shamwari, A. karroo was selected. Transects were conducted in two different vegetation types on each reserve so as to assess the impact of elephant on the vegetation and damage scores were then calculated from these data. There was no significant effect of vegetation type or elephant density on mean damage scores in Kwandwe (p>0.05). Five hundred and seventy-eight plants were assessed in the subtropical thicket vegetation type and 225 plants were assessed in the savanna-type vegetation, with more than half the trees showing low levels of damage that could not only be attributed to elephants. Mean damage was highest for Portulacaria afra and Pappea capensis in subtropical thicket and for Rhus spp. in the savanna-type vegetation. On Shamwari, 408 plants were assessed in subtropical thicket and 215 in the savanna-type vegetation, with more than 70 % of trees showing low levels of damage. There was a significant effect of plant species and elephant density on the mean damage scores in subtropical thicket, with Aloe ferox showing more damage than the other plant species (p<0.01). In the savanna-type vegetation, A. karroo was the most severely damaged. Overall, damage was greater in the thicket vegetation type compared to the more open vegetation type on both reserves.
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- Date Issued: 2006
File integrity checking
- Authors: Motara, Yusuf Moosa
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Linux , Operating systems (Computers) , Database design , Computer security
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4682 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007701 , Linux , Operating systems (Computers) , Database design , Computer security
- Description: This thesis looks at file execution as an attack vector that leads to the execution of unauthorized code. File integrity checking is examined as a means of removing this attack vector, and the design, implementation, and evaluation of a best-of-breed file integrity checker for the Linux operating system is undertaken. We conclude that the resultant file integrity checker does succeed in removing file execution as an attack vector, does so at a computational cost that is negligible, and displays innovative and useful features that are not currently found in any other Linux file integrity checker.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Financial reforms and interest rate spreads in the commercial banking sector in Kenya
- Authors: Munene, Daniel
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Finance -- Kenya , Banks and banking -- Kenya , Economics -- Kenya , Interest rates -- Kenya , Economic development -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1070 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007711 , Finance -- Kenya , Banks and banking -- Kenya , Economics -- Kenya , Interest rates -- Kenya , Economic development -- Kenya
- Description: Financial reforms were a major component of structural adjustment programs deemed necessary for developing countries in the mid 1980s. These were not only meant to improve the sector, but would ultimately enhance economic growth and help in poverty alleviation. At the top of these reforms was financial liberalisation. Kenya, like many other sub-Saharan African countries, undertook financial liberalisation in 1991, one of the measures was decontrolling interest rates. With market driven interest rates in place it was assumed that there would be increased efficiency in bank lending, as well as growth in credit availability as deposits increased. A key indicator of this improved intermediation process would be a narrowing interest rates spread, that is, the margin between the deposit and lending rate. Paradoxically, however, the expected benefits of these reforms did not accrue to Kenya's banking sector. This study focuses on financial reforms and the spread of interest rates in Kenya's banking sector. Using a trend analysis, spanning the period before and after liberalisation, interest rates spread are shown to have escalated dramatically upwards after liberalisation. An analysis of three macroeconomic variables, namely, the exchange rate, inflation rate and economic growth offer little, or inconclusive evidence, that they were the main causes of the wide interest rate spread. In fact, the spread is closely linked to institutional/structural factors such as non-competitiveness in the banking sector, imprudent lending practices and poor and/or inadequate banking supervision. Policies for improving the institutional infrastructure and thus moderating the spreads are highlighted.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Firewalls at Rhodes
- Authors: Siebörger, David
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Conference paper
- Identifier: vital:6610 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009522
- Description: A presentation on the use of Internet Firewalls at Rhodes University. This formed part of the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications' Bandwidth Management and Optimisation Open Source Tools and Solutions project, being a series of workshops conducted throughout the developing world.
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- Date Issued: 2006
First record of predation by the alien invasive freshwater fish Micropterus salmoides L.(Centrarchidae) on migrating estuarine fishes in South Africa
- Authors: Weyl, Olaf L F , Lewis, Hylton
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/446852 , vital:74565 , https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2006.11407365
- Description: This study presents results from stomach content analysis of 123 largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, sampled at the mouth of the fishway leading into a 3 m high weir at the tidal limit of the Kowie River, Eastern Cape Province (33°32‘39“S, 26°46‘ 52.3“E). Stomach contents from small (120–240 mm fork length, FL) and large (250–440mm FL) fish were analysed separately. Fish were the dominant prey item in small bass, followed by terrestrial insects and Potamonautes sp. In large bass, Potamonautes sp. dominated the stomach contents, while fish were less dominant and other prey items were considered incidental. Estuarine fish species, Monodactylus falciformis, and two species of the family Mugilidae, Mugil cephalus and Myxus capensis, were the most common fish prey in both size classes of M. salmoides. These results are the first evidence of the alien M. salmoides preying on these three indigenous estuarine species during their migration into fresh water.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Fishes of the deep demersal habitat at Ngazidja (Grand Comoro) Island, Western Indian Ocean
- Authors: Heemstra, P C , Hissmann, K , Fricke, H
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7128 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010638
- Description: Underwater observations of the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae Smith, 1939, from a research submersible provided opportunities to study the deep demersal fish fauna at the Comoro Islands. The demersal habitat in depths of 150–400 m at the volcanic island of Ngazidja is low in fish diversity and biomass, compared with the shallow-water coral reef habitat of Ngazidja or the deep demersal habitats of other localities in the Indo-Pacific region. The resident deep demersal fish fauna at Ngazidja is dominated by the coelacanth, an ancient predator that is specially adapted for this low-energy environment. Other large fish predators are scarce in this environment, because of the heavy fishing pressure from local fishermen. Eighty-nine fish taxa (including 65 recognizable species) were recorded from videotapes, photographs, visual observations, fishermen’s catches and ancillary attempts to sample the fish fauna with baited fish traps, gill nets, and hook and line. Although no coelacanth feeding events were seen, seven fish species are known from coelacanth stomach contents, and 64 other fish species in this habitat are considered potential prey of this dominant predator.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Fishes of the deep demersal habitat at Ngazidja (Grand Comoro) Island, Western Indian Ocean
- Authors: Heemstra, P C , Hissmann, K , Fricke, H
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011885
- Description: Underwater observations of the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae Smith, 1939, from a research submersible provided opportunities to study the deep demersal fish fauna at the Comoro Islands. The demersal habitat in depths of 150–400 m at the volcanic island of Ngazidja is low in fish diversity and biomass, compared with the shallow-water coral reef habitat of Ngazidja or the deep demersal habitats of other localities in the Indo-Pacific region. The resident deep demersal fish fauna at Ngazidja is dominated by the coelacanth, an ancient predator that is specially adapted for this low-energy environment. Other large fish predators are scarce in this environment, because of the heavy fishing pressure from local fishermen. Eighty-nine fish taxa (including 65 recognizable species) were recorded from videotapes, photographs, visual observations, fishermen’s catches and ancillary attempts to sample the fish fauna with baited fish traps, gill nets, and hook and line. Although no coelacanth feeding events were seen, seven fish species are known from coelacanth stomach contents, and 64 other fish species in this habitat are considered potential prey of this dominant predator.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Flexible, High Speed Audio Networking for Hotels and Convention Centres
- Authors: Foss, Richard , Fujimori, J I , Chigwamba, Nyasha , Klinkradt, Bradley , Okai-Tettey, Harold
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427292 , vital:72428 , https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=13472
- Description: This paper describes the use of mLAN (music Local Area Network) to solve the problem of audio routing within hotels and convention centers. mLAN is a Firewire based digital network interface technology that allows professional audio equipment, PCs and electronic instruments to be easily and efficiently interconnected using a single cable. In order to solve this problem, an existing mLAN Connection Management Server, augmented with additional functionality, has been utilized. A graphical client application has been created that displays the various locations within a hotel/convention center, and sends out appropriate routing messages in Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) to an mLAN connection management server. The connection management server, in turn, controls a number of mLAN audio distribution boxes on the firewire network.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Floral resources of Apis mellifera capensis in the fynbos biome in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Addi, A , Phillipson, P , Hepburn, H Randall
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451845 , vital:75081 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32660
- Description: The plant species utilized by Cape honeybees, Apis mellifera capensis, as primary nectar and pollen sources were studied in the Eastern Cape Province in an area where fynbos vegetation mingles with grassland communities. From direct field observations and analyses of pollen loads collected by foragers, 54 plant species were identified as nectar and pollen sources. Of 37 endemic and exotic pollen source plants, Metalasia muricata, Eucalyptus grandis, E. camadulensis, Erica chamissonis, Helichrysum odoratissimum, H. anomalum, Crassula cultrata and Acacia longifolia were dominant species.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Food, philosophy and love
- Authors: Ristic, Nevenka
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-14
- Subjects: Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007478 , Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Description: This thesis is a metaphilosophical investigation into how food can be handled philosophically. The first chapter considers the question of whether food can be the subject matter of philosophy, and concludes that there are three possible ways: Foodist Philosophy, Philosophy of Food, and Philosophy and Food. This thesis focuses on the category Foodist Philosophy. The second chapter develops an account of foodist philosophy: it is a style of philosophy that assumes that our food and eating practices are fundamental aspects of the human condition. The third chapter analyses Plato's concept of love in the Symposium and these conclusions are objected to in a foodist critique in the fourth chapter. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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- Date Issued: 2006
Foucault, historicism and political philosophy
- Authors: Allsobrook, Christopher John
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984 Sartre, Jean Paul, 1905-1980 Political science -- Philosophy Power (Philosophy) Existential phenomenology Knowledge, Theory of History -- Philosophy Historicism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:2726 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003073
- Description: This thesis defends an ontological and epistemological account of Michel Foucault's post-structuralist philosophy, to argue that political philosophy needs to take into account the historical and political contingency of subjectivity and discourse. I show that by addressing the historical and political contingency of knowledge, Foucault's work overcomes the flaw of foundational epistemology in political philosophy, which treats true discourse as universal and disinterested. In doing so I hope to have to refuted the mainly positivistic and humanist schools of thought that lay claim to universal and foundationalist notions, by demonstrating the extent to which their misgivings about Foucault's work are informed by and founded upon an unjustified a-historicism. The thesis is composed of three chapters, the first of which deals with an ontology of the subject, the second, with an ontology of social relations, and the last with epistemology. In each chapter I use dialectical analysis to reveal how interests necessarily mediate subjectivity, social relations, and knowledge. The first two chapters defend Foucault's conception of power, by way of an analysis of the relations between Foucault's work and Sartre's existential phenomenology. I show how both Foucault and Sartre successfully address the problem of historicism for political philosophy with their respective conceptions of human freedom. The final chapter defends Foucault's conception of the relations between power and discourse, to show how it overcomes the a-historicism of universal, foundational epistemology. These three chapters demonstrate the importance of accounting for historicism in political philosophy. Claims to universal interest, because knowledge is conditioned by conflicts of interest, often mask political domination. It is important, then, to remember, in political philosophy, that knowledge is evaluative and interested, reflecting historically and politically mediated evaluations. One should be suspicious of ' natural facts' , used to justify actions or beliefs, thereby masking the choices that inform them. I have used the work of Michel Foucault to motivate this claim.
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- Date Issued: 2006
From 'here and now' to there and then : the evaluation of the effectiveness of Ehlers and Clark's model for treating PTSD in a rape survivor
- Authors: Davidow, Amy
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Rape trauma syndrome -- Treatment -- South Africa , Psychotherapy -- South Africa , Cognitive therapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2961 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002470 , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Rape trauma syndrome -- Treatment -- South Africa , Psychotherapy -- South Africa , Cognitive therapy
- Description: The purpose of this research is to document the response of a rape survivor to a treatment based on Ehlers and Clark's (2000) therapy model and to use the material to evaluate the effectiveness of this kind of therapy in the South African context. In so doing, the specific local cultural and contextual factors, which may affect the overall effectiveness of the treatment, will be highlighted and discussed.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Frontier heartland : analysing the impact of forestry and tourism on 'white' identity in Maclear
- Authors: Griffin, Donna-Lee
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Agriculture -- South Africa -- Maclear Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Maclear Economic development -- South Africa -- Maclear Tourism management -- South Africa -- Maclear Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Maclear Whites -- South Africa -- Maclear -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2115 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008066
- Description: The North Eastern Cape in South Africa is part of a larger province that is in desperate need of job creation and economic development. In light of these needs, efforts have been made by members of the community and outside investors to generate new forms of income in the area. These economic developments emerged in the form of small-scale tourism initiatives and commercial forestry. The impact of these developments on the small community of Maclear differs in nature and is bringing about social change and influencing identity. In this thesis, I explore the effects of each of these developments on the local farming community, particularly the established white English-speaking farmers. For various important reasons, such as the changes to land use patterns occurring around them in terms of forestry and tourism initiatives, I chose to examine the situation of this minority. In general discussions and portrayals of white farmers, it is hypothesized that whites living in small farming communities are resistant to change, politically stagnant and socially conservative. In this thesis I test this hypothesis and investigate what South Africans might see as the core, or whether there is a core of, white settler identity. TIle idea of 'frontiers' being heartlands was emphasized in Maclear as residents spoke about the pioneering efforts of their forefathers and discussed these efforts as the essence of their identity. Forestry is a contemporary ' frontier' encroaching on these white Settlers. A dynamic concept of landscape is central to these identity construction efforts. In this thesis I explore, through different articulations of landscape, how residents, recent arrivals and investors attempt to embed their identity and resources in the community. I ask whether it is possible for members of the white community to produce an alternate and politically viable interpretation of landscape in post-apartheid South Africa. Can land and landscape offer them a sense of belonging and identity? What is their experience in view of the impositions of major investors who see land purely as an economic unit? The research does not explicitly investigate how 'new' black farmers and farming groups perceive and experience land and landscape. What is noted is the imagined passivity of black labourers on white-owned land. This thesis touches on issues inlportant to democratic change and progress in South Africa. How will the new government deal with the thorny issue of land redistribution in the face of competing claims for land and identity? How will the various sections of the white community (in this case the farming community) negotiate their identity in the new South Africa? Also, what do ' frontier' towns like Maclear reveal about the nature of white identity in post-apartheid South Africa? This thesis relies on gender and constructionist theories of landscape as developed by Appadurai (1996) to explain the dynamic nature of landscape in Maclear. It also explores and appraises the idea of ' frontier'. In the analysis of identity, I take into account that white settlers 'success' relies in part on the settlers ability to adapt to the ' frontier' and their ability to construct a new identity in their newfound 'homeland' (simliar to Paul Gilroy's (1993) "double consciousness). Keywords: South Africa, Maclear, Farming, White Identity, Landscape and Tourism.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Frozen in time to reclaiming one's life: the evaluation of the Ehlers and Clark Cognitive Therapy Model in the assessment and treatment of a hijacking survivor
- Authors: Smith, Tracy-Ann
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3060 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002569 , Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Description: The aim of this research study was achieved by providing support for the effectiveness and the transportability of the Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive therapy model for the assessment and treatment of PTSD. Furthermore, the contextual factors which were important in this case were investigated and documented. However, research within the social sciences will inevitably produce various limitations due to the unique individuals and dynamic phenomena that are studied.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Fuelwood harvesting and selection in Valley Thicket, South Africa
- Authors: Pote, J , Shackleton, Charlie M , Cocks, Michelle L , Lubke, Roy
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6531 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005972
- Description: The Thicket Biome is the second smallest biome in South Africa, and is renowned for its high biodiversity. Yet, less than 5% of the biome is in formal conservation areas. Much of the currently intact thicket outside protected areas is threatened by land transformation to commercial agriculture or heavy use by rural communities. There is limited understanding of the ecological structure and function of thicket communities and their response to these human pressures. This paper reports on a study to characterize the woody communities in Valley Thicket and Thornveld surrounding a rural village. We also examined the demand and selection for specific woody species. There was a marked selection for key species for different uses, including fuelwood, construction timber, and cultural stacks. There was also strong selection for specific size classes of stem, especially those between 16–45 cm circumference. The density, biomass and species richness of woody species was reduced close to the village, and increased with distance away from human settlement. A similar trend was found for the basal area of preferred species, but not for the basal area of all species. The strong selectivity for both species and size class means that the anthropogenic impacts are not uniform within the woody strata, leading to marked changes in community structure and floristics at a local scale.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006