A comparison of WISC-IV test performance for Afrikaans, English and Xhosa speaking South African grade 7 learners
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Adele
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Intelligence tests -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3076 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002585
- Description: his study builds on South African cross-cultural research which demonstrated the importance of careful stratification of multicultural/multilingual normative samples for quality of education in respect of English and African language (predominantly Xhosa) speaking adults and children tested with the WAIS-III and WISC-IV, respectively. The aim of the present study was to produce an expanded set of preliminary comparative norms on the WISC-IV for white and coloured Afrikaans, white English and black Xhosa speaking Grade 7 children, aged 12 to 13 years, stratified for advantaged versus disadvantaged education. The results of this study replicate the findings of the prior South African cross-cultural studies in respect of quality of education, as groups with advantaged private/former Model C schooling outperformed those with disadvantaged former DET or HOR township schooling. Furthermore, a downward continuum of WISC-IV IQ test performance emerged as follows: 1) white English advantaged (high average), 2) white Afrikaans advantaged and black Xhosa advantaged (average), 3) coloured Afrikaans advantaged (below average), 4) black Xhosa disadvantaged (borderline), and 5) coloured Afrikaans disadvantaged (extremely low). The present study has demonstrated that while language and ethnic variables reveal subtle effects on IQ test performance, quality of education has the most significant effect – impacting significantly on verbal performance with this effect replicated in respect of the FSIQ. Therefore caution should be exercised in interpreting test results of individuals from different language/ethnic groups, and in particular those with disadvantaged schooling, as preliminary data suggest that these individuals achieve scores which are 20 – 35 points lower than the UK standardisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Adele
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Intelligence tests -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3076 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002585
- Description: his study builds on South African cross-cultural research which demonstrated the importance of careful stratification of multicultural/multilingual normative samples for quality of education in respect of English and African language (predominantly Xhosa) speaking adults and children tested with the WAIS-III and WISC-IV, respectively. The aim of the present study was to produce an expanded set of preliminary comparative norms on the WISC-IV for white and coloured Afrikaans, white English and black Xhosa speaking Grade 7 children, aged 12 to 13 years, stratified for advantaged versus disadvantaged education. The results of this study replicate the findings of the prior South African cross-cultural studies in respect of quality of education, as groups with advantaged private/former Model C schooling outperformed those with disadvantaged former DET or HOR township schooling. Furthermore, a downward continuum of WISC-IV IQ test performance emerged as follows: 1) white English advantaged (high average), 2) white Afrikaans advantaged and black Xhosa advantaged (average), 3) coloured Afrikaans advantaged (below average), 4) black Xhosa disadvantaged (borderline), and 5) coloured Afrikaans disadvantaged (extremely low). The present study has demonstrated that while language and ethnic variables reveal subtle effects on IQ test performance, quality of education has the most significant effect – impacting significantly on verbal performance with this effect replicated in respect of the FSIQ. Therefore caution should be exercised in interpreting test results of individuals from different language/ethnic groups, and in particular those with disadvantaged schooling, as preliminary data suggest that these individuals achieve scores which are 20 – 35 points lower than the UK standardisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
No other world: the poetry of Don Maclennan
- Authors: Robinson, Brendon Kimbale
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Maclennan, Don Maclennan, Don -- Criticism and interpretation South African poetry (English) -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2221 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002264
- Description: This is a study of the poetry of Don Maclennan in four chapters. Chapter One explores the poetry's deep involvement with the immediate world, and with the being that encounters it. Chapter Two examines the corpus's mistrust of abstract thought, and its suggestions for alternative ways of intepreting (or at least approaching an interpretation of) our existential situation. Chapter Three deals with Maclennan's writing on the subject of death, while the final chapter looks at the response of the poetry to the fact of death: put simply, this is to learn to love the situation we are in, and to record our thoughts for future generations, thus reaching beyond death to share with others the necessarily unique experience of our one and only life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Robinson, Brendon Kimbale
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Maclennan, Don Maclennan, Don -- Criticism and interpretation South African poetry (English) -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2221 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002264
- Description: This is a study of the poetry of Don Maclennan in four chapters. Chapter One explores the poetry's deep involvement with the immediate world, and with the being that encounters it. Chapter Two examines the corpus's mistrust of abstract thought, and its suggestions for alternative ways of intepreting (or at least approaching an interpretation of) our existential situation. Chapter Three deals with Maclennan's writing on the subject of death, while the final chapter looks at the response of the poetry to the fact of death: put simply, this is to learn to love the situation we are in, and to record our thoughts for future generations, thus reaching beyond death to share with others the necessarily unique experience of our one and only life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
The difficulty of living well: effort and failure in the good life
- Authors: Moore, Jesse Alexander
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Conduct of life Ethics Happiness Values Failure (Psychology) Success Struggle
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2715 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002845
- Description: We all want to live good lives, but due to the difficulty involved, few of us ever succeed. We usually either fail in our attempts to live well or remain with our safer, and less worthwhile, options. In spite of this, there has been little, if any, investigation of the role that difficulty plays in our attempts to live well, and thus in our conceptions of the good life. Within the field of the good life, philosophers tend to acknowledge the fact that good lives are difficult to live, and leave it at that. Since we must all face the difficulty of living well, the lack of analysis of the implications of difficulty seems a glaring oversight. In order to redress this, I explore the role that difficulty plays in two requirements for living well, namely achievement and reflection. Firstly, I examine the relationship between effort and achievement. I argue that difficulty just is the requirement of effort, and that it is required in order for our achievements to be meaningful and for us to value them. Secondly, I look at the relationship between failure and reflection. I argue that reflection on our failures can lead us to knowledge that helps us to live well and that we would not usually come to if we did not fail. Finally, I look at the roles of effort and failure in some accounts of the good life and I draw on psychological research and theory to provide support for my conclusions about the positive effects of effort. I conclude by examining the implications of reducing difficulty for the future of humankind.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Moore, Jesse Alexander
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Conduct of life Ethics Happiness Values Failure (Psychology) Success Struggle
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2715 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002845
- Description: We all want to live good lives, but due to the difficulty involved, few of us ever succeed. We usually either fail in our attempts to live well or remain with our safer, and less worthwhile, options. In spite of this, there has been little, if any, investigation of the role that difficulty plays in our attempts to live well, and thus in our conceptions of the good life. Within the field of the good life, philosophers tend to acknowledge the fact that good lives are difficult to live, and leave it at that. Since we must all face the difficulty of living well, the lack of analysis of the implications of difficulty seems a glaring oversight. In order to redress this, I explore the role that difficulty plays in two requirements for living well, namely achievement and reflection. Firstly, I examine the relationship between effort and achievement. I argue that difficulty just is the requirement of effort, and that it is required in order for our achievements to be meaningful and for us to value them. Secondly, I look at the relationship between failure and reflection. I argue that reflection on our failures can lead us to knowledge that helps us to live well and that we would not usually come to if we did not fail. Finally, I look at the roles of effort and failure in some accounts of the good life and I draw on psychological research and theory to provide support for my conclusions about the positive effects of effort. I conclude by examining the implications of reducing difficulty for the future of humankind.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
An exploratory study of Rhodes students' attitudes and perceptions towards HIV/Aids
- Authors: Weston, Robyn
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Students Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes Counseling in higher education AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa HIV infections -- South Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Study and teaching -- South Africa HIV infections -- Study and teaching -- South Africa HIV infections -- Diagnosis -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3095 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003294
- Description: The present study explores Rhodes students' perceptions and attitudes towards HIV/Aids issues. This study focuses on risk behaviour, stigmatisation, social perceptions and voluntary counselling and HIV testing (VCT). There is a lack of research on student attitudes, knowledge and behaviour at Rhodes University. It was therefore deemed pertinent to research this topic in that context. It was envisaged that the study would provide insights to be used in the formulation of improved strategies for HIV/Aids programs and education, ultimately impacting on the exponential increase of the pandemic in the Southern African region. A sample of six hundred and seventy five Rhodes University undergraduates completed a survey and its findings were interpreted in terms of relevant literature. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative methods was used. A focus group consisting of seven post-graduate students informed the development of the survey along with relevant literature. Four departments from the faculties of Commerce, Humanities, Science and Law were randomly sampled for the survey phase. Statistica was used to calculate descriptive statistics while the chi-square statistic was applied to examine the relationships between the variables. The findings show that the majority of students have high intention levels in planning to use preventative behaviour. However, in practise, this may not be the case. Many students feel that they belong to high or medium risk groups, as opposed to the low-risk groups. In terms of motivation levels, only sixty three percent of students are highly motivated to protect themselves from HIV/Aids and one third of respondents felt that they could not ask their partner to accompany them for an HIV/Aids test. In addition, students who had received VCT were more likely to be positive about the counselling process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Weston, Robyn
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Students Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes Counseling in higher education AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa HIV infections -- South Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Study and teaching -- South Africa HIV infections -- Study and teaching -- South Africa HIV infections -- Diagnosis -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3095 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003294
- Description: The present study explores Rhodes students' perceptions and attitudes towards HIV/Aids issues. This study focuses on risk behaviour, stigmatisation, social perceptions and voluntary counselling and HIV testing (VCT). There is a lack of research on student attitudes, knowledge and behaviour at Rhodes University. It was therefore deemed pertinent to research this topic in that context. It was envisaged that the study would provide insights to be used in the formulation of improved strategies for HIV/Aids programs and education, ultimately impacting on the exponential increase of the pandemic in the Southern African region. A sample of six hundred and seventy five Rhodes University undergraduates completed a survey and its findings were interpreted in terms of relevant literature. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative methods was used. A focus group consisting of seven post-graduate students informed the development of the survey along with relevant literature. Four departments from the faculties of Commerce, Humanities, Science and Law were randomly sampled for the survey phase. Statistica was used to calculate descriptive statistics while the chi-square statistic was applied to examine the relationships between the variables. The findings show that the majority of students have high intention levels in planning to use preventative behaviour. However, in practise, this may not be the case. Many students feel that they belong to high or medium risk groups, as opposed to the low-risk groups. In terms of motivation levels, only sixty three percent of students are highly motivated to protect themselves from HIV/Aids and one third of respondents felt that they could not ask their partner to accompany them for an HIV/Aids test. In addition, students who had received VCT were more likely to be positive about the counselling process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
A book history study of Michael Radford's filmic production William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
- Green, Bryony Rose Humphries
- Authors: Green, Bryony Rose Humphries
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Film adaptations Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice (Motion picture: 2004) English drama -- Film and video adaptations Film adaptations -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2197 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002239
- Description: Falling within the ambit of the Department of English Literature but with interdisciplinary scope and method, the research undertaken in this thesis examines Michael Radford’s 2004 film production William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice using the Book History approach to textual study. Previously applied almost exclusively to the study of books, Book History examines the text in terms of both its medium and its content, bringing together bibliographical, literary and historical approaches to the study of books within one theoretical paradigm. My research extends this interdisciplinary approach into the filmic medium by using a modified version of Robert Darnton’s “communication circuit” to examine the process of transmission of this Shakespearean film adaptation from creation to reception. The research is not intended as a complete Book History study and even less as a comprehensive investigation of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Rather, it uses a Shakespearean case study to bring together the two previously discrete fields of Book History and filmic investigation. Drawing on film studies, literary concepts, cultural and media studies, modern management theory as well as reception theories and with the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, I show Book History to be an eminently useful and constructive approach to the study of film.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Green, Bryony Rose Humphries
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Film adaptations Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Merchant of Venice Merchant of Venice (Motion picture: 2004) English drama -- Film and video adaptations Film adaptations -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2197 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002239
- Description: Falling within the ambit of the Department of English Literature but with interdisciplinary scope and method, the research undertaken in this thesis examines Michael Radford’s 2004 film production William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice using the Book History approach to textual study. Previously applied almost exclusively to the study of books, Book History examines the text in terms of both its medium and its content, bringing together bibliographical, literary and historical approaches to the study of books within one theoretical paradigm. My research extends this interdisciplinary approach into the filmic medium by using a modified version of Robert Darnton’s “communication circuit” to examine the process of transmission of this Shakespearean film adaptation from creation to reception. The research is not intended as a complete Book History study and even less as a comprehensive investigation of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Rather, it uses a Shakespearean case study to bring together the two previously discrete fields of Book History and filmic investigation. Drawing on film studies, literary concepts, cultural and media studies, modern management theory as well as reception theories and with the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, I show Book History to be an eminently useful and constructive approach to the study of film.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Ray Charles: a psychobiographical study
- Authors: Biggs, Ilze
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Charles, Ray, 1930-2004 Psychology -- Biographical methods -- Case studies Jazz singers -- Biography Blind entertainers -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002442
- Description: Psychobiography is the formulation of an individual's narrative according to a psychological theory. Psychobiographical researchers face a number of challenges. One pertinent challenge is the limited amount of psychobiographical research conducted at academic institutions, including South Africa. Although a number of studies had been completed in the past decade, the impact of psychobiographical research remains negligible. Although much has been written about Ray Charles, none of the existing literature adopted a specific psychological focus. Charles developed from a young boy in a poverty stricken, racially segregated society into an exceptionally successful musician who worked productively until he died at the age of 73. He was selected as the subject on the basis of interest value, uniqueness and significance of life achievements. The primary aim of this study was to explore and describe the development of Charles according to Levinson's (Levinson, et. ai, 1978) theoretical framework. Levinson's theory of adult development identifies and describes the important changes that occur throughout the lifespan of an individual. A secondary aim was to provide an understanding of Charles within the social, economic and historical context in which he lived. The data collection and analysis was conducted according to Yin's (2003) 'analytic generalization'. The data was analysed according to three linked sub-processes proposed by Huberman and Miles (1994).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Biggs, Ilze
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Charles, Ray, 1930-2004 Psychology -- Biographical methods -- Case studies Jazz singers -- Biography Blind entertainers -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002442
- Description: Psychobiography is the formulation of an individual's narrative according to a psychological theory. Psychobiographical researchers face a number of challenges. One pertinent challenge is the limited amount of psychobiographical research conducted at academic institutions, including South Africa. Although a number of studies had been completed in the past decade, the impact of psychobiographical research remains negligible. Although much has been written about Ray Charles, none of the existing literature adopted a specific psychological focus. Charles developed from a young boy in a poverty stricken, racially segregated society into an exceptionally successful musician who worked productively until he died at the age of 73. He was selected as the subject on the basis of interest value, uniqueness and significance of life achievements. The primary aim of this study was to explore and describe the development of Charles according to Levinson's (Levinson, et. ai, 1978) theoretical framework. Levinson's theory of adult development identifies and describes the important changes that occur throughout the lifespan of an individual. A secondary aim was to provide an understanding of Charles within the social, economic and historical context in which he lived. The data collection and analysis was conducted according to Yin's (2003) 'analytic generalization'. The data was analysed according to three linked sub-processes proposed by Huberman and Miles (1994).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Reflective accounts of childhood inter-species experiences in a Southern-African context: a phenomenological-hermeneutic exploration
- Authors: Rump, Samantha
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Child psychology -- South Africa Child development -- South Africa Human-animal relationships -- South Africa Children and animals -- South Africa Animal psychology -- South Africa Hermeneutics Phenomenology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3045 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002554
- Description: The aims of this research were to describe in rich phenomenological detail the recollected childhood experiences described by three South African adults of growing up with animals in the context of a traditionally African cultural perspective in South Africa; as well as to document the emotional, physical and social effects of inter-species relationships as described by these participants, in order to explore and situate these experiences in relation to broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development. The question of how these described experiences correlate with broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development comprised the hermeneutic of the study. Here it was found that the experiences of these South African individuals were generally in keeping with the trends found in the literature. Participants attributed to their childhood relationships with animals a variety of benefits. These benefits occur on a range of levels, from the physical to the cognitive, and the psychosocial. The emotional attachment of the participants to animals with whom they had interacted in childhood correlated with the nature of interspecies relationships as anticipated by the literature. Cultural differences in the conceptualisation of inter-species relationships, between western and traditionally African ideologies, appeared to influence the moral and ethical positions assumed by the participants, while the subjective nature of the described attachment between participants and animals remains qualitatively similar across cultures, when explored in relation to international research. The similarities between the experiences of the participants and international research findings lend credence to Wilson’s hypothesis that all human beings are potentially able to connect in deep and profound ways with their natural environment, and that this connection contributes to the development of social and cognitive skills, as well as constituting emotional support and stability. The research concludes with an examination of its own limitations and suggestions are made for further research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Rump, Samantha
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Child psychology -- South Africa Child development -- South Africa Human-animal relationships -- South Africa Children and animals -- South Africa Animal psychology -- South Africa Hermeneutics Phenomenology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3045 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002554
- Description: The aims of this research were to describe in rich phenomenological detail the recollected childhood experiences described by three South African adults of growing up with animals in the context of a traditionally African cultural perspective in South Africa; as well as to document the emotional, physical and social effects of inter-species relationships as described by these participants, in order to explore and situate these experiences in relation to broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development. The question of how these described experiences correlate with broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development comprised the hermeneutic of the study. Here it was found that the experiences of these South African individuals were generally in keeping with the trends found in the literature. Participants attributed to their childhood relationships with animals a variety of benefits. These benefits occur on a range of levels, from the physical to the cognitive, and the psychosocial. The emotional attachment of the participants to animals with whom they had interacted in childhood correlated with the nature of interspecies relationships as anticipated by the literature. Cultural differences in the conceptualisation of inter-species relationships, between western and traditionally African ideologies, appeared to influence the moral and ethical positions assumed by the participants, while the subjective nature of the described attachment between participants and animals remains qualitatively similar across cultures, when explored in relation to international research. The similarities between the experiences of the participants and international research findings lend credence to Wilson’s hypothesis that all human beings are potentially able to connect in deep and profound ways with their natural environment, and that this connection contributes to the development of social and cognitive skills, as well as constituting emotional support and stability. The research concludes with an examination of its own limitations and suggestions are made for further research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Melanie Klein: a psychobiographical study
- Authors: Espinosa, Marianna J
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Klein, Melanie Psychology -- Biographical methods Psychoanalysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2971 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002480
- Description: The objective of psychobiography is a better understanding of individuals, and psychobiographical case studies add meaning and value to research (Runyan, 1988a). Melanie Klein was chosen for this study through a purposive sampling method due to her contributions to the discipline of psychology, which placed her in a distinguished position regarding twentieth century psychoanalysis. Furthermore, no other psychobiography has been written on Klein. The primary aim of this study was to present the reader with a basic description of her life, and a secondary aim was to accomplish an in-depth description of Klein within her social and historical context. Due to these aims and the nature of psychobiography, it may be said that this is a qualitative study based on a single case method, described as explorative and descriptive. Data was analysed according to Huberman and Miles’ (1994) approach which consists of data reduction, display and verification. This study was guided by Levinson’s (1996) theory of Adult Development in Women. The theory allowed for an in-depth description of Klein’s experiences and social and historical contexts by merely illuminating her life. Finally, it may be said that this study contributed to the limited amount of psychobiographical research in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Espinosa, Marianna J
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Klein, Melanie Psychology -- Biographical methods Psychoanalysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2971 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002480
- Description: The objective of psychobiography is a better understanding of individuals, and psychobiographical case studies add meaning and value to research (Runyan, 1988a). Melanie Klein was chosen for this study through a purposive sampling method due to her contributions to the discipline of psychology, which placed her in a distinguished position regarding twentieth century psychoanalysis. Furthermore, no other psychobiography has been written on Klein. The primary aim of this study was to present the reader with a basic description of her life, and a secondary aim was to accomplish an in-depth description of Klein within her social and historical context. Due to these aims and the nature of psychobiography, it may be said that this is a qualitative study based on a single case method, described as explorative and descriptive. Data was analysed according to Huberman and Miles’ (1994) approach which consists of data reduction, display and verification. This study was guided by Levinson’s (1996) theory of Adult Development in Women. The theory allowed for an in-depth description of Klein’s experiences and social and historical contexts by merely illuminating her life. Finally, it may be said that this study contributed to the limited amount of psychobiographical research in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
The underreporting of sexual violence against women in the Camdeboo
- Authors: Luyt, Derek
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Abused women -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Sexual abuse victims -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Camdeboo, Plains of (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2796 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003006
- Description: This thesis examines the underreporting of sexual violence against women in the Camdeboo. It is based on a survey of 971 women living in the Camdeboo aged fifteen and older. The thesis considers, with reference to relevant secondary literature, methodological issues pertinent to conducting survey research into violence against women. While many survey researchers into violence against women argue that behaviourally specific questions lead to higher rates of disclosure, the survey on which this thesis is based employed complex and open-ended questions to allow respondents to record their own definitions of physical and sexual abuse. 31,2 percent of the women surveyed disclosed having experienced sexual abuse, but 76,7 percent did not report this abuse to the police. The thesis explores the patterns of sexual abuse of women in the Camdeboo and the factors influencing the underreporting of such abuse. While it was possible to establish correlations between certain socio-demographic variables and the underreporting of sexual abuse, such correlations should be treated with caution. The survey found that women were far more likely to report (and disclose) sexual assaults by strangers than by people known to them, particularly intimate partners. Sexual abuse in intimate relations was found to be strongly associated with physical abuse, and women who had experienced sexual and physical abuse within intimate relationships were more likely to report their physical abuse to the police than their sexual abuse. However, the majority of women, particularly poor and economically dependent women, believed that reporting their intimate partner abuse to the police would not end it, and might even place them at greater risk. The evidence suggests that these perceptions are accurate. Under current circumstances, reporting sexual abuse to the police may not be the best help-seeking strategy available to many sexually abused women, and alternative sources of help may be more appropriate. Consideration should be given to directing more resources into such alternatives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Luyt, Derek
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Abused women -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Sexual abuse victims -- South Africa -- Camdeboo, Plains of Camdeboo, Plains of (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2796 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003006
- Description: This thesis examines the underreporting of sexual violence against women in the Camdeboo. It is based on a survey of 971 women living in the Camdeboo aged fifteen and older. The thesis considers, with reference to relevant secondary literature, methodological issues pertinent to conducting survey research into violence against women. While many survey researchers into violence against women argue that behaviourally specific questions lead to higher rates of disclosure, the survey on which this thesis is based employed complex and open-ended questions to allow respondents to record their own definitions of physical and sexual abuse. 31,2 percent of the women surveyed disclosed having experienced sexual abuse, but 76,7 percent did not report this abuse to the police. The thesis explores the patterns of sexual abuse of women in the Camdeboo and the factors influencing the underreporting of such abuse. While it was possible to establish correlations between certain socio-demographic variables and the underreporting of sexual abuse, such correlations should be treated with caution. The survey found that women were far more likely to report (and disclose) sexual assaults by strangers than by people known to them, particularly intimate partners. Sexual abuse in intimate relations was found to be strongly associated with physical abuse, and women who had experienced sexual and physical abuse within intimate relationships were more likely to report their physical abuse to the police than their sexual abuse. However, the majority of women, particularly poor and economically dependent women, believed that reporting their intimate partner abuse to the police would not end it, and might even place them at greater risk. The evidence suggests that these perceptions are accurate. Under current circumstances, reporting sexual abuse to the police may not be the best help-seeking strategy available to many sexually abused women, and alternative sources of help may be more appropriate. Consideration should be given to directing more resources into such alternatives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Journalists' appropriation of ICTs in news-gathering and processing: a case study of Grocott's Mail
- Authors: Dugo, Habtamu Tesfaye
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Grocott's Mail (Grahamstown, South Africa) Journalism -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Journalists -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Electronic news gathering -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Journalism -- Data processing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Information technology -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Reporters and reporting -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Communication and technology -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3427 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002881
- Description: This study set out to investigate Grocott’s Mail journalists’ appropriation of information and communication technologies in news-gathering and processing using the social shaping of technology as a theoretical lens. It mainly focuses on digital ICTs that journalists use in news-gathering and processing including the Internet, electronic mail, and mobile telephony. Grocott’s Mail is a small-scale newspaper based in Grahamstown, South Africa. Using qualitative research method and the case study as its sub-method, the research reveals that Grocott’s Mail journalists’ appropriation of ICTs involves various opportunities and challenges in news-gathering and processing. In terms of the state of the existing technological infrastructure, the study reveals that since it embraced the digital ICTs in 2003, Grocott’s Mail boasts an adequate ICT infrastructure for a small-scale African newspaper with 30 PCs and one laptop, and professional software for 28 permanent employees. On the other hand, the research reveals serious constraints with the existing ICTs: a huge need for staff training and capacity building to fully utilise the ICTs, and the need to look for ways of raising funds to either upgrade or replace the existing ICTs. Grocott’s Mail journalists use the Internet to do background research on news stories, to verify the accuracy of information, and to check competition across other media. These are the merits of the Internet in news-gathering and processing. On the other hand, there are specific unintended consequences of the Internet such as wasting the company’s working time, and its use leading to lazy/press release journalism. Informants unanimously indicate that the main problems of the Internet are heavy dependence on other online news-sources and wasting time on online entertainment. In terms of using email in news-gathering, the research finds email technology as having advantages such as being a tool of flexibility and speed, a tool for email interviews, and as a technology that promotes participatory journalism. On the other hand, challenges related to email include its limitations because of what interviewees view as its supplementary and small-scale use because of its low contextual richness as opposed to face to face interviews. In terms of cellular telephony, the study finds that regardless of the ubiquity of cell phones and cell phone networks, they have not yet been deployed in news-gathering and processing due to various constraints. These are cell phones not being a big factor in reporting, lack of a proper funding and refunding scheme, prevalence of negative attitudes towards cell phones, and lack of a business model. Thus, cellular phones seem to have little or no relevance in news-gathering and processing at Grocott’s Mail presently.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Dugo, Habtamu Tesfaye
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Grocott's Mail (Grahamstown, South Africa) Journalism -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Journalists -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Electronic news gathering -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Journalism -- Data processing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Information technology -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Reporters and reporting -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Communication and technology -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3427 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002881
- Description: This study set out to investigate Grocott’s Mail journalists’ appropriation of information and communication technologies in news-gathering and processing using the social shaping of technology as a theoretical lens. It mainly focuses on digital ICTs that journalists use in news-gathering and processing including the Internet, electronic mail, and mobile telephony. Grocott’s Mail is a small-scale newspaper based in Grahamstown, South Africa. Using qualitative research method and the case study as its sub-method, the research reveals that Grocott’s Mail journalists’ appropriation of ICTs involves various opportunities and challenges in news-gathering and processing. In terms of the state of the existing technological infrastructure, the study reveals that since it embraced the digital ICTs in 2003, Grocott’s Mail boasts an adequate ICT infrastructure for a small-scale African newspaper with 30 PCs and one laptop, and professional software for 28 permanent employees. On the other hand, the research reveals serious constraints with the existing ICTs: a huge need for staff training and capacity building to fully utilise the ICTs, and the need to look for ways of raising funds to either upgrade or replace the existing ICTs. Grocott’s Mail journalists use the Internet to do background research on news stories, to verify the accuracy of information, and to check competition across other media. These are the merits of the Internet in news-gathering and processing. On the other hand, there are specific unintended consequences of the Internet such as wasting the company’s working time, and its use leading to lazy/press release journalism. Informants unanimously indicate that the main problems of the Internet are heavy dependence on other online news-sources and wasting time on online entertainment. In terms of using email in news-gathering, the research finds email technology as having advantages such as being a tool of flexibility and speed, a tool for email interviews, and as a technology that promotes participatory journalism. On the other hand, challenges related to email include its limitations because of what interviewees view as its supplementary and small-scale use because of its low contextual richness as opposed to face to face interviews. In terms of cellular telephony, the study finds that regardless of the ubiquity of cell phones and cell phone networks, they have not yet been deployed in news-gathering and processing due to various constraints. These are cell phones not being a big factor in reporting, lack of a proper funding and refunding scheme, prevalence of negative attitudes towards cell phones, and lack of a business model. Thus, cellular phones seem to have little or no relevance in news-gathering and processing at Grocott’s Mail presently.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Performance of Mhande song-dance: a contextualized and comparative analysis
- Authors: Rutsate, Jerry
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Karanga (African people) -- Music Shona (African people) -- Music Folk music -- Zimbabwe Music -- Zimbabwe Folk songs, Shona Mhande Dance music -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2655 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002321
- Description: This thesis is an investigation of the significance of Mhande song-dance in two performance contexts: the Mutoro ritual of the Karanga and the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competition. In addition, I undertake comparative analysis of the structure of Mhande music in relation to the structure of selected genres of Shona indigenous music. The position of Mhande in the larger context of Shona music is determined through analysis of transcriptions of the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic elements of chizambi mouth bow, karimba mbira, ngororombe panpipes, ngano story songs, game, hunting, war, and love songs. Mhande is an indigenous song-dance performed for the mutoro ceremony, the annual rain ritual of the Karanga. The Mhande repertoire consists of distinctive songs and rhythms used for communicating with the majukwa rain spirits. The rain spirits in turn communicate with God (Mwari) the provider of rain, on behalf of the Karanga. Mhande song-dance is performed exactly the same way in the annual Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competitions as in the ritual context of the mutoro ceremony. However, in the context of the Competition, it is used for the expression of joy and as a form of cultural identity. The Competition is a forum in which Karanga songdance traditions such as Mhande, compete with other Shona song-dance traditions such as mbakumba, shangara and chinyambera. I contextualize and analyse Mhande song-dance by using the ‘Matonjeni Model’, which in terms of Karanga epistemology, is culture specific. This Model is grounded in description, interpretation and analysis; the primary methods in my research process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Rutsate, Jerry
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Karanga (African people) -- Music Shona (African people) -- Music Folk music -- Zimbabwe Music -- Zimbabwe Folk songs, Shona Mhande Dance music -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2655 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002321
- Description: This thesis is an investigation of the significance of Mhande song-dance in two performance contexts: the Mutoro ritual of the Karanga and the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competition. In addition, I undertake comparative analysis of the structure of Mhande music in relation to the structure of selected genres of Shona indigenous music. The position of Mhande in the larger context of Shona music is determined through analysis of transcriptions of the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic elements of chizambi mouth bow, karimba mbira, ngororombe panpipes, ngano story songs, game, hunting, war, and love songs. Mhande is an indigenous song-dance performed for the mutoro ceremony, the annual rain ritual of the Karanga. The Mhande repertoire consists of distinctive songs and rhythms used for communicating with the majukwa rain spirits. The rain spirits in turn communicate with God (Mwari) the provider of rain, on behalf of the Karanga. Mhande song-dance is performed exactly the same way in the annual Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competitions as in the ritual context of the mutoro ceremony. However, in the context of the Competition, it is used for the expression of joy and as a form of cultural identity. The Competition is a forum in which Karanga songdance traditions such as Mhande, compete with other Shona song-dance traditions such as mbakumba, shangara and chinyambera. I contextualize and analyse Mhande song-dance by using the ‘Matonjeni Model’, which in terms of Karanga epistemology, is culture specific. This Model is grounded in description, interpretation and analysis; the primary methods in my research process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Towards a corpus of Indian South African English (ISAE) : an investigation of lexical and syntactic features in a spoken corpus of contemporary ISAE
- Authors: Pienaar, Cheryl Leelavathie
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: English language -- South Africa Computational linguistics -- Methodology Discourse analysis -- Data processing English language -- Syntax -- South Africa English language -- Usage -- South Africa East Indians -- South Africa -- Language Lexicology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2357 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002640
- Description: There is consensus among scholars that there is not just one English language but a family of “World Englishes”. The umbrella-term “World Englishes” provides a conceptual framework to accommodate the different varieties of English that have evolved as a result of the linguistic cross-fertilization attendant upon colonization, migration, trade and transplantation of the original “strain” or variety. Various theoretical models have emerged in an attempt to understand and classify the extant and emerging varieties of this global language. The hierarchically based model of English, which classifies world English as “First Language”, “Second Language” and “Foreign Language”, has been challenged by more equitably-conceived models which refer to the emerging varieties as New Englishes. The situation in a country such as multi-lingual South Africa is a complex one: there are 11 official languages, one of which is English. However the English used in South Africa (or “South African English”), is not a homogeneous variety, since its speakers include those for whom it is a first language, those for whom it is an additional language and those for whom it is a replacement language. The Indian population in South Africa are amongst the latter group, as theirs is a case where English has ousted the traditional Indian languages and become a de facto first language, which has retained strong community resonances. This study was undertaken using the methodology of corpus linguistics to initiate the creation of a repository of linguistic evidence (or corpus), of Indian South African English, a sub-variety of South African English (Mesthrie 1992b, 1996, 2002). Although small (approximately 60 000 words), and representing a narrow age band of young adults, the resulting corpus of spoken data confirmed the existence of robust features identified in prior research into the sub-variety. These features include the use of ‘y’all’ as a second person plural pronoun, the use of but in a sentence-final position, and ‘lakker’ /'lVk@/ as a pronunciation variant of ‘lekker’ (meaning ‘good’, ‘nice’ or great’). An examination of lexical frequency lists revealed examples of general South African English such as the colloquially pervasive ‘ja’, ‘bladdy’ (for bloody) and jol(ling) (for partying or enjoying oneself) together with neologisms such as ‘eish’, the latter previously associated with speakers of Black South African English. The frequency lists facilitated cross-corpora comparisons with data from the British National Corpus and the Corpus of London Teenage Language and similarities and differences were noted and discussed. The study also used discourse analysis frameworks to investigate the role of high frequency lexical items such as ‘like’ in the data. In recent times ‘like’ has emerged globally as a lexicalized discourse marker, and its appearance in the corpus of Indian South African English confirms this trend. The corpus built as part of this study is intended as the first building block towards a full corpus of Indian South African English which could serve as a standard for referencing research into the sub-variety. Ultimately, it is argued that the establishment of similar corpora of other known sub-varieties of South African English could contribute towards the creation of a truly representative large corpus of South African English and a more nuanced understanding and definition of this important variety of World English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Pienaar, Cheryl Leelavathie
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: English language -- South Africa Computational linguistics -- Methodology Discourse analysis -- Data processing English language -- Syntax -- South Africa English language -- Usage -- South Africa East Indians -- South Africa -- Language Lexicology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2357 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002640
- Description: There is consensus among scholars that there is not just one English language but a family of “World Englishes”. The umbrella-term “World Englishes” provides a conceptual framework to accommodate the different varieties of English that have evolved as a result of the linguistic cross-fertilization attendant upon colonization, migration, trade and transplantation of the original “strain” or variety. Various theoretical models have emerged in an attempt to understand and classify the extant and emerging varieties of this global language. The hierarchically based model of English, which classifies world English as “First Language”, “Second Language” and “Foreign Language”, has been challenged by more equitably-conceived models which refer to the emerging varieties as New Englishes. The situation in a country such as multi-lingual South Africa is a complex one: there are 11 official languages, one of which is English. However the English used in South Africa (or “South African English”), is not a homogeneous variety, since its speakers include those for whom it is a first language, those for whom it is an additional language and those for whom it is a replacement language. The Indian population in South Africa are amongst the latter group, as theirs is a case where English has ousted the traditional Indian languages and become a de facto first language, which has retained strong community resonances. This study was undertaken using the methodology of corpus linguistics to initiate the creation of a repository of linguistic evidence (or corpus), of Indian South African English, a sub-variety of South African English (Mesthrie 1992b, 1996, 2002). Although small (approximately 60 000 words), and representing a narrow age band of young adults, the resulting corpus of spoken data confirmed the existence of robust features identified in prior research into the sub-variety. These features include the use of ‘y’all’ as a second person plural pronoun, the use of but in a sentence-final position, and ‘lakker’ /'lVk@/ as a pronunciation variant of ‘lekker’ (meaning ‘good’, ‘nice’ or great’). An examination of lexical frequency lists revealed examples of general South African English such as the colloquially pervasive ‘ja’, ‘bladdy’ (for bloody) and jol(ling) (for partying or enjoying oneself) together with neologisms such as ‘eish’, the latter previously associated with speakers of Black South African English. The frequency lists facilitated cross-corpora comparisons with data from the British National Corpus and the Corpus of London Teenage Language and similarities and differences were noted and discussed. The study also used discourse analysis frameworks to investigate the role of high frequency lexical items such as ‘like’ in the data. In recent times ‘like’ has emerged globally as a lexicalized discourse marker, and its appearance in the corpus of Indian South African English confirms this trend. The corpus built as part of this study is intended as the first building block towards a full corpus of Indian South African English which could serve as a standard for referencing research into the sub-variety. Ultimately, it is argued that the establishment of similar corpora of other known sub-varieties of South African English could contribute towards the creation of a truly representative large corpus of South African English and a more nuanced understanding and definition of this important variety of World English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Contextual obstacles to the delivery of effective psychological treatment of PTSD in a South African community setting
- Authors: Swartz, Kerry
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa Psychic trauma -- Treatment HIV infections -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3068 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002577
- Description: The present study presents three individual cases; all three clients had endured a traumatic event, namely rape, and all three met the criteria for PTSD. Despite the fact that each of the clients was initially assessed as being a suitable candidate for psychological treatment, none of the cases proceeded to the therapy phase of treatment. A number of obstacles, both personal and contextual, were encountered during treatment implementation, preventing or limiting a successful outcome of psychological treatment in each case. An examination of these cases highlights a few of the many obstacles frequently faced when delivering psychological treatment to the South African context. In so doing, this research provides an opportunity to consider the possible reasons for the limited documentation of treatment efficacy within the South African context, as well as to enhance our understanding of and sensitivity towards the cultural and contextual factors playing a role in psychological treatment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Swartz, Kerry
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa Psychic trauma -- Treatment HIV infections -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3068 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002577
- Description: The present study presents three individual cases; all three clients had endured a traumatic event, namely rape, and all three met the criteria for PTSD. Despite the fact that each of the clients was initially assessed as being a suitable candidate for psychological treatment, none of the cases proceeded to the therapy phase of treatment. A number of obstacles, both personal and contextual, were encountered during treatment implementation, preventing or limiting a successful outcome of psychological treatment in each case. An examination of these cases highlights a few of the many obstacles frequently faced when delivering psychological treatment to the South African context. In so doing, this research provides an opportunity to consider the possible reasons for the limited documentation of treatment efficacy within the South African context, as well as to enhance our understanding of and sensitivity towards the cultural and contextual factors playing a role in psychological treatment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
That-has-been a discussion on the body cast as that which fixes a subject in time, in relation to notions surrounding the photograph
- Authors: Maree, Christine Fae
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Barthes, Roland. Camera Lucida Photography, Artistic Photography -- Philosophy Photographic criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2412 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002208
- Description: Much like a photograph, a casts creates a replica of its referent, thereby immobilising the subject in time. While the subject continues in time and hence ages and inevitably dies the replica does not. With this basic notion of fixing a subject, I have built an argument to contextualise my sculptures, which are made using casts of elderly people. In this discussion I have looked at my works through the ideas of different theorists. The main theorist I have cited is Roland Barthes, specifically with regards to his notion of the photograph as discussed in his book Camera Lucida. I have also referenced three particular artists: Rachel Whiteread, Diane Arbus and Churchill Madikida, as I have found each of their works relate to my work in various ways, creating a different reading from each viewpoint.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Maree, Christine Fae
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Barthes, Roland. Camera Lucida Photography, Artistic Photography -- Philosophy Photographic criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2412 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002208
- Description: Much like a photograph, a casts creates a replica of its referent, thereby immobilising the subject in time. While the subject continues in time and hence ages and inevitably dies the replica does not. With this basic notion of fixing a subject, I have built an argument to contextualise my sculptures, which are made using casts of elderly people. In this discussion I have looked at my works through the ideas of different theorists. The main theorist I have cited is Roland Barthes, specifically with regards to his notion of the photograph as discussed in his book Camera Lucida. I have also referenced three particular artists: Rachel Whiteread, Diane Arbus and Churchill Madikida, as I have found each of their works relate to my work in various ways, creating a different reading from each viewpoint.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Locating the border the development of the framing device in Western art
- Authors: Leathem, Kevin Wolhuter
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Picture frames and framing Mural painting and decoration Art museums -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2408 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002204
- Description: A frame can be understood to act as something both complementary and even intrinsic to the work it houses. But the frame also acts as more than just a physical object. It serves as a guiding principle, perhaps even a controlling device, in the sense that it provides a context for the work as well as informing the way in which a work is read. Acting with the image it surrounds, it links the artwork to the surrounding space as well as the viewer. In this study, I explore these various functions and effects by providing an overview of framing devices that have been used by artists in the West as well as referring to guiding principles that some museums in South Africa have used when making choices about the ways in which they frame works in their collections. This examination provides a context for my paintings. Based on photographs of the walls of various small galleries in the Eastern Cape, my works take as their subject the notion of the ‘frame’ as both a physical object and the marker of a historically contextualized viewpoint.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Leathem, Kevin Wolhuter
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Picture frames and framing Mural painting and decoration Art museums -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2408 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002204
- Description: A frame can be understood to act as something both complementary and even intrinsic to the work it houses. But the frame also acts as more than just a physical object. It serves as a guiding principle, perhaps even a controlling device, in the sense that it provides a context for the work as well as informing the way in which a work is read. Acting with the image it surrounds, it links the artwork to the surrounding space as well as the viewer. In this study, I explore these various functions and effects by providing an overview of framing devices that have been used by artists in the West as well as referring to guiding principles that some museums in South Africa have used when making choices about the ways in which they frame works in their collections. This examination provides a context for my paintings. Based on photographs of the walls of various small galleries in the Eastern Cape, my works take as their subject the notion of the ‘frame’ as both a physical object and the marker of a historically contextualized viewpoint.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
The political significance of popular illegalities in post-apartheid South Africa
- McMichael, Christopher Bryden
- Authors: McMichael, Christopher Bryden
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Illegality -- South Africa -- Case studies Legal services -- South Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2804 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003014
- Description: This thesis discusses the significance of popular illegalities in contemporary South African service delivery. Illegal access to and non-payment of services have been indentified by the government as a major criminal problem which undermines effective service delivery. By contrast, this thesis argues that popular illegalities are positive phenomenon which provides otherwise unobtainable benefits for the poor and also exposes the ability of communities to self-manage their own service provision. The thesis begins by surveying a variety of literature on this issue using both contemporary and historical literature. I then discuss the scope of popular illegalities in South Africa and the methods government has used to curtail them, with a particular emphasis on how this has been influenced by the adoption of neo-liberal cost recovery initiatives. Using case studies of three communities where illegal access is prevalent, I discuss both the motivations behind and significance of illegal water and electricity connections. In conclusion, I argue that popular illegalities are a significant phenomenon in so far as they suggest new methods of delivering services. The prevalence of these illegalities is also important as it highlights many of the failings of official delivery. The thesis concludes on a hopeful note in arguing that illegalities may be inherently progressive in both benefiting the marginal and leading to the creation of radically autonomous spaces which can be viewed as laboratories of radical social change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: McMichael, Christopher Bryden
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Illegality -- South Africa -- Case studies Legal services -- South Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2804 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003014
- Description: This thesis discusses the significance of popular illegalities in contemporary South African service delivery. Illegal access to and non-payment of services have been indentified by the government as a major criminal problem which undermines effective service delivery. By contrast, this thesis argues that popular illegalities are positive phenomenon which provides otherwise unobtainable benefits for the poor and also exposes the ability of communities to self-manage their own service provision. The thesis begins by surveying a variety of literature on this issue using both contemporary and historical literature. I then discuss the scope of popular illegalities in South Africa and the methods government has used to curtail them, with a particular emphasis on how this has been influenced by the adoption of neo-liberal cost recovery initiatives. Using case studies of three communities where illegal access is prevalent, I discuss both the motivations behind and significance of illegal water and electricity connections. In conclusion, I argue that popular illegalities are a significant phenomenon in so far as they suggest new methods of delivering services. The prevalence of these illegalities is also important as it highlights many of the failings of official delivery. The thesis concludes on a hopeful note in arguing that illegalities may be inherently progressive in both benefiting the marginal and leading to the creation of radically autonomous spaces which can be viewed as laboratories of radical social change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Newsroom convergence at the Mail & Guardian: a case study
- Authors: Van Noort, Elvira Esmeralda
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Mail & Guardian Convergence (Telecommunication) Journalism -- Management -- South Africa Mass media -- Management -- South Africa Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa Online journalism -- South Africa Broadcast journalism -- South Africa Mass media -- Ownership Digital media -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3490 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002945
- Description: This case study researches newsroom convergence as a process at the Mail & Guardian newspaper and their online edition the Mail & Guardian Online. It focuses on the reporters’ and editors’ attitudes towards newsroom convergence and on cultural resistance against change; one of the major challenges in the process. With structured interviews, observations and questionnaires it was analysed that communication problems between the newsrooms, different production cycles and time management issues are other prominent difficulties. The case study furthermore provides a snapshot of the convergence phenomenon as a process in a particular South African news organisation. The outcomes could not only assist other news companies with convergence plans but also be used as a pilot study for further research on converged newsrooms in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Van Noort, Elvira Esmeralda
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Mail & Guardian Convergence (Telecommunication) Journalism -- Management -- South Africa Mass media -- Management -- South Africa Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa Online journalism -- South Africa Broadcast journalism -- South Africa Mass media -- Ownership Digital media -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3490 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002945
- Description: This case study researches newsroom convergence as a process at the Mail & Guardian newspaper and their online edition the Mail & Guardian Online. It focuses on the reporters’ and editors’ attitudes towards newsroom convergence and on cultural resistance against change; one of the major challenges in the process. With structured interviews, observations and questionnaires it was analysed that communication problems between the newsrooms, different production cycles and time management issues are other prominent difficulties. The case study furthermore provides a snapshot of the convergence phenomenon as a process in a particular South African news organisation. The outcomes could not only assist other news companies with convergence plans but also be used as a pilot study for further research on converged newsrooms in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
"Form fading among fading forms" death, language and madness in the novels of Samuel Beckett
- Authors: Springer, Michael Leicester
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989 -- Criticism and interpretation English fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism Death in literature Mental illness in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2198 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002240
- Description: The primary thesis of this dissertation is that the development of narrative strategy and technique through the course of Samuel Beckett’s fictional oeuvre enacts a parody of the Cartesian method of doubt, in which the search for first principles, instead of providing grounds for certainty, is a hopeless, grotesque quest for a self which eludes any and every assertion. My chief concerns are thus, firstly, to explicate and elucidate the nature of such narrative strategies and techniques, and how these can be said to parody epistemological procedure; and secondly, to interrogate the implications of this parody for the epistemological and interpretative endeavour of which the human sciences are comprised. These two issues are explored by way of an examination of Beckett’s earliest novel, Murphy, and the narrative impasse that arises from the contradiction between this work’s largely realist form and quasi-postmodern content. I thereafter argue that the later fiction, most particularly the Trilogy, achieves formal and stylistic solutions to the aesthetic and epistemological challenges raised by the earlier work. Beckett’s fictional oeuvre, I contend, can best be construed as an attempt to attain that which exceeds and escapes narrative in and through narrative, namely madness or death. The achievement of either would entail the obliteration of the possibility of narrating at all, and the novels, engaging in a self-deconstructing endeavour, thus occupy a profoundly paradoxical position. Any attempt to interpret a body of work of this nature can only respond in an analogous manner, by trying to make meaning of the subversion of meaning, and deconstructing the assumptions that inform its procedures. This dissertation argues that it is precisely in the way in which it necessitates such selfreflexive discursive analysis that the import of Samuel Beckett’s fiction lies, and extrapolates the significance of this for an understanding of discourse, literary criticism, and epistemological procedure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Springer, Michael Leicester
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989 -- Criticism and interpretation English fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism Death in literature Mental illness in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2198 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002240
- Description: The primary thesis of this dissertation is that the development of narrative strategy and technique through the course of Samuel Beckett’s fictional oeuvre enacts a parody of the Cartesian method of doubt, in which the search for first principles, instead of providing grounds for certainty, is a hopeless, grotesque quest for a self which eludes any and every assertion. My chief concerns are thus, firstly, to explicate and elucidate the nature of such narrative strategies and techniques, and how these can be said to parody epistemological procedure; and secondly, to interrogate the implications of this parody for the epistemological and interpretative endeavour of which the human sciences are comprised. These two issues are explored by way of an examination of Beckett’s earliest novel, Murphy, and the narrative impasse that arises from the contradiction between this work’s largely realist form and quasi-postmodern content. I thereafter argue that the later fiction, most particularly the Trilogy, achieves formal and stylistic solutions to the aesthetic and epistemological challenges raised by the earlier work. Beckett’s fictional oeuvre, I contend, can best be construed as an attempt to attain that which exceeds and escapes narrative in and through narrative, namely madness or death. The achievement of either would entail the obliteration of the possibility of narrating at all, and the novels, engaging in a self-deconstructing endeavour, thus occupy a profoundly paradoxical position. Any attempt to interpret a body of work of this nature can only respond in an analogous manner, by trying to make meaning of the subversion of meaning, and deconstructing the assumptions that inform its procedures. This dissertation argues that it is precisely in the way in which it necessitates such selfreflexive discursive analysis that the import of Samuel Beckett’s fiction lies, and extrapolates the significance of this for an understanding of discourse, literary criticism, and epistemological procedure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
State sovereignty and alternative community in southern Africa: exploring the Zion Christian Church as the building block for deeper notions of regional community
- Authors: Radebe, Zandisiwe
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Zionist Christian Church Southern African Development Community Community development -- Africa, Southern Regionalism -- Africa, Southern Sovereignty -- Africa, Southern Africa, Southern -- Economic integration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2824 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003034
- Description: Regional community in southern Africa has been limited to the region’s states. As a result, deeper notions of community emanating from non-state actors, particularly transnational social movements, continue to be ignored. In an attempt to transcend state centrism, this thesis highlights alternative forms of regional community by exploring the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), one of southern Africa’s biggest and fastest growing cross-border movements. The ZCC is a potential agent for developing regional community from the bottom-up, driving a people-oriented regional integration approach in southern Africa. The ZCC, with its extensive following among the region’s poor, offers a compelling example of a grassroots and truly bottom-up approach to regional community. This thesis explores the possibility of the ZCC as a model of alternative community and identity centred on people’s daily experiences and grounded in a shared history and solidarity. It seeks to highlight the significance of transnational movements like the ZCC to policy makers in the region and it argues that grassroots communities are marching ahead of SADC member states and politicians in the area of integration. There exists a transnational cooperation amongst followers of the ZCC and other grassroots communities across the region and this cooperation transcends the traditional notion of state sovereignty, thereby highlighting deeper notions of what it means to be a community at regional level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Radebe, Zandisiwe
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Zionist Christian Church Southern African Development Community Community development -- Africa, Southern Regionalism -- Africa, Southern Sovereignty -- Africa, Southern Africa, Southern -- Economic integration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2824 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003034
- Description: Regional community in southern Africa has been limited to the region’s states. As a result, deeper notions of community emanating from non-state actors, particularly transnational social movements, continue to be ignored. In an attempt to transcend state centrism, this thesis highlights alternative forms of regional community by exploring the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), one of southern Africa’s biggest and fastest growing cross-border movements. The ZCC is a potential agent for developing regional community from the bottom-up, driving a people-oriented regional integration approach in southern Africa. The ZCC, with its extensive following among the region’s poor, offers a compelling example of a grassroots and truly bottom-up approach to regional community. This thesis explores the possibility of the ZCC as a model of alternative community and identity centred on people’s daily experiences and grounded in a shared history and solidarity. It seeks to highlight the significance of transnational movements like the ZCC to policy makers in the region and it argues that grassroots communities are marching ahead of SADC member states and politicians in the area of integration. There exists a transnational cooperation amongst followers of the ZCC and other grassroots communities across the region and this cooperation transcends the traditional notion of state sovereignty, thereby highlighting deeper notions of what it means to be a community at regional level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Corporeal tales : an investigation into narrative form in contemporary South African dance and choreography
- Authors: Parker, Alan Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Sichel, Adrienne Krouse, Matthew Dance -- South Africa Choreography -- South Africa Choreographers -- South Africa Dance criticism -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007658
- Description: In the years following the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, dance and choreography have undergone considerable transformation. This investigation stems from one observation relative to this change that has been articulated by two of South Africa's most respected dance critics, Adrienne Sichel and Matthew Krouse. Both critics have noted a growing concern for narrative in South African contemporary choreography, coupled with an apparent propensity for narratives of a distinctly personal and 'autobiographical' nature. In Part One: 'Just after the beginning', the proposed preoccupation with narrative in South African contemporary choreography is discussed in light of the relationship between narrative and the notion of personal identity. The use of the performed narrative as a medium to explore questions about identity is offered as one explanation underpinning this increased proclivity, where the interrogation of the form of the danced narrative provides a site for exploration of personal identity. Part Two: 'Somewhere in the middle' interrogates the notion of form through an in-depth discussion of the experimentation with form within theatrical and antitheatrical dance traditions over the last fifty years. Specific works by three selected South African choreographers (Ginslov, Maqoma and Sabbagha) are discussed in terms of their general approach to narrative form. This provides an illustration of some of the approaches to narrative form emergent in contemporary South African choreographic practices. Part Three: 'Nearing the end' offers Acty Tang's Chaste (2007) as a case study to illustrate the practical application of the dance narrative as a means to interrogate questions relating to personal identity. A detailed analysis of Tang's particular approach to forming the narrative of Chaste is conducted, exposing the intertextual, multimedia and multidisciplinary approach to creating the danced narrative.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Parker, Alan Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Sichel, Adrienne Krouse, Matthew Dance -- South Africa Choreography -- South Africa Choreographers -- South Africa Dance criticism -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007658
- Description: In the years following the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, dance and choreography have undergone considerable transformation. This investigation stems from one observation relative to this change that has been articulated by two of South Africa's most respected dance critics, Adrienne Sichel and Matthew Krouse. Both critics have noted a growing concern for narrative in South African contemporary choreography, coupled with an apparent propensity for narratives of a distinctly personal and 'autobiographical' nature. In Part One: 'Just after the beginning', the proposed preoccupation with narrative in South African contemporary choreography is discussed in light of the relationship between narrative and the notion of personal identity. The use of the performed narrative as a medium to explore questions about identity is offered as one explanation underpinning this increased proclivity, where the interrogation of the form of the danced narrative provides a site for exploration of personal identity. Part Two: 'Somewhere in the middle' interrogates the notion of form through an in-depth discussion of the experimentation with form within theatrical and antitheatrical dance traditions over the last fifty years. Specific works by three selected South African choreographers (Ginslov, Maqoma and Sabbagha) are discussed in terms of their general approach to narrative form. This provides an illustration of some of the approaches to narrative form emergent in contemporary South African choreographic practices. Part Three: 'Nearing the end' offers Acty Tang's Chaste (2007) as a case study to illustrate the practical application of the dance narrative as a means to interrogate questions relating to personal identity. A detailed analysis of Tang's particular approach to forming the narrative of Chaste is conducted, exposing the intertextual, multimedia and multidisciplinary approach to creating the danced narrative.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008