Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
Not a member yet
6222 research outputs found
Sort by
The Church and Migration during Apartheid Times: Roman Catholic Missionaries Banned from Former Homeland of Qwaqwa – Witsieshoek: 2023 CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH HISTORY SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
No full textThe unjust policies of the apartheid government, which came to power in 1948, made the proclamation of the message of the Gospel difficult for the Roman Catholic missionaries. Catholicism has always determined to communicate the Gospel in ways that engender transformation. However, the apartheid laws in South Africa hindered foreign missionaries from reaching out to the communities which were on the periphery. There was an element of the Roomse gevaar in the apartheid policies. The idea of the ‘Roomse gevaar’ (the Roman Danger) prevailed in the Afrikaans-speaking community and the corridors of the apartheid regime.
This article presents a historical survey of attitudes towards the missionaries of the Catholic Church in the Eastern Free State during the apartheid regime. It further investigates the impact of the Catholic Church on historical developments in the former Basotho homeland. This research adopts a combination of socio-historical and narrative approaches. The data-gathering technique is the main source of historical books, unpublished and Internet materials. The research is conducted in the form of a comparative Literature study. It draws from Literature on the historical book Patience Our Daily Bread – The Catholic Church in the Orange Free State and Kimberley from 1850 in the work of Professor J.B. Brain as the main source and my Thesis titled: The mission of God’s people in the light of God’s mission. A Missiological case study on the Catholic Church of Bethlehem, South Africa, and other sources will be incorporated into the discussion. The Eastern Free State is the area of focus, with the Qwaqwa homeland being the main focus
African Accounts of Religious Conversations and Interventions in Mental Healthcare
No full textThe importance of healthcare has attracted conversations from healthcare professionals, as well as other groups like the United Nations, academic institutions, governments, the private sector, and religious organisations, all contributing to healthcare conversations because healthcare is foundational to human survival. However, there are questions on the quality and gaps of conversations and interventions regarding mental health among religious groups. This is because the quality of healthcare delivery may be rooted in the quality of conversations and interventions. This study explores the quality of mental healthcare (MHC) conversations and interventions in Traditional Religions, Christianity, and Islam in Africa. It interrogates past and recent conversations and interventions within the frameworks of spiritual care (SC) as a form of compassion science, interreligious collaborations, spiritual healings, and allopathic collaborations. Lastly, it places a searchlight on the loopholes of spiritual care in MHC and recommends closure where possible in the pursuit of improved healthcare and well-being in Africa
Faith in Conflict: Examining the Varied Available Chronicles of Churches\u27 Responses to the South African Border War and Their Enduring Legacies
No full textOn 26 August 1966, the first skirmish between the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the South West Africa People\u27s Organisation (SWAPO), known as Operation Blue Wildebeest, took place and the hostilities, which had been increasing for some time, were ignited. Thus, the South African Border War, otherwise known as the Namibian War of Independence, which would span the next two decades, began in earnest. This paper examines the conflict from the discipline of Church History in order to illuminate the nuanced development of the relationship between the church in South Africa and the concept of war, as well as the varied responses from different denominations to the conflict as it progressed. As the last conflict, which necessitated an active draft of South African men, the war\u27s immediate effects were felt throughout society and persisted into the future. The churches\u27 responses ranged from staunch support for the government\u27s decision and involvement in the war to vocal opposition, thus reflecting diverse theological perspectives and ethical positions. The article sheds light on how different denominations responded publicly to the war, with the aim to highlight how these discussions were influenced by the circumstances of the time and how they changed in the following years leading up to the close of the war
Interpreting History. Unlocking Various Phases of History in the Story of the Upington Uniting Reformed Church over Its First Hundred Years of Existence (1875–1975)
No full textThe Upington congregation of the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa (URCSA), established in 1875, is one of two URCSA congregations in Upington in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The congregation has a long, interesting history entrenched in the sociopolitical realities of the “Coloured” people of the Orange River Valley in and around Upington. This article explores the history of this congregation, its origins as a mission station on the other side of the Orange River, and the complexities and perceived cultural boundaries linked to its establishment and development. Furthermore, there is the story behind the significant church schism of 1902. The article also focuses on the interesting, complex link between the former Dutch Reform Mission Church (DRMC) Upington congregation and the Dutch Reform Church (DRC) Upington over certain periods—a relationship of many phases. This is an attempt to discover new elements and perspectives on the history of the URCSA Upington, adding to current engagements and evaluations of congregational histories in eras before the so-called postcolonial era. Church and congregational records (including celebratory publications), theses linked to the establishment of churches in the 1800s in the Orange River Valley, and historical documents of the former DRMC form the basis of this study (source analysis)
The Role of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in Engendering Theological Higher Education in Africa
No full textThis article explores the transformative role of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in engendering higher theological education in Africa. Grounded in African Women’s theology, the study analyses initiatives in championing gender equality, inclusivity, and intersectional solidarity within theological academia. The study highlights the historic journey of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in promoting the integration of gender-sensitive curricular and nurturing a new generation of African women theologians. Methodologically, I adopt a qualitative design and use African Women’s Theology as a lens to understand the transformative strides made by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians towards engendering theological higher education in Africa
Beyond Expectations in the Academic World: 17 Years of Publishing with Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae (2006–2023)
No full textThis research article aims to bring out the author’s 17 years of research and publications with the Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae: Journal of Church History, abbreviated as SHE, from 2006 to 2023, and to establish its impact on his socio-scholarly formation. Methodologically, this drives the researcher to acknowledge the journal’s sharpening and preparatory role that has made it possible for him to be invited as an editor of an East African journal, an external examiner in various universities, and a conference speaker in diverse forums. The methodology also includes surveying the Church History Society of Southern Africa (CHSSA)’s annual conferences whose presentations since 2007—when the author attended for the first time—have enriched his engagements with SHE. Such presentations were later published in the journal. Key events that helped the author to come into contact with the first SHE copy have also been surveyed. The Mombasa Biographical Conference of April 2024, where the author was invited as the closing speaker, is viewed as one of the journal’s impactful events. The author was invited to address the gathering after his interest in biographical research was noted through his publications in SHE since 2006. Given this, the author seeks to usher in an East African perspective by drawing from the 17 years of his active participation in SHE publications and the CHSSA conferences. The latter provides the raw material for SHE’s publications.
Impact of Youth Empowerment Programmes in Low-Income Settings: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Evidence
No full textThe impact and sustainability of youth empowerment programmes is highly contentious in a context marked by significant levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Youth empowerment programmes play a role in supporting low-income youth. This article presents a systematic review of six studies that were conducted between 2008 and 2013 in poor, urban, semi-rural and rural communities in South Africa. The main goal of the article is to describe how young people have been impacted by participating in youth empowerment programmes in their communities. Themes on key development indicators, results-based transformation, and sustainable youth empowerment programmes, summarise the main factors that influence how youth empowerment programmes are perceived. The systematic review of the literature results provides a basis for further research into youth empowerment programmes
More Than Fluency: Artificial Stuttering as a Therapy in Drama Education in Palestine
No full textThis article explores the use of artificial stuttering as a powerful practice and therapy in higher education in Palestine where the need for applied drama is increasing. It specifically focuses on the artistic and/or performative re-employment of Charles Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby to enhance the academic achievement and social development of dysfluent students throughout and beyond their university education. By using extra-curricular, art-mediated training and in-class performance of chosen passages from Dickens’s narrative, students not only improve their linguistic and intellectual competencies but also develop dynamic confidence to articulate themselves in daily social contexts during self-presentation. This academic practice, which is part of a one-term educational disability programme, focuses on training a selected number of undergraduate students with a severe or mild stutter by relying on the technique of artificial impersonation of the stuttering of Smike, who is one of the most common Victorian dysfluent characters, in different melodramatic acts. In this experience, students show linguistic growth and social command of communication, and thus chart a new subjective identity
Observing Complexity in Teachers’ Choices: Preparing Preservice Teachers for Work-Integrated Learning
No full textAlthough preservice teachers are familiar with classroom life, they are largely unfamiliar with teachers’ intentions and reasoning. Those completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) have just one year to acquire new insights into teaching. This article investigates whether their school-based learning can be enhanced by preparing them to analyse the classroom practices of diverse teachers. A module used to augment work-integrated learning, Teacher Choices in Action, has introduced more than 70,000 South African preservice teachers to key choices that all teachers make. They see how diverse teachers enact these choices through guided studies of recorded lessons. We use Legitimation Code Theory to compare lesson observation reports written by 83 PGCE preservice teachers at the start and end of completing this module. Initially, most participants gave superficial descriptions of classroom activities with basic explanations of what teachers do and why. Afterwards, their reports contained more complex interpretations of teaching, with more connections between their lesson observations and insights from their coursework. Guided lesson study potentially empowers them to interpret prevalent teaching practices and consider pedagogic choices for their lessons more thoughtfully and systematically, regardless of their educational backgrounds. It may also address some concerns about vastly different mentoring that preservice teachers receive during the practicum
Vocational Education and Graduate Struggles in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Freirean Approach
No full textThis article, rooted in Paulo Freire’s transformative framework, critically examines Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), challenging the conventional emphasis on powerful knowledge. Instead, it forefronts contextual factors to unravel power dynamics, privilege, and social inequalities within the educational landscape. The primary aim is to engage in dialogues illuminating issues of power and social justice, offering insights to foster more inclusive and equitable TVET practices. Embracing a Freirean lens, the research article actively seeks transformative practices within TVET by emphasising the potential of dialogue, collaboration, and critical consciousness. It moves beyond merely describing students’ suffering and disappointment, focusing on the intrinsic aspect of Freirean ideas—the development of consciousness through dialogic processes. By incorporating the voices and perspectives of TVET students, the article aims to construct an alternative conceptualisation of TVET education. The article illustrates how dialogues contribute to developing a counterculture of resistance and struggle, aligning with Freire’s theory. It emphasises the transformative power of dialogue in addressing students’ lived experiences, struggles, rights, aspirations, and disappointments. This approach aligns with Freire’s belief that dialogue catalyses positive change and empowerment in education