Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
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A Comparison of Loneliness and Social Support among South African Older Persons during a Pandemic
No full textPandemics, such as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in March 2020, have a negative impact on older persons’ (60 years and older) physical and mental health. Research on the effects of Covid-19 on older persons’ experience of loneliness and self-reported social support has predominately originated from the Global North. Applying the strengths perspective, the present study aimed to determine and compare the loneliness and social support among South African older persons during a pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was operationalised to collect data from community-dwelling older persons (n = 139) and older persons residing in residential care facilities (n = 99) through purposive sampling across five South African provinces. A loneliness scale was used to measure the respondents’ overall loneliness, including emotional and social loneliness. A social support scale was used to measure the availability of social support across four domains. The survey focused on social contact, number of close friends/relatives, socio-demographics, and subjective physical and mental health, respectively. Independent samples t-tests were run to explore any statistically significant differences between the two groups. Community-dwelling older persons were found to present with marginally higher levels of loneliness. No statistically significant differences were identified between the two groups. Community-dwelling older persons measured higher on social support than their peers in residential care. Two domains of social support, namely, affectionate support and positive social interaction, were found to be significantly different (p < 0.01). Based on the study’s results, implications for strengths-based gerontological social work services in resource-constrained settings during a pandemic were delineated
Prospects of Graphene-Based Materials in E-Fuel Applications
No full textIn recent years, research studies on e-fuels such as e-methane, e-kerosene, e-methane, e-ammonia, e-diesel and e-methanol have engrossed the interest of scientists because of their unique features. These fuels are in vapour or molten phase that are formed from renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind and water) or decarbonised electricity. Recent research studies on the fabrication and applications of e-fuels have advanced significantly owing to the integration of graphene and its derivatives with special chemical and physical characteristics in their various working principles and applications. The most recent developments in the fabrication and applications of materials that are graphene-based e-fuels include the integration of graphene in electrodes and electrolytes of the e-fuel devices. E-fuels are also used in the decarbonisation of our environment since anthropogenic carbon (IV) oxide (CO2) and carbon (II) oxide (CO) emitted from various sources will be reduced; consequently reducing greenhouse effects. This review aims at exploring techniques of using graphene and its derivatives in enhancing the performance and elongating the lifespan of e-fuel devices
Dining with the Duttons: Food Values and Political Polarisation in the Yellowstone Cookbooks
No full textSince it premiered in June 2018, Yellowstone has become one of the most popular series on television. Because fandom and food go together, given the rise of popular culture cookbooks featuring main courses, sides, appetizers, desserts, and drinks from and inspired by beloved series, it is no surprise that two cookbooks were published recreating what the Duttons eat on Yellowstone. This article investigates the political ideology associated with the food in the two Yellowstone cookbooks. It draws on recent literature in the fields of sociology, psychology, marketing communications, and consumer culture that has explored the relationship between political affiliation and eating behaviours demonstrating that the polarisation of political ideology extends to consumers’ preferences. It postulates that even though Yellowstone fans have been said to lean conservative and the series has been labelled as “red state” and “Republican,” the food in the cookbooks appeals to conservatives and liberals. The paper reviews current research on politics and food values, examines the paratextual relationship that exists between culinary and cinematic texts, and addresses nutrition, taste, and price in the corpus of analysis.
Literary Gerontology Comes of Age: A Poetic Language of Ageing (2023), edited by Olga V. Lehmann and Oddgeir Synnes
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Tropes Have Fangs: Elsa Dutton, 1883, “Going Native”, Adaptive Whiteness and Trope Resilience
No full textIn Taylor Sheridan’s television miniseries 1883, the origin story of his American neo-Western series Yellowstone, the voice-over narration is given by the central character, 18-year-old Elsa Dutton. Elsa is travelling with her family from Texas to Oregon on the wagon trail to the West along with migrants from Eastern Europe who have little idea of the country they have arrived in. Despite her death at the end of the series, the voice-over in the next edition of the Dutton family saga, 1923, is also given by Elsa. Her role and her ongoing spectral presence are the mythical centre of these stories and of the Yellowstone series. In 1883, she plays the daughter who takes advantage of the freedoms of the trail to get out from under her mother, Margaret Dutton’s, control to join the men herding the cattle, and to have two sexual liaisons, including one with a Native American, Sam. In 1923, as a voice-over only, she plays the role of the ancestor whose grave marks the place in Montana where the Dutton family are fighting for their possession of the land. Interesting directorial and narratival questions arise in relation to the role and voice of Elsa when stories are told of a past in which dispossession from land was being carried out ruthlessly and systematically. While her character exercises enviable freedom for a woman of her time, by contrast her voice-over carries warnings of danger, destruction, hell and disaster for both series, captured in the words, “freedom has fangs”. This gaining of freedom for the settlers and great loss of freedom and autonomy for the Indigenous peoples is a complicated story for the director to manage. This article looks at the storytelling tropes activated in 1883 and shows how they work against intentions to tell an old story differently
Situated Readings: Introduction to the Special Issue on Yellowstone
No full textAs we write this, the 10 November 2024 release date of the highly anticipated second half of the fifth, and final, season of Taylor Sheridan’s epic neo-Western drama, Yellowstone, lies on the horizon. Within the space of eight years, Sheridan’s series, initially a niche standalone drama picked up by the Paramount Network, has expanded into a large, shared story universe. The contributions to this issue have coalesced around several focus areas which can loosely be categorised as: branding; gender and race; space and place; and situated readings of the series. This special issue of Journal of Literary Studies is, to our knowledge, the first focused publication to critically consider Yellowstone, and it successfully establishes a first critical discussion about the transcultural exchanges that can be found in popular cultural texts such as this that manage to go well beyond their intended boundaries. 
Reflecting on Responses to Women With Disabilities’ Experiences of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
No full textSouth Africa is renowned for its most progressive constitution. One that upholds the rights and protection of all its citizens, yet the country is one of the most violent communities for women to live in, and more so if they have a disability. Gender-based violence is a concern, and women in South Africa live in perpetual fear of attack. Gender-based violence advocacy on a global and national scale rarely includes women with disabilities, yet higher numbers of women with disabilities are affected by violence than women and girls without. In this article, I draw on work done with women with disabilities in some South African communities to reflect on how the experiences of women with disabilities who have experienced gender-based violence are made invisible. This reflection problematises this “invisibilisation”, arguing that leaving women with disabilities out of work on gender-based violence, threatens efforts to respond to their experiences of violence
From Activism to Influence: Unpacking the Romanticisation of Mental Illness Online
No full textSocial media has become an integral part of daily life, particularly among youths, shaping interactions and influencing mental well-being. Unfortunately, this has also led to a rise in cyberbullying, particularly concerning the sharing of personal struggles, such as depression. Despite these challenges, some youths have adeptly navigated social media to promote mental health awareness and activism. However, a subset of these activists has become popular influencers, sometimes prioritising maintaining their online status over their advocacy roles. Consequently, there is a concern that some may inadvertently glorify or romanticise depression to sustain their popularity. In this article, I explore the influence of social media on mental health activism, focusing on its effects on the mental well-being of youths. I examine whether the portrayal of depression by influencers or mental health activists contributes positively to destigmatisation efforts or if it inadvertently perpetuates misconceptions. The data were collected from the different social media platforms of nine participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for an in-depth understanding of the mined data. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The themes that emanated from the findings were: disguised “activism” and killing two birds with one stone, increased popularity versus activism, and irrelevant content. The study highlights the importance of investigating the impact of social media on mental health activism by recognising the potential implications on the mental well-being of youths. Social media influencers aim to change perceptions of depression, but there is still a growing concern whether the proposed new image of depression is helpful or misleading
“What If He Tells Others”: Negotiating Disclosure of Children’s HIV-Positive Status Amid Stigma in a South African Rural Community
No full textIn this study, we explore how HIV-related social stigma in a South African rural township community informs parents’ and caregivers’ decisions to disclose their children’s HIV-positive status to them. To achieve the aim of the study, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 12 parents and caregivers of HIV-positive children between the ages of seven and 14 years in a rural area based in Mpumalanga in South Africa. We found that, despite the development in HIV education across the country, HIV-related stigma is prevalent at a social level in rural townships and serves as a barrier to disclosing children’s HIV-positive status. We established that the parents and caregivers use “passing” as a stigma management strategy where they conceal their children’s HIV-positive status from them and instead tell them that they are infected with less stigmatised medical conditions such as asthma and tuberculosis. Based on these findings, we argue that, although education on HIV is widespread in South Africa, HIV-related stigma is still prevalent in some rural townships. This stigma compels parents and caregivers to avoid disclosing their children’s HIV-positive status to them and instead employ stigma management strategies that will maintain the concealment of their children’s HIV status
Land Matters and Rural Development: 2023
No full textThe most important land-related developments in 2023 are set out. Interesting and important developments took place within the policy, legislative and case law contexts. In this regard, the urgent need for land—suitable for residential and agricultural purposes—was again underscored. Unlawful occupation of land and corresponding eviction within urban areas continued, underscoring the need for policy initiatives like the Draft White Paper for Human Settlements. In the context of rural areas, the eviction of occupiers on farmland continued. The note deals with redistribution, restitution and tenure reform developments in the land reform arena, coupled with developments relating to new courts, deeds and registries, housing generally and traditional and Khoi-San authority constructs