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Sites of migrant landing: (un)braiding topographies of relations across hair salons in Mowbray
Get PDFThis dissertation explores hair salons in Mowbray as a node for landing amongst African migrant women who have settled in Cape Town, are arriving or in transition. To land is to set foot and to find grounding, and it is also to contend with borders. Therefore, to conceptualise the hair salon as a landing space is a deliberate geographical choice that situates landing in the central city. The significance of this is to emphasise that migrants do not land only once at national borders such as airports, shores, land ports, etc., that landing is not a singular event, and continues as African migrants try to find grounding in their new urban contexts. The dissertation's centring of the hair salon is a Black reading of space that facilitates porous mobilities through social relations and networks informed and maintained by African migrant women. Going beyond characterisations as informal trading spaces, a porous infrastructural analysis can be deployed to engage with the African hair salon as a spatial node that forefronts African women's place making in the city. The methodology for this research includes ethnographic semi-structured interviews, some of which were held during hair appointments with hairstylists, observations, archival material of Mowbray and other periodical texts. Additionally as part of the methodology, an experimentation with braiding as a cartography in Black feminist geographies provides a map of mobility in the urban space, that is routed and rooted in African women's beauty practices. Two distinct relations to the hair salon have emerged in the findings. One that emphasised place making through social relations, and the other that showed the different ways that displacement and anti-migration attitudes and policies affect the survival and maintenance of hair salons. For the former, hairstylists shared that the way they entered the hair salon market was through family and friends or a friend of a friend recommendations; the salon provides various mobility for workers who after saving up can also begin their own practices; through braiding, practices of beauty are embraced with themselves and their customers. For the latter, urban development projects such as the demolition of a long-standing shopping centre; rental increase; high inflation and unchanging prices; lack of immigration documentation were discussed in length. The hair salon stands at the intersection of community and resource building for demographics that face displacement and structural marginalisation in the city. Keywords: Black hair salon, landing, urban migration, mobility, African migrant women, arrival infrastructure, people as infrastructure, braiding as cartography, urban displacemen
Returning individual genetic results to research participants: experiences of stigma in South African families with neurodevelopmental disorders
Get PDFIn South Africa, there is little research about the experiences of stigma in parents or caregivers of children with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD). Likewise, the impact of genetic attribution on these experiences have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of stigma of NeuroDev research participants and their families and how a positive genetic result influences/affects these experiences. To achieve this, the researcher looked at the experiences of parents or caregivers of NeuroDev research participants with stigma and the influence a positive genetic result may have on stigma experiences. The role of genetic counsellors in addressing instances of stigma in NDDs and genomics research was also considered. The study drew on an interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) as this approach views individuals as “experiential experts” where researchers engage and interpret the meaning of experiences. This research was a sub-study to the NeuroDev study. The NeuroDev study aims to account for the lack of African genetic data of NDDs by exploring the phenotypic and genetic landscape of NDDs in South Africa and Kenya. Participants of the study included fathers, mothers or caregivers of children diagnosed with an NDD, who have voluntarily participated in the NeuroDev study and who have received a positive genetic result. This is a form of purposive sampling as participants were selected based on appropriateness for the aim and objectives of this study. Data collection and exploration involved semi-structured interviews with six participants to ensure that the data obtained was deeply associated with personal experiences, views and beliefs. Interviews were conducted at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital or at the University of Cape Town between March 15th to April 14th 2023 and were audio-recorded. Interviews continued for 45-90 minutes so that the researcher obtained rich, meaningful data. Transcribed interviews were then analysed using an IPA-tailored thematic analysis flow to identify recurrent themes or patterns in the data. Findings show that participants experience public, associative and internalised stigma. It was further found that how a parent understands a diagnosis, the difficulty in raising a child with an NDD, and respective coping mechanisms affect how patients perceive a genetic result and, subsequently stigma. While a genetic result did not impact public stigma, some patients expressed that assigning meaning to a genetic cause impacts internalised stigma. Participants understanding of genetic counselling differed. Most expressed a lack of understanding of genetic counselling. Nonetheless, the genetic counselling session enhanced participants knowledge on NDDs, is patient-centred and impacted internalised stigma. It was expected that genetic counselling would have a greater impact on other forms of stigma, however, it was not seen in this study. This study forms a basis for future research to further elucidate experiences of stigma in parents or caregivers of children with NDDs and the role genetic counsellors may play in addressing this stigma and in genomics research in South Africa
Do European Union measures against people smuggling constitute non-entry and within this context violate refugee´s rights?
Get PDFThis dissertation critically examines the intersection of the European Union´s measures against people smuggling and the protection of refugee rights. Against the backdrop of a global refugee crisis, the European Union's migration policies and border control strategies have come under scrutiny. The European Union's commitment to human dignity, freedom, democracy, and human rights is foundational, yet criticism persists regarding its approach to refugees and migrants. The emphasis on border control and the closing of loopholes has led to a race between border authorities and migrant smugglers, with each party adapting to the evolving strategies of the other. A fundamental challenge arises from the divide between individuals entitled to international protection and those left unprotected. Refugees, who are able to seek refuge without prior permission, present a unique challenge to migration control efforts. In order to avoid having to grant protection to such individuals, developed states employ so called non-entrée policies, preventing refugees from entering their territories while ostensibly upholding international principles. Such non-entry policies are often connected to anti-smuggling measures, so that the interplay between the two will serve as a focal point for the analysis conducted in this research. The dissertation delves into the human rights aspects of people smuggling, examining the potential disparity between anti-smuggling efforts and the rights of asylum seekers in the light of non-entrée policies. Through this comprehensive analysis, the dissertation aims to provide recommendations for enhancing the compatibility between the European Union's fight against people smuggling and the protection of refugee rights in the ongoing global refugee crisis
Investigating post-mortem redistribution of drugs in a cohort of suspected unnatural deaths in Cape Town South Africa
Get PDFIntroduction: The interpretation of post-mortem toxicological analysis results is complex, specifically, due to the phenomenon of post-mortem redistribution (PMR). The later needs to be taken into consideration when determining if, and to what extent a drug contributed to death. Additionally, case specific features also play a role and therefore no specific drug concentration can be deemed ‘fatal'. The accumulation of drugs in specific body areas before and around death creates drug reservoirs, influencing redistribution after death. However, patterns like concentration ratios between cardiac and peripheral blood aid in understanding PMR tendencies of specific drugs. By contributing data to the larger knowledge pool, we can better understand how different drugs behave in the post-mortem seeing, thereby assisting toxicologists and pathologists to come to a rational conclusion regarding the post-mortem toxicological results on a case-by-case basis. Methods: This study is the first of its kind in South Africa, aiming to investigate the extent of PMR of common drugs of use and misuse. To this end, paired admission femoral blood and autopsy femoral and cardiac blood samples were tested on a quantitative LC-MS/MS panel of 31 commonly misused drugs. Results: A total of 109 suspected unnatural cases admitted to the mortuary were included, of which 61 (56%) yielded positive toxicology results. The data was analysed using SPSS Version 28. The most common analytes detected were acetaminophen (n=13; 21.3%), 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁹- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) (n=20; 37.8%), amphetamine (n=30; 49.2%), methaqualone (n=33; 54.1%) and methamphetamine (n=33; 54.1%). Males represented the majority of cases in the cohort and the mean age of individuals testing positive was 33 years (SD: 10 years). Cardiac/peripheral (C/P) ratios were calculated and significant pairwise differences with Bonferroni correction were found for amphetamine, methamphetamine and nor-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol, corresponding with current literature. Additionally, where the literature was previously lacking data on the PMR of methaqualone, this study suggested that it is less likely to undergo PMR
Environmental governance: urban community-driven conservation endeavors in the Cape
Get PDFConservation of ecosystems on all scales is important, especially in light of the Anthropocene. The Cape is an important site for biodiversity and is home to many people and ecosystems. The ecosystems in urban environments influence the well-being of communities and provide essential services. Conservation in the urban is part of a complex socio-ecological system, and governance is an important factor in ensuring effective decisions are made and appropriate management actions taken. Although there are clear guidelines for conservation on a national and provincial level, it is less clear for civic and urban efforts. This research aims to establish how local conservation endeavors are governed in the urban Cape and how this governance aligns to policies in South Africa. The purpose is to provide insights into gaps in information and policy. Three cases of community driven conservation endeavors were identified for exploration in the urban areas of the Cape Floristic Region. This research uses the framework for environmental governance by Bennett and Satterfield (2018) to uncover the rich material of urban green space conservation, which is presented against the backdrop of relevant policies. It is important to determine how these spaces are governed on the ground, and if this framework is a useful tool to extract and use information on this scale. Based on the framework for effective conservation governance, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight people involved in the identified endeavors. The interviewees included members of the municipalities, endeavor managers and civilian volunteers. A policy analysis of environmental governance in South Africa was done to determine the guidelines in which these endeavors should operate, and to identify the objectives that the cases are meeting. Data from interviews was used to uncover the governance modes, common themes, and effectiveness of local environmental conservation. Urban conservation fulfills many social and environmental goals when governed effectively. These conservation endeavors create outputs which align with important national goals, and the Sustainable Development Goals for life on land and sustainable cities and communities. Community support and good relationships in local government proved to be the most critical to effective governance. These cases do not operate within clear policy guidelines, and their governance modes differ depending on the local socio ecological context. These findings support the need for bottom-up governance, community led conservation and strong relationships between civic society and government to meet social and environmental goals in the urban
An exploratory study on the perceptions and experiences the of adolescent males about gender-based violence in their families and communities
No full textGender-based violence (GBV) is a global phenomenon that affects many women and children across all cultures, races, and socio-economic circumstances. This phenomenon also impacts survivors' physical and psychological wellbeing as a direct result of the abuse and as the body responds to the trauma. Understanding the context in which young males recognise and view GBV is important as it will refine the effectiveness of intervention programmes so that these youths' worldview can be shifted despite the fact that society often expects that males use violence as part of conflict management in social settings. Framed through the lens of the social constructionist view of gender and the ecological systems theory, the study is aimed at understanding how socialisation takes place in families and communities play a role in shaping young men's views and perceptions about GBV. The study sampled 16 young males aged between 18 and 25 years from various townships in Gqeberha. Using the qualitative exploratory approach, a semi-structured interview schedule was utilized, leading to the rich collection of data. All interviews were transcribed manually using Microsoft Office. During data analysis, 3 major themes emerged: contributing factors of gender-based violence in the household, the effects of gender-based violence on individuals, families and communities, and proposed intervention plans. Results indicated that young males realise that GBV is a form of cruelty against humanity. Factors impacting the perpetrator including violent socialisation, violent coaching by peers, the use of substances and their emotion regulation thereby impacting their personality traits. The results further indicated that communities have accepted violence as a part of their daily lives, and this has created a despondence in efforts to reducing violence. Proposed interventions included addressing gender inequality, the establishment of supportive social systems for both perpetrators and survivors, and community education to assist in maintaining the change
Enhancing resilience in South African small and medium enterprises: a dynamic capabilities perspective
Get PDFThe resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets, where they confront persistent institutional challenges, is crucial for their ability to survive and thrive in such complex environments. South Africa contends with many challenges, including institutional voids that manifest in various ways, such as electricity blackouts and systemic corruption. These challenges compound the existing difficulties SMEs face, which are already constrained by limited resources. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, as an exogenous shock, exacerbated the challenges small enterprises face. It further heightened transaction costs, introduced additional operational constraints, and underscored the urgency of examining their resilience. The aim of the study is to understand how market dynamism in the form of institutional voids and exogenous shocks influences SME resilience in emerging markets. Additionally, the study investigates the role of the dynamic capabilities framework to deepen comprehension of organizational resilience within these markets. Targeting South African SMEs across diverse sectors with fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue below R220 million, the research employed a mixed methods approach combining case studies and a survey to gather data. The study confirms significant relationships between institutional voids, exogenous shocks, dynamic capabilities, and SME resilience using qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, including regression analysis and structural equation modelling. To survive and thrive, South African SMEs must develop and deploy context-specific and distinctive resilience capabilities to navigate these disruptions and challenges proficiently. Specifically, the study's findings highlight that tacit and explicit knowledge and improvisation capability positively impact SME resilience, enabling these enterprises to mitigate risks and identify opportunities, thereby fortifying their resilience during crises. This thesis contributes to existing theory by introducing a Resilience Framework, depicting essential categories and specific qualities crucial for managing disruptions and enhancing SME resilience within emerging markets. Furthermore, the study offers theoretical advancements in dynamic capabilities and resilience and furnishes practical strategies for SME managers and policymakers. This approach serves as guidance for current decision-making and lays the groundwork for future research endeavors in these domains
The genetic relationship between the corpus callosum, bipolar disorder and alcohol use
Get PDFBackground: The corpus callosum (CC) is a brain structure responsible for the integration of information across the two cerebral hemispheres to facilitate language, affective- and sensorimotor function. Morphological alterations in sub-regions of this structure have been observed in various psychiatric disorders, particularly bipolar disorder and alcohol consumption. Although the CC has a high heritability (0.67 for total CC; family study) the genetic architecture of the entire structure, its subregions, and any genetic links with psychiatric disorders remain largely unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic architecture of the CC, and this was accomplished by the following objectives: elucidating the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)- based heritability and polygenic architecture of the CC and its subregions, and by investigating the genetic overlap between the CC and its subregions with psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and alcohol consumption. Methods: Multivariate and univariate genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted utilizing genetic and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 40,894 individuals from the UK Biobank. The volume of the five subregions of the CC (posterior, mid-posterior, central, mid-anterior and anterior) were extracted using FreeSurfer v7.1. Multivariate GWAS was run combining volumes of all CC subregions. Multivariate GWAS was conducted to boost genetic discovery and to assess the pleiotropic effects across volumes of the five subregions of the CC. Univariate GWAS was conducted across CC subregion volumes and the 28 diffusion weighted imaging modalities. All analyses were co varied for age, age squared, sex, scanning site, Euler score (a proxy of image quality), total intracranial volume and the first 20 genetic principal components. Annotations of GWAS summary statistics were conducted using OpenTargets and gene-set enrichment analyses were performed using hypergeometric tests. Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was 5 used to determine SNP-based heritability of the CC and subregions (for both volume and diffusion weighted modalities), as well as to assess genetic correlations between these subregions and relevant psychiatric and substance use phenotypes. A causal mixture model framework was employed to determine the polygenicity of each subregion and related psychiatric traits and, leveraging pleiotropy using the conjunctional false discovery rate (cFDR) framework, shared loci between the CC and psychiatric phenotypes were identified. Results: This study identified seventy independent loci with distributed effects across volumes of the CC subregions, with additional loci showing subregion-specific associations. Univariate GWAS analysis of diffusion metrics revealed a total of 1,520 significant genetic loci associated with diffusion metrics in the subregions of the CC. The polygenicity varied across diffusion modalities and subregions, ranging from 268 to 7,069 trait-influencing variants. The mean number of trait-influencing variants ranged from 1,560 to 2,865 across different diffusion metric groups and 2,385 to 3,108 across subregions. It was found that CC subregion volumes are influenced by approximately 1,400 to 1,800 genetic variants, with approximately 1,800 variants influencing total CC volume. The SNP-based heritability estimates varied, with CC volume showing a relatively high heritability (h2 snp=0.38, SE=0.03) and subregion volumes ranging from 0.22 (SE=0.02; mid-posterior) to 0.37 (SE=0.03; posterior). Significant genetic correlations were observed between CC volume and bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, drinks per week, cannabis use. The diffusion metrics also showed subregion-specific correlations with CC volume, bipolar disorder and alcohol consumption. The genetic overlap between the CC and psychiatric phenotypes differed across subregions, with anterior regions showing almost complete overlap with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, while the central region exhibited substantial overlap with drinks per week. In conjunctional analysis, I identified 138 significant independent variants between CC subregions and psychiatric 6 phenotypes, and gene-set enrichment analysis implicated antigen processing, regulation of the extracellular matrix, and hyaluronan metabolism as significant pathways. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the CC possesses a polygenic architecture and has a substantial SNP-based heritability across its subregions. Distinct genetic loci were implicated in the CC's anterior and posterior subregions, which is in line with their different functional specializations. There was evidence of significant genetic correlation of the CC with BD, MDD, as well as between the CC and substance use phenotypes (drinks per week and cannabis consumption). Moreover, substantial genetic overlap was observed between the CC with SCZ and BD, and alcohol consumption. These findings of overlapping genetic architectures of the CC and these psychiatric phenotypes suggest the existence of shared biological pathways that may have value in the development of targeted treatment strategie
Reframing the comparative discourse surrounding Malaysia's New Economic Policy and South Africa's black economic empowerment program through the lens of the political settlements framework
Get PDFThe comparative discourse surrounding Malaysia's New Economic Policy (NEP) and South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy has been receiving greater attention. While there certainly is a sound basis for direct comparison, much of the existing literature has viewed the comparison in a limited manner with the NEP often being hailed as an emulate-worthy model of transformation. This thesis argues that comparative analysis is strengthened when incorporating the pivotal role that the distinct political settlements of each country had in dictating the content and relative success of these redistributive programs. Comparative Analysis is centred on the formation and economic impact of BEE in the South African mining sector and on the NEP in the Malaysian corporate sector more broadly. As such, it is the belief of the paper that by drawing on comparative PSA, the paper is able to begin to reframe the comparative discourse in more of a revealing manner that attempts to account for a wider set of the complex social, political and economic factors that underpinned the respective transformation efforts
Prehensile: an explication of this is Africa, a travel memoir by Jack Rathmell
No full text“Prehensile” is a 10,000 word explication analyzing T.I.A, a travel memoir by Jack Rathmell (the candidate). Prehensile examines the various philosophical themes running throughout the book, as well as addressing the ethical dilemmas and other problems the Western world faces as regards the outside world. The explication will also attempt a degree of meta-analysis, discussing the process by which art and self-expression takes place in the modern world; the process by which,in this case, a book goes from a mere idea to a physical product, and what it takes to market such an idea in today's world, in which the lines between “individual” and “brand” have blurred; to this end, both a website and a physical, hand-bound copy of the book have been designed and created for this project, and will be provided for examination. (The pdf of the book has also been appended to the thesis.) Here is the introduction of Prehensile: 1. Introduction Primarily, TIA is a book about struggling to find a place in the modern world. It is a book about the status quo, and our navigation of its systems it uses to maintain social, political, and economic control. The story is told with South Africa as a backdrop; my three visits (totaling two years) to the country are covered, taking place over roughly five years. The first stint took place as a 19-year-old volunteer, which situates many of the issues discussed below. These topics include the malaise, the paralysis by (white) guilt that so many visitors feel. Nevertheless, the memoir being set in South Africa is largely incidental. The emotional connection and sentimentality I developed with and for South Africa is presented as a chance byproduct; it could, I suggest, just as likely have been Thailand or Guatemala that catalyzed my reflections and personal growth. This realization comes as a result of reflecting on how we relay our stories, what mobilizes us to act, and just how influential luck is in shaping our existence. There are also more existential questions at play. In a world where, increasingly, day to day existence is being commodified, and our privacy and personal sovereignty are being encroached upon, we (in the West) are forced non-consenting into a perpetual state of performance and spectacle (Adorno & Bernstein, 2015). At all times we are at once being surveilled and surveilling others (Zuboff, 2020). The way we perceive ourselves and the outside world has been co-opted, and is thus constantly in flux at both the individual and societal level. As a result of these forces (the deluge of targeted marketing, cynical media, and corporate propaganda), reality, truth, and perception are more subjective than ever before. A pertinent example of this is the potential for TIA's publishing, and the modern day requirements for this process, including creating an online presence and offering a curated version of myself for public inspection. Even art and self expression requires conformity and participation in these norms; I am forced to design and construct a curated version of myself through the lens of how I would like to be perceived by the outside world. The lines between individual and brand have become blurred. Subjective Realism is another recurring topic. Our warped perceptions can be especially problematic regarding places that have been victims of colonialism and imperialism; traveling Westerners now “inflict” our subjective realities on these other places and peoples. At the same time, travel - even “non-traditional” travel - has been commodified, thus homogenized and controlled. To travel requires an arduous navigation of various bureaucratic minutiae and lethargy; a signing-away of one's privacy and agency to these actors, at least for a time. Even if you are able to pass these hurdles, these “exotic” places have also been tampered with. Therefore, the commodification of adventure is another topic of interest: can there be genuine discovery, exploration, or “Wanderlust” today? The theme of “prehensility” also appears repeatedly. Much of the memoir is a personal struggle: reaching for meaning in culture, experience, social interaction, and memory. These attempts are often futile, but prove fruitful - or at least thought-provoking - on occasion. The book mostly takes place in South Africa, but the tonality of the writing and the nature of the content suggests that the setting is largely immaterial as it relates to my perceptions, neuroses, and insecurities. Chiefly, the location serves only to provide me with various latching on points onto which I can briefly reflect on whatever issues are at hand. I use the locale as a foil against which I can relativize the sociocultural and political observations I have made at home in the US. Social hierarchies - explicit or otherwise - are another theme. One of the more memorable examples relates to my interactions with a group of French exchange students I met during my second trip to South Africa. They came to South Africa under the guise of hoping to improve their English, as well as to connect with a foreign country. Neither of these objectives were fulfilled, and the social ecosystem devolves into a series of increasingly bizarre interactions. Their biases, insecurities, and misconceptions ensure that their perception of both me and the country we are visiting will be obfuscated. Further instances of insularity are discussed in the memoir, leading the author (and reader) into a deeper examination of what travel, charity, and guilt are able to achieve, especially in terms of our biases shaping our experiences and interactions with those whom we believe to be below us on our imaginary social ranking. By inserting ourselves into these complex situations armed only with our saviour complexes, we become caricatures. By focusing too much on cultural differences and negative emotion we risk driving the wedge of division further. Indeed, our appetite to right historical wrongs can be patronizing and can serve to perpetuate unhelpful norms and beliefs. These ethical dilemmas are repeatedly referenced; Westerners' inability to find the proper lens through which we can view our experiences in these exotic locales. The thin line between cultural appreciation and appropriation is one that has been barreled through by countless well-meaning actors; the memoir reflects on this ongoing debate