1,720,963 research outputs found
Black African women academics at Gauteng universities : experiences, challenges and aspirations for the future
Get PDFAbstract: There are growing numbers of black women occupying senior roles within academic institutions. However, reports about the marginalisation of black women within these institutions still persist. There exists a need to conduct more research to understand the experiences and positions of black female academics in South Africa. This study offers insight into how black female academics view their circumstances and the difficulties they face within higher institutions of learning. The purpose of this study was to specifically examine the experiences, challenges and future aspirations of black women in academia. I use Intersectionality and Black Feminism, as the theoretical lenses to describe how race, gender and class come together to contribute to the marginalisation of black women in academia. Through qualitative research, seven black women from different universities in Gauteng told their stories about their experiences and future aspirations within academia. Various themes emerged from the study such as being silenced and marginalised, to feelings of ‘not belonging’, insufficient mentoring, work overload, as well as the glass ceiling. Other themes spoke to the black women aspiring to stay and not leave, staying and impacting on institutional culture and decisionmaking, and to stay and mentor. Finally, I argue that institutions of higher learning are left with the task of ensuring that not only do black women stay in these institutions but that institutional cultures should change. Towards this end, institutions will benefit if more black women are recruited into senior positions. It is recommended that future studies look into conducting panel studies and longitudinal studies where more black women can raise what they have experienced over time.M.A. (Sociology
Lesbian identities in South Africa : Black and White experiences in Johannesburg
Get PDFM.A.This dissertation attempts to understand the different meanings attached to lesbian identities by comparing the experiences of black and white lesbian women living in South Africa. Literature of the experiences of black lesbian women, especially in South Africa, is plentiful. Thus, by including white lesbian women in the sample, this dissertation begins to fill a gap in literature and provide some insights into an overall experience of lesbian identity in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven black lesbians and seven white lesbians living in and around Johannesburg, and an intersectional model of analysis was employed to analyse the data. The study found that race as an identity marker is significant in how lesbian women attach meaning to their sexual identities, though it is not the only denominator when it comes to constructing a lesbian identity. A number of other key identities arose from the study which have an impact on the way in which a lesbian identity is constructed, such as gender, ties to family, different social spaces and religion. These multiple identities are not mutually exclusive, and thus interact with each other to influence the construction of a lesbian identity. This dissertation also asserts that a lesbian identity impacts on how the participants experience their other, non-lesbian, identities. Comparing the experiences of fourteen diverse lesbian women has contributed to a deeper understanding of lesbian identity construction, as well as the coming-out process
Exploring the Pleasures and Perils of Participant Observation in Researching Heterosexual Identities
Get PDFIn diesem Beitrag beschäftige ich mich mit Vorteilen und potenziellen Risiken, die mit teilnehmender Beobachtung bei der Erforschung sexueller Identität verbunden sind. Insbesondere geht es mir darum zu verstehen, wie junge, heterosexuelle, cisgeschlechtliche Personen aus der südafrikanischen Mittelschicht ihre heterosexuelle Identität wahrnehmen und in welcher Weise Privilegien und Heteronormativität ihre Erfahrungen prägen. In meiner ethnografischen Studie habe ich verschiedene Methoden der qualitativen Datenerhebung eingesetzt, darunter auch teilnehmende Beobachtung, um zu analysieren, wie normative Praktiken im zeitgenössischen Südafrika verhandelt und aufrechterhalten werden. Als feministische Forscherin reflektiere ich die erkenntnistheoretischen und methodologischen Entscheidungen, die ich im Rahmen der Studie getroffen habe, wobei Reflexivität und Positionalität bei der Datenerhebung und -analyse eine entscheidende Rolle spielten. Anhand von Erfahrungen in drei verschiedenen sozialen Räumen in Johannesburg - High-End-Nachtclubs, Sexspielzeug-Partys im Tupperware-Stil und traditionellen Braais [Grillfesten] - untersuche ich die Vorteile und Herausforderungen der teilnehmenden Beobachtung. Ich will so zur breiteren Diskussion über den Einsatz dieser Methode verhelfen, indem ich ihr Potenzial und gleichzeitig die mit ihr verbundenen Risiken anerkenne.In this paper, I investigate the benefits and potential risks associated with utilizing participant observation to gain a deeper understanding of sexual identity. Specifically, my focus is on examining how young, heterosexual, middle-class, cisgender individuals in South Africa perceive and understand their heterosexual identities, exploring how privilege and heteronormativity shape their experiences. In my ethnographic study, I employed various qualitative data collection methods, including participant observation, to analyze how normative practices were negotiated and sustained in contemporary South Africa. As a feminist researcher, I reflect on the epistemological and methodological choices I made in the study, with reflexivity and positionality playing crucial roles in data collection and analysis. Drawing on experiences in three distinct social spaces in Johannesburg - high-end nightclubs, Tupperware-style sex-toy parties, and traditional braais [barbecues] - I examine the advantages and challenges of participant observation. This paper contributes to the broader discussion on the method's use, highlighting its potential to offer a nuanced understanding of a normalized phenomenon while acknowledging associated risks
Off-campus accommodation at UJ : experiences of first-generation students from low-income families
Get PDFM.A. (Sociology)Abstract: This study endeavours to understand how the reliance on off-campus student accommodation influences the experiences of first-generation low-income students as they adapt to university life at the Auckland Park Kingsway (APK) campus of the University of Johannesburg (UJ). There is little literature on off-campus accommodation, particularly in South Africa. On the other hand there is plenty of literature on first-generation students and students from low-income families, who in most cases are also first-generation students. However, what these studies have in common is that they draw on empirical work conducted in the global North and tend to exhibit a Eurocentric view. In addition, the voices of first-generation and/or low-income students is largely absent from the story telling. The experiences of these students are often related by experts, on their behalf. This dissertation addresses those shortcomings through the use of a narrative approach to data collection and analysis, which has afforded first-generation students from low-income families the platform to share their stories in the manner they would like them to be heard. The study also contributes an African account to the body of literature on off-campus accommodation. This qualitative study made use of in-depth face-to-face interviews with fourteen first-generation students from low-income families living in off-campus accommodation while studying at the Kingsway campus of the University of Johannesburg. Student narratives were also analysed thematically. The findings of this study indicate that first-generation low-income students lack preparation for university life, which affects their choices on student accommodation. Although off-campus accommodation presents students with financial and safety-related challenges, students prefer to stay off campus because of benefits such as freedom and independence. Experiences of off-campus accommodation, however, differ according to gender, as men and women identified different priorities and used different strategies to address their priorities. This study has therefore contributed to the body of literature on first-generation students and on student housing by presenting an in-depth account of the experiences of first-generation students from low-income families who are finding their way through the contemporary landscape of higher education in South Africa
The impact of popular culture on HIV prevention : the case of young people in Kagiso township, Johannesburg
Get PDFAbstract: South Africa has made strides in its fight against HIV and AIDS but research shows that the country still carries the heaviest burden of disease within Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world (UNAIDS 2006). While the epidemic in South Africa has impacted across all age groups, youth, especially young women are the most impacted by new HIV infections. The Human Sciences Research Council (2014) reports that amongst young women (15-24 years), new HIV infections are reported to be 2.54% while for young men within the same age range new HIV infections are approximately 0.55% (HSRC, 2014:58). Even though it has been well established that social and behavioural factors are the major driving force behind the proliferation of HIV amongst young women, the role played by popular culture in either inhibiting or disinhibiting new HIV infections has not received sufficient attention. This study aimed at exploring and describing the impact of popular culture in HIV prevention amongst youth in Kagiso, West Rand. Drawing on literature around popular culture as well as HIV amongst youth, the study provides a contextual background within which the study is located. Many researchers including Selikow, Lerclec-Madlala and Dickinson have argued that while HIV prevention knowledge forms the basis for an HIV prevention competent community, it is also important to note that HIV prevention knowledge alone is not sufficient to change sexual behaviour. Indigenous knowledge and interpretation of disease plays a critical role in determining whether knowledge will be successfully translated into sexual behaviour change. The study employed the use of a qualitative research methodology, hence semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of the data collection process. The findings of this study show that the role played by mass media through television, internet and music in influencing the decision making process of young people with regards to their sexual behaviour should be a key component in our attempt to understand young people and the design of appropriate HIV prevention programmes. This research argues that popular culture has a huge impact on the lives of young people. The internet and related social media platforms have revolutionised the way sex and sexuality are viewed by young people. Moreover, the role played by celebrity figures on television and through music has had an impact in casualising sex amongst young people. By drawing on the findings, the study recommends that young people need to be involved in the design and implementation of prevention programmes. Furthermore, innovative approaches such as the use of modern communication methods including Apps and interactive games need to be considered for the purpose of reaching young people.M.A. (Social Impact Assessment
Abstract: The South African taxi industry has traditionally been male-dominated. As a result, society continues to consider it as an exclusively male profession. However, in an era that has witnessed the accelerated emancipation of women through their recruitment in traditionally male dominated industries; the taxi industry is also witnessing the growth, although slow, of female taxi drivers. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 13 female taxi drivers and from Rustenburg, and observations it was found that female taxi drivers experience various levels of discrimination and gender inequality in this industry. The study also indicates that women working in male-dominated industries, experience men’s resistance to their presence in the industry. These resistances are experienced through challenges to access and mobility which is also encountered as an unbreakable ‘glass ceiling’ for women; and gender insensitivity in taxi association dynamics. One of the findings of this research is a lack of solidarity among women as they struggle within a male-dominated industry. The report argues that these challenges hamper women’s ability to progress in the industry. In conclusion the report maintains that gender relations in the minibus taxi industry can be understood by grappling with patriarchy entrenched in the industry which is maintained through the established male culture in order to exercise power against women and women’s struggle to transform the working spaces.M.A. (Industrial Sociology
Operating in a man’s world : the perceptions and experiences of female taxi drivers in Rustenburg, South Africa
Get PDFAbstract: The South African taxi industry has traditionally been male-dominated. As a result, society continues to consider it as an exclusively male profession. However, in an era that has witnessed the accelerated emancipation of women through their recruitment in traditionally male dominated industries; the taxi industry is also witnessing the growth, although slow, of female taxi drivers. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 13 female taxi drivers and from Rustenburg, and observations it was found that female taxi drivers experience various levels of discrimination and gender inequality in this industry. The study also indicates that women working in male-dominated industries, experience men’s resistance to their presence in the industry. These resistances are experienced through challenges to access and mobility which is also encountered as an unbreakable ‘glass ceiling’ for women; and gender insensitivity in taxi association dynamics. One of the findings of this research is a lack of solidarity among women as they struggle within a male-dominated industry. The report argues that these challenges hamper women’s ability to progress in the industry. In conclusion the report maintains that gender relations in the minibus taxi industry can be understood by grappling with patriarchy entrenched in the industry which is maintained through the established male culture in order to exercise power against women and women’s struggle to transform the working spaces.M.A. (Industrial Sociology
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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