Browsing by Author "Ellis, William"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Exploring 'assemblages': A multispecies ethnography of the relationship between plants and people in the gardens and mountains of Klawer in the Matzikama municipal region, South Africa.
    (University of the Western Cape, 2016) Nathen, Tihana; Ellis, William
    The theme of this thesis is to illustrate a perspective of learning with plants and not simply about them. I posit a move towards a kind of 'plantthropology' (Myers, 2016). In Anthropology from the 1960's onwards there has been an increased interest towards multispecies ethnographies also referred to as the ontological turn. This perspective has also gained momentum in other disciplines such as Geography, Environmental Studies, Botany and Philosophy. As a result, inspired by the work of Bruno Latour on the Actor-network theory, I began this thesis by following the trail of medicinal plants through home gardens. My intention was, which is evident throughout this thesis, to explore multispecies relations from the perspective of the plants. The objective to learn with plants and the method of following the trail of medicinal plants led me to a variety of plant spaces such a gardens, onto porches, taxi ranks (where medicinal plants are traded), local nurseries and mountains.
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    Genealogies and narratives of San authenticities the ?Khomani San land claim in the southern Kalahari
    (University of the Western Cape, 2012) Ellis, William; Gibson, Diana
    In this thesis, I examine the narratives of authenticity, the limits thereof, the potential interests served by these narratives, and the power relations involved in the promotion of an authentic San identity. I focus on four key areas to achieve this goal: the methodological issues involved in studying authenticity, the framing of the land claim lodged by the San against the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa in 1995, the post-land claim settlement activities on the restituted farms, and the various issues around authenticity and traditional leadership. I will also highlight a variety of issues, ranging from livelihoods to governance, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), identity and ethnicity, and common property debates. The study begins with a brief introduction to the richly textured and highly contested debates and analytical issues concerning the San. Among other things, this first part of the thesis deals with naming, the alleged disappearance of the San, and the eventual reemergence of this group in the post-apartheid landscape of southern Africa. This is followed by a brief description of some aspects of the natural environment of the southern Kalahari and how the San see themselves situated within this cultural�ecological complex. This exploration of the cultural�ecological landscape is not meant to mirror previous San studies of cultural ecology but rather to offer an account of a possible San ontology. The thesis gives an inventory firstly of the research methods applied by myself, and then probes the research encounter reflexively. The main descriptive chapters of the thesis begin with an examination of how the ?Khomani San emerged onto the political landscape of post-1994 South Africa and how an ethnic entity was constituted through the land restitution process. The post-restitution activities of at least three subgroups of the ?Khomani San Common Property Association (CPA) are then examined and shown to be a series of contestations and challenges of authenticity. In the final chapter, I take an experimental look at a particular institution that emerged as central to the debates about authenticity and the management of resources in the ?Khomani San CPA
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    Land reform and biodiversity conservation in South Africa: Complementary or in conflict?
    (Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2003) Kepe, Thembela; Wynberg, Rachel; Ellis, William
    This paper aims to improve understanding of the conflicts that have arisen between land reform and conservation, and to encourage better comprehension between the land and conservation sectors. It does this by analysing current experiences in South Africa with regard to land reform in conservation areas, and, through the use of case studies, exploring synergies and tensions which currently exist between these two seemingly disparate objectives. The paper draws heavily on the experiences of those who have been actively involved in the debates, analyses and negotiations concerning land reform in protected areas. This has been done through literature review, an analysis of case studies, and interviews. A major source of information was workshops held by the Department of Land Affairs (DLA), the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), and IUCN (The World Conservation Union)-South Africa, to discuss the matter. The first workshop was held in November 1997 and brought together key people from the land and conservation sectors. Its outcome was to catalyse further workshops and the development of a research project on which earlier drafts of this paper were based. Two further workshops were held in July and August 1998 for the land and conservation sectors respectively, and the fourth in September 1998 for both the land and conservation sectors. Information relating to the #Khomani and Mkambati case studies is based on long-term field research within the claimant communities by two of the authors (Ellis and Kepe respectively).
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    Liminality, papers and belonging amongst Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa
    (University of the Western Cape, 2020) Nyakabawu, Shingirai; Pillay, Suren; Ellis, William
    Introduced in 2010, the Dispensation Zimbabwe Program (DZP) regularised undocumented Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa. When DZP was closed, the Zimbabwe Special Permit was introduced, which was also replaced by the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit. This thesis examines the lived experiences of Zimbabwean migrants from the time they arrived in South Africa without papers, visas, or permits. It then examines the processes of acquiring DZP papers, processes of replacing it, and how conditions on the permits reinforce a particular notion of belonging for Zimbabwean immigrants. I draw on work inspired by the anthropologist Victor Turner�s (1967) concept of liminality to show that Zimbabwean migrants had been going through various phases of uncertain legal statuses which are all liminal.
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    Sensory flows of spice: a multisensory ethnography exploring how spice influences home cooks’ sense of belonging in Cape Town
    (Universty of the Western Cape, 2023) Deers, Rhoda; Ellis, William
    The history of Cape Town is entangled with the spice trade, slavery, colonialism and orientalism. The Cape cuisine narratives often romanticize fixed cultural cuisines, as seen with the "Cape Malay" cuisine, which is only acknowledged for its connection to a spicy Asian origin story and celebrated for its traditional, authentic, and well-balanced aromatic dishes. These exotic narratives of “Cape Malay” kitchens reflect the past segregation programs of colonialism and apartheid, as the home of Cape Malay remains fixed within the rows of colourful houses at the foot of Table Mountain in Bo-kaap previously known as the Malay quarters. This embellishment of a spicy orientalist narrative of Cape history continues to silence the realities of complex overlapping identities that are held in “coloured” bodies in post-apartheid South Africa. It is these fixed cuisine narratives that begin to unravel when spice is used as a narrator for the Cape. I draw on the works of Edward Said’s contrapuntal reading and offer a reading-back of Cape Cuisine to search for the complexities of social lives and lived experiences.
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    Swearing at plants: A flash ethnography from Namaqualand
    (Jos� Frantz, 2021) Ellis, William
    In November 2018 we are at Willem�s veepos (stockpost) halfway between Paulshoek and Leliefontein in the Kamiesberg mountains. It is early summer and the scarlet red milkweed locusts (Phymateus morbilossus) have begun to feast on the remaining green vegetation. The melkbos (Asclepias fruticosa) covers the field where we are conducting our interview. This plant is one of the favourite foods of the locusts and the milkweed�s poisonous chemicals help the locust synthesise a noxious liquid that it shoots out at possible attackers. The glands from which this fluid issues are in the rear of the animals and locals call it Jan-pister (Jan the pisser).
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    The conceptualization and application of Qab?lah (Clan) in the Somali context: A linguistic, social and political analysis of Somali media and online resources
    (University of the Western Cape, 2016) Azir, Mohaud Mohamed; Saidi, Mustapha; Ellis, William
    This thesis examines the concept of qab?lah (tribe/clan) and its social and political influence on Somali society. It firstly looks at the general meaning of qab?lah in Arab culture and its more specific meaning in Somali culture. It further looks at the historical development of Somali tribalism and the role it has played in undermining Somali national unity. Furthermore, the study highlights the reasons why Somalis are dependent on the tribal system such as poverty, ignorance, colonialism and foreign intervention etc. Lastly, the study discusses the effects of tribalism on both Somali civil life and the Somali Diaspora. The media is one of the sources the study will utilize.
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    Xhosa male circumcision at the crossroads: responses by government, traditional authorities and communities to circumcision related injuries and deaths in Eastern Cape Province
    (University of the Western Cape, 2008) Nqeketo, Ayanda; Kepe, Thembela; Ellis, William; Faculty of Arts
    The aim of this thesis is to conduct an ethnographic analysis of the traditional male circumcision intervention by government, through the Application of Health Standards in Traditional Circumcision Act, No 6 of 2001, of the Eastern Cape. More specifically, the thesis seeks to understand how different stakeholders respond to this intervention and what steps they take to indicate their responses.