Browsing by Author "Slemming, Fatima"

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    Developing agency in a writing centre context: A Social Realist interpretation
    (Stellenbosch University, 2019) Slemming, Fatima
    The aim of this article is to explore how aspects of a Social Realist theoretical framework could be understood in relation to my professional development as a writing centre consultant and manager. I share the view that a Social Realist framework could enable consideration about processes of developing or extending knowledge about ourselves in relation to cultural and structural phenomena in society, and may explain how or why changes occur or remain unchanged in socio-cultural settings. The research question that this article sets out to address is: How can my internal reflexive conversations help explain my professional development? I begin the theoretical framing for this paper by means of a brief introduction to Critical Realism (Bhaskar 1998, 2008, 2009). This is followed by a discussion of Social Realism (Archer 1995, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2010). I present introductory explanations of the major concepts used in the Social Realist theoretical framework, namely ‘structure’, ‘culture and ‘agency’, and I explain related concepts necessary for analytical sense-making.
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    An exploration of the link between selected women�s discourses and literacy resources in the working class township settlement of Wesbank, South Africa
    (2010) Slemming, Fatima; Dyers, Charlyn
    South Africa became a globally recognised democratic country in need of a development agenda after its first democratic elections were held in 1994. Democratising South Africa, however, requires rigorous attempts to open up spaces for and by the previously silenced and marginalised segments of society to become active and participatory citizens. Within the framework of New Literacy Studies and a �sociolinguistics of mobility� (Blommaert 2010), this study explored the link between selected discourses and literacy resources used by three groups of Coloured women in the working class township of Wesbank in Cape Town, South Africa. The study was framed as ethnographic, qualitative research and Appraisal Theory (a branch of Systemic Functional Linguistics) was applied to analyse the identified discourses. Based on the research findings, I also identified what literacy resources these women used for the purposes of empowering one another and the broader space of Wesbank. In addition, I proceeded to label several �transportable literacies� that my research participants from this hybrid community � where everyone ��is a migrant from elsewhere� (Dyers 2008) - appeared to be sharing in order to co-create the spaces which they use in Wesbank.