Department of Xhosa

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Browsing by Subject "feminism"

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    The portrayal of women in selected isixhosa creative works: implications for social justice
    (2024) Tshingilane, Nomakhwezi; Kaschula, Russell
    The study focuses on the portrayal of women in selected isiXhosa creative works and how it relates to social justice. More specifically, this study looks at gender inequality as shown in the way that women are reflected in literature. It appears that it is not only male characters who oppress female characters in these literary works, but women characters also enforce patriarchy on younger women. Older women, for example, believe it is their responsibility to pass on cultural traditions from generation to generation. Dress code, posture, seating positions, eating habits, home chores, sexual expression, voice tone and inflection, self-esteem, and self-concept are all factors to consider when analysing these creative works in relation to the entrenchment of patriarchy. People are placed on different psychological growth paths from the moment they are born. This involves the passing down of knowledge and values from a gendered perspective. There are barriers that women face, resulting in women being unable to assert their own positive selves and ideals. They are disempowered from offering their knowledge and experiences to enhance human understanding. Oppression of self-expression no doubt has implications for the attainment of social justice in society more generally. This thesis attempts to tease out these gendered societal perspectives in relation to selected isiXhosa literary works.