Researchers in Arts

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/10566/2169

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 52

All theology is natural theology: The hermeneutic necessity of natural theology?
(Stellenbosch University, 2011) Conradie, Ernst
This article first offers a brief overview of the history of what is understood under "natural theology". The contrast between the Barthian critique against natural theology and the dangers of repudiating natural theology as stressed within the context of contemporary discourse on science and theology is highlighted. In response, the author offers a constructive proposal in which the hermeneutic necessity of natural theology is affirmed. This follows from a notion of that which is "natural" which includes human constructs (also ideas). In this sense all theology is by definition natural theology. However, the Barthian critique against natural theology may still be appropriate as a selection of those signs that can express the inexpressible with relative adequacy
Alternative perspectives on orality, literacy and education: a view from South Africa.
(Routledge, 2001) Bock, Zannie; Gough, David H.
The question of the 'great divide' between orality and literacy has been critically addressed by various scholars of literacy, including social literacy theorists. This paper uses the notions of primary and secondary discourse across both oral and literate contexts to examine this 'divide'. Using evidence from the oral tradition of the Xhosa, it is shown that 'traditional' societies have well-established primary and secondary discourse types. Against this understanding, the issue of 'access' to Western academic literacy is examined. It is argued that within the changing context of South African society and as a direct result of former apartheid policies, individuals may have failed to acquire the cultural capital of both oral secondary and literate secondary discourse types. The literate secondary discourse practices of Xhosa-speaking students at univer�sity are explored through an analysis of student writing. This paper then reports on several projects which attempt to address some of the concerns of academic staff with respect to student writing. In particular, this section argues for a broadening of the notion of 'academic literacy' and suggests some ways in which texts derived from the oral tradition may be used to develop awareness of secondary discourse types.
The ambiguity of Johan Heyns: Sitting at Bavinck's left or right hand?
(SUN, 2013) Conradie, Ernst
Following some biographic introductory comments, the argument of this contribution proceeds in two steps. First, the distinction between Herman Bavinck's left and right hand is clarified, amongst others with reference to the distinction between fides qua and fides quae, and illustrated with examples from the subsequent reformed tradition. Second, an analysis of Heyns' own related theological choices is offered on this basis.
An analysis of what has been "lost" in the interpretation and transcription process of selected TRC testimonies
(Department of General Linguistics, Stellenbosch University, 2006) Bock, Zannie; Mazwi, Ngwanya; Metula, Sifundo; Mpolweni-Zantsi, Nosisi
The main aim of this research is to evaluate �what has been lost� in the simultaneous interpretation and transcription processes of selected Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) testimonies. The testimonies under consideration are those of two of the widows of the Cradock Four who were murdered by the South African Security Branch in 1985 for their work in mobilising resistance to apartheid. The widows testified in Xhosa at the East London Human Rights Violation hearings in 1996 and their testimonies were simultaneously interpreted into English on the day of the hearing. Using audiovisual copies of the testimonies on which one can hear the original soundtrack, as well as the English voice-over, we transcribed the testimonies in the source language (e.g. Xhosa). We then translated these into English and compared our translation with the official English versions which are published on the TRC website. Our analysis revealed that a significant number of meanings were lost under the pressures of simultaneous interpretation. These meanings related predominantly to the �emotional� content: for example, to aspects of narrative style expressed through gesture, intonation, repetition and the use of direct speech, particularly the verbatim quotes of the police in Afrikaans. We also noted that an understanding of the culture of the testifier was essential to understanding the testimony and that researchers who did not have access to the testimony in the source language and the cultural codes of the testifier would be significantly compromised when trying to understand the testimonies. In addition, we noted the loss of a number of factual meanings as a result of inaccuracies and omissions both during the interpretation and transcription process. We argued that these losses and omissions detracted primarily from what the TRC referred to as the �narrative truth� or subjective meanings of the testimonies, and, in some cases, the �factual truth�. We undertook this research because we are concerned that many researchers only have access to the official TRC record. This record, in our view, is in some cases compromised as the processes of simultaneous interpretation and transcription inevitably led to some loss of meaning due to the pressures and constraints under which the interpreters were working.
Applying linguistics: Developing cognitive skills through multimedia
(Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand, 2003) Gough, David H.; Bock, Zannie
This paper examines the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in developing scientific thinking skills and scientific attitudes. It reports on a project established at a South Africa university in South Africa which engaged students in the analysis of code-mixed data. Students who participated in the project showed gains in being able to analyze linguistic data using problem solving skills. While transfer of such skills to mainstream science teaching was not investigated, the study confirms the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in engaging students in the activities associated with the development of skills for science.
Code-switching: An appraisal resource in TRC testimonies
(John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2011) Bock, Zannie
This article analyses the function that code-switching plays in selected testimonies given at South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which followed the country's transition to democracy in 1994. In a number of testimonies, victims of human rights abuse under Apartheid code-switched into Afrikaans when recalling particularly offensive uses of language by the police. Within the code-switching literature, it is well recognised that a speaker's choice of code, particularly for quoted speech, is a strategy for performing different kinds of local identities which index a range of social meanings and relationships (Alvarez-Caccamo 1996, Koven 2001). Thus code-switching may serve a complex evaluative function although the meanings it generates are very context- dependent. In order to explore this role in the testimonies in this paper, I use the appraisal theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (Martin & White 2005). I argue that on a number of occasions, code-switching into a particular variety of Afrikaans is used by testifiers as a strategy to invoke negative judgement: it has the effect of associating the police with a particular racist ideology and positioning them for our sanction. Further, it works together with other engagement resources to insert a recognisable historical voice into the text, thereby expanding the heteroglossic nature of the discourse while simultaneously allowing the speakers to signal their rejection of that voice and the ideologies it represents. In the current SFL literature, however, code-switching has not been noted as an appraisal resource. In the light of the examples from the TRC testimonies, I argue that, in multilingual contexts, code-switching has the potential to invoke complex evaluative meanings and should be included in the appraisal framework as an evaluative resource.
Confessing guilt in the context of climate change: Some South African perspectives
(Stellenbosch University, 2010) Conradie, Ernst
This contribution explores the significance but also the immense complexities of Christian discourse on confessing guilt within the context of climate change. It draws especially on South African discourse on confessing guilt in the context of apartheid. The argument of the essay is twofold: Christians with an enduring large carbon footprint may wish to confess their guilt in this regard, but typically find it difficult to live from God�s liberating forgiveness and are therefore prone to rather desperate efforts to save the world themselves. By contrast, Christians with a small carbon footprint may opt for alternative understanding of salvation, namely in terms of redemption from the looming threat of climate change.
Construals of agency in the testimony of Colin de Souza
(Academia Press, 2009) Bock, Zannie
In this paper, I analyse the testimony of Colin de Souza given before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the mid-1990s.1 My aim is to explore how De Souza projects an identity of himself as 'agentive', as an innovative and flexible individual who is capable of outwitting and outmaneuvering his opponents despite the fact that within the TRC context, he is positioned as a 'victim' of human rights abuse. To substantiate this argument, I use a number of Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) tools to analyse the way in which this agency is encoded in the language of the testimony.
A cross-linguistic analysis of the writing of prospective first year students in Xhosa and English.
(University of Stellenbosch, 2002) Bock, Zannie; Dadlana, Phakamani
This article aims to characterize typical linguistic and discourse features of academic writing in Xhosa and English among prospective Xhosa-speaking students at the University of the Western Cape so as to account for strengths and weaknesses in the writing and provide possible �points� for pedagogic intervention. It presents an analysis of a sample of entrance essays written by these students in English and Xhosa. The analysis is in terms of a framework which considers aspects of argument, register and syntax. It aims to highlight strengths and weaknesses in student writing and to ascertain the extent to which these characteristics are language-specific or cross-linguistic. The results of the analysis suggest that the ability to argue coherently in an appropriate register is the defining mark of good writing in any language, and that control over the syntax of the language is particularly important for these students when writing in English. The ability to write well, like certain aspects of style, seems to be a generic ability and affects students� performance in both languages.
Cyber socialising: emerging genres and registers of intimacy
(UNISA Press, 2013) Bock, Zannie
The popularity of digital media networks for socialising among the youth is well documented. Much has been written on the emerging norms of textese, the global shorthand for chatting. However, becoming a proficient user involves more than simply mastering this code: it requires knowing the appropriate genres and registers for chatting. This article aims to explore these conventionalised genres and styles from a discourse analytical perspective. It analyses data collected by first-year students in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) who use an application called MXit for chatting with their friends. The analysis shows how, despite the seemingly unrestrained and non-standard nature of MXit chatting, it is highly conventionalised and structured and requires a particular �register of intimacy� which relies heavily on evaluative language and affective markers. However, it is simultaneously fluid and innovative thereby enabling users to �style� for themselves identities which combine elements of global sophistication with local situatedness.
The earth in God�s economy: Reflections on the narrative of God�s work
(Stellenbosch University, 2008) Conradie, Ernst
This essay is an abbreviated version of an inaugural lecture, read on 24 October 2007 at the University of the Western Cape. It investigates the role of cosmological narratives that help people to understand where they come from, who they are, how they can cope with the demands of life and with evil, and where they are going to. It focuses on one such a narrative, namely the Christian story of God�s work of creation, evolution, the emergence of human beings and human culture, the distortions resulting from human sin, God�s providence, redemption, the formation of the church, its ministries and missions and the consummation of all things. These themes have traditionally been captured under the notion of �God�s economy�. This term is derived from the Greek word oikos which is understood in the Christian tradition as �the whole household of God�. In contemporary ecumenical theology this term provides a clue as to how the moral of this story may be understood to address ecological degradation, economic injustices and ecumenical fellowship. The argument of the essay is that a retrieval of the underlying narrative structure of the story of God�s work can help to avoid the ways in which one �chapter� of the story tends to be subsumed under another.
Eat and/or be eaten: The evolutionary roots of violence?
(SUN, 2015) Conradie, Ernst
This contribution raises the question about where things have gone wrong in evolutionary history. In classic Christian discourse it is typically assumed that the primary problem is human sin, while the problem of natural evil is emphasised elsewhere. It seeks to test the distinction between natural suffering and socially-induced forms of suffering by exploring the roots of violence between species with reference to the emergence of the act of eating in evolutionary history. It draws on a corpus of recent literature on the consumption of food, with specific reference to the work of Edward Farley, Sallie McFague and Norman Wirzba, in order to address the following question: Is the violence associated with what Christians would redescribe as sin merely an extrapolation of the 'violence' embedded in the act of eating? The conclusion from this survey seems to be that an Augustinian approach is indeed less plausible and more counter-intuitive than Manichean or Pelagian assessments of where things have gone wrong in evolutionary history. If so, this would have far-reaching consequences for moral formation. The conclusion is offered here in the hope that it would be refuted by others!
Ecology and structural violence: The South African reception of Lutheran voices from North America
(Stellenbosch University, 2014) Conradie, Ernst
Th is review essay offers an assessment of two recent monographs by Larry Rasmussen and Cynthia Moe-Lobeda in the field of ecotheology. It focuses on the category of moral vision that both authors employ. It shows how the notion of critical moral vision helps to identify and assess the root causes of economic inequalities and ecological destruction in terms of structural violence, structural evil and the very nature of sin. It also explains why such moral vision forms the key but by itself remains insufficient for social transformation. Th e influence of such insights in the South African context is illustrated with reference to teaching and research done at the University of the Western Cape and, more specifically, the category of transfiguration in Desmond Tutu's theology.
Eschatology in South African literature from the struggle period (1960-1994)
(University of Kwazulu-Natal School of Theology, 2000) Conradie, Ernst
On the background of the current sense of despair concerning the environmental crisis, this article follows the basic intuition that a Christian environmental praxis can only be empowered on the basis of an adequate understanding of Christian hope. Christian eschatology has traditionally responded to three distinct aspects of the human predicament - human self-enclosure, and finitude in both time and space; instigated by an unacceptable present reality, it articulates the conviction of an upcoming transformation into what it ought to be. Investigating the theme of hope in some major ecclesial documents and literature that explicitly addresses the topic written during the struggle, it is argued that the strength of the eschatology developed during that period consists in its return to the prophetic roots of Christian hope. Its concentration on the anthropological aspect of the liberation from the predicament from human sin makes it necessary to rediscover the impact of eschatology on the salvation of creation and the theocentric aspect of hope.
�For God so loved the world��The story of God�s work on earth according to Douglas John Hall
(Stellenbosch University, 2008) Conradie, Ernst
This essay reconstructs the way in which Douglas John Hall tells the story of God's work. The argument of this essay is that Hall's entire theology could be described as an exposition of the famous formula in John 3:16, "for God so loved the world". His emphasis on a theology of the cross is explored with reference to the doctrines of creation, humanity, providence, redemption, the church and the eschatological consummation. It is argued that Hall's strength (his Christological focus on a theology of the cross) is also his weakness, given his underdeveloped pneumatology. It would therefore be important to further investigate Hall's understanding of the filioque problem.
From land reform to poo protesting: Some theological reflections on the ecological repercussions of economic inequality
(Stellenbosch University, 2014) Conradie, Ernst
In the second semester of 2013 I offered a postgraduate module in Ethics at the University of the Western Cape together with Professor Charles Amjad-Ali on the theme of Land as a lens to interpret economic inequalities in South Africa. We read together a number of books on the themes of land reform and economic inequality. In this contribution I will first offer a number of observations emerging from our engagement with such literature. I will then extrapolate such observations to explore the ecological dimensions of urban land reform with specific reference to the ongoing service delivery protests over sanitation (dubbed "poo protesting"). On this basis I will offer some theological and ethical reflections on the need for sanitation.
Geloof sonder sekerhede? In gesprek met Anton van Niekerk
(SUN, 2015) Conradie, Ernst
In this review article of Anton A van Niekerk's recent book Geloof sonder Sekerhede: Hoe kan ek nog glo? (Faith without certainties: How can I still believe?) (2014, Kaapstad: Lux Verbi. ISBN: 9780796318992), three creative tensions in Van Niekerk's book are identified and discussed. The tensions between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, between certainty and doubt and between scientific knowledge and the knowledge of faith. In each case, the question is raised to what extent Van Niekerk's own emphases are context dependent.
The God of life a counter-intuitive confession
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) Conradie, Ernst
In ecumenical theology the conviction that the triune God may be described as the �God of life� is widely accepted. This became foregrounded with the theology of life initiative of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the 1990s.1 It therefore comes as no surprise that it provides the central theme for the assembly of the WCC to be held in Busan, Korea, in 2013: �God of life, lead us to justice and peace.� One may safely say that the wide acceptance of this phrase has to do with the recognition of the ethical significance of the theme. To emphasize that life belongs to God is to resist the forces of death and destruction. This is born from grassroots experiences of the threats to life, that is, economic injustices, numerous forms of violent conflict (rape, domestic violence, class struggles, colonial exploitation, civil and other forms of war, religiously infused violence, etc.) and environmental destruction. This calls for a Christian praxis of resistance against the powers of death that destroy communities of life for the sake of political and economic gain. A theology of life is therefore shorthand for affirming the social agenda of the ecumenical movement.
In die netwerk van nadenke oor die omgewing
(AOSIS, 2014) Conradie, Ernst
In the network of thinking about the environment. This contribution is based on a talk delivered at a conference for continuous education for pastors. The argument commences with reflections on thinking with one's hands, more specifically with engaging in earthkeeping praxis, with getting one's hands dirty. It is suggested that such thinking leads sooner rather than later to a widening network of fundamental questions about the human condition, the meaning of history, the possibility of knowledge and the social construction of reality itself. A Christian engagement in earthkeeping is therefore not merely a matter of transformative praxis; it also provides churches with an opportunity for fundamental renewal. If so, this may be regarded as an example of thinking globally but acting locally. This underlying logic of inquiry implies that the scope of contemporary ecotheology cannot be restricted to environmental ethics or creation theology. It is this underlying logic of inquiry that this contribution seeks to describe.
Indigeneity, Alienness and cuisine: Are Trout South African
(Cambridge University Press, 2016) Brown, Duncan
Man has been defined as a rational animal, a laughing animal, a tool-using animal and so on. We would be touching upon a deep truth about him, however, if we called him a cooking animal.�Trout Still on the Menu� announced a recent newspaper report in South Africa on the proposed classification of trout as invasive alien species in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004 (Yeld, 2014). The report was responding to an apparent softening of its position on trout by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The headline is actually both ironic and suggestive. It is ironic as most fly-fishers who pursue trout nowadays practise catch-and-release, and rarely put the trout they catch �on the menu� (though the trout were certainly introduced initially as both food source and recreational angling species, more on which has been dealt with below).

Browse

Browsing by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options