Magister Artium - MA (Women and Gender Studies)

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Media representations of male perpetrators of violence against women and children: a decolonial feminist analysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Maeneche, Baleseng F; Tamara, Shefer
Rates of violence in South Africa continue to be on the rise, and impact negatively on society at large. The struggle to end this violence requires more nuanced understandings of its root causes, which has led to a call for a more holistic and collaborative approach to bring more effective and sustained change. Therefore, public and private institutions together have begun to seek more transformative approaches to this social injustice. Here, the emphasis is on media, as an important institution of social discourse, and a possible vehicle for awareness and consciousness. However, contemporary narratives within mainstream media reports on incidences of violence in society seem to be undermining efforts for social justice. Previous studies have argued that this is because media is a reflection of the society it operates in, often reproducing and legitimating problematic notions and representations of violence, instead of challenging them.
Pathways to healing from intimate partner violence: Voices of young women in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Magwaza, Lami Quixote; Ngabaza, Sisa
Research shows that there is a process of surviving after being violated by an intimate partner. However, it does not adequately address the pathways to healing and recovery from intimate partner violence (IPV). A research gap regarding the healing process after IPV exists; and, this research aims to contribute towards bridging this gap by exploring women�s recovery and healing process after experiencing IPV. Therefore, this research envisages contributing towards this gap by foregrounding the voices of women�s experiences and sharing insights on how women overcame the IPV experience and reconstructed their lives thereafter. The focus of the study was on women in the Western Cape between the ages of 20 and 45 years. A qualitative feminist approach was adopted to gain insight and understand participants� subjective views and experiences. The feminist standpoint theory was adopted as a theoretical framework, since it centralises the significance of women�s voices, in how they theorise and make sense of the world. I utilised snowball sampling to select participants from my social circles around Cape Town. Five women were identified and semi structured interviews were conducted with them and a qualitative thematic analysis was used for analysis.
An exploratory study of the representation of lesbian subjectivities in the contemporary Kenyan film Rafiki
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Awori, Nancy Judith; Shefer, Tamara
This research analyzes the depiction of black Kenyan lesbians in contemporary Kenyan films. In order to do so, I focus on the film Rafiki by Wanuri Kahiu, a 2018 Kenyan drama film that documents the story of romance that grows between two young women amidst family and political pressure around lesbian gay bisexual trans intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) rights in Kenya. The film speaks to issues of intersectional subjectivity and diverse ways of what it is to identify across different social categories, a woman, a lesbian, a Kenyan and specifically black Kenyan.
Art as accessible knowledge for challenging intersectional gender binarisms
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Msebenzi, Thandiwe T.; Shefer, Tamara
Arts-based research struggles to find validation within the norms of rigid Eurocentric and androcentric academic norms. The Rhodes Must Fall movement, that started at the University of Cape Town in 2015, and the creative demonstrations/interventions that have occurred since then, as a tool for mass mobilisation and knowledge dissemination, were crucial in illustrating that art is an accessible form of pedagogy and scholarship in engaging with social issues. In this study, I centre creative practice to lead the research on an enquiry into alternative forms of gender, what I term �soft masculinities� and �tough femininities,� through memories of my experience, community and family, which I capture as nuanced expressions through photography. For the study, I use the visual body of artwork I created to formulate my research question.
Body positive �healthy� women: Representations of health and femininities in women�s health magazine South Africa, 2013-2018
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Samaai, Shirmeez; Clowes, Lindsay
This research explores how representations of healthy femininities are constructed through narratives of Body Positivity in the South African version of Women�s Health magazine from 2013 to 2018. In my thesis, I examine how the magazine romanticises certain bodies and subtly pathologises others. By conducting a thematic analysis, I focus on the magazine�s presentation of women�s bodies and how these representations are linked to femininities, health, and sexuality. From a Body Positive lens, I argue that the magazine represents certain bodies as normative and �healthy� and other bodies as unhealthy and undesirable.
Complicating �tradition� and �modernity�: Young South African Women?s Perceptions of Lobola
(University of the Western Cape, 2021) Nduna, Nyaradzo; Lewis, Desiree
An indigenous cultural practice among the many ethnic groups of South Africa, lobola has changed immensely, especially in highly urbanised towns. It has also been the subject of several interpretations in academia, the media, and popular opinion. These have included ethnographic scholarship that focuses on its cultural significance and its centrality to reciprocal relationships between groups. Other academic and activist views criticize how lobola, as a form of bride wealth, instrumentalises women in patriarchal society. In addition, other interpretive strand acknowledges lobola's patriarchal impacts while also recognizing the agencies and choices of women who embrace it. The work demonstrates that women are neither consistent agents nor constant victims of lobola, but that they experience it in different ways. As a result, the study explores how young women�s situated knowledge helps us understand lobola�s complex and ambiguous meanings that might assist in comprehending the current connotations of lobola, which are presently complicated and confusing. The current study is concerned with mapping out and analysing the complexities of standpoint knowledge-making that is typically side-lined in the numerous scholarly and activist studies of lobola by selecting a diverse range of young women respondents as well as commentators in the public sphere.
Call centres: Anonymous �safe spaces� for women�s experiences of abortion stigma
(University of Western Cape, 2021) Xaba, Nonkosi; Ngabaza, Sisa
In South Africa, abortion became a right in 1996 in terms of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 92 of 1996 (CTOP). However, despite this legal dispensation, debates between pro-life (those against abortion) and pro-choice (those supportive of the law) have continued unabated in liberal South Africa. These debates have resulted in severe stigma for women who choose to terminate their pregnancies. The discourse is shaped by an array of personal, religious, cultural and other social beliefs that differ from community to community. Research shows that access to free post-abortion services is further complicated for women, especially young women, by privacy concerns, the negative attitudes of institutional service providers, and stigma.
�n Evaluering van onderwysmetodes in musiekteoretiese vakke en gehoorontwikkeling
(University of the Western Cape, 1991) Lochner, Maria Magdalena; Van der Merwe, E.
Praktiese ondervinding van die onderrig van Musiek op skoolvlak het getoon dat Musiekteoretiese vakke en Gehoorontwikkeling nie voldoende gestrukrureerd en gebaseer op wetenskaplik gefundeerde onderrigmetodes aangebied word nie. 'n Gebrek aan integrasie tussen Gehoorontwikkeling en die Musiekteoretiese vakke word vermoed. Innerlike gehoor is noodsaaklik is vir die musikus, maar bly grootliks onderontwikkel Hierdie studie konsentreer op die integrasie wat nodig is tussen die Musiekteoretiese vakke en Gehoorontwikkeling, en toets empiries die mening van musiekstudente by wyse van 'n vraelys en di� van musiekdosente by wyse onderhoude. Die ondersoek spreek die algemene metodes aan waardeur die betrokke vakke onderrig word, asook die probleme wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Die musiekstudent se mening omtrent sy tersi�re musiekopleiding word gevra. Daar is bevind dat die twee dissiplines nie doelmatig ge�ntegreerd aangebied word nie en voorstelle om die situasie te verbeter, word gemaak ..
Women's negotiation of alternative sexualities in the Western Cape: A Cape Town case study
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Mitchell, Sharrone CJ; Lewis, Desiree
This mini thesis is an exploratory study of the lived experiences of bisexual and lesbian women in the Western Cape with regard to how they claim agency and negotiate their individual sexualities. Using mixed methodologies this study aims to look at the ways in which bisexual and lesbian women negotiate their sexuality in a landscape dominated by heterosexual discourses. Also considered are the contradictory ways in which these women assert their roles as lesbians and bisexual individuals and how these roles serve to simultaneously reinforce and challenge the dominant order of heterosexuality. The conflicting views of the respondents are documented which further demonstrates the complexities surrounding sexuality. This research identifies and explores both international and local research already conducted on alternative sexualities and address the lack of black researchers' conduct of these studies on the African continent. The study also records an acknowledgement of the researcher's reflection that she too holds contradictory views on some of these issues.
The psychological effects of detention with particular reference to the South African political detainee
(University of the Western Cape, 1996) Bloch, Hugh; Dowdall, Terry
The intention of this dissertation is to clarify the psychological processes and effects which operate in the political detention situation, and to outline effective treatment and coping strategies. An overview of research literature and theory is provided, and the importance of viewing detention within a broad 'socio-political context is emphasised. In the analysis of the detention situation a number of variables likely to be operative are considered. Solitary confinement, torture, interrogation, reactions to severe stress situation s, and uncertainty, unpredictability and uncontrollability are given separate discussion, interaction situation. prior to an attempt to consider the of these variable s in the detention This projected picture is compared with case material gathered in the area. It is noted that political detention is not a uniform experience with a uniform set of effects. Rather, the effects are seen to be dependent on the particular differences in re-ponse. Nevertheless, political detention is shown to be commonly both objectively and subjectively severely stressful, with a strong likelihood of the detainee developing debilitating psychological sequelae. post-traumatic stress disorder appears to be commonly implicated, and symptom s may persist for many years. Family and community members and organisations to which the detainee belongs suffer not only the effects of the loss of that person, but also the problems of effectively helping him or her to reintegrate. It is shown that detainees have commonly drawn on a number of resources or strategies to counteract the potentially debilitating effects of prior preparation of detention. The for the detention experience to facilitate an accurate appraisal of the situation and better coping is emphasized. Useful strategies that may be learned or fostered are outlined. A multidisciplinary approach to treatment that acknowledges all of the difficulties and needs particular to any specific ex-detainee, and that draws on as broad a recommended. It is shown range of available supports Physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and family involvement are as possible, is medication where stressed. Necessary that much may be learned from Canadian and European units that rehabilitate victims of torture - mainly from South American countries; but that strategies need to be adapted to South African conditions.
Women and Law in Malawi: The experiences of women seeking child maintenance at Lilongwe Child Justice Court
(University of Western Cape, 2020) Phiri, Limbani Zakeyo; Clowes, Lindsay
Malawi is endowed with a progressive, transformative and comprehensive legal and policy framework that guarantees the promotion and protection of human rights and justice for its citizenry, including women. The country is a party to multilateral human rights conventions, treaties, and protocols that strive to nurture and safeguard a culture that protects marginalised groups and has, thus, enacted relevant laws to domesticate the instruments. However, studies have shown that the legislative framework has not translated into practice that can create meaningful impact on the lives of ordinary citizens. My study explored the experiences of women that seek child maintenance through the Lilongwe Child Justice Court in Malawi.
An exploration of the gendered constructions of �stoner� identity on a Western Cape campus
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Brown, Natasha Carmen; Clowes, Lindsay
This study employed a social constructionist understanding of �identity� to identify key markers of gendered �stoner� identity and to consider how gendered �stoner� identity is performed on a Western Cape campus. The aim was not simply to consider how they see themselves, but also how they are considered through the lenses and perception of non-smoking students at campus. In trying to understand the gendered experiences of �stoners�, this research was grounded in a feminist theoretical perspective and feminist methodological approaches to explore gendered constructions of �stoner� identity at this Western Cape campus. The data for this study was collected through conducting two focus group discussions, and six semi structured, in-depth interviews with six male and six female students from a range of locations across campus. The participants in this study who smoke marijuana/weed did not reject the term �stoner�, rather, they claimed this identity, labelling themselves �stoners�. My research shows that �stoner� identities both transgress and reinforce normative femininities and masculinities.
Constructions of identity among young students living with visual or physical disabilities at a university in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Steyn, Inga Dale; Ngabaza, Sisa
Not all disabilities are the same and the way that society may respond to people with disabilities depends on their �disability� and how their body deviates from the appearance norms of society. People with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the South African population. A body of research and physical evidence shows that people with disabilities may face certain obstacles or limitations in fulfilling a normal life. Obstacles include perceptions of disabilities, negative stigma and attitudes, barriers to an environment which is accessible for people with disabilities, and constructions of ableism. In a way, these obstacles influence the way people with disabilities construct their identity. Beyond this, the voices of people with disabilities are not always heard and their personal experiences are not always given political recognition. This research aimed to explore how a group of students living with a physical or visual disability constructed their identities in their environment or society. A feminist qualitative method was conducted. The study focused on the experiences and perceptions of nineteen to twenty-seven year old female and male students with disabilities. Out of the six participants, two were coloured, three were black and one participant is classified as coloured, but identifies as biracial. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection and a Qualitative Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. Social constructionism and intersectionality were useful theoretical approaches adopted in exploring the lived experiences of students with disabilities. The results of this study revealed that students with disabilities find living with a disability as not being a barrier to living a fulfilling life. Students with disabilities construct their identities in a way that frees them from ideologies which shape the experience of disability in a negative way. However, the study revealed that negative barriers to identity construction still exist. These barriers come in the form of negative perceptions and stigma of disability, ableism and the medical model. The study further revealed that when the lived experiences of students with disabilities are understood through the lens of gender, race and class, these social divisions overlap and are cumulative on the effects of student�s experiences. The one major barrier in identity construction that the study revealed is the negative social perceptions of disability. The way in which students feel that they belong in their society is representative of how they respond to negative social constructions of disability.
Constructions of identity among young students living with visual or physical disabilities at a university in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Steyn, Inga Dale; Ngabaza, Sisa
Not all disabilities are the same and the way that society may respond to people with disabilities depends on their �disability� and how their body deviates from the appearance norms of society. People with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the South African population. A body of research and physical evidence shows that people with disabilities may face certain obstacles or limitations in fulfilling a normal life. Obstacles include perceptions of disabilities, negative stigma and attitudes, barriers to an environment which is accessible for people with disabilities, and constructions of ableism. In a way, these obstacles influence the way people with disabilities construct their identity. Beyond this, the voices of people with disabilities are not always heard and their personal experiences are not always given political recognition. This research aimed to explore how a group of students living with a physical or visual disability constructed their identities in their environment or society. A feminist qualitative method was conducted. The study focused on the experiences and perceptions of nineteen to twenty-seven year old female and male students with disabilities. Out of the six participants, two were coloured, three were black and one participant is classified as coloured, but identifies as biracial. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection and a Qualitative Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. Social constructionism and intersectionality were useful theoretical approaches adopted in exploring the lived experiences of students with disabilities. The results of this study revealed that students with disabilities find living with a disability as not being a barrier to living a fulfilling life. Students with disabilities construct their identities in a way that frees them from ideologies which shape the experience of disability in a negative way. However, the study revealed that negative barriers to identity construction still exist. These barriers come in the form of negative perceptions and stigma of disability, ableism and the medical model. The study further revealed that when the lived experiences of students with disabilities are understood through the lens of gender, race and class, these social divisions overlap and are cumulative on the effects of student�s experiences. The one major barrier in identity construction that the study revealed is the negative social perceptions of disability. The way in which students feel that they belong in their society is representative of how they respond to negative social constructions of disability.
"Access to tertiary education": Exploring the experiences of women with physical disabilities in Kamwala, Zambia
(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Matambo, Luyeye Hope; Ngabaza, Sisa
Women with disabilities are marginalised in many aspects of societal participation. The majority of women with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to education and this has placed them amongst the poorest of people in the country. The study focuses on the experiences of women with physical disabilities and investigates the challenges they encounter in accessing education at tertiary level. The study comes at a time when the fight for gender equality has gained momentum and aims at promoting economic participation for all members of society without discrimination on the basis of sex or disability. The study engaged ten participants from a tertiary institution in Kamwala, Lusaka. I conducted a feminist qualitative research, which focused on the experiences of 19-30 year old female students with physical disabilities. I used semi-structured interviews in order to collect the data and drew on a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the data. All standard ethical procedures were adhered to, including anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants. The results of the study revealed that women with disabilities were often 'othered' due to myths and misconceptions that surrounded disability especially in the African- traditional context. The study also revealed that families played a very important role in ensuring that women and young girls with disabilities had a strong self-image, strong self-esteem and a strong sense of self and ensuring that they felt included within the homes and especially when accessing education. The study further revealed that where family support was lacking, participants faced challenges in accessing education compared to participants who received such support. More so, that educational opportunities in Zambia are generally gendered with more males than females in the education system, across the multiple levels. Access to the tertiary level for this group of women is compromised because challenges in accessing education start at the lower levels and have spill over effects in to the higher levels of education. Financial challenges experienced by women with disabilities and their families also led to fewer women with disabilities being able to participate in schooling. This is because where there were limited resources within the family, women, and girls with disabilities getting an education was not an option.
Human trafficking across a border in Nigeria: Experiences of young women who have survived trafficking
(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Oyebanji, Kemi Fisayo; Ngabaza, Sisa
Human trafficking is a global issue that most countries have battled to control and combat in recent times. It is exploitative, abusive and violates human rights. Research showing the prevalence of human trafficking in mostly underdeveloped and developing countries with slack border controls and ineffective immigration activities seem to foreground women as victims in most cases. Although men, women and children are all prone to trafficking, young women and girls are more vulnerable due to political, economic and social factors. This study focuses on the experiences of young women who survived trafficking. Working within a qualitat ive feminist framework, this study explores the lived experiences of trafficked young women across a border in Nigeria. Five participants aged twenty to twenty-five were selected through convenience and snowballing sampling. Narrative thematic analysis was used as a methodology for data analysis. Findings from this study clearly show multiple factors which contribute to young women's vulnerability to trafficking. Some of the factors included family instability, feminization of poverty and gender inequality, which saw male children preferred over their female counterparts. Low levels of education and lack of care and support from the family further emerged as a source of vulnerability to trafficking for young women due to their low level of education. Gender and sexuality played a role in the reason for trafficking in this case, because all of the survivors were trafficked for the purpose of commercial sex work.
"Access to tertiary education": Exploring the experiences of women with physical disabilities in Kamwala, Zambia
(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Matambo, Luyeye Hope; Ngabaza, Sisa
Women with disabilities are marginalised in many aspects of societal participation. The majority of women with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to education and this has placed them amongst the poorest of people in the country. The study focuses on the experiences of women with physical disabilities and investigates the challenges they encounter in accessing education at tertiary level. The study comes at a time when the fight for gender equality has gained momentum and aims at promoting economic participation for all members of society without discrimination on the basis of sex or disability. The study engaged ten participants from a tertiary institution in Kamwala, Lusaka. I conducted a feminist qualitative research, which focused on the experiences of 19-30 year old female students with physical disabilities. I used semi-structured interviews in order to collect the data and drew on a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the data. All standard ethical procedures were adhered to, including anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants. The results of the study revealed that women with disabilities were often �othered� due to myths and misconceptions that surrounded disability especially in the African- traditional context. The study also revealed that families played a very important role in ensuring that women and young girls with disabilities had a strong self-image, strong self-esteem and a strong sense of self and ensuring that they felt included within the homes and especially when accessing education. The study further revealed that where family support was lacking, participants faced challenges in accessing education compared to participants who received such support. More so, that educational opportunities in Zambia are generally gendered with more males than females in the education system, across the multiple levels. Access to the tertiary level for this group of women is compromised because challenges in accessing education start at the lower levels and have spill over effects in to the higher levels of education. Financial challenges experienced by women with disabilities and their families also led to fewer women with disabilities being able to participate in schooling. This is because where there were limited resources within the family, women, and girls with disabilities getting an education was not an option.
Exploring the dualisms of 'belonging': Young women's performances of citizenship in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Van Vuuren, Monique; Lewis, Desiree
My research involves a nuanced exploration of 'citizenship', through examining the liberatory potential of young women's use of social media and performance of embodied subjectivities in the post-Apartheid imaginary. By tracing expressions of self, specifically women�s highly imaginative efforts to represent what selfhood means to them and how it shapes their realities, I question conventional understandings of civic participation. The forms of communication and self-expression that many young women in Cape Town pursue are often considered apolitical, frivolous or trivial. By comprehensively exploring self-expression as a participant, I show that it is often richly but complicatedly politicized. My analysis is based on four women�s narratives and meaning-making processes, although my methodological approach involves detailed attention to my own location and interactions with participants. Guided by feminist explorations of the relevance of standpoint theorizing, I seek to understand the various visual and textual ways in which a small group of young women in Cape Town is currently making sense of their social identities, understandings of freedom and potential as social actors. I also draw on methodological work that questions the tendency, even among many feminist researchers, to reduce the knowledge of their participants to manageable data. In so doing, my aim is to try to make sense of the content and forms of young women's knowledge making on their own terms.
Gendered dynamics in South African astrophysics: A case study of the South African Astronomical Observatory
(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Bongwana, Thembelihle; Lewis, Desiree; Holbrook, Jarita
This study explores the nuances around gendered dynamics, attitudes, ideologies, values and knowledge that exist within astronomy and astrophysics institutions paying specific attention to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) as study site. This study investigated implicit and explicit ways in which SAAO spaces and practices are gendered and hierarchized, and the extent to which 'astronomy as a specific discipline within science' remains highly masculinized. By focusing on studies on power, feminist critiques of science and institutional culture in other South African sectors, especially higher education, the study deconstructs a field that has been relatively neglected in South African feminist studies of gendered institutional culture. This thesis makes use of feminist qualitative methodological approaches and fuses mixed methods to collect data. The use of participant observation enabled a broader understanding of the context and to gain an understanding of how gendered, classed and raced subjects construct and navigate social meanings in the hierarchized and symbolically marked space of the SAAO.
"War in the home'' marriage and mediation among the Gurage in Ethiopia
(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Hussen, Tigist Shewarega; Lewis, Desiree
Ethiopian ethnic groups exhibit highly autochthonous cultural norms and values that are embedded in their traditional beliefs, systems, and religions. This study shows how, at the grassroots level, the Gurage ethnic group in Ethiopia, uses culturally legitimate forms of conflict resolution practices to mobilize and reinforce gender hierarchies, and how the discourses of culture, custom, tradition, social stability and cohesion are connected to gendered power relations. The study provides an analysis of how discourses of culture in African contexts influence, and become a compelling framework for both men and women to define themselves in institutions of marriage, and in related practices of conflict resolution and mediation.Drawing on a rich body of Southern African theory and analysis and by deploying it in relation to marriage in the Ethiopian context, the research shows that customary practices of conflict resolution have been one of the central Ethiopian definitions of authentic culture. Ethiopia, unlike the rest of Africa, reveals many complexities in exploring popular mechanisms and institutions that are very convincingly ''pre-colonial''. At present, these are manifested through cynicism towards western culture, reluctance to readily embrace it, and an accentuated sense of national pride shaped through the struggle against hovering ethnocentricism, imperialism and neo-imperialism. The research explores the dynamics of power that influence married couples' decisions about where and how they should resolve their martial disputes, and in selecting between the formal justice system and customary mediating mechanism. First-hand information was gathered from women and customary leaders, via participatory methodologies, and the data served as input to explain why and how discourses of culture are being mobilized so powerfully to reinforce gender hierarchies in Ethiopia. The research findings evidently show how ''culture'' is ''made real'' and authentic for Ethiopians, particularly for members of the Gurage ethnic group, through the dealings of popular cultural practices: the resolution of marital conflicts. I argue that marital conflict resolution in Gurage is an elaborate practice that validates patriarchal agenda, overseen by male elders, to regulate problems within individual marriages. The research problematised the recognition of ''customary practice'' in the Constitution as alternative systems by presenting the limited rights Gurage women have as opposed to the ''freedom of choice'' that is granted in the Constitution. The case reveals the difficulty of having two laws that have different understanding of human rights.

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