A question of marginalization coloured identities and education in the Western Cape, South Africa
Doctoral Thesis
2002
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
The central aim of this research is to evaluate the claim by members of the Coloured population of the Western Cape that they are as socially and economically marginalized under the current government as they were under apartheid. The purpose of this is to contribute to the debate on post-apartheid social transformation and broader debates on the continued use of the notion of Colouredness in the South African context. The research findings are based on fieldwork carried out in four main high schools in Coloured communities in the Western Cape province. This thesis first establishes the broad theoretical, political and historical background of the research. This section of the thesis debates the nature of Colouredness and the existing theoretical frameworks for the analysis of Coloured identities. Following this Coloured experiences of post-apartheid education policy and provision are considered. Within this analysis the evidence for claims of marginalization is discussed and its nature and intention is assessed. From this basis, the thesis then investigates the reactions of pupils to this perceived marginalization, in terms of their attitudes towards education, their aspirations and their attitudes towards other pupils. A final part of the analysis considers the nature of school and community responses to pupils' reactions to their perceived marginalization. This section investigates not only the nature of the responses, but also seeks to provide explanations for these responses, using the theoretical frameworks of the earlier sections. Finally, this thesis draws conclusions based on the original questions posed and then points to the wider implications of this research in the South African political and international theoretical contexts.
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Bibliography: leaves 341-389.
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Battersby, J. 2002. A question of marginalization coloured identities and education in the Western Cape, South Africa. University of Cape Town.