Browsing by Author "Fuh, Divine"

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    The Ladies of Long: how a group of non-gender normative youth construct their identity and perform gender
    (2014) Strimenos, Alexis; Fuh, Divine
    This body of text is the product of an ethnographic study, conducted on (or more appropriately, with) a particular group of non-gender normative persons, interrogating the question of how they construct their own identity and perform gender? I argue that one could not effectively take on this project without simultaneously interrogating the category it purports to describe, and thus this piece proves to be as much an ethnography on gender as an ethnography on doing gender ethnography. Therefore, what is presented here is a demonstration of the value of this ethnography to contribute to a greater body of knowledge as it generates a nuanced and practical relational understanding of these otherwise seemingly intangible and highly ideational concepts, ambiguously termed gender and identity. This work also interrogates and engages deeply with notions of sexuality, subjectivity, agency, and personhood, examining the relationship and validity between abstract theory and reality, as it is revealed through an analysis of the articulations and observations of these unique individuals. Furthermore, as this offers more than a nuanced understanding of gender and identity in these people's lives, but an understanding of gender that extends beyond the specific scope of this question, the findings presented here, offer monumental insight and opportunity to sift through the leading contemporary theories foregrounding gender studies specifically that of Judith Butler's, Performativity Theory. And finally, as this work is built on the foundation of a feminist objective epistemology, it will prove also to be an articulation of the importance of methodology, demonstrating the significance of a study's methodology to be parallel to its findings. But most importantly this text will provide an in-depth description and analysis of the meanings and makings of gender, sexuality, and personhood in the context of a very particular social world, demonstrating the surprisingly profound agency these persons creatively practice in the constitution of their selves.
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    Rastas on the road to healing: plant-human mobilities in Cape Town, South Africa
    (2014) Reid, Andrew M; Fuh, Divine; Wynberg, Rachel
    Drawing on two months of deep ethnographic fieldwork consisting of informal conversations, recorded life history interviews, and participant observation, this dissertation employs a central theme of mobility to trace the processes through which individuals first come to engage with Rastafari and medicinal plants in Cape Town, South Africa, along with the movements through which they develop their knowledge and skill in relation to plant-medicines and healing. In doing so, the work develops an understanding of ganja (Cannabis sativa) as a catalytic link or connector between people, other medicinal plants, and transformation. Furthermore, plant-human assemblages are followed as they move across local and regional boundaries, with an examination of the implications these movements have for the health of people and ecosystems. On their transformational journeys, herbalists increase their plant knowledge, expand their secondary language capacity, learn to navigate multiple modes of transport, gain physical stamina and knowledge of the body, establish trade networks and build customer bases;; all of which contribute to the authority and healing abilities of an herbalist.