OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "Social Science"

Browsing by Subject "Social Science"

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A body in dissonance: young woemn naviagting mental health and living with depression in Cape Town
(2021) Oosthuizen, Simone; Macdonald, Helen
This dissertation investigates the experiences of young womxn diagnosed and living with depression in Cape Town. The investigation focuses on the relationship between the young womxn and their bodies as they live with depression and move through depressive episodes. The ethnographic findings expand on the dissociative - depersonalization and derealizationsymptoms of depression. Secondly, the investigation focuses on problematizing the theoretical construct of the body. These young womxn experienced their bodies beyond subject/object, internal/external, body/mind dichotomies. The dissertation frames the ethnographic findings with a phenomenological lens. Additionally, the dissertation uses a sensory gaze to understand the young womxn's bodily experiences and experiences with depression.
Open Access
Africanisation of worship in the Langa Moravian church : liturgy in a new key
(2000) Kronenberg, Joy Faith; Mazamisa, Welile
This thesis explores "inculturation as it has and has not taken place in the Moravian Church in general and specifically at Langa where the writer has been a probation minister from 1998- 1999 and an ordained minister from 1999 onwards. It explores the amelioration of the present undesirable situation. It is recognised that life is not static but dynamic, that worldviews change, and human identity is reconstructed. So, moves are indicated that will assist to transform the attitudes of the faithful. We need to aim for an atmosphere of discussion and shared decision making that is for active participation in leadership and genuine collegiality in a Church which no longer insists on its own monochrome culture but exists as a multicultural family of sisters and brothers in communion. This study seeks to examine the socio-literary function of the theme of this thesis Africanisation within the Langa Moravian Congregation: Liturgy in a New Key and will adopt a socio-linguistic perspective. The use of this approach emanates from the fact that this study is concerned about the language and anti-language as practised in the Church and society. Social scientific methods are a departure from the positivist empiricism of the historical critical method With the imposition of one religion over another and the unfounded assumption that one is universal, single, normative and a criterion according to which the world religions ought to be judged, the missionaries committed a social sin against the whole world; that human beings, in general and Africans in particular were judged as either cultured or uncultured, civilised or uncivilised, human or savages, through the Christian religion; that all other religions ought to be judged as either being true, false, authentic and /or revealed through Christianity. The term 'imposition' refers to a method or process by which doctrines, religious customs, morals and ways of praying and acting are brought from the outside, from a foreign or alien culture and tradition and imposed or forced upon the new cultures. It shows no appreciation, no respect or regard for the values, customs and religious traditions of the group that is the object of mission. The first missionaries who came to South Africa infiltrated all sectors of the social infrastructure and became saviour gods in their own right, while at the same time they did everything within their power to displace African culture and Westemise the Africans. We are made to live in a network of interdependence with one another, with God and with the rest of God's creation. As we say in Xhosa Umntu ngumntu ngabantu- a person is a person through other persons. A solitary human being is a contradiction in terms. A totally self-sufficient human being is ultimately subhuman. This is also true of the different nations: that one people has particular gifts, a distinct world view, a cultural ethos, which is not necessarily better or superior to those of other people. So we find that Africans have a strong sense of community, of belonging, whereas Occidentals have in contrast a strong sense of the individual person. These attributes, in isolation and pushed to extremes have weaknesses Within the wider perspective of sociolinguistics, the model that used here is that of Language and Anti-language. An antilanguage is a language that is generated by an anti-society, that is, a social collectively which is embedded in another society but feels threatened or alienated by the dominant conventional norms of the wider society and therefore sees itself as a conscious alternative to it. The language generated by such a social collectively serves to express its alternative view of social reality and becomes a mode of resistance to the prevailing social order. I hope this study will re-emphasise my conviction that the Church remains the terrain as well as the weapon of struggle for the liberation of the poor, marginalised, oppressed and exploited.
Open Access
Brazil's Foreign Policy from the context of South-South Development Cooperation initiatives: the case of Brazil and Mozambique after Lula
(2020) Correa, Julia; Phaahla, Elias
South-South Development Cooperation is a longstanding practice that has undergone many unprecedented changes since the dawn of the twenty-first century. However, following the first decade of the century, some key players in development cooperation seem to have reduced their efforts to promote South-South Development Cooperation, notably Brazil. Under president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's ambitious strategy of international prominence was most eminent within the framework of development cooperation, wherein the African continent occupied a central place. Such efforts, however, lost impetus under the subsequent presidencies of Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) and Michel Temer (2016-2018). This thesis reflects upon the changes in Brazil's foreign policy dispositions after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2011-2018) and how it affected the country's South-South Development Cooperation initiatives. By looking at the case of Mozambique, it seeks to understand such changes vis-à-vis the shifting nature of both the international system and, most importantly, the domestic setting of Brazil. While the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva laid the foundations of Brazil's South-South Development Cooperation agenda (i.e. an instrument for the pursuit of the country's global ambitions and a reflection of the national approach to development), these foundations were undermined during the subsequent governments, led by constraining international circumstances and the dismantling of the state-led developmental model advanced by the Workers' Party. The undermining of South- South Development Cooperation's foundations occurred through two major mechanisms. Firstly, foreign policy goals were re-defined in economic terms, and so was South-South Development Cooperation. The political goals that underpinned Brazil's reformist ambitions lost space once the latter were gradually abandoned under Dilma Rousseff and completely discarded under Michel Temer. Secondly, South-South Development Cooperation both reflected and fed the model of state-led development adopted by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Once this model was delegitimised and eventually dismantled, the South-South Development Cooperation agenda lost its impetus.
Open Access
Caring from the margins: Community HIV/AIDS care work as social reproduction in the era of HIV/AIDS
(2012) Meintjes-Moakes, Ingrid; Bennett, Jane
I come to my research interest through experiences as an activist, holding firm to the belief that community HIV/AIDS care work is profoundly deprivational for the women who do it. With a commitment to feminist research, I was interested in exploring what care work meant for gender equality and commensurate development consequences. Employing the theoretical framework of feminist development economics, I adopted a qualitiative methodology to explore my interests in women community HIV/AIDS care workers' experiences. Feminist epistemology holds that all in the study terrain have epistemic agency, and as such I was interested in making meaning of care workers' own representations of their experiences, and what their representations could mean for theorising about care work as a new form of social reproduction, situated in the specific space of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.
Open Access
Celebrity humanitarian activism in conflicts: a critical descriptive study
(2012) Stoffberg, Kendra
The phenomenon of celebrities becoming involved in humanitarian activism is by no means new, and yet recently the amount of international attention that it attracts has increased dramatically. It appears that certain advances in media technology, coupled with shifts in international political power relations, have allowed for celebrity humanitarian activism to develop into a prominent international phenomenon. Academic studies on the topic are still relatively scarce. It is therefore the intention of this dissertation to help fill this gap by providing a descriptive analysis of the emergence and development of celebrity humanitarian activism.
Open Access
Examining the violentisation process and the likelihood of first time offenders becoming dangerous violent perpetrators, amongst offenders diverted from various courts in the Western Cape
(2019) Ross, Ashleigh; Holtzhausen, Leon
The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to test the Violentization process with a group of first time adult male offenders charged with Assault Common or Assault GBH diverted from various courts in the Western Cape. The results of the study were compared to that of a similar study conducted by Holtzhausen (2015) which was done on a group of male youths from two townships in the Western Cape. With regards to this study individual interviews were conducted with 50 adult male participants between the ages of 18 and 65 respectively who were charged with one of the above offences and who were found suitable for diversion. The findings revealed that there were slight differences which could be due to the fact that the results of the study done by Holtzhausen (2015) were done with individuals who had been in conflict with the law on more than one occasions and some participants had also been incarcerated, compared to the participants of this study who were first time offenders. Furthermore, the results indicated that the majority of participants showed medium exposure and thus shows that they have in fact completed at least one or more but not all of the stages of Athens (1989) theory of Violentization. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that this research and its research process and data collection tool be relooked in terms of its applicability to the South African context and further be used as an assessment tool and measurement instrument in intervention services provided to persons by social workers and probation officers in various settings, such as correctional centres, courts and NGO’s.
Open Access
Globalization and regionalism : liabilities and possibilities for Africa
(2000) Chikuhwa, Tonderai W; Stephan, Harry
This research explores the liabilities and possibilities of African regionalism in an emerging international system characterized by economic globalization. The paper concerns itself with understanding the ways in which scholars are conceiving the concept of globalization, determining the ways in which the phenomenon is impacting the international system, and discerning globalization's impact on political and economic outcomes in Africa. The paper argues that globalization is driving the establishment of a global free market capitalist economic system based on competition, efficiency and productivity. This emerging international political economic order increasingly favours economies of scale and collective capacity. That is, its organizational logic is such that only those competitors who can rapidly mobilize and deploy vast resources across a range of domains will be able to compete effectively in the system. Accordingly, the wealthy areas of the globe are organizing themselves into increasingly cohesive economic and political regional groupings. Furthermore, globalization is speeding the inclusion of poorer countries into this fiercely competitive market. However, the terms of inclusion are dictated by and in favor of the wealthiest and most powerful members of the international society. Based on this reading of international life the paper argues that more pervasive cooperation and integration is ultimately Africa's only viable development strategy. African regionalism is examined in historical perspective an assessment of past initiatives, which it is now clear have largely faltered, yields the conclusion that a fundamental strategic re-orientation is required. The constitutional, 'grand-strategy' approach to integration must give way to an orientation that emphasizes more functional economic connections below the level of the state. Thus, this paper advocates the gradual and incremental enlargement of the area of cooperation across political and economic domains within and across regions on a functional basis. The establishment of an African Free Trade Area is viewed as the most effective framework for animating a functional orientation.
Open Access
Growing Babies, Growing faith: The Formation of Faith in The Life of the Child
(2016) Price, Yusra; Ross, Fiona
The composition and formation of a young child's Muslim identity is situated within a contextual landscape of location, history, demographic, family, community and more which makes every child's upbringing unique. Through multiple interviews, visits and general discussions, this research sets out to understand how caregivers located in Cape Town conceptualise their world, make sense of incorporating religious practice and values into their children's daily lives, and how this is balanced with caregivers' perceptions of what a child can handle at two years old. From our interviews, three themes emerged: firstly, the histories, values and practices of caregivers shape the contextual environment of their children's religious upbringing. Secondly, in addition to Islamic education and practice, a child's feelings and emotions must be nurtured to foreground a positive association with and devotion to Islam. Lastly, notions of time demarcate and shape how caregivers temporalize their child-rearing practices. The aim of this research is to contribute towards the growing discourses around childhood and religion through an ethnography of child-rearing in Cape Town.
Open Access
Industrial restructuring : challenges and demands imposed by flexible specialisation on manufacturing : A case study of two firms in the Western Cape
(2001) Bhengu, Sthembiso M; Maree, Johann
The paper argues that while findings justify a neo-Fordist assertion, firms are making considerable progress in the process of restructuring towards greater flexibility. There is significant progress in relations between management and labour. These changes cannot only be attributed to flexible specialisation, but also to new the political scenario in the country and globally.
Open Access
The silent frontier: deaf people and their social use of cell phones in Cape Town
(2012) Van Pinxteren, Myrna; Nyamnjoh, Francis
This thesis seeks to understand the ways in which the Deaf negotiate and embrace the cell phone socially. The Deaf, who can be seen as a linguistic and sensory minority within the predominant hearing society, use the cell phone to negotiate their marginalised position as people living with a hearing impairment. By doing so, the Deaf are able to extend and intensify their social relationships, which are used to overcome language barriers.
Open Access
Social engineering : a discourse in applied social science
(1979) Pocock, Louis John
[ page 92, 93, 94 missing] The following is a general overview of methodology. For a detailed examination in this area see Appendix III. The methodology of this work is based upon a modified Versteen principle. The present writer gathered 'evi- . 1 dence' and gave it form until it became clear where that evidence led. The evidence was then formalised until it resulted in cogent patterns. The patterns were expanded until they achieved solidity, at which point attempts were made to destroy them by bombarding them with data. To the writer's gratification, they did not collapse under the onslaught. Rather they gained in weight and explanatory power. The patterns were then pruned so as to leave nothing but their fundamental essence. Illustrative modes were then selected on the basis explained in the overview chapter in order to give the patterns substance and the patterns were grounded in terms of and by means of example. The result is the present work.
Open Access
Social problems surrounding health at SADA and the role of the church in effecting redress
(2002) Sabsana, M; Mazamisa, Welile
The aims will be double-pronged for we are dealing with divergent and yet complementary issues of history and how they inform the present situation and circumstances. The area of focus is Sada (Eastern Cape), and yet the study was informed by experiences outside the region. This study, an exploration of the complex sociological problems and health phenomenon in particular, at Sada, with its national relevance is multi-layered in its aims.
Open Access
South Africa's Responses to Gross Violations of Human Rights in Libya, Sudan and Zimbabwe: An Explanation of the Contradictions
Islam, Mohammed Saif; Seegers, Annette
When South Africa made the transition to democracy in 1994, led by the charismatic Nelson Mandela, it proclaimed that it would make human rights a centrepiece of its foreign policy. The international community also expected South Africa to play a leading role in promoting human rights around the world, not least due to the country's own history of gross human rights violations during apartheid. However, in the last 20 years, South Africa's track record in protecting human rights has come under scrutiny. Scholars have accused South Africa of turning a blind eye to gross human rights violations, contradicting its stated commitment to human rights. South Africa's responses to gross human rights violations in Libya, Sudan and Zimbabwe have been particularly criticised. This dissertation analyses the scholarly explanations of South Africa's contradictory behaviour in order to identify the strongest explanations on a bilateral level and a multilateral level in the context of South Africa's membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Delving into the literature on South Africa's foreign policy behaviour, I argue that South Africa has indeed failed to live up its promise of standing up for human rights. The emphasis on human rights in the country's foreign policy has also diminished over time. Most importantly, I argue that the major explanations of South Africa's contradictory behaviour are solidarity with African, developing and anti-apartheid allies; deterioration of domestic human rights regime which inevitably affects human rights promotion abroad; and South Africa's desire to be a leading conflict mediator that precludes it from criticising gross human rights violators, although there remain questions over South Africa's neutrality as a mediator.
Open Access
The narrative accounts of recovering drug users
(2010) Adams, Chantal; Boonzaier, Floretta
This study aims to provide pertinent information regarding the widespread use of methamphetamine occurring in South Africa. This study explores how individuals who were addicted to crystal methamphetamine (CM) create meaning of their experiences of addiction and recovery. Since most studies regarding CM use provide a quantitative focus this study provides a socially and culturally informed account of the subjective experiences of CM addiction. The researcher obtained access to a community-based organisation for recovering addicts and the snowball method of sampling was used to recruit 11 research participants. Participants were interviewed about their experiences of recovery and ethnographic field notes were written about the researcher's observations of and participation in the support group. The data were analysed using a narrative approach. This study adds to the current literature in the field of addiction. It particularly found that religion plays in integral role in assisting those recovering from the use of CM. The findings suggest that the experience of addiction and recovery is unique and that it occurs within a particular context that is continually evolving.
Open Access
United States post-Cold War drug and trade policy and Mexico
(2012) Kriegler, Anine
This essay provides a framework for explanations of the drug war's failure and its incongruity with other regional interests, most notably trade. It suggests three potential theoretical interests, most notably trade. It suggests three potential theoretical approaches - a conspiracy (realist) theory, a cultural (constructivist) theory, and a compartmentalisation (bureaucratic politics) theory.

Browsing by Subject "Social Science"

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