Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas

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dc.contributor.advisorSmit, Alexia
dc.contributor.authorRamodibe, Mamodibe
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-19T11:11:32Z
dc.date.available2026-01-19T11:11:32Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.updated2026-01-19T11:09:17Z
dc.description.abstractThis study explores the concept of transgressive Black womanhood in two South African telenovelas, examining whether acts of transgression disrupt existing depictions of the matriarchal figure onscreen. Drawing on the works of Sisonke Msimang, Pumla Gqola and Sabine Binder, specifically their analyses of the iconography surrounding Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, this paper interprets the two Black female protagonists under this study within a political and historical framework. Through close textual analysis, this study examines the narrative construction and characterisation of Lindiwe Dikana from (The River 2018 - 2024) and Harriet Khoza from (The Queen 2016 - 2023) assessing the extent to which these characters transgress social and cultural boundaries. In addition, it investigates whether their transgressions perpetuate stereotypical portrayals or complicate the traditional depiction of the Black matriarch in South African television. This study finds that, while the character constructions of both Lindiwe Dikana and Harriet Khoza are rooted in heteronormative portrayals of traditional gender roles—where both are established as wives and mothers—they transgress prescribed notions of motherhood and challenge gendered social norms of femininity. Moreover, the analysis reveals that these characters not only subvert sociocultural expectations surrounding motherhood and femininity but also defy societal norms related to widowhood, as exemplified in the case of Harriet Khoza. These transgressions emerge as modes of resistance, alternative expressions of identity, and the exercise of agency within patriarchal structures. In the analysis of The River (2018–2024), this study draws on Viraj Suparsad's (2022) concept of 'complicated femininity' to explore the moral ambiguity of Lindiwe Dikana, a complexity seldom attributed to Black matriarchal figures in mainstream media. In contrast, the examination of The Queen (2016–2023) utilizes Sabine Binder's notion of 'violent female masculinity' to illustrate how violent acts can be interpreted as transformative, particularly when they serve to transgress and destabilize constructed norms of femininity. This study concludes that the episodes selected from the respective telenovelas offer a nuanced and complex portrayal of Black matriarchal figures, presenting innovative and layered representations of Black women on screen.
dc.identifier.apacitationRamodibe, M. (2025). <i>Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationRamodibe, Mamodibe. <i>"Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationRamodibe, M. 2025. Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Ramodibe, Mamodibe AB - This study explores the concept of transgressive Black womanhood in two South African telenovelas, examining whether acts of transgression disrupt existing depictions of the matriarchal figure onscreen. Drawing on the works of Sisonke Msimang, Pumla Gqola and Sabine Binder, specifically their analyses of the iconography surrounding Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, this paper interprets the two Black female protagonists under this study within a political and historical framework. Through close textual analysis, this study examines the narrative construction and characterisation of Lindiwe Dikana from (The River 2018 - 2024) and Harriet Khoza from (The Queen 2016 - 2023) assessing the extent to which these characters transgress social and cultural boundaries. In addition, it investigates whether their transgressions perpetuate stereotypical portrayals or complicate the traditional depiction of the Black matriarch in South African television. This study finds that, while the character constructions of both Lindiwe Dikana and Harriet Khoza are rooted in heteronormative portrayals of traditional gender roles—where both are established as wives and mothers—they transgress prescribed notions of motherhood and challenge gendered social norms of femininity. Moreover, the analysis reveals that these characters not only subvert sociocultural expectations surrounding motherhood and femininity but also defy societal norms related to widowhood, as exemplified in the case of Harriet Khoza. These transgressions emerge as modes of resistance, alternative expressions of identity, and the exercise of agency within patriarchal structures. In the analysis of The River (2018–2024), this study draws on Viraj Suparsad's (2022) concept of 'complicated femininity' to explore the moral ambiguity of Lindiwe Dikana, a complexity seldom attributed to Black matriarchal figures in mainstream media. In contrast, the examination of The Queen (2016–2023) utilizes Sabine Binder's notion of 'violent female masculinity' to illustrate how violent acts can be interpreted as transformative, particularly when they serve to transgress and destabilize constructed norms of femininity. This study concludes that the episodes selected from the respective telenovelas offer a nuanced and complex portrayal of Black matriarchal figures, presenting innovative and layered representations of Black women on screen. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Transgressive Black Womanhood KW - Matriarchal Figures KW - South African Telenovelas KW - Lindiwe Dikana (The River) KW - Harriet Khoza (The Queen) KW - Black Matriarch KW - Stereotypical Depictions KW - Moral Ambiguity KW - Agency KW - Subversion of Stereotypes KW - Complex Representations of Black Women KW - Good and Evil Dichotomy KW - Patriarchal Ideologies KW - Social and Cultural Boundaries LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas TI - Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationRamodibe M. Transgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Film and Media Studies, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42610en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Film and Media Studies
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectTransgressive Black Womanhood
dc.subjectMatriarchal Figures
dc.subjectSouth African Telenovelas
dc.subjectLindiwe Dikana (The River)
dc.subjectHarriet Khoza (The Queen)
dc.subjectBlack Matriarch
dc.subjectStereotypical Depictions
dc.subjectMoral Ambiguity
dc.subjectAgency
dc.subjectSubversion of Stereotypes
dc.subjectComplex Representations of Black Women
dc.subjectGood and Evil Dichotomy
dc.subjectPatriarchal Ideologies
dc.subjectSocial and Cultural Boundaries
dc.titleTransgressive matriarchs: an exploration of female agency and resistance in South African telenovelas
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
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