Abstract
My thesis documents the ethnographies of six young women emanating from Daveyton, a township in Gauteng, on their lived experiences of sexual violence as it pertains to sexual harassment. The realities and themes covered in this thesis are such that I cannot exempt myself from, as I share a common background and similar experiences with the participants. I too emanate from Daveyton, and the participants are part of my personal network. Thus, I detail my ethnographies in thesis as well. The ethnographies narrate the daily lived experiences of sexual harassment of these young women as they navigate through multifaced socio-economic and socio-linguistic settings, in the context of normalized sexual violence in South Africa. Sexual violence is a prominent phenomenon in South Africa, and often is a gendered social conflict that is mostly perpetrated upon women. The ethnographies thus, detail how these young women navigate and respond to their experiences of sexual harassment. The narratives unpack the strategies that young women use to resist and/or avoid potential experiences of sexual harassment in their daily lives. In the thesis I also explore themes such as power, social control, gender and gendered violence as they are imposed upon on young women in their daily lives. These concepts are reflected in discussions about identity, class, and social mobility, while also exploring feelings of safety and fear. In line with my own ethnographies being incorporated in the thesis, in the methodology chapter I reflect on my positionality as a ‘citizen anthropologist’ – an anthropological researcher who shares a common geographic, historical, and political background with the participants of their research. The research is structured and informed by the phenomenological approach. The methodology employed for this research consists of data collection techniques such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, diary keeping, taking walks, and drawing cognitive maps.
Key Phrases: sexual harassment, sexual violence, phenomenological experience, lived experience, township, gender, power, social control.