What it means to be Black in Post-Apartheid South Africa
- Authors: Phadi, Mosa M.
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/370996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/265155 , uj:28072
- Description: Abstract: As the state of South Africa matures, questions attached to meanings of being ‘Black’ have become more pervasive, and the promised freedom is embroiled in sharpening contradictions and paradoxes. The construction and reconstruction of Blackness developed within capitalism, which is the cornerstone of structural racism. Inferiority complexes emanate from the process of construction, and the overlap between old and new structural contexts reconstructs Black ontology. Moreover, I argue that neither sociology nor Marxists have yet fully understood Blackness and structural racism, especially its political relevance. This dissertation highlights the importance of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’ theoretical and methodological contribution in conceptualising the reconstruction of being Black, which is valued in South Africa and elsewhere. Seminal writers Frantz Fanon and Bantu Stephen Biko also inform my conceptual framework. However, the dissertation attempts to go beyond Du Bois’ concepts by connecting theoretical articulations with empirical evidence on how structural racism permeates and interacts with capitalism, in shaping what it means to be Black in South Africa today. Expanding on Du Bois’ methodology, this dissertation uses Conversation Analysis; I engaged with eight ‘elites’ and forty-six ‘ordinary’ people. The dissertation illustrates similarities and differences between the ‘elites’ and ‘ordinary’ people. ‘Elites’ are those who influenced the intellectual and political landscape, and the term ‘ordinary’ is used not in an ignominious sense, but to distinguish this category from the ‘elites’. A key empirical finding is that Blackness embodies multiple consciousness. I argue that being Black has multiple folds which interact and disrupt the collective history of oppression. Various dimensions such as childhood memories, language, culture, and ‘small freedom’ shape the reconstruction of Blackness. Among the ‘elites’ these dimensions were often articulated through a theoretical framing of what it meant to be Black. Among ‘ordinary’ people, the meanings attached to being Black were more fluid. Their articulations differed depending on class background, occupations, and where they went to school. This dissertation makes an original contribution by focusing on empirical evidence to show that Blackness goes beyond Du Bois’ double consciousness, and is embedded in multiple consciousness. , D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)
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- Authors: Phadi, Mosa M.
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/370996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/265155 , uj:28072
- Description: Abstract: As the state of South Africa matures, questions attached to meanings of being ‘Black’ have become more pervasive, and the promised freedom is embroiled in sharpening contradictions and paradoxes. The construction and reconstruction of Blackness developed within capitalism, which is the cornerstone of structural racism. Inferiority complexes emanate from the process of construction, and the overlap between old and new structural contexts reconstructs Black ontology. Moreover, I argue that neither sociology nor Marxists have yet fully understood Blackness and structural racism, especially its political relevance. This dissertation highlights the importance of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’ theoretical and methodological contribution in conceptualising the reconstruction of being Black, which is valued in South Africa and elsewhere. Seminal writers Frantz Fanon and Bantu Stephen Biko also inform my conceptual framework. However, the dissertation attempts to go beyond Du Bois’ concepts by connecting theoretical articulations with empirical evidence on how structural racism permeates and interacts with capitalism, in shaping what it means to be Black in South Africa today. Expanding on Du Bois’ methodology, this dissertation uses Conversation Analysis; I engaged with eight ‘elites’ and forty-six ‘ordinary’ people. The dissertation illustrates similarities and differences between the ‘elites’ and ‘ordinary’ people. ‘Elites’ are those who influenced the intellectual and political landscape, and the term ‘ordinary’ is used not in an ignominious sense, but to distinguish this category from the ‘elites’. A key empirical finding is that Blackness embodies multiple consciousness. I argue that being Black has multiple folds which interact and disrupt the collective history of oppression. Various dimensions such as childhood memories, language, culture, and ‘small freedom’ shape the reconstruction of Blackness. Among the ‘elites’ these dimensions were often articulated through a theoretical framing of what it meant to be Black. Among ‘ordinary’ people, the meanings attached to being Black were more fluid. Their articulations differed depending on class background, occupations, and where they went to school. This dissertation makes an original contribution by focusing on empirical evidence to show that Blackness goes beyond Du Bois’ double consciousness, and is embedded in multiple consciousness. , D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)
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‘Amakomiti’ as ‘democracy on the margins’ : popular committees in South Africa’s informal settlements
- Authors: Ngwane, Trevor
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Squatter settlements - Social aspects - South Africa , Squatter settlements - Management , Urban poor - Housing - South Africa , Democracy - Social aspects - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/226997 , uj:22963
- Description: D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology) , Abstract: The global economic crisis has arguably led to a crisis of democracy as perceptions that governments serve the rich and powerful rather than ordinary people abound. The quest for solutions and alternative forms of democracy including the dream of a society where the economy and the state are run and controlled by the people themselves, to the equal benefit of all, was seriously set back and tarnished by the defeat of the socialist experiment in the Soviet Union and other countries. This dissertation is a search for signs and instances of democratic practice that can inspire and inform political practice in the endeavour to retrieve and realise that dream. The dissertation looks at the widespread practice whereby informal settlement dwellers in South Africa operate popular committees that address and take care of each shack community’s collective affairs. Forty-five out of 46 shack settlements researched in four South African provinces operated such committees, called “amakomiti” (in the isiZulu language). The research findings suggest that shack dwellers collectively improvise forms of self-government and self-management because their settlements are often established and managed without the blessing and support of the state. They have to take over land and organise the allocation of households to stands, provision of basic services, crime prevention, etc. They assume functions normally carried out by the state in the course of their struggle for land and shelter. The dissertation proposes that this collective self-management points to the existence of a form of “democracy on the margins” in the informal settlements which is distinct from the dominant democratic state form. Can we learn anything from this grassroots form of democratic practice during this era of crisis in democratic governance? A key empirical question is why amakomiti continue to thrive while other grassroots forms of community self-organisation that emerged during the struggle against apartheid, such as the township civics and street committees, have declined in the post-apartheid era. The dissertation analyses the nature, character and operation of the amakomiti in the light of international, historical and often revolutionary forms of working class self-organisation such as the Russian soviets, Italian factory councils and Iranian shuras (workplace and neighbourhood councils). The dissertation argues that amakomiti should be understood as forms of working class self-organisation and as such part of the explanation for their continued existence lies in the dialectical relationship between their role as organs of struggle and as organs of democratic self-government. In both guises the committees are most effective when...
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- Authors: Ngwane, Trevor
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Squatter settlements - Social aspects - South Africa , Squatter settlements - Management , Urban poor - Housing - South Africa , Democracy - Social aspects - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/226997 , uj:22963
- Description: D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology) , Abstract: The global economic crisis has arguably led to a crisis of democracy as perceptions that governments serve the rich and powerful rather than ordinary people abound. The quest for solutions and alternative forms of democracy including the dream of a society where the economy and the state are run and controlled by the people themselves, to the equal benefit of all, was seriously set back and tarnished by the defeat of the socialist experiment in the Soviet Union and other countries. This dissertation is a search for signs and instances of democratic practice that can inspire and inform political practice in the endeavour to retrieve and realise that dream. The dissertation looks at the widespread practice whereby informal settlement dwellers in South Africa operate popular committees that address and take care of each shack community’s collective affairs. Forty-five out of 46 shack settlements researched in four South African provinces operated such committees, called “amakomiti” (in the isiZulu language). The research findings suggest that shack dwellers collectively improvise forms of self-government and self-management because their settlements are often established and managed without the blessing and support of the state. They have to take over land and organise the allocation of households to stands, provision of basic services, crime prevention, etc. They assume functions normally carried out by the state in the course of their struggle for land and shelter. The dissertation proposes that this collective self-management points to the existence of a form of “democracy on the margins” in the informal settlements which is distinct from the dominant democratic state form. Can we learn anything from this grassroots form of democratic practice during this era of crisis in democratic governance? A key empirical question is why amakomiti continue to thrive while other grassroots forms of community self-organisation that emerged during the struggle against apartheid, such as the township civics and street committees, have declined in the post-apartheid era. The dissertation analyses the nature, character and operation of the amakomiti in the light of international, historical and often revolutionary forms of working class self-organisation such as the Russian soviets, Italian factory councils and Iranian shuras (workplace and neighbourhood councils). The dissertation argues that amakomiti should be understood as forms of working class self-organisation and as such part of the explanation for their continued existence lies in the dialectical relationship between their role as organs of struggle and as organs of democratic self-government. In both guises the committees are most effective when...
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A history of Noordgesig to 1994 : changing coloured identity
- Authors: Moore, Wendell
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Colored people (South Africa) - South Africa - Noordgesig - History , Colored people (South Africa) - Housing - South Africa - Noordgesig , Colored people (South Africa) - Race identity - South Africa - Noordgesig , Colored people (South Africa) - South Africa - Noordgesig - Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/66503 , uj:17475
- Description: Abstract: This dissertation presents a history of the coloured township of Noordgesig, adjacent to Soweto, from its establishment in 1939 up to the end of apartheid in 1994. It made use of archival documents related to the township and inhabitants’ experiences of living there. The study therefore employed a qualitative framework to describe the multi-layered history of Noordgesig. The township was established as a temporary home for the poorest class of coloureds removed from inner city slums. Moreover, the authorities considered the type of coloured people it housed comparable to blacks in terms of class, skin colour and identity. Additionally, Noordgesig’s geographical location next to Soweto and its temporary status, because it was only proclaimed a coloured group area in December 1988, were all major factors in its development. The literature on coloured townships in South Africa is largely based on experiences encountered in the Cape region. However, while this literature concurs that coloured racial identity is heterogeneous, fewer studies regard other local constructions of the identity. Rather many of these studies make broader claims to a national character of colouredness based on these regional findings. This gap in the literature emphasizes the need for more local studies of coloured history in other parts of South Africa. This is the first academic account of Noordgesig and the first recent study of a coloured township in Johannesburg. The research forms part of an exceedingly limited number of studies that seriously regard identity experiences in Johannesburg’s coloured townships. It shows the degree to which coloured experiences in Noordgesig were shaped by particular local circumstances. Therefore, I challenge the literature of coloured identity in South Africa because I show how research on another part of the country deviates with what is generally asserted about coloured history. There are two other arguments that complicate, and show the nuances embedded within, the histories of coloured townships in South Africa. Firstly, in Noordgesig, the interrelation between race, ethnicity, class, and housing, influenced how local constructions of identity experiences were produced and what types of transformations these went through during the twentieth century. The people housed in the township tended to be darker skinned poorer coloureds marginalized by the state, other coloureds and the black people of Soweto... , M.A.
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- Authors: Moore, Wendell
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Colored people (South Africa) - South Africa - Noordgesig - History , Colored people (South Africa) - Housing - South Africa - Noordgesig , Colored people (South Africa) - Race identity - South Africa - Noordgesig , Colored people (South Africa) - South Africa - Noordgesig - Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/66503 , uj:17475
- Description: Abstract: This dissertation presents a history of the coloured township of Noordgesig, adjacent to Soweto, from its establishment in 1939 up to the end of apartheid in 1994. It made use of archival documents related to the township and inhabitants’ experiences of living there. The study therefore employed a qualitative framework to describe the multi-layered history of Noordgesig. The township was established as a temporary home for the poorest class of coloureds removed from inner city slums. Moreover, the authorities considered the type of coloured people it housed comparable to blacks in terms of class, skin colour and identity. Additionally, Noordgesig’s geographical location next to Soweto and its temporary status, because it was only proclaimed a coloured group area in December 1988, were all major factors in its development. The literature on coloured townships in South Africa is largely based on experiences encountered in the Cape region. However, while this literature concurs that coloured racial identity is heterogeneous, fewer studies regard other local constructions of the identity. Rather many of these studies make broader claims to a national character of colouredness based on these regional findings. This gap in the literature emphasizes the need for more local studies of coloured history in other parts of South Africa. This is the first academic account of Noordgesig and the first recent study of a coloured township in Johannesburg. The research forms part of an exceedingly limited number of studies that seriously regard identity experiences in Johannesburg’s coloured townships. It shows the degree to which coloured experiences in Noordgesig were shaped by particular local circumstances. Therefore, I challenge the literature of coloured identity in South Africa because I show how research on another part of the country deviates with what is generally asserted about coloured history. There are two other arguments that complicate, and show the nuances embedded within, the histories of coloured townships in South Africa. Firstly, in Noordgesig, the interrelation between race, ethnicity, class, and housing, influenced how local constructions of identity experiences were produced and what types of transformations these went through during the twentieth century. The people housed in the township tended to be darker skinned poorer coloureds marginalized by the state, other coloureds and the black people of Soweto... , M.A.
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Youth identity and popular culture at The Zone, Rosebank (Johannesburg), c. 2004
- Authors: Nkuna, Lucert Promise
- Date: 2014-04-15
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) in youth - South Africa , Identity (Psychology) in adolescence - South Africa , Popular culture - South Africa , Shopping malls - Social aspects - South Africa
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:10691 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/10205
- Description: M.A. (Industrial Sociology) , Identity construction amongst the youth is a vital process as it shapes who they are and what they want to be. Rapid social change contributes a great deal to the ways people create and shape their identities. This study focuses on youth identity construction in South Africa, specifically among young people at The Zone, a shopping mall in Rosebank, Johannesburg. In South Africa much research has been done on youths mainly focusing on delinquency. There is thus a knowledge gap with regard to youth identity and the positive aspects of life. This study, therefore, aims to shed light on the positive aspects of identity construction among the youth. Previous studies on youth identity construction have shown that youth identities are constructed in a world where popular culture dominates people’s existence. The construction of youth identity at The Zone is examined by focusing on music, fashion and technology as the main elements of popular culture. The theoretical framework of this study is derived mainly from scholarly work on identity formation, popular culture and youth culture at The Zone. For this study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in which the following data gathering processes were applied: focus groups, semi-structured face-toface interviews, and questionnaires. The findings of the study show that identity construction amongst the youth is done through their interaction with one another as well as the images, styles and entertainment that form part of popular culture. Democratic South Africa has opened doors of choices for young people. Within certain constraints, they are able to do what they like, become who they like and explore their identities. The findings show that even though they come from different backgrounds, their aspirations to be hip and sophisticated, as dictated by popular culture, are similar.
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- Authors: Nkuna, Lucert Promise
- Date: 2014-04-15
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) in youth - South Africa , Identity (Psychology) in adolescence - South Africa , Popular culture - South Africa , Shopping malls - Social aspects - South Africa
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:10691 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/10205
- Description: M.A. (Industrial Sociology) , Identity construction amongst the youth is a vital process as it shapes who they are and what they want to be. Rapid social change contributes a great deal to the ways people create and shape their identities. This study focuses on youth identity construction in South Africa, specifically among young people at The Zone, a shopping mall in Rosebank, Johannesburg. In South Africa much research has been done on youths mainly focusing on delinquency. There is thus a knowledge gap with regard to youth identity and the positive aspects of life. This study, therefore, aims to shed light on the positive aspects of identity construction among the youth. Previous studies on youth identity construction have shown that youth identities are constructed in a world where popular culture dominates people’s existence. The construction of youth identity at The Zone is examined by focusing on music, fashion and technology as the main elements of popular culture. The theoretical framework of this study is derived mainly from scholarly work on identity formation, popular culture and youth culture at The Zone. For this study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in which the following data gathering processes were applied: focus groups, semi-structured face-toface interviews, and questionnaires. The findings of the study show that identity construction amongst the youth is done through their interaction with one another as well as the images, styles and entertainment that form part of popular culture. Democratic South Africa has opened doors of choices for young people. Within certain constraints, they are able to do what they like, become who they like and explore their identities. The findings show that even though they come from different backgrounds, their aspirations to be hip and sophisticated, as dictated by popular culture, are similar.
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