Racialised discourse in the former Model C School: Discourse of exclusion and inclusion

Date
2016-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis reports on racialised discourse in a former Model C school in the Northern Suburbs of the Western Cape. The primary areas of investigation were surrounding the discourses of inclusion and exclusion as perceived by the students in the school. The data was collected in a transformed school, in which the coloured students constitute the majority in terms of number, and the white and black students the minority. An ethnographic approach (Creese 2008) towards data collection was taken, where classroom interviews and focus group interviews were used. This allowed for multiple voices to be expressed in terms of different and contradicting discourses. The thesis uses Feminist Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis as applied to classroom discourse (Baxter 2008) as a main analytical tool. In this thesis, I argue that the biggest contributor towards the theorisation of „race‟ is one‟s social environment, as the issues experienced by the students in terms of „race‟ can all be attributed to dominating teachers‟ role definitions (Cummins 1997), parental influence and educational structures. The findings of this study suggest that the black and coloured students feel a strong sense of exclusion from the predominantly white Afrikaans staff of the school. The findings also show that students exclude themselves from one another by organising their social spaces around them in terms of „race‟, where language and culture stand proxy for this concept. The students also presented opinions on the need for transformation in terms of how „race‟ is incorporated into the curriculum and into educational structures such as language policies and tertiary education admission policies. The issue of „whiteness‟ in the new South Africa came forth, in which I noticed that white students are further subdividing themselves into „intra-white‟ groups, namely white Afrikaans and white English. I therefore call for more research to be carried out on the issue of changing white identity in the post-apartheid classroom.
AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word daar verslag gelewer oor rasgedrewe diskoers in 'n voormalige Model C-skool in die Noordelike Voorstede van die Wes-Kaap. Die primêre areas van ondersoek was rondom die diskoerse van insluiting en uitsluiting soos waargeneem deur die studente in die skool. Die data is ingesamel in 'n getransformeerde skool met bruin studente in die meerderheid in terme van getalle, en wit- en swart studente die minderheid in terme van getalle. 'n etnografiese benadering (Creese 2008) ten opsigte van die data insameling is gebruik waartydens klaskamer-onderhoude sowel as fokus-groeponderhoude gevoer is. Dit het voorsiening gemaak vir veelvuldige opinies in terme van verskillende sowel as teenstrydige diskoerse. Die tesis gebruik Feministiese Poststrukturalistiese Diskoersanalise, soos toegepas op klaskamer diskoers (Baxter 2008), as 'n hoof analitiese instrument. In hierdie tesis, voer ek die argument aan dat die grootste bydrae tot die teoretisering van „ras‟, 'n persoon se sosiale omgewing is. Aspekte wat deur studente ervaar word in terme van „ras‟, kan toegeskryf word aan die dominerende onderwyser roldefinisies (Cummins 1997), ouer-invloed en opvoedkundige strukture. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat die swart en die bruin studente uitgesluit voel deur die oorwegende wit Afrikaanssprekende personeel van die skool. Die bevindinge toon ook dat studente uitsluiting bevorder deur hul sosiale ruimtes te organiseer volgens ras, waar taal en kultuur in die plek staan van ras. Die studente het ook menings oor die behoefte aan transformasie in terme van hoe „ras‟ opgeneem is in die taalbeleid, kurrikulum en in opvoedkundige strukture soos beleid, taal en tersiêre onderrig-toelatingsbeleid. Die kwessie van „witheid‟ in die nuwe Suid-Afrika het uitgekom, waarin ek opgemerk het dat wit studente hulself verder onderverdeel in „intra-wit‟ groepe ─ wit Afrikaans en Engels wit. Daarom vra ek dat meer navorsing gedoen moet word oor die kwessie van die verandering van die wit identiteit in die post-apartheid klaskamer.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2016.
Keywords
Racism -- South Africa, Critical Discourse Analysis, Inclusive education -- Study and teaching -- Race relations, Exclusion, Social, UCTD
Citation