Browsing by Author "Loubser, Henriette"
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- ItemErotiek, geweld en die dood in 'n Gelyke kans van Jeanne Goosen(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2005-03) Loubser, Henriette; Van Niekerk, M.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans and Dutch.The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between eroticism, violence and death as it occurs in Jeanne Goosen's short story collection, ' n Gelyke kans. The research is based upon the hypothesis that these stories express in a particular manner the transgressive role of eroticism in breaking through social conventions and barriers. As a possible framework for discussion reference is made in the first place to George Bataille's theories on the subversive nature of eroticism, Julia Kristeva's semiotic and pre-Oedipal theories, and Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of the carnivalesque. Subsequently a reading strategy was designed by means of an in-depth analysis of ten stories from the collection in accordance with general formalistic principles. The conclusion is reached that Goosen with non-judgmental sympathy exposes man's inborn, continuous search for the illusion of perfect happiness. This state of bliss is sometimes achieved by the violent "incorporation" of the beloved/desired “other", and the final outcome is a concomitant and inevitable decline into an unwholesome, destructive, and fatal erotic power play.
- ItemOmgewingsdiskoers in wetenskapfiksie vir kinders met verwysing na die Anna Atoom-reeks deur Elizabeth Wasserman(LitNet, 2017-06) Loubser, HenrietteDie bykans onomkeerbare skade wat die mens aan die natuurlike omgewing van ons planeet aanrig, is reeds ʼn gegewe. Tog, eerder as om oorval te word deur ’n gevoel van hopeloosheid oor die voortbestaan van lewe op aarde, kan oor nuwe moontlikhede besin word. Fiksionele tekste beskik oor die potensiaal om omgewingskwessies onder die loep te neem en moontlike oplossings te bied. Volgens Greg Garrard (2004:116) is dit nodig dat daardie moontlikhede verbeel word: “Only if we imagine that the planet hás a future, after all, are we likely to take responsibility for it.” Met hierdie ondersoek word daar egter nie hoofsaaklik gefokus op die gekose tekste as voorbeelde van kreatiewe oplossings vir omgewingskwessies nie, maar eerder op wetenskapfiksie as instrument vir omgewingsbewusmaking. Voorts word daar gesoek na voorbeelde van omgewingsdiskoers in die reeks en tot beter begrip van die mens-natuur-verhouding.
- ItemDie ontwikkeling van ekogeletterdheid deur middel van ’n Afrikaanse leesreeks(LitNet, 2017) Loubser, HenrietteHierdie artikel is ’n waarderende refleksie op ’n leesreeks wat spesifiek vir ekologiese opvoeding ontwikkel is. Die tekste in die reeks beskik oor die potensiaal om by kinders ’n dieper kennis van die ekostelsel te ontwikkel. Met beter kennis van natuurlike stelsels en groter begrip vir die vervlegtheid van alle bestaansvorme word die kind bemagtig tot ingeligte en kritiese deelname aan gesprekke oor die natuurlike omgewing en omgewingskwessies. Die Flixie-reeks (Schreuder 2010) is gekies vanweë die opvoedkundige potensiaal daarvan. In die reeks manifesteer ’n diskoers oor onderlinge afhanklikheid, een van balans en harmonie in die natuur, maar ook van omgee vir en versorging van die natuurlike omgewing. Kenmerkend van hierdie reeks is die teenwoordigheid van wat Holton en Rogers (in Dobrin en Kidd 2004:151) “die gesaghebbende diskoers van wetenskap” [alle vertalings deur my, tensy anders vermeld], en hier spesifiek die lewenswetenskappe, noem. Schreuder dra vakspesifieke ekologiese inligting aan die leser oor. Deur die vermenging van feit en fiksie word komplekse ekologiebegrippe toeganklik vir die jong kind. Die twee hoofnavorsingsvrae wat gestel kan word, is: (1) Hoe lyk ’n ekoteks en aan watter kriteria behoort dit te voldoen ten einde ekogeletterdheid en beter begrip vir die natuurlike omgewing te bevorder? (2) Hoe beantwoord die reeks aan hierdie vereistes? Die ondersoekmetode is teks- en inhoudsontleding: teksgedeeltes sal ondersoek word vir ekologiese temas en die potensiaal van die tekste om tot ’n groter mate van ekogeletterdheid te lei, kom onder die loep. Die teoretiese raamwerk wat gebruik word, is geskoei op die vyf kernpraktyke van emosioneel en sosiaal verbonde (“engaged”) ekogeletterdheid soos deur Goleman, Bennett en Barlow (2012:10–1) geïdentifiseer. Daar sal ook van Mayer (1995:18–9) se lys van vereistes vir kinderliteratuur in wetenskapsleer, gebruik gemaak word. Dit is my hipotese dat die Flixie-reeks, alhoewel effe didakties, oor die potensiaal beskik om omgewingsgeletterdheid by jong lesers te ontwikkel. Al is dit ’n ouer reeks (2010), is die inligting daarin steeds relevant. Ekoliteratuur kan dus deel vorm van die toerusting wat jong leerders nodig het om aktiewe en verantwoordelike bewaarders van die natuurlike omgewing te word.
- ItemDie opvoedkundige waarde van ekoliterêre tekste : ‘n Toepassing van Adrian Rainbow se sienings op ‘n Afrikaanse jeugverhaal, ‘n oorgangsroman en ‘n prenteboek vir kinders(LitNet, 2016) Loubser, HenrietteLetterkunde beskik oor die potensiaal om “kritiese bewussyn te kweek” (Smith in Steenkamp 2013). ’n Literêre teks beskik oor die vermoë om kritiese denke te stimuleer, om die leser op te voed en hom/haar uiteindelik tot daadwerklike optrede te lei. Tydens die ontwikkeling van ’n kritiese bewus wees word die leser toegerus om deel te neem en verandering te bring. Hierdie potensiaal van literêre werke kan aangewend word in die stryd om omgewingsgeletterdheid. Binne die Suid-Afrikaanse akademie word die belang en die potensiaal van ekoliterêre tekste tans nog onderskat. Die waarde van fiksie in die onderrig van wetenskaplike en ekologiese beginsels en die skrywer as eko-opvoeder word sodoende nog geringgeskat. Met hierdie artikel word daar ondersoek ingestel na die waarde van omgewingsgeoriënteerde fiksietekste met die oog op omgewingsbewusmaking en –opvoeding van die jeug. Die vraag wat sentraal staan in hierdie ondersoek is dus: Hoe suksesvol kan fiksietekste aangewend word om jong lesers ekologies op te voed en hulle meer sensitief ten opsigte van die natuurlike omgewing en die mens se verhouding met die natuur te stem? Die ondersoek word gedoen aan die hand van Adrian Rainbow (2014) se werk, waar hy besin oor die krag en die opvoedkundige waarde van die ekoliterêre teks. In hierdie oorsigartikel ondersoek ek sy standpunt dat ’n kombinasie van estetiese teks en wetenskaplike feite tot ’n beter begrip van die natuurlike omgewing kan lei. Navorsing deur Suid-Afrikaanse akademici, o.a. Dan Wylie (2014), E.R. Jenkins (2004), Julia Martin (1994) en Susan Meyer (2009), word ook betrek ten einde die (Afrikaanse) ekoliterêre teks binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te ondersoek. Die artikel bevat ook ’n navorsingskomponent waar ek hierdie beskouinge dan op drie tekste, ’n Tuiste vir Bitis (’n jeugteks deur Freda Linde, 1980) Kringe in ’n bos (’n oorgangsroman deur Dalene Matthee, 1984) en ’n prenteboek vir kinders, Arboreta, die heks met die groen hare (Riana Scheepers, 2008) toepas. Hierdie tekste is doelbewus gekies vanweë die ekologiese boodskappe wat hulle dra. Tydens die ondersoek sal omgewingskwessies geïdentifiseer word en daar sal gelet word op die wyse waarop hierdie tekste die geïdentifiseerde omgewingskwessies aanspreek. Uiteindelik sal daar tot ’n gevolgtrekking gekom word oor die beantwoording van die genoemde navorsingsvraag, maar ook oor die rol van die skrywer as omgewingsopvoeder aan die hand van elkeen van hierdie verhale. Behalwe Rainbow se standpunt word daar in hierdie artikel ook verwys na die teorieë van Karen Blincoe en Glen Love oor die skrywer as “change agent” (Blincoe 2011) en “nature endorser” (Love 2003). Daar word ook verwys na Paulo Freire, die Brasiliaanse opvoedkundige, se begrippe van “conscientization”, oftewel die skep of ontwikkeling van kritiese bewustheid, en “praxis”, of daadwerklike optrede. Rainbow bevind dat ’n nuwe soort natuurletterkunde na vore kom: een wat tot ’n beter begrip van wetenskaplike en ekologiese werklikhede kan bydra, wat ’n beter begrip van die wetenskappe sal bring, wat tot vernuwende denke en uiteindelik tot ’n dieper waardering van die ekosisteem en die mens se verhouding daartoe, kan lei. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek sal wees om Rainbow se teoretiese uitgangspunte te toets deur die ontleding van die gekose tekste en hulle potensiaal om jong lesers op te voed en meer sensitief ten opsigte van die natuurlike omgewing en die mens-natuur-verhouding te stem.
- ItemTransgressie in die voorstelling van gender in Die avonture van Wilde Willemientjie deur Riana Scheepers en Vian Oelofsen(LitNet, 2012) Loubser, HenriettePrenteboeke kan kragtige werktuie in die manipulering van jong kinders tot die aanvaarding van gestereotipeerde genderrolle wees. Kinders identifiseer met die karakters in storieboeke en vorm sodoende ’n eie mening oor die self en die wêreld om hulle. Die prenteboek met sy potensiële magte van kreatiwiteit, verbeelding en vryheid kan dus ’n belangrike rol in die ontwikkeling van genderidentiteit by klein kinders speel. Volgens ’n redelik onlangse studie onderneem deur Hamilton, Anderson, Broaddus en Young (2006) is seksisme in kinderboeke ongelukkig steeds aan die orde van die dag. Literatuur kan beskou word as die draer van die kultuur van ’n gemeenskap. Binne hierdie dominante kultuur word manlike karakters meestal voorgestel as sterk, dapper en slim, terwyl meisies die stil, stadige moederlikes sonder ’n wil van hul eie is. In hierdie artikel word die voorstelling van gender in die kinderboek Die avonture van Wilde Willemientjie deur Riana Scheepers, met illustrasies deur Vian Oelofsen, deur middel van diskoersanalise ondersoek. Daar is bevind dat die vroulike protagonis in hierdie boek sterk, eiesinnig, slim en selfhandhawend is. Met hierdie boek bied die skrywer en die illustreerder die jong leser ’n humoristiese alternatiewe diskoers tot dominante genderideologie. Die term genderideologie verwys na die algemene opvatting oor gepaste rolle vir, en verantwoordelikhede van, vroue en mans binne die gemeenskap. Deur patrone van klank, herhaling en ritme skep die skrywer-digter ’n alternatief tot, en ’n parodie op, die dominante kultuur se reëls van sogenaamd “behoorlike” gedrag vir seuns en meisies. Die illustrasies ondersteun die subversiewe aard van die teks. Dit is my bevinding dat die bestaande orde van gendervooroordeel suksesvol uitgedaag word.
- ItemDie transgressiewe karnavaleske : ’n fenomeen in die kabarettekste uit ’n Gelyke kans van Jeanne Goosen(University of Pretoria, 2010) Loubser, HenrietteThis article examines the phenomenon of the transgressive carnivalesque, a notion of Mikhail Bakhtin of breaking through social conventions and barriers, as it manifests in the cabaret texts in ’n Gelyke kans (“An even chance”) by Jeanne Goosen. The carnival on the town square represents a world of feasts, comedy, dance, costumes, masks, giants, monsters and trained animals. It includes comic verbal compositions like parody and vulgar burlesque. These texts can be recognised as subversive of the symbolic order and the Bakhtinian moments are clearly identifiable in each text. The research of Bakhtin, as a broad development of the carnivalesque into a powerful, critical subversion of all official words and hierarchies with far reaching consequences, are here applicable. Without being judgmental, Goosen sympathetically exposes man’s inborn, continuous search for the illusion of perfect happiness.
- ItemDie uitbeelding van omgewingskwessies in geselekteerde tekste uit die Afrikaanse kinder- en jeugliteratuur : 'n ekokritiese perspektief(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Loubser, Henriette; Reddy, Chris; Kruger, EstelleENGLISH ABSTRACT : This thesis is about the portrayal of environmental issues in Afrikaans children’s and youth literature and of the potential of these types of texts regarding environmental education. The study responds to the question: To what extent is Afrikaans children’s and youth literature capable of exposing the mysteries of the natural environment and of existing environmental issues about the development of an ecological awareness in young readers and making them more sensitive towards the natural environment and human relationship with nature? It is my assumption that fictional texts have the potential to develop awareness of ecosystems and of the natural environment, and I therefore argue that children’s and youth literature can be a tool in environmental education, and that it can inform learners about environmental concepts and about the interrelatedness of all things. From an ecocritical, socio-ecological perspective I reflect on what the eco-text is, and how it, as a form of art, can make sense together with ecology and the biological sciences. The chosen Afrikaans eco-texts were analysed against the background of the human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene, and as this is an interdisciplinary study, I applied ecocritical theories, as well as pedagogical theories on ecoliteracy and environmental education as guidelines during the study. This is a thesis presented in the form of three articles that are prefaced by two introductory chapters and ended with a concluding chapter. The introduction outlines the context of this research study and includes a description of my personal narrative as researcher. The second chapter is a perspective on the era of human history, and chapters 3-5 are developed from the mentioned articles, of which the first two were already published and the last one was recommended for publication. The last and conclusive chapter draws together all the findings presented and identifies possibilities for further research journeys in the field. Based on the research done, I conclude that Environmental Education is as Sauvé (2002:1) stated, not merely an instrument in the solving of environmental issues, but that it is also an important dimension of basic education, focused on a sphere of interaction that forms the basis of personal and social development – a sphere of relationships with our environment and with our shared living space. Eco-texts have the potential to make young readers aware of, to educate them about and to develop a deep sense of caring for other life forms and in doing so, the socio-ecological gap can be narrowed and possibly bridged. It is my wish that this research will contribute to the acknowledgement of the pedagogical potential of the eco-text, and that it will lead to the use of these types of texts in classrooms. I infer from this research that you can reduce the socio-ecological divide and that environmentally oriented children’s and youth literature can contribute to the development of young readers into what Schreuder (2002:9) called “rooted and literate world citizens”.
- ItemUitdagings van die Antroposeen : onderwys in die era van ’n mensgemaakte wêreld(LitNet, 2018) Loubser, HenrietteENGLISH ABSTRACT: This overview article reflects on the Anthropocene, the era of humankind, and its impact on both the natural and non-human realms of the earth. My point of departure is the possibility of the sustainable, harmonious co-existence of the human and the non-human on the planet. The article engages with the challenges that the Anthropocene poses in and for education (and specifically environmental education (EE) in schools). Although the phenomenon still has to be officially acknowledged by geologists (Clark 2015:1), the term Anthropocene refers to a period during which the earth‘s surface has been changed to such an extent that the biophysical conditions of the Holocene (approximately the last 11 000 years) have been adversely affected. A central notion of the Anthropocene is thus an acceptance that humans have already left the era of the Holocene behind. During the Holocene human civilisations flourished and prospered, while the Anthropocene is regarded as a time of unpredictability and danger, when human interventions are undermining and seriously jeopardising the plant‘s life-support systems. According to Zalasiewicz, Williams, Steffen and Crutzen (2010:2231), the Cartesian dualism of nature and society is breaking down in the Anthropocene, which in turn implies a profound interconnectedness in the destiny of nature and of human beings. Atmospheric scientists thus call the geological epoch that started around the time of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s the Anthropocene. The characteristic feature of this period is the reality that human actions and activities have altered the course of the earth‘s history (Zalasiewicz et al. 2010:2228). According to Carstens (2016:255), as a consequence of the actions of anthropos, a new ontology and epistemology have become necessary, namely an onto-epistemology (a mode of being and thinking) that will be inclusive, flexible, fluid and multifarious. Such ―transversal thinking” acknowledges the interwoven nature of the human sphere and a range of non-human ―others‖. This in turn entails a critical engagement with the unknown, the strange and the uncomfortable. A consequence is that people will need to detach themselves from their familiar world of hierarchical and binary constructions, and take into consideration the strange and interconnected world that we share with animals and things. It is necessary now to acknowledge the harm that humankind has done and is doing (and may perhaps still do) to the network of life within which we are so inextricably embedded. The article reflects on the contribution that the social sciences can make to a critical discourse on the Anthropocene. The question is whether this field of study does, in fact, possess the necessary theories or analytical tools appropriate for greater socio-ecological engagement. Yet researchers such as Lövbrand (2015) regard the Anthropocene as a socially and culturally bound object with many possibilities, since the social sciences do have precisely the analytical and theoretical traditions that can lay the foundations for creative, critical thinking about the Anthropocene. The article also examines the contribution of ecocriticism. According to Clark (2015) ecocriticism reflects a changing culture and groundbreaking new ideas – the programme of ecocriticism represents the consolidation of this emerging culture, a metamorphosis of our way of thinking, understanding and reading. The points of contact between ecocriticism, eco-pedagogy and EE are examined. Reference is made throughout to the contribution made by post-humanism to the sphere of EE in the Anthropocene. Post-humanism may be seen as a double-edged sword, because on the one hand it can generate greater awareness as well as interrogation of the human-nature relationship and the privileging of the human species, but at the same time it raises the question about the fate of humankind, or rather just how expendable humans are as earthly creatures and a species. The enormous task currently facing critical post-humanist educators is to ensure that appropriate Anthropocene-oriented curricula are developed which engage directly and critically with industrialisation, capitalism and globalisation, as well as with local challenges such as xenophobia, domestic violence, patriarchal structures and so on (Carstens 2016:269). The most important skills that learners should be equipped with involve the development of a critical knowledge framework that will enable them to appreciate the way that culture, ideas and actions are determined in relation to the self and others. They should also be taught about the concept of ―nature on demand‖ (Carstens 2016:269). The reality today is that we live in a world of dramatically increasing environmental changes, where stability can no longer simply be taken for granted and where the future is no longer guaranteed. It would be unproductive to shelter those we teach from these harsh realities, and it is necessary to talk absolutely frankly about (for example) erosion, pollution, the horrifying accumulation of waste, and the massive loss of biodiversity. Here one could refer to the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire (1998) and his idea of ―conscientization‖ – that transformation of knowledge into consciousness and awareness, and the subsequent ―praxis‖ or informed action. Freire (1998:499) argued that the critical dimension of conscientization lies in the fact that human beings can become active agents who can transform their worlds: It is as conscious beings that men [read: humankind] are not only in the world, but with the world, together with other men. Only men, as ―open‖ beings, are able to achieve the complex operation of simultaneously transforming the world by their action and grasping and expressing the world‘s reality in their creative language. (Freire 1998:499) According to Fien (1993:43), as there has been growing appreciation of the complexity of EE over the years, a number of paradigm shifts have occurred that are reflected in three orientations, namely education about, education in and education for the environment. Barad (in Carstens 2016:263) advocates a critical post-humanist and new materialist onto-epistemology that will entail thinking and teaching without ―presupposing dualist structures such as subject and object, word and world, nature and culture‖. This entails a kind of involvement in typically speculative ―thought experiments‖ via our prescribed works, assignments and classroom discussions (and I would add literature, and especially eco-literature). The article presents an overview of education in the Anthropocene. The school classroom is the ideal place from which to proceed to equip people with knowledge about the Anthropocene and the necessary consequent actions. There should be a critical examination of the ways in which knowledge is produced and presented to children in schools. Responsible educators should develop environmentally oriented pedagogical strategies that are relevant to the current situation. According to Lotz-Sisitka (2014:1) a ―new pedagogy‖ is necessary to adapt and respond to the challenges of the Anthropocene. Environmental issues also make it imperative that educationists think again about and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. Monodisciplinary knowledge and teaching are no longer capable of making proper sense of the complex socio-ecological issues that confront human beings in the 21st century. Different forms of learning are investigated by Mezirow (2002) for instance, such as transformative learning (TL) and learning as change or learning in order to make a difference. According to TL theories, learning for sustainability emphasises a more profound questioning as well as a reforming of aims, policies and practices. Learning for change, and learning as change, are inherent parts of sustainable education. This could promote a curriculum for an environmentally friendly existence as well as encourage respect for the ―more-than-human‖ (Whatmore 2002:146). Brief reference is also made here to published research on EE in South African schools, for example, on action learning (O‘Donoghue 1993) and the Eco-School programme (Rosenberg 2008). This article should be considered as providing the background for a follow-up article that could give practical guidelines and suggestions for the use and application of the nature-centred text (the eco-text) in the classroom.
- ItemDie voorstelling van manlikheid in drie Afrikaanse prenteboeke vir kinders(University of South Africa, Unisa Press, 2012) Loubser, HenrietteMasculinity studies" is an intellectual field both in dialogue with and in alliance with feminist theory (Gardiner 2002:ix). Male theory can research ideological inscriptions and the literary result of the gender system. Hegemonic masculinity is a culturally construction of masculinity which implies authority, toughness, heterosexuality, braveness, being adventurous, assertive, strong and competitive and in possession of public knowledge. According to Deevia Bhana, hegemonic masculinity allows for the explanation of the unbalanced nature of gender power relations where men and boys remain ascendant. But, she argues further, not all boys are the same. Hegemonic masculinity is socially constructed and influenced by different social processes where people interact in their daily life. Masculinities are not ficed but inectricably linked to social context (2009:329).With this study discourse analysis was used to invest the ways in which text and image portray masculinity in three Afrikaans picture books for young children. These bookswere respectively published in 1982, 1996 and 2009. Picture books can be seen as reflecting current social values and behavior, constructing identities which are offered to children for them to aspire to (Wharton 2005:238). It was found that these three books show sensitivity towards the changing discourse on masculinity and that a new form of masculinity is offered as alternative to young readers. This alternative consists of a more complex portrayal of masculinity.