Masters Degrees (Sociology and Social Anthropology)
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- ItemExploring the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant educators teaching in the Western Cape, South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Chiware, Doreen; Walters, Handri; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study sought to explore the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant educators teaching in Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative approach was used to interview 10 Zimbabwean educators. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied to the data and revealed three main themes: dissatisfaction with bureaucratic processes, unnecessary red tape, and permits; the precariousness of contract work; and the manifestation of otherness anti-migrant sentiments. The themes also revealed the extent of how the lives of migrant educators have become very volatile living in South Africa and this has produced a lot of uncertainty about their future in this country. Their situation is made worse by government bureaucracy pertaining to permits required for Zimbabweans in order to live and work in South Africa. These strenuous and often slow bureaucratic procedures often leave Zimbabwean migrants hopeless. This study recounts the experiences of 10 Zimbabwean educators in South Africa. The author of this study is similarly a Zimbabwean migrant educator who teaches in the Western Cape. Her contributions to the data were made in the form of a personal journal that reflected on her own experiences. These experiences formed part of the analysis presented in this research.
- ItemAn intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Ayford, Jaime Lee; Lester, Claire-Anne Louise; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In May 2022, a ‘white’ first-year student urinated on the belongings of a ‘black’ first-year student at the Huis Marias residence at Stellenbosch University (SU) this sparked outrage among the members of the university community and the larger South African society about the status of transformation at SU. This revived debate about racism at the University, initiated through the 2015 Open Stellenbosch student movement, led to the establishment of the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry. This study, conducted in 2020, engaged with first-year students living in single-sex and mixed-sex residences to explore how they made sense of belonging. I conducted seven semi-structured online interviews with first-year students coming from diverse backgrounds to explore how they experience, construct, navigate, and perform identity and belonging. Through using thematic analysis three major themes are derived from the data. The first theme was the ‘Gendered experiences’ of first-year students within university residences, and how these can create a sense of belonging if one identifies with it and a sense of exclusion if one deviates from it. The second theme was ‘living diversity’ and belonging at SU. This speaks to the various factors such as gender, race, sexuality, language, and other social identifications that impact one’s sense of belonging and how one uses one’s agency to navigate belonging within the space. The last theme was ‘Safety and safe spaces’, which draws out the many meanings of safety, such as physical safety from, as well as ‘safe spaces’ to engage with critical questions related to gender, race, and sexuality. Taking an intersectional and social constructivist approach to understanding race, gender, and sexuality, I argue that these identities are influenced by overarching historical discourses that permeate the residences and in turn generate context-specific racialised and gendered experiences.
- ItemA study of individuals aged between 21-30 years living with physical disabilities and their memories of life orientation and sexuality education in schools(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Kao, Jeff; Francis, Dennis; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Whilst suffering from and being identified as a cerebral palsy quadriplegic, my master’s research study lies in the interests of sexuality education for learners and young adults with physical disabilities. In conducting an ethnographic study of participants from the age of 21 to 30 years and their memories of Life Orientation from the angle of sexuality education for young adults with physical disabilities, this study investigates how sexuality education, or the lack thereof for my participants, leads to their oppression, marginalisation and how they navigate issues of sexuality and disability, together with the intersection of these two social issues. The literature review is divided into three parts, investigating the role of inclusive education, sexuality education in the international context, and the South African context for learners with disabilities. A combination of grounded theory and thematic analysis is utilised in this study, generating data together with participants as co-producers. Presentation of findings and analysis feature the relevant themes with an in-depth discussion. This research investigates relevant themes featured in the construction of disability and sexuality for participants, whilst acknowledging themselves as sexual beings. This simultaneously highlights visibilising sexuality and disability, whilst raising the urgent need for an improved sexuality education curriculum to suit the specific needs of learners with physical disabilities. This study concludes with implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.
- ItemAn analysis of the alignment of Stellenbosch University’s policy on rape with recent research recommendations(2024-03 ) Van Straten, Christina; Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African universities remain plagued by a scourge of rape. The Council on Higher Education argues that this prevalence is due to the fact that these universities remain patriarchal institutions, and function in a society rife with various manifestations of gender-based violence. This research project aimed to identify the extent to which current policy at Stellenbosch University (SU) aimed at curbing sexual violence amongst its students, aligns with recent research on rape that was concluded at this and other institutions. This qualitative study assessed the alignment of Stellenbosch University’s (SU’s) Unfair Discrimination and Harassment Policy (UDHP) to the findings and recommendations made by researchers and institutions globally. It further utilised key informant interviews of staff from various SU departments in order to analyse the implementation of the UDHP. Data collection and interpretation of findings is supported by, a comprehensive literature review conducted to identify the core features of a comprehensive and informed rape policy. This review found that for a rape policy to be regarded comprehensive, it must be victim-centred and trauma-informed. It must also contain specific references to aspects of prevention, provision, protection, practice and prosecution, in order to be considered comprehensive. The analysis then found that SU’s UDHP meets only a few of the local and global policy recommendations. The UDHP draws adequate attention to the provision of support to victims, but it falls short in several other aspects. The UDHP does not prescribe specific and relevant stipulations regarding prevention, the protection of victims, and sensitive prosecution and practice procedures that are appropriate for rape-related matters. Many of the shortfalls identified above are rooted in the lack of a standalone policy that is designed specifically for sexual violence and not just discrimination and harassment in general. This study recommends that SU invests resources in a a complete overhaul of the existing UDHP, including a standalone policy focusing specifically on matters related to the management of sexual violence at the institution to be regarded as a comprehensive policy.
- ItemUnderstanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Ushe, Tafara; Prah, Efua; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite concerted efforts to combat it, COVID-19 continues to pose a significant challenge to numerous governments worldwide. The global distribution of various COVID-19 vaccines marked a pivotal juncture in the battle against the pandemic, yet formidable obstacles persist, notably vaccine hesitancy and skepticism. This study seeks to deepen our understanding of vaccine hesitancy within the South African context, with a specific focus on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Furthermore, it aims to scrutinize the power dynamics between the South African government and its populace and how these dynamics influence health-related behaviors. Thus, this research posits that vaccine hesitancy in South Africa is intricately entwined with the power relations between the governing authorities and the people, the country's historical narrative, and the diverse currents of vaccine information dissemination, all viewed through the analytical lenses of Michel Foucault's theories of biopolitics, biopower, and governmentality. Employing a literature review methodology, this investigation elucidates possible rationales for vaccination reluctance in South Africa, specifically pertaining to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, encompassing factors such as body politics, historical vaccination experiences, and governmental mistrust, among others. This research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by ongoing vaccine distribution efforts in South Africa. Consequently, some arguments and trends generated by this study may have evolved over time. Nevertheless, it is worth emphasizing that this study represents a pioneering in the context of vaccine hesitancy in South Africa, contributing to an emerging field of scholarship on this critical subject. Future inquiries into vaccine reluctance within the South African context may delve further into the lived experiences of individuals during pandemics and epidemics, shedding light on how these experiences may have contributed to vaccine skepticism.