A postcolonial feminist critique of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development: A South African application
| dc.contributor.advisor | Fourie, Pieter | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Gouws, Amanda | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Struckmann, Christiane | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-02-12T12:08:14Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-03-29T11:39:48Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-02-12T12:08:14Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-03-29T11:39:48Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2017. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more commonly known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was launched in September 2015. The SDGs are a global target-setting development agenda aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring peace and prosperity for all by 2030. The SDGs have been lauded for vastly improving on their predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by broadening the global development agenda to include environmental, social, economic and political concerns, and for, in the process of their formulation, engaging with member states and civil society groups. The SDGs can further be commended for broadening the scope of the targets under the goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and for recognising that gender equality has social, economic and political dimensions. This study employs a postcolonial feminist theoretical framework to critique the SDGs and to make recommendations on how these critiques can inform South Africa’s implementation of the SDGs, with the ultimate aim of achieving substantive gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country. The study argues that the MDGs and South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) have failed to guarantee gender justice because they are anchored in two cognate theoretical approaches – liberal feminism and economic neoliberalism – that prioritise economic growth over addressing the structural drivers of women’s subordination and oppression. In contrast to liberal feminism, postcolonial feminism recognises that gender inequality has interconnected economic, political and social dimensions in which power inequalities and discriminatory norms are embedded. It consequently seeks fundamentally to challenge and transform dominant patriarchal, racial and economic power structures, both in the public and private domain. A postcolonial feminist critique of the SDGs highlights that corporate interests have taken precedence over feminist critiques demanding systemic transformation. It is up to the South African government to recognise and enlarge women’s freedom and agency, and to initiate truly transformative local strategies that address the systemic drivers of gender injustice. Given that Government has affirmed that its unreservedly gender-blind NDP will inform South Africa’s engagement with the SDGs, it is highly likely that the country’s 30 million women will be left behind. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Verenigde Nasies het in September 2015 die 2030 Agenda vir Volhoubare Ontwikkeling, beter bekend as the Volhoubare Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte (SDG’s), bekendgestel. Die SDG’s is ’n doelstellende globale ontwikkelingsagenda wat daarop gemik is om teen 2030 armoede te beëindig, die planeet te beskerm en vrede en vooruitgang vir almal te verseker. Die nuwe doelwitte word aangeprys vir die feit dat hulle aansienlik verbeter op hul voorganger, die Millennium Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte (MDG’s), deur die globale ontwikkelingsagenda te verbreed om omgewings-, sosiale, ekonomiese en politiese kwessies in te sluit. Die nuwe agenda is ook geloof vir die feit dat dit lidlande en die burgerlike samelewing by die proses van sy formasie betrek het. Die doelwitte kan verder aangeprys word vir die feit dat die omvang van die teikens onder die doelwit vir geslagsgelykheid en die bemagtiging van vroue verbreed is en vir die feit dat hulle erken dat geslagsgelykheid sosiale, ekonomiese en politiese dimensies het. Hierdie studie wend ’n postkoloniale feministiese teoretiese raamwerk aan om kritiek te lewer op die SDG’s en om aanbevelings te maak hoe hierdie kritiek Suid-Afrika se implementering van die doelwitte kan beïnvloed ten einde die uiteindelike doel van substantiewe geslagsgelykheid en die bemagtiging van vroue te bereik. Die studie voer aan dat die MDG’s en Suid-Afrika se Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan (NOP) gefaal het om geslagsgeregtigheid te waarborg omdat albei ontwikkelingsagendas gegrond is op twee verwante teoretiese benaderings – naamlik liberale feminisme en ekonomiese neoliberalisme – wat ekonomiese groei prioritiseer bo die fokus op strukturele drywers van die onderdanigheid en onderdrukking van vroue. In teenstelling met liberale feminisme, erken postkoloniale feminisme dat geslagsongelykheid gekonnekteerde ekonomiese, politiese en sosiale dimensies het waarin magsongelykhede en diskriminerende norme ingebed is. Die teorie poog gevolglik om dominante patriargale, rasgebaseerde en ekonomiese magstrukture, in beide die openbare en private domein, fundamenteel uit te daag en te transformeer. ’n Postkoloniale feministiese kritiek op die SDG’s dui daaroop dat korporatiewe belange voorrang geniet bo feministiese kritiek wat sistemiese transformasie vereis. Dit is die taak van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering om vroue se agentskap en vryheid te erken en te vergroot en om waarlik transformerende plaaslike stategieë te inisieer wat die sistemiese drywers van geslagsongeregtigheid aanspreek. Gegewe die feit dat die regering bevestig het dat sy onvoorwaardelike geslagsblinde NOP Suid-Afrika se betrokkenheid met die SDG’s gaan bepaal, is dit hoogs waarskynlik dat die land se 30 miljoen vroue agtergelaat gaan word. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | viii, 129 pages ; illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/100863 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | SDGs -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Sustainable development goals -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Feminist theory | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Feminism -- Political aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Millenium development goals -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | MDGs -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | A postcolonial feminist critique of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development: A South African application | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |