Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)

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The Cratylus Testimony: Moving Toward Plato’s Ontology of the Human Body
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-03-15) Crowder, Jason Dale; Futter, Dylan
Socrates’ etymologies for the term σῶμα (human body) in the Cratylus 400b11-c9 excerpt raise a question that is often ignored or under-addressed in Platonic scholarship. That question is the focus of this dissertation. I aim to work out Plato’s definition and ontology of the human body as it unfolds and manifests within the Cratylus dialogue. My goal is to grasp what precisely Socrates’ σῶμα etymologies disclose about Plato’s ontological views toward the human body. Only a careful exegetical analysis of those etymologies can unveil such information. In other words, I want to know what the Cratylus 400b11-c9 testimony reveals about Plato’s ontological views concerning the human body. Hence, my research interest lies in three specific veins: (1) Socrates’ σῶμα etymologies in the Cratylus, (2) the relationship between a given etymology and a proper definition, and (3) the philosophical significance of these precise etymologies on Plato’s ontology regarding the human body. Much more entails each aspect than what appears initially. As the dissertation unfolds, other factors that need attention and require addressing will naturally arise. I propose that a careful and thorough exegetical analysis of the given σῶμα etymologies would reveal not only essential details for moving toward a proper understanding of Plato’s ontology of the human body but also proves that the Cratylus is a good entry point into this discussion itself. For such reasons, I shall argue that these etymologies are, in fact, instrumental in establishing the foundation of Plato’s overall ontological disposition of the σῶμα and, perhaps, Plato’s teleology of the human body too. Socrates’ σῶμα etymologies are not straightforward semantic connections but rather heavily influenced by a philosophical-religious perspective. As such, each seems relatively intelligible, and the statements are prima facie unproblematic at a precursory glance. While Plato’s character Socrates’ three σῶμα etymologies appear intelligible and prima facie unproblematic upon closer examination, that does not appear to be the case.
Nationalism Without a State: A Comparative Analysis of Revolutionary Nationalism Among Stateless Nations
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mayet, Humairaa; Zähringer, Natalie
A political philosophy employed by nationalist groups and parties, revolutionary nationalism, is used to resist the established order and achieve political goals. It is especially prevalent when power is held by a group or party which attempts to oppress and stifle certain identities and nationalities while enabling others. Revolutionary nationalism has been practiced by the people of Palestine and Western Sahara, both when they resisted against their European colonisers, Britain and Spain, and today, as they resist against their occupiers, Israel and Morocco. Forms of resistance practices include popular and organised resistance, as well as violent and nonviolent resistance. Similarities and differences emerge when analysing how each of these occupied populations attempted to resist through means of revolutionary nationalism and these can be examined and compared. Revolutionary nationalism often goes hand-in-hand with the expression of the right to self-determination, the highest form of which is statehood. The aim of this research report is to discern whether or not the practices of revolutionary nationalism give rise to self-determination, even though it has been proven that, in the post-Cold War era, they do not give rise to statehood.
From Persons of Indian Origin to Overseas Citizen of India: The South African Indian diaspora and India’s economic diplomacy
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moosa, Fatima; Menon, Dilip M
The India diaspora is one of the largest in the world with around 17.9 million people from India and/or of Indian descent living around the world (Challagalla 2018, 3). A large percentage of the diaspora is situated in the Global North and the Middle East. However, South Africa has been noted as having one of the largest Indian diasporic populations (Hofmeyer and Williams 2001,14). The migration of Indian people to South Africa has taken place over different periods. The relationship that exists between the diaspora and the country of origin in the spheres of economic and development diplomacy presents an interesting research topic. This dissertation will seek to understand what role, if any, the South African Indian diaspora plays in the international political economy of India. In order to understand the relationship between the diaspora and the Indian government, this dissertation will examine the bilateral relationship between South Africa and India from 1994 until 2022. There will be a specific focus on the years 2014 until 2022 with an analysis of the relationship between the South African Indian diaspora and India. This dissertation will seek to understand whether the diasporic policies and economic diplomacy enacted by the Modi government were directed at the South African Indian diaspora, how they were received by the South African Indian mercantile community and what were the reasons for the foreign policy.
Women in Union Leadership: A case study of the Ghana Public Service Workers’ Union (PSWU.
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Eva, Oteng; Sefalafa, Thabang
This research examines the extent to which affirmative policies (gender mainstreaming, gender equality) lead to substantive improvements in the position of women within the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) in Ghana. The research data for this study was collected using two methods: An online survey that focused on the experience and perceptions of 46 women leaders in the National Executive Council (NEC). The research is a mixed method in the sense that it generated both qualitative and quantitative data. Semi-structured interviews online with 7 key stakeholders, including women and men, in the national office. Data was triangulated to deal with issues of validity and reliability. Analysis is framed under how the equality plan has been implemented in PSWU and the challenges in terms of women’s leadership efforts in decision-making. It was observed that improvement in women participation in the union is because of gender mainstreaming policy and interventions. This proves an argument in a similar study by Britwun et al (2014) that when women are significantly represented in leadership especially in the mainstream there is a possibility of achieving negotiations for women related issues that is perceived as cost to the organisation. This cost includes childcare facilities and additional maternal/paternal leave (Britwum et al 2014). The survey also projects that there are women leaders who play double roles in the union and at home which affects performances and contributions to union affairs as stated by Kirton and Healy (2008,4) in their research stated that “paid work and work in the home constitute a ‘double burden’ and trade union participation (and other such voluntary activities) adds another ‘burden’ for many women''. The trend of domestic or household responsibilities should be carefully studied and used as a tool to address the issue of women’s lack of interest and commitment to union activities and other leadership roles. iii In this regard, increase in women's representation increases women’ consciousness about their demands and strives to realize them.
Exploring factors of food production in Mozambique and Zimbabwe (2001-2019)
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ramos, Dominic Carlos; Small, Michelle
Climate change has emerged as a severe security threat which has worsened poverty, inequality and more importantly sustainable development throughout the global south. Southern African countries have been especially susceptible to climate change with severe weather patterns such as drought, land degradation, flooding and severe tropical cyclones that disproportionately affect poor communities. The effects of the impact of climate change on development and poor communities is observed with stubbornly high levels of food insecurity throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and by extension Southern Africa. Changing climates have forced farmers to undertake drastic measures to produce food for themselves and their communities with limited external support. In Mozambique and Zimbabwe alone around 3.5 million and 1.5 million subsistence and smallholder farmers respectively, are responsible for more than 70% of total food production (FAO 2011, World Bank 2019, INE 2014). This study explores the impact of climate variation and climate change on food production and food accessibility throughout Mozambique and Zimbabwe through a person-centred human security approach . The study further complements the challenges of food security by assessing the response of small-holder farmers in adapting and reacting to climate change. This study relied substantially on secondary sources such as regional reports, bulletins and journal articles alongside publications from NGOs, government departments and international organisations. The data was analysed through thematic and content analysis. The findings suggest that Mozambique and Zimbabwe remain highly vulnerable to climate change negatively affecting food insecure communities. Furthermore, while small-holder farmers have desperately undertaken various methods of adaptation they are unable to cope with extreme weather patterns. The findings underscore the necessity for interventions aimed at enabling farmers and vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change or, at the very least, mitigate its effects. This is crucial for preventing recurrent food and humanitarian crises.
The inability of peacekeeping to address Rwandan Congolese security dilemma
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-06-11) Kabwe, Muzinga Divine; Brosig, Malte
Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC is more intricate than that of the other actors. The Rwandan army has been battling the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a political-military movement which is active in the North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC. The presence of the FDLR in those provinces is problematic as it gives Rwanda a reason to continuously intervene in the DRC. . The reality is that historical issues will take a long time to resolve and that the peacebuilding process in the DRC cannot be tied to a timeline. The failings of the UN via MONUC and its successor MONUSCO have only served to reinforce this scepticism and sense of self-reliance in Kigali. Another consideration to add here is that Rwanda has become one of the top 10 providers of troops to UN peacekeeping missions, primarily operating in Darfur. Censuring Rwanda for its involvement in DR Congo could put this at risk, making UN and donor engagement with Rwanda politically more complex than just a case of whether to cut or maintain aid. The current interest by regional and international actors in the crisis provides an opportunity for laying a framework for the resolution of the underlying structural issues that have plagued the DRC for a long time.
Phenomena in the therapeutic setting when treating clients with gender-related Body dysphoria
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Coleman, David; Bain, Katherine
This study explored psychotherapists’ experiences of somatic phenomena, in relation to their own bodies, when treating clients with significant gender-related body dysphoria within the treatment setting. It also examined their experiences and deeper understandings of somatic transference and countertransference within the analytic frame when working with this particular client profile. The various resistance mechanisms deployed by such clients were also explored as well as the ways in which psychotherapists may be resistant to working more closely with their own somatic countertransference. A qualitative approach to research was in order to generate meaning and understanding through rich material. An interpretivist paradigm was employed whose ontology examines the perceptions and experiences of therapists who have treated clients with significant gender-related body dysphoria. Therapists’ experiences of somatic countertransference phenomena were varied and inconsistent. More than half of the therapists reported the experiencing of sensations including nausea, headaches, restriction of the chest and experiences of drowsiness. Some therapists could not recall any experiences of somatic countertransference and demonstrated a tendency to minimize, deny or disavow somatic phenomena.
A study of the psychometric properties of the Personality and Values Questionnaire in a sample of the South African Population
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-03) Clack, Crystal; Laher, Sumaya
Personality assessment plays a crucial role in various domains in South Africa. Both personality traits and values dimensions have been shown to be reliable predictors of performance and behaviour. Research on personality in South Africa is lacking, as is research on values. Assessment use in South Africa is governed by legislation, requiring evidence of reliability, validity, fairness, and a lack of bias. Most objective, self-report personality assessments are based on the Five Factor Model (FFM), which is widely accepted in personality as being universal. However, evidence on personality in South Africa suggests that there are additional elements to these factors. This study explored the applicability of the Personality and Values Questionnaire (PVQ) for use in the South African context. This was done by investigating internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and aspects of construct bias as they pertain to the potential for adverse impact. A non probability convenience sample of 288 participants completed the PVQ. The study took the form of a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. From the results, it was evident that the scales of the PVQ demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability. In assessing construct validity, the five factor structure replicated similarly with regards to the Extraversion and Neuroticism domains, but the domains of Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness loaded differently to that proposed by the FFM and the test developers and more in line with other research on personality in South Africa. Evidence for construct bias was found. Women were likely to be more considerate of others, and concerned with how they appear to others. Black participants appeared more inclined towards harmony in interpersonal relationships and traditionalism. The differences for the language subgroups were small. The results suggest that the PVQ would have some suitability for use in South Africa depending on the context and sample. More research with larger and more diverse samples is needed.
The Role of Natural Disasters in Shaping Individual Perceptions of Climate Change in Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-11-13) Van Niekerk, Courtney; Alence, Rod
This paper explores the relationship between individual perceptions of climate change and natural disasters in African states. This paper uses both qualitative and quantitative research methodology to explore 33 African states by observing the climate change perceptions as well as climate risk experienced by individuals through natural disasters. By using subnational Afrobarometer survey data and corresponding subnational natural disaster data, this paper finds individuals who have experienced natural disasters are less likely to express concerns for climate change.
Understanding the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa’s Evolving Policies on the Role of Renewable Energy in South Africa’s Mineral Energy Complex
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-01-31) Monaisa, Chere; Pillay, Devan
The concept of the just transition is widely regarded as organised labour’s response to the negative impact of climate change. It is used as a mechanism to reconcile the movement’s mandate to provide workers with decent jobs and the need to protect the environment. NUMSA is an example of a union that, during 2011-12, responded to the impact of climate change by developing its own policies and directly challenging government’s renewable energy policies. The union’s vision for South Africa is a socially owned renewable energy sector made up of a mix of energy parastatals, cooperatives, municipal-owned entities, and other forms of community energy enterprises. South Africa is heavily reliant on coal for its electricity generation. The government, the private sector, civil society, and organised labour mostly agree that there is a need to transition away from coal to renewable energy. Initially, the transition to renewable energy was framed as a choice between ‘jobs and environment’ and ‘jobs versus environment’. NUMSA’s vision of socially owned renewable energy displayed characteristics of active labour environmentalism that called for the transformative ‘jobs and environment with just transition’ despite its location in the fossil fuel sector. However, a series of events and decisions by a top leadership that is viewed as authoritarian and unenthusiastic about eco-socialism, has resulted in NUMSA adopting strategies in recent years that are, at best, seen as reactive and narrowly protecting workers – even though they purport to support a just transition to renewable energy. At worst, the union has been accused of anti-environmentalism and protecting coal and electricity workers regardless of the impact on the environment. It was this apparent shift and criticism of NUMSA that necessitated an analysis of its opposition to the closure of coal fired power stations to make way for renewable energy independent power producers. The findings point to a union that relies on its pioneering decarbonization policies to shield itself from legitimate criticism from labour climate activists and progressive environmental groups of its actual practice.
Appreciative Inquiry in the Context of Student Wellbeing
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Bondi, Cheryl; Milner, Karen
This study investigated the value of an Appreciative Inquiry intervention for enhancing the wellbeing of a sample of 46 first-year psychology students at a higher education institution. This is particularly important considering first-year students’ experience high levels of anxiety caused by this major transitionary phase which impacts their academic performance and overall wellbeing. Wellbeing was defined according to Seligman’s (2011) PERMA framework, including the elements of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. The investigation followed a mixed-methods approach by considering three distinct angles. Firstly, it considered students’ positive-orientated wellbeing perspectives and the promotion of their wellbeing at university. To achieve this, workshops were conducted, following the methodology of the first three phases of Appreciative Inquiry (Discover, Dream, Design). The workshops generated six overarching themes, which corroborate with previous research, namely: lecturers; small learning environments; support; identity and belonging; aesthetics; and personal growth. Secondly, it analysed students’ experiences of an Appreciative Inquiry workshop and their perspectives of the utility of the methodology. Students completed Appreciative Inquiry Assessment Questionnaires, immediately after attending the workshops. These questionnaires were analysed according to four key topics: students’ reflections of Appreciative Inquiry; students’ reflections of the value of positivity; whether and how Appreciative Inquiry inspired them; whether students would consider using the Appreciative Inquiry methodology in the future and in what context. Thirdly, it determined if an Appreciative Inquiry intervention can be considered a positive psychological intervention (PPI). Students completed the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) before and immediately after the workshop to test the hypothesis that students would experience an increase in positive emotions. Results from the paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant mean increase (µ = 5.18, t(43) = -6.384, p < .001), and a large effect size (d= -.962). These results support the hypothesis, however, considering the design limitations, they do not indicate causality. Future research, with a more rigorous design approach, is required. Overall, the research suggests the positive value of Appreciative Inquiry in enhancing student wellbeing, even in contexts of high levels of stress. Additionally, it underscores the value of following a recognised wellbeing framework, such as PERMA, in this regard
The Impact of a Psychological Capital Micro-Intervention on Academic Burnout amongst First-year University Students
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10-23) Bonga, Bulelani; Siemers, Ian
Purpose – the aim of this study is to probe into whether psychological capital micro interventions impact upon burnout amongst first-year university students, in the psychology department, at the University of the Witwatersrand. Research Design and Methodology - This study used a quasi-experimental design, because it did not include random assignment, but did include a comparison group, and manipulation of the DV variables. The research was quantitative in nature, with a sample size of 319 first year students from Wits University.. Findings – There was an insignificant interaction effect between group and time on all the variables. Thus, the intervention was not successful. However, Psychological capital was significantly and negatively related to burnout, and it’s components. Research limitations/implications – The sampling approach may limit the generalizability of the study’s findings as the data was collected from just one South African university, where the primary focus was first-year students. Another limitation includes the 1% given to those who participated in the intervention. Although this is departmental policy, an allocation of this nature can be interpreted as an attempt to persuade or provide an incentive, which may have affected the way the students responded. The current study has highlighted the value and importance of administering psychological capital interventions, not only in universities, but South Africa at large.
Violence, Chaos, and Degeneration: Analysing Unemployment and Xenophobic Conflict in South Africa, 2006–2021.
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Ndoda, Buhle; Mpofu, Sizwe Walsh
Over the past 27 years, xenophobic conflict has overwhelmed South Africa. From “Buyelekhaya” (go back home) campaigns to “Operation Dudula” (push back), xenophobia has spread to different parts of the country, provoking social division, animosity, and a nervous condition of ‘othering’ among Black Africans. At the centre of these insurgences is the issue of unemployment in the country. Unemployment levels have seen a persistent increase in the past five years. Scholars that have examined these challenges have not settled on an opinion about the relationship between xenophobic conflict and unemployment. The reason for this lies in the intricacies and racial undertones of anti-migrant sentiments in South Africa. Xenophobia has particularly targeted Black African immigrants, probing questions about intra-Black racism and Afrophobia. Using the SP-SP model I have established, this study examines the influence of high rates of unemployment on xenophobic conflict in South Africa from the year 2006 to 2021. I draw upon secondary qualitative and quantitative data, and primary qualitative data in my analysis.
Exploring the Impact of a Targeted Mediated Learning Intervention on the Mathematical Ability of Grade 5 Learners Experiencing Mathematical Difficulties
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Cooke, Belinda; Amod, Zaytoon
This preliminary investigation took place in a South African private remedial school and presents the case study of three Grade 5 learners experiencing mathematical difficulties. The study aimed to establish whether a 12-week mediated learning intervention (Feuerstein (2009) From Unit to Group (FU2G)) would have an impact on the learners’ mathematical ability as well as on their deficient cognitive functions related to mathematics. The sample included three learners, a teacher trained in the FIE-Basic programme, and a remedial teacher responsible for remedial mathematics classes with the learners. Class mathematics test marks and scores from mathematics-related Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT-III) (Wechsler, 2009) subtests were used as a measure of mathematical ability before and after the intervention. Data was also collected through semi-structured interviews with both teachers and the completed FU2G instrument booklets. A qualitative assessment of deficient cognitive functions related to mathematics was based on the Feuerstein list of deficient cognitive functions. Qualitative evaluation of the participants’ performance on the WIAT-III subtests before and after the intervention was not notably different. Due to considerable difference in the content of each term’s class mathematics assessments, qualitative interpretations of the participants’ mathematics class test marks were not pursued in the findings. The findings revealed that the FU2G intervention resulted in some positive changes in each learner’s deficient cognitive functions related to mathematics. The learners’ WIAT-III subtest performance as well as these positive changes are discussed in relation to each participant’s learning difficulties and neurodiversity. Overall, the participating teachers had a positive perception of the use and benefits of the mediated learning experience intervention.
Exploring Personality Structure in South Africa: A Text Mining Approach
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-03-15) Gama, Beauty; Alence, Rod; Laher, Sumaya
Physical expression, behavioural attributes and social relations of an individual can often be studied through personality traits. This has made personality research a relevant aspect of gaining a deeper understanding of people in various contexts, for clinical reasons as well as social relatability. Trait theory has been fundamental in utilizing statistical methods such as factor analysis to construct the personality models that currently exist. The Five Factor Model (FFM) is amongst the most widely accepted of these trait theory models. Personality assessment instruments are developed as operationalisations of these models. These include the Goldberg Adjective Checklist, the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI), and the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI). Recently, naturally occurring data like social media statuses or Facebook Posts are being considered as data examining personality structure. This study aims to explore personality structure data obtained from South African literary texts and text mining techniques. Various techniques of text mining such as parts of speech tagging, and unsupervised and supervised LDA topic modelling were applied to 60 South African literary texts. While topic modelling showed limitations when used in an unsupervised manner, when guided by thematic clusters it presented comprehensible trait classifications that fit with the clusters as defined by the FFM. The instances where there was no fit corresponded with the literature which demonstrates poor fit for those constructs in African constructs. The results also showed that there is a difference in the expression of personality traits between men and women with the differences concurring with those found in the broader literature on gender differences across personality. While the text corpus for this study was small, there is evidence to suggest that text mining techniques could be used to assist in research on personality structure. Text mining is an approach that requires further research as it can be useful in dealing with large data that is naturally occurring to provide a better contextual exploration of personality.
Depression and Disability in the Workplace
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Barnes, Tracey-Lee Ursula; Futter, Dylan
South African law prohibits unfair discrimination against people with disabilities and the law recognizes mental illness as a form of disability. It follows that it is impermissible to discriminate against people on the basis of mental illness. In this essay, I unpack the philosophical and ethical underpinnings of this claim, specifically in regard to depression. What complicates the question of discrimination on the basis of mental illness is the fact that not all discrimination is unfair, and one can justly remove people from jobs when they cannot perform these jobs to a required level. This seems to imply that it might be fair to discriminate against depressed employees when they cannot do their jobs on account of depression. The duty not to discriminate against people on the basis of disability includes a positive duty to provide reasonable accommodations that will help them to do their jobs. Just as employers are obligated to help those who cannot walk to access their places of work, something similar is true of depression. But what does it mean to accommodate depression? In this research report, I go beyond the status quo and introduce positive suggestions for how reasonable accommodation can work for depressed employees. This will be to offer an account of how the workplace ought to be restructured in order for employers to fulfil their legal and moral duties not to discriminate against people with the disability of depression. In particular, I argue that a person who suffers with depression would be in a better position to fulfil his job role, on the same level as other employees, if employers drove a culture of inclusion and dismantled the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
The impact of Covid-19 on international migration and remittances in developing countries
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03-20) Zihindula, Awa; Okon, keminiabasi Eyita
International migration from developing countries and remittances to those same countries have risen steadily over time due to various factors. Remittance is a source of income for most developing countries. Both sending and receiving countries benefit from migration. However, shocks such as natural crises, pandemics and epidemics (COVID-19 and Ebola) have devastated the economy worldwide, with a high unemployment rate and lower income. This research report aimed to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on migration and remittances in developing countries to establish the relationship between inflow remittances and migration outflow controlling for other factors (such as unemployment rate, internet access, economic growth and GDP growth). World Bank data and UNDESA data were used in the study. However, the developing countries were dichotomized as African and non_African countries for an in-depth analysis. The study employed multiple regression model to identify the associations between variables. Results of the study found that in African countries before and during COVID-19, there was no significant relationship between migration outflow and inflow of remittances. Furthermore, the control variables did not have an effect on the dependent variable. For non-African countries, the result shows that COVID-19 did significantly affect the relationship between inflow remittances and migration outflow; when migration outflow increases, there is a decrease in remittances inflow.
Food sovereignty and the agrarian question in South Africa: Class Dynamics and Collective Agency from Below
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Bennie, Andrew Govan; Williams, Michelle
In South Africa – one of the most unequal countries in the world – patterns of food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition exist in conjunction with a dominant agro-food system that is highly modernised, commercialised and globally integrated, and includes a deeply unequal agrarian structure. Globally, there has been an upsurge in movement organising around the ecological and social impacts of the corporate food system. One of the most prominent political responses has been the food sovereignty movement. The politics of food sovereignty, however, is ultimately grounded and constituted in situated national and local contexts. The research for this thesis therefore sought to understand the nature of civil society organising from below in South Africa in response to the various inequalities of the agro-food system (the ‘food movement’), with which the global discourse and practice of food sovereignty articulates. I therefore argue that there is an emergent ‘food movement’ in South Africa whose character (and limits) reflects its construction through historical and ongoing conjunctural, contingent and contextual relationships between the agrarian and national questions, political struggles under national oppression, and the social, economic and ecological contradictions of national liberation in the post-apartheid order. The thesis is grounded in the conceptual frame of the agrarian question, a critical agrarian political economy approach that has principally been concerned with the relationship between agriculture and capitalism, the class relations within agriculture, and the associated politics arising out of the agrarian question. It is situated in the agrarian debate on food sovereignty, broadly construed as that between ‘agrarian populism’ and ‘agrarian Marxism’. It adopts a materialist analysis that is combined with historical and political specificity, open to the ways in which political agency is an important factor shaping the course of agrarian change. The research adopted a qualitative approach framed by Michael Burawoy’s extended case study method combined with elements of Gillian Hart’s method of relational comparison. Data was gathered primarily through an analysis of secondary and primary literature, extensive interviews, participant observation, and two case studies. To understand the terrain of food organising from below, the thesis examines the historically conjunctural, contingent and contextual processes that both underpinned the formation of the dominant agro-food system and to which that system contributed. It does this by weaving the history of food and hunger to the history of class formation, political resistance and organising, and larger historical developments. This sets the scene for understanding the origins and nature of the contemporary ‘food movement’ in South Africa. A typology shows that the array of organising around food and the agro-food system today falls along a continuum between justice-centred and food-centred conceptions of change in the food system, and that they cohere around lifestyle, organic, food justice and transformative politics. Importantly, these types should be understood through a longer history of varying political responses to national oppression and the evolving agrarian question, and to the continuities, limits and opportunities of national liberation. The thesis also analyses how these relational categories play out in specific local agrarian contexts of working class communities, showing that the form they take in a given context is shaped by the articulation of a number of conditions and factors. This is done through an examination of the political intersections between agriculture and the struggle against proposed mining in Amadiba in the Eastern Cape Province, and efforts by a smallholder farmer association in Limpopo Province to advance a food sovereignty politics through agroecology. I show that material socio-ecological conditions in situated contexts play an important role in shaping the form, potential and limits of agro-food politics, including patterns of differentiation, hegemonic state-society relationships, and fragmentation of subaltern classes. However, I show that the possibilities for transformative agro-food politics are also contingent on articulations between political histories and practices, the role of the state, and the nature of alliances. I conclude with the need to view food sovereignty not only through a structural lens of an endpoint and blueprint for food production and distribution, but also in terms of how its impulses might (or might not) contextually and conjuncturally connect with efforts to build transformative politics that seek non-alienated production and living, distributional justice, and the secure socio-ecological reproduction of life and living labour.
A Philosophical Examination of Thomas Szasz on Mental Illness as a Myth
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Fenderico, Alex; Vice, Samantha
The field of psychiatry has encountered substantial scrutiny pertaining to its diagnostic and therapeutic modalities since the inception of the antipsychiatry movement in the 1960s. A prominent figure within this movement was Thomas Szasz, a Hungarian-American psychiatrist whose influence looms large. Szasz, inspired by the ideas of Michel Foucault, posited that psychiatry functions as a ‘locus of control’ designed to subjugate and pacify societal masses into compliance. His seminal work, "The Myth of Mental Illness," expressed the argument that the medicalisation of mental illness is inherently problematic, constituting a category error of profound significance and resulting in harmful stigmatisation. Szasz advocated for the extrication of mental illness, or as he preferred, 'problems in living,' from the view of the medical domain. Instead, he proposed a paradigm shift towards addressing these issues through social frameworks, particularly emphasizing psychotherapy or counselling as opposed to reliance on psychiatric medications. Szasz's perspectives yielded both enthusiastic support and strong criticism, and contemporary theorists, such as Gabor Maté, persist in echoing his sentiments to this day. The objective of this report is to critically examine Szasz's theoretical position, as well as to present a concerted effort to substantiate its enduring relevance in the current intellectual milieu.
Liminal Identity of Japanese expatriates/migrants in post Apartheid South Africa: How has “honorary whiteness” been (re)produced and influenced their subjectivity?
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Ban, Yukako; Dey, Sayan
In post-Apartheid South Africa, racial segregation persists. Japanese migrants were granted "honorary white" status during Apartheid, while the Chinese were classified as non-white. This research explores the experiences of Japanese migrants in post-Apartheid South Africa to unravel the complex racial structure. Occupying a liminal racial and ethnic position, the Japanese benefit from class and nationality privileges, providing access to positions of power. The study sheds light on their navigation of liminal spaces and their understanding of race, ethnicity, and nationality in the social structure of post-Apartheid South Africa. The findings uncover prevalent neo-racism and a sense of racial in-betweenness, with Japanese migrants perceiving themselves as "in-between" black and white or as racially neutral. Their liminal position allows access to diverse social groups based on behaviour and contextual factors. This liminality holds the potential to challenge existing social structures through varied interpretations and interactions.

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