3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item An explorative study on narratives and subjective meanings of black economically empowered women (BEEW) about black men's perceptions about BEEW(2016) Ratshefola, MapuleThe primary focus of the research is to explore the narratives and subjective meanings of black economically empowered women (BEEW) about black men’s perceptions about BEEW. The researcher explored the experiences of these women and identified some of the challenges that they may face as a result of such experiences. The theoretical frameworks used are based on the theories of empowerment and the Black Feminist theories, with both attempting to explore black women’s experiences. This study is exploratory and qualitative in nature, with the focus on the BEEW’s subjective experiences which were gathered from each of the individuals who participated in this study. The interviews conducted were individual and face-to-face. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants and all ethical considerations such as confidentiality and informed consent were taken into account. The findings of the research suggest that BEEW tend to have similar experiences in relation to most black men perceiving them as threatening and emasculating. Many participants also experienced both internal and external struggles as a result of their economic empowerment. In addition, the study also suggests that most BEEW are not intending to emasculate men, but are rather searching for relationships that are collaborative and that acknowledge each other’s strengths. Due to the small sample, generalizability of this study is limited.Item Tracing the career trajectories of female academics at two Universities(2016-07-27) Raymond, Zaakira NikaathThis research traced the career trajectories from a cohort of female academics that were recipients of the Carnegie grant. These female academics were from two primary universities; the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Cape Town (UCT). The primary aim of the research was to explore the career trajectories of this cohort of female academics and gain further insight into the enablers and barriers to productivity and at their university. The impact of these enablers and challenges on the retention and attrition patterns was then analysed. The critical factors that were explored when interpreting retention and attrition were gender, race, intersectionality, belonging and culture. This analysis was enabled by applying critical race theory, intersectionality, and theories of belonging and non-belonging to the data. Due to the nature of this research, a qualitative approach was taken with the use of semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of twenty-two female academics. In depth interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and analysed using critical discourse analysis as well as thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). The results indicated that female academics face a great deal of challenges within the higher education sector. These challenges often present as obstacles in their career progression. More importantly, black female academics face greater barriers because of the intersectional nature of their identity as being both black and female, amongst other identity categories. One of the leading causes to these barriers is based on the underlining institutional culture that exists at each university that is instilled through various systems and structures. One of the key enablers for this cohort of women academics was the Carnegie grant that they had received. For many, it provided scarce financial resources to focus on conducting quality research and dislodged the systems of patriarchal patronage which sometimes leaves women’s development at the mercy of male colleagues. The research suggests that notions of belonging are tied to epistemic access and the recognition and affirmation of the multiple identities that constitute women.Item Gender and madness in selected novels of Margaret Atwood(2008-06-24T12:26:56Z) Guthrie, SandiMargaret Atwood, in The Handmaid’s Tale and Alias Grace, explores representations of gender and madness through her male as well as her female characters. Through the use of a psychological and postcolonial framework – specifically based on the works of Melanie Klein, Stephen Slemon and Helen Tiffin – Atwood’s representations come to signify the relationship between self and society in such a way as to show the connection between identity, power, powerless and the definition of madness in society. While many critics have explored Atwood’s representation of identity in relation to gender, an exploration of representations of gender in relation to madness has been mostly overlooked. Atwood explicitly links the concept of ‘powerlessness’ to madness; madness can be seen (by Foucault and other members of the antipsychiatric tradition) as being essentially constructed and controlled by the intellectual and cultural forces that operate within society, connecting one who is ‘powerless’ to one who is ‘mad’. As well as this relationship, the connection between postcolonial theory and psychology that suggests that Western psychology, specifically psychoanalysis, in its denial of the political influence on the psyche, denies the postcolonial subject the space in which to identify with his or her community. While Atwood’s novels show an interest in human curiosity, they also represent notions of control and power in a way that makes the reader appreciate the relationship between self and society and how this relationship is related to identity formation.