4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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Start date: 1990End date: 1995

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    Man-The-Shaman is it the Whole Story? A Feminist Perspective on the San Rock Art of Southern Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1995-06) Stevenson, Judith S.
    Ethnographic accounts show that both shamanic and gender rituals play a critical role in San culture. Although 30% of the women and 50% of the men become shamans, the literature investigating San rock art frequently defines 'Man-the-Shaman' and minimizes the feasibility of female depictions of this important social role. Prior rock art research has tended to separate shamanic and gender processes to the impoverishment of both. This dissertation investigates the symbolic connections between these two social spheres, and argues that they are inseparable. Through this examination of gender and shamanic roles in San society this dissertation argues that metaphors reflect these two social spheres. It also argues that metaphors are a way of life which are expressed both in reality and non-reality. With these points in mind, it investigates the role of men and women as related to San rock art through social roles.
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    Mathematical representation and analysis of articular surfaces: application to the functional anatomy and palaeo-anthropology of the ankle joint
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1990) Webb, Christie Peter; Tobias, Phillip Vallentine
    This thesis is a study of quantifiable variation in the geometric shape of the superior articular surface of the talus of higher primates, with special reference to fossil tali of Plio-Pleistocene hominids. (Abbreviation abstract).
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    The theory and practice of community participation in provision of urban structure
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1993) Abbott, John; McCutcheon, Robert
    The thesis develops a new approach to community participation, for application to infrastructure provision projects in developing countries, based upon social surveys and case studies of negotiations in five South African communities. Existing approaches to community participation are analysed and shown to be unsuitable for infrastructure provision. The thesis compares the characteristics of infrastructure projects with those of other types of development projects and demonstrates how these characteristics can be used to situate a given project within a project environment defined in terms of two variables: the openness of government to community involvement in decision-making, and project complexity. Social surveys carried out in Soweto and KwaThandeka showed the centrality of infrastructure to social change in South Africa. Existing urban management systems were unable to cope with the stresses placed upon them. Four facets of urban management were identified as being under stress: institutional capacity, legitimacy, affordability, and user convenience. These stresses change the nature of infrastructure provision from the supply of end products into a complex process. Central to this process are: an increased number of actors influencing decisions, the enhanced role of technical professionals, and the social implications of different levels of service. The case-study of KwaThandeka included a study of the negotiation process with the provincial administration. This research led to the development of a performance specification for comparing social, economic and technical measures of value. A new conceptual framework for community participation was derived, based upon the different actors involved in the decision-making process and the different needs of each of those actors. Three case studies from Natal identified different implementation strategies for community participation. Communities were found to have three distinct needs: involvement in the political process; involvement in technical decision-making; and representation as consumers of services. An analytical tool was developed to assist project managers in understanding the relationships between actors in a project. The thesis shows how technical project management can be integrated into the participation process. The success of community participation can be evaluated by assessing the degree of consensus achieved between actors, and the intensity of community involvement.