An Exploration of the Identity of South African Indian Female University Students: A Transgenerational Perspective

Abstract

The meanings assigned to gender, race, culture and identity in post-apartheid South Africa are deeply embedded within the historical journeys and struggles of different population groups across the country. For many individuals, connections to the past are found within family legacies and intergenerational stories which shape and define understandings of who they are. This study sought to understand the role of these family narratives in constructing the identity of young South African Indian women today. Participant interviews and genogram data were obtained from eight women between the ages of 18-25, who were students at the University of the Witwatersrand. The findings of this study revealed that participants adopted hybrid identities which incorporated values associated with traditional gender roles for women as well as ideals and behaviours based on more modern values. The manner in which participants negotiate between these different understandings of femininity is influenced by a sense of obligation and duty towards their families, which linked closely with previous research on collectivist culture. These findings are further contextualised and understood using Bowen’s Family Systems Theory and understandings of differentiation.