Women in South African politics : rural Shangaan women in focus
Authors
Date
2010Discipline
Valtio-oppiPolitical ScienceKansainvälinen kehitystyö (maisteriohjelma)Master's Degree Programme in Development and International CooperationAccess restrictions
This material has a restricted access due to copyright reasons. It can be read at the workstation at Jyväskylä University Library reserved for the use of archival materials: https://kirjasto.jyu.fi/en/workspaces/facilities.
The focus of this thesis is to challenge the single story of women in developing countries by examining Shangaan rural women in politics. Hannah Arendt‘s notion of ‗acting and speaking‘ and what she defines as the polis helps guides this study as it exposes these rural women‘s capability to act whilst simultaneously, stressing the problems associated with categories in the polis. Postcolonial feminists, Chandra Mohanty and Uma Narayan, provide the categories linked with women in developing countries and the issues created when such categories are used as forms of analysis. Themes such as culture, tradition and history are also dealt with in order to fully explain and generate a better understanding of these Shangaan rural women and their situation.
The research material collected was through in-depth interviews with 10 female and 5 male councillors who are part of the Giyani Municipality. The interviews were conducted in Xitsonga which is the main language of the Giyani area.
The study found that there are still issues of gender inequality within Shangaan society but transformation is underway. These rural women are actively participating in the polis and they are dispelling the label of powerless victims. This is important in that it shows that no matter how active these women are, when categories are used as forms of analysis, seeing these women as actors and agents of change is not possible.
...


Keywords
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
- Pro gradu -tutkielmat [29829]
License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Collaboration between non-governmental organizations and educational leaders in capacity development in rural South Africa
Ayehsabu, Ayuk (2013)Skills development has been a point of urgency since the advent of progressive governance in democratic South Africa. Despite many efforts through the National Skills Development Strategies and partnerships, the situation ... -
Power, dominance and the invisible practice of privilege : saving the other in the world of aid. The self-actualization of a development worker in Laos
Vanhala, Katie (2010)This pro gradu ethnography seeks to explicate issues relating to the conceptual and practical implications of Western development workers and their impact on the local communities of Northern Laos. It is hoped that this ... -
Hierarchies of knowledge, incommensurabilities and silences in South African ECD policy : Whose knowledge counts?
Rudolph, Norma (Trnava University, 2017)Policy for young children in South Africa is now receiving high-level government support through the ANC's renewed commitment to redress poverty and inequity and creating 'a better life for all' as promised before the 1994 ... -
‘Africans’ and the ‘Chinese’ Exhibited in Finland in the years 1926-1928
Halmesvirta, Anssi (Akadémiai Kiadó, 2019)This article analyses two peculiar cases of ‘otherness’ (alterity), as witnessed on stage at an exhibition of Chinese and African cultures presented by the Finnish Missionary Society from 1926-1928. This exhibition consisted ... -
Digital technologies and remote teaching during COVID-19 pandemic in African higher education institutions
Ukpabi, Dandison; Agjei, Richard O.; Mengo, Nyabisi; David, Lekpa Kingdom (Routledge, 2023)Digital transformation of higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Africa has been a discussion issue in many fora across several African countries, yet with little investment commitment from the government. Interestingly, ...