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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Muslim women – South Africa'
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1
Seedat, Fatima. "Women and activism : Indian Muslim women's responses to apartheid South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5942.
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Moolla, Mohammed. "The imperative to implement Muslim personal law in South Africa." University of Western Cape, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/8358.
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Magister Legum - LLMIt has been more than 25 years since the Interim Constitution came into effect and a Bill of Rights was introduced. Yet Muslim Personal Law ( still has no lega l recognition in South Africa. This the sis investigates how this causes serious problems for Muslim women who suffer grave injustices upo n divorce due to the non recognition and non regulati on of Muslim marriages It highlights t he State refus al to enact legislation despite the dicta and obiter comments from the courts spanning more than two decad es enjoining the state to effect legislation to achieve this purpose. South African law is still fundamentally lacking in the recognition of the rights of parties to marriages contracted only in terms of M PL . For couples married in accordance with civil law, marriages and divorces are dealt with under the relevant statutes, namely the Marriage Act 25 of 1961, t he Civil Union Act 17 of 2006 and the Divorce Act 70 of 1979. No provision has been made in statu tor y law for MP L . Previously the courts have held that this was due to the potentially polygyn ous nature of Muslim marriages. Muslim m arriages are inadequately regulated resulting in serious hardships to Muslim women and children. This thesis furthermore inve stigate s the need to recognize MPL .
3
Hoel, Nina. "South African Muslim women's experiences : sexuality and religious discourses." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18314.
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Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-241).This dissertation seeks to investigate the experiences of South African Muslim women in relation to sexual dynamics and marital relationships. By using in-depth interviews as the main empirical research method, this feminist study foregrounds women's voices in the production of religious meaning. I explore dominant religious discourses that influence women's conceptualisations of sexuality and the related implications for sexual praxis in contemporary Muslim communities that are also characterised by living conditions of poverty and violence. Focusing on women's engagements with religious meaning as it relates to their intimate relationships, the dissertation engages these findings with relevant literature and theory proposed by Islamic feminists on issues of morality, ethics and agency. This study finds that while patriarchal religious norms powerfully influence and give meaning to the lives of many Muslim women, these same women also contest, subvert and reconstitute these norms in varying ways. The diversity and richness of women's narratives illustrate the multifaceted, paradoxical and ambivalent nature of religious discourses as it is embodied in everyday life. I conclude that religious systems of meaning as they are lived in this local context are marked by tensions between patriarchal and egalitarian perspectives that are imbricated and interwoven in a variety of ways. The dissertation contends that the inclusion of women's narratives is imperative in order to highlight the dynamic nature of religion as well as to challenge patriarchal legacies that still impact many local contexts.
4
Shaikh, Sa'diyya. "Battered women in Muslim communities in the Western Cape : religious constructions of gender, marriage, sexuality and violence." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17491.
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Bibliography: pages 204-228.Historically Muslim women have been marginalised in the examination of Islamic texts and Muslim society. This has resulted in the non-recognition and silencing of women's perspectives as well as the concealment of some of the traumatic realities experienced by groups of Muslim women. Exacerbated by pervading social and religious notions of "private" families, the incidence of wife battery within Muslim societies have been largely hidden violence against wives is seen as the manifestation of a sexist and patriarchal ideology. This study examines the manner in which Islamic gender discourses inform and impact upon the phenomenon of violence against women. The related tensions between patriarchal and egalitarian Islamic perspectives are explored. This study involves a two-fold feminist analysis of gender ideology in religious texts and contemporary Muslim society. At the level of textual studies, I applied a feminist hermeneutic to medieval and contemporary Qur'anic exegetical literature. The examination of medieval period focused on the exegesis of Abu Jafar Muhumammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (839-922), Abu al-Qasim Mahmud b. Umar Zamakshari (1075-1144), Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149- 1210). The study of contemporary exegetical literature concentrated on the approaches and exegeses of Fazlur Rahman and Amina Wadud-Muhsin. Hermeneutical debates on violence against wives were focused on the interpretations of the Qur'anic notion of female nushuz (Q.4:34). In examining contemporary Muslim society, I employed feminist qualitative research methodology. I interviewed a number of women from a South African Muslim community in the Western Cape. Here, the sample consisted of eight women with whom open-ended in-depth interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. I found that interweaving levels of religious symbols and discourses shaped normative understandings of gender relations. This in turn had implications for both structural and practical discourses of violence against women in Muslim societies. Islamic gender ideology spanned the continuum from patriarchal to feminist approaches. Misogynist religious understandings reinforced the husband's right to control and coerce his wife, even if this implied the use of force. On the other hand, egalitarian Islamic perspectives prioritised the Qur'anic ethics of equality and social justice and rejected the violation of women. I argue that Islam provides numerous resources for the pro-active empowerment of women and the promotion of the full humanity of women.
5
Sesanti, Simphiwe Olicius. "Burial practices, African women, and Islam in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa." Thesis, University of Port Elizabeth, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/346.
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Early in 2003, African Muslims in Uitenhage’s township, Kwa-Nobuhle, learnt that Muslim women, led by Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth New Brighton township, were allowed, contrary to previous practice, to follow a funeral procession right up to the graveyard. The resultant discomfort on the one hand, and excitement on the other caused by this event among Muslims in the township, forms the basis of this research. It gives focus to Muslim women, the ones most affected by their customary restriction from the gravesites. The researchi exposes the basis for women’s exclusion from funeral processions in the Muslim community. It was established that many of these Muslim women who challenged the practice were converts from Christianity to Islam. One of the bases for their action was that they were passive recipients of Islam. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of women from the funeral procession has no basis in Islamic writings.
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Gamieldien, Maheerah. "Lowering the gaze: Representations of Muslim women in South African society in the 1990's." University of the Western Cape, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6502.
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Magister Artium - MAMuslim women’s lack of access to mosque space has left them with few opportunities to direct or influence the interpretation of the theological texts. The mosque is an almost strictly gendered space that is seen as a key platform from which Muslims are exhorted to fulfill existing obligations and where new practices emerge as part of the creation of tradition in the Muslim community. I would further like to argue that it is the acts and interventions of the women who have claimed Islam and its belief system in its entirety as their own and then shaped this to fit their lives that will enable Muslims to rethink existing attitudes to women in Muslim communities.
7
Ahmed, Abdul Kayum. "Positive Muslims: a critical analysis of Muslim AIDS activism in relation to women living with HIV/AIDS in Cape Town." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2003. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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This research critically analysed Muslim approaches to five women with HIV/AIDS in Cape Town focussing particularly on the approach of 'Positive Muslims' - an awareness-raising and support group for Muslims living with HIV/AIDS. The central question of this thesis dealt with the impact of the norms, values and practices of Cape Muslims on the approach of Positive Muslims to women living with HIV/AIDS. It is suggested that while norms and values articulated in religious texts inform the ideological approach of the organisation's AIDS prevention model. This is due to the pragmatic approach adopted by Postive Muslims which recognises that the articulated norms and values do not always conform to the practices of Cape Muslims.
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Hendricks, Hibah. "Fashion, performance and the politics of belonging among Muslim women in Cape Town." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3968.
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Magister Artium - MAThis thesis explores how the hijab fashion market has emerged in Cape Town and how Capetonian Muslim women are appropriating hijab fashion as a means of redefining themselves as Muslim South Africans instead of ‘Cape Malays’, the ethnic label given to Muslims in the Western Cape during the apartheid era. I argue that through self stylisation Cape Malay women are performatively rejecting the ethnicisation of Islam during apartheid. I show that ‘Cape Malay’ women are using hijab fashion to perform their ‘Muslimness’ in order to claim a positive and legitimate spot in the ‘rainbow nation’ as Muslims as a religious-cultural category, and not as ‘Malays’, an ethnic category, while simultaneously claiming their belonging to the global umma (Muslim community)
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Davids, Nuraan. "Exploring the(in)commensurability between the lived experiences of Muslim women and cosmopolitanism : implications for democratic citizenship education and Islamic education." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/71662.
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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.Includes bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Impressions and perceptions about Islām, particularly in a world where much of what is known about Islām has emerged from after the tragic devastation of the Twin Towers in New York, are creating huge challenges for Muslims wherever they may find themselves. Women as the more visible believers in Islām are, what I believe, at the forefront of the growing skepticism surrounding Islām. And central to the modern day debates and suspicious regard meted out to Muslim women today is her hijāb (head-scarf). Ironically, it would appear that the same amount of detail and attention that Islamic scholars have devoted to the role of women in Islām and how they are expected to conduct themselves is now at the centre of the modern day debates and suspicious regard. Yet, the debates seldom move beyond what is obviously visible, and so little is known about what has given shape to Muslim women’s being, and how their understanding of Islām has led them to practise their religion in a particular way. This dissertation is premised on the assertion that in order to understand the role of Muslim women in a cosmopolitan society, you need to understand Islām and Islamic education. It sets out to examine and explore as to whether there is commensurability or not between Muslim women and the notion of cosmopolitanism, and what then the implications would be for democratic citizenship education and Islamic education. One of the main findings of the dissertation is that the intent to understand Muslim women’s education and the rationales of their educational contexts and practices opens itself to a plurality of interpretations that reflects the pluralism of understanding constitutive of the practices of Islam both within and outside of cosmopolitanism. Another is that inasmusch as Muslim women have been influenced by living and interacting in a cosmopolitan society, cosmopolitanism has been shaped and shifted by Muslim women. By examining the concepts of knowledge and education in Islām, and exploring the gaps between interpretations of Islam and Qur’anic exegesis, I hope to demystify many of the (mis)perceptions associated with Muslim women, and ultimately with Islām. And finally, by examining how Islamic education can inform a renewed cosmopolitanism, and by looking at how democratic citizenship education can shape a renewed Islamic education, the eventual purpose of this dissertation is to find a way towards peaceful co-existence.
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Rabothata, Thambatshira Tannie. "Women abuse as expressed in Tshivenda female songs." Thesis, University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/892.
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Thesis (Ph.D. (African Languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2005This study investigates the expression of women abuse through female songs. Groups of singers from twenty-two communities were listened to during the study. A qualitative analysis was undertaken. Songs obtained from secondary sources, were compared and analysed in the same way in which those obtained from the singers themselves were analysed. In particular, the usefulness of these singing groups was examined. It was found that most of the women who are experiencing abuse of some kind, derive perceived social support from fellow singers. All the women in the different singing groups declared that they were not singing for the sake of singing but that they were sending messages to the perpetrators of abuse in the expectation that a change will be realized. Singing groups were found to be effectively providing assistance in dealing with emotional abuse. The study thus illuminates the subjective use of referential expressions in expressing abuse. This emphasizes the challenge for singers to check whether or not the manner in which they present their pleas is appropriate.
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Abrahams, Shahieda. "Perceptions of HIV/AIDS-related stigma among Muslims in a Cape Town community." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2006. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_5105_1181886620.
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South Africa has the largest percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. However, the response against the further spread of HIV/AIDS in the country is being hindered by stigma and discrimination. In order to develop effective intervention programmes to control and reduce the further spread of the disease, it is first important to understand the nature of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and especially how people construct it. In the present study, the social construction of HIV/AIDS-related stigma among Muslims was investigated because high levels of stigma were found in this group. This was fuelled partly by the belief that HIV/AIDS was not a serious problem amongst Muslims. Two focus groups were conducted, one among Muslim women only and the second among Muslim men only. The main aim of the study was to examine the perceptions of HIV/AIDS-related stigma among Muslims. The transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis to determine the themes that emerged from the research material. The main findings of the study included that Muslims&rsquo
religious identity/positioning was the most salient discourse that informed how they understood, made meaning of, and responded to HIV/AIDS. They engaged in various forms of stigma such as &lsquo
othering&rsquo
, and mediating factors of stigma included religious positioning. Stigma also served as a social barrier to VCT and disclosure of HIV status. However, supportive attitudes and behaviours were also evident. The findings yielded useful insights into possible elements of intervention programmes, both to reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and also to encourage behavioural change in order to control and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in this community.
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Moosa, Najma. "A comparative study of the South African and Islamic law of succession and matrimonial property with especial attention to the implications for the Muslim woman." University of Western Cape, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7497.
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Magister Legum - LLMAs a Muslim south African trained in South African Roman-Dutch law, I have been exposed to experiences/situations which indicate a conflict between the principles of South African Roman-Dutch law and Islamic law of succession. This has prompted me to do some research into the history of Islamic law, the spreading of Islamic law over large parts of the world and the question of the recognition and application of Islamic law in South Africa. The central theme of this study is the Islamic law of succession in so far as it affects women. Chapter One of my dissertation contains a brief historical background which outlines on the one hand, the nomadic society, women and succession in pre-Islamic Arabia and on the other, their improved position upon the advent of Islam {seventh century) . It ends with the historical background of Muslims in South Africa. Chapter Two is devoted to the marriage property background against which both the South African and Islamic law of succession operate. Thereafter, in Chapter Three, the South African law and Islamic law (substantive rules} of succession are compared. These include both intestate and testamentary succession, the latter being limited on the Islamic side. Chapter Four, with the backgrounds sketched in Chapters Two and Three, demonstrates the visible internal conflicts between the Islamic and South African law of marriage and succession as encountered in South African practice. After evaluating statistics and alternative solutions in this regard, and having arrived at certain conclusions, I propose that recommendations about the possible recognition and application of Muslim Personal Law in South Africa which is at present enjoying the attention of the South African Law Commission in Project 59 should see fruition and be implemented as it can only assist the society in closer inspection are riddled with controversies. Chapter Six explores the treatment received by a Muslim widow, daughter and mother in terms of their respective fixed "intestate" shares and its implications for modern twentieth century society. which we live since it is a vital aspect affecting our daily lives {and deaths!). Chapter Five covers the whole aspect of the Muslim testator or testatrix' s limited "freedom" of testation and reforms by certain forerunner countries in this regard which on closer inspection are riddled with controversies. Chapter Six explores the treatment received by a Muslim widow, daughter and mother in terms of their respective fixed "intestate" shares and its implications for modern twentieth century society.
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Paruk, Zeenat. "To cover or not to cover? Religious identity negotiation of Muslim women in the South African workplace regarding donning the hijab." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52996.
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This study explores the challenges facing Muslim women who wear hijab in the South African workplace. It covers their experiences in the workplace, as they negotiate their religious identity. It also examines the extent of religious accommodation in the South African workplace and explores the existence of Islamophobia in South African organisations.Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
Human Resource Management
MCom
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Booley, Ashraf. "Women’s rights and freedoms in Islamic jurisprudence pertaining to marriage and divorce: lessons for south Africa from Morocco and Tunisia?" Thesis, University of Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3759.
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Doctor Legum - LLDThe objective of this doctoral thesis is essentially two-fold: first, it seeks to ascertain whether the rights and freedoms of Muslim women in the contexts of marriage and divorce are adequately protected in terms of Islamic jurisprudence, and secondly, whether any valuable lessons could be learnt in this regard by South Africa based on the specific legal experiences of two (other) African jurisdictions, notably Morocco and Tunisia.
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Thema, Kgaladi Malthews. "Sekgapa : a culture-based study of a musical tradition of BaPedi women of Mailula, Mmamabolo district, Limpopo Province, South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8142.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).This dissertation sets out to provide a culture-based study of BaPedi women's Sekgapa Music.The Preface presents the topic, the research environment and methodology, a review of the existing literature, fieldwork 'protocol' and a synopsis of the first recording events. Chapter 1 provides a historical background to the music, whose origins remain largely unaccounted for; and an account of the researcher's personal 'journey' which brought him to his research project. Chapter 2 concerns Sekgapa as a distinctive genre of women's music, reflecting their roles in BaPedi rural economy, and in their individual households, and community. There are also accounts ofSekgapa performance contexts and their social functions. Chapter 3 looks at some requirements of Sekgapa performance style (including dancing dress and delivery of Direlo Praises), something of the concepts underlying the musical action, and correlations between certain dance style variants and BaPedi totemic associations. Chapter 4 contains description of the sound instruments-the drums and their contribution to the music and playing methods and technique, (with some musical examples to illustrate thetext), and the construction of sound-making accessories (hand-and ankle-rattles). Chapter 5 provides descriptions of the basic musical components of Sekgapa-its form, structure and style, instrumental polyrhythm, vocal homophony (with musical examples and content and meanings of song-texts, using 10 songs as representative examples.) Chapter 6 provides reasons for the restricted scope of the musical analysis, and the use and function of Sekgapa performances for social education, directed at the youth. The research draws attention to the serious gap in African music research in South Africa, and in BaPedi musical culture generally. Andrew Tracey's urgent plea (1991) for the 'patronage' of African music and musicians work is recalled, because it is no less urgent today than it was fourteenyears ago. Tracey' stance on the matter of the unequal 'arts patronage situation' existing betv.een popular urban African music, which continues to enjoy government and media support. and cultural music in which musicians are denied this. is endorsed by the researcher, who reiterates the urgent need for African music conservation, through research and sustainable performance practice, before it is too late, and musical genres "stagnate" and disappear altogether.
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Turner-Rahman, Israt. "Consciousness blossoming Islamic feminism and Qur'anic exegesis in South Asian muslim diaspora communities /." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2009. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Spring2009/I_Turner-Rahman_050109.pdf.
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Mohee, S. "Young British South Asian Muslim women : identities and marriage." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2012. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1370625/.
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This thesis focuses on young and educated British South Asian Muslim women, and their negotiations of gendered identities and marriage in multicultural Britain. I conducted 30 in-depth interviews with Muslim women from northern England so as to explore how educational and employment experiences are altering women’s gender identities and consequently, their understandings of marriage. Firstly, I look at how Muslim women develop ‘alternative’ identities as they navigate ‘Islamic’ and ‘British’ ideals. I analyse whether higher education and paid employment influence women’s perspectives in constructing ‘new’ identities as they explore boundaries. My analysis is embedded within theoretical frameworks encompassing racialised, politicised and gendered discourses on Muslim identities in the UK. In essence, I concentrate on how women manage Muslimness as they evolve in their socio-political contexts. Secondly, I focus on how marriage is perceived by British South Asian Muslim women. The debates revolve around the gendered expectations women face from their communities; for instance, women navigate ‘choice’ and ‘agency’ in cultural practices such as arranged marriages. Furthermore, marriage, as an institution, remains a ‘religious duty’ in Islam. I raise questions about how Muslim women frame marriage as they generate new understandings of marriage through their negotiations of the ‘nikah’ and the civil registry (secular state law). Throughout these thematic discussions, the tensions engendered by the dichotomy ‘religion’ v/s ‘culture’ remain evident as Muslim women navigate contextual identities. Cultural gendered ‘traditions’ expected from their families are re-worked as they delay marriage so as to gain degrees and secure careers. Clearly, women are deconstructing stereotypical notions of ‘Muslimness’ as fixed categories so as to express individual definitions of meanings of British Muslimness. The prioritising of an Islamic identity over other identities (ethnic, citizenship and national) is evident. However, with education, women are contesting and interpreting Islam from new angles. They critique gendered practices such as ‘talaq’ and polygamy, concepts associated with Islamic marriage, in an attempt to embrace a discourse of equality within marriage, hence leading them to generate new gender identities.
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Rafudeen, Mohammed Auwais. "Government perceptions of Cape Muslim exiles : 1652-1806." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17216.
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Bibliography: pages 79-84.This essay examines how the Cape government thought and felt about certain prominent Muslims, exiled from present day Indonesia to that colony, in the period 1652 to 1806. It has both descriptive and analytic functions. Descriptively, it seeks to find out what these thoughts and feelings were. Analytically, it seeks to explain why they came about. The essay contends that the way in which the exiles were perceived can only be understood by locating them in the wider Cape social, economic and political context. Accordingly, it describes elements of this context such as the Dutch colonial rationale, the Cape social structure, its culture and pertinent legal practices. Against this background, it then describes these perceptions. The description is general and specific. It examines perceptions of exiles in general by a study of the social class to which they belonged, namely the free blacks. It particularly focuses on the demography, the legal status and the economic position of this class. The final chapter of the essay is ties empirical backbone, being a specific and detailed examination of what the Cape government thought and felt about prominent individual exiles. As far as possible, it elicits all the evidence concerning these exiles, pertinent to the topic at hand, that is available in the prevailing historical literature. This essay's central thesis is that the exiles were peripheral to the concerns of the Cape government. Perceptions of individual exiles were nuanced and encompassed various attitudes, but at the core the exiles were not seen as important to their vital interests. The class to which the exiles belonged, the free blacks, were always at the demographic, legal, and economic margins of Cape society. The essay contends that the reason the exiles were peripheral in government perceptions was because of the general marginality of Muslims in the Cape context. They lacked numbers, and their role as a religious constituency was undermined by a society that subsumed such a constituency under various other concerns. The thesis is a departure from other studies on Cape Muslim history which this essay contends, tend to emphasise the "differentness" and centrality of the Muslim contribution.
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Choudhury, Deba. "Religiosity and psychological well-being in South Asian Muslim women." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/175715/.
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Religiosity has been researched in relation to psychological well-being through assessing cognitive and behavioural components of religion (e.g. prayer). The lack of consensus in defining and measuring religiosity is a complex matter. Different forms of religiosity are measured in relation to positive and negative psychological well-being. The literature review identifies orthodoxy and spirituality as two forms of religiosity. Research is examined in detail to establish how orthodoxy relates to negative well-being whereas, spirituality associates with positive well-being. Shame is a distressing emotion that involves negative evaluations of the self. Whereas, self-compassion is contrasted in that a positive relationship with the self is evident. Since shame and self-compassion are opposite constructs the prediction was that orthodoxy may relate to greater shame and lower self-compassion, whereas spirituality may associate with lower shame and greater self-compassion. The empirical research explored how both forms of religiosity; orthodoxy and spirituality relate to shame and self-compassion in South Asian (SA) Muslim women. The study’s qualitative component explored the conceptualisation of shame. The results show that orthodoxy and spirituality are related yet distinct entities. Greater shame associates with lower self-compassion. No significant association was detected between shame and both forms of religiosity. Orthodoxy negatively correlated with self-compassion. That is a unique finding since this had never been researched previously. The qualitative component enabled the development of a process model for shame experience pertinent to this population that may be relevant for clinical practice. Implications of these findings, the study’s limitations and recommendations for future research are debated.
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Fransch, Chet James Paul. "Stellenbosch and the Muslim communities, 1896-1966." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1914.
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Thesis (MA (History))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.This study intends to investigate a facet of the race relations of the town of Stellenbosch within the context of state ideology and the reaction of the various local communities towards these policies. Against various internal and external forces, certain alliances were formed but these remained neither static nor constant. The external forces of particular concern within this study are the role of state legislation, Municipal regulations and political activism amongst the elite of the different racial groups. The manner in which the external forces both mould and are moulded by identity and the fluid nature of identifying with certain groups to achieve particular goals will also be investigated. This thesis uses the case study of the Muslim Communities of Stellenbosch to explain the practice of Islam in Stellenbosch, the way in which the religion co-existed within the structure of the town, how the religion influenced and was influenced by context and time and how the practitioners of this particular faith interacted not only amongst themselves but with other “citizens of Stellenbosch”. Fundamental to these trends is the concept of “belonging”. Group formation, affiliation, identity, shared heritage and history as well as racial classification – implemented and propagated by both political discourse and communal discourse - is located within the broader context of Cape history in order to discuss commonalities and contrasts that existed between Muslims at the Cape and those in Stellenbosch.
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Du, Preez Almarie. "A ‘foreign’ journey of negotiating music therapy on home ground." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/31322.
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This study explored the process of negotiating music therapy in a community based setting known as The Potter’s House. The Potter’s House was established fourteen years ago as the first non-racial shelter for battered and destitute women and their children in the city of Pretoria. Furthermore, the study considers Community Music Therapy as a possible frame for music therapy practice in South Africa. The study was conducted according to a qualitative research paradigm. Three data collection sources were used to gather information about the way in which music therapy was negotiated at The Potter’s House. Data collection was in the form of interviews (conducted with the manager of The Potter’s House and the music therapy participants) as well as clinical session notes. The aim of the interviews was to explore members’ experiences and views of the music therapy process. The clinical session notes include significant information that relates to my own reflections and experiences of the music therapy process. This study seems to highlight certain factors that appear prominent in the process of negotiating music therapy in this specific shelter for battered women and their children. These factors and how they were negotiated seem to emphasize the value of a Community Music Therapy framework in the shelter context. The study further suggests that Community Music Therapy could be utilized more broadly in the South African context.Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Music
MMus
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Allen, L. V. "Representation, gender and women in Black South African popular music, 1948-1960." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.595465.
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The emergence of the commercial mass media catering for urban black South African audiences during the 1950s provided opportunities for the negotiation of new professional spaces for women musicians; they became ambiguous icons of urban black aspirant identity, and sites for the contestation of emergent gender relations. From the black Christian, educated elite, which controlled urban, non-traditional moral values and definitions of cultural worth until the late 1940s, they inherited a dichotomous model of respectability versus deviance. However, parallel shifts in power from the elite to the masses occurred in politics and culture during the 1950s, and the cultural tastes of the broad base of urban Africans became more important. New hybrid musical styles evolved, the most popular being those that re-Africanised American popular styles. Commercial success came to depend on an artist's ability to express the emergent experience of an urbanising township population: an ability to embody aspirant and reflective identity and fulfil multiple roles and fantasies. The most successful musicians were those able to embody cultural hybridity and inhabit spaces between diverse worlds: the west and Africa; modernity and tradition; the educated elite and ordinary workers; between aspiration and reality; Hollywood and township streets. With the emergence of the popular pictorial, the film and recording industry, and the evolution of vaudeville into large high-profile variety shows and materials, female artists proved particularly effective at expressing these multiple, often contradictory cultural identities. Women musicians were experienced as voices and as bodies; their gender impacted significantly on the ways in which they were able to function professionally. They needed to forge a workable space between respectability and deviance, and negotiate their relationship to a number of roles expected of them as public women. Although they accomplished the reformulation of aspects of the period's gender relations, their impact was contested and fractured; it resulted from efforts of individuals driven by their own personal, artistic goals, rather than for the general betterment of women's position in society.
23
Mansoor, Nasreen. "Exploring honour and shame for South Asian British Muslim men and women." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/exploring-honour-and-shame-for-south-asian-british-muslim-men-and-women(56242d2f-fee4-49d3-8ad1-313cb49a65ae).html.
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This study explored honour and shame for South Asian British Muslim men and women. It aimed to offer plausible answers to the definition, concept, impact and gender differences of honour and shame for this sociocultural and faith group of people. This qualitative piece of research encompassed triangulation of individual interviews, focus groups and photo elicitation. Thirty participants who were of South Asian British Muslim identities were recruited via a purposive sampling strategy. This included men and women of diverse demographics and locations with an age range of nineteen - sixty-four. The majority of interviews were conducted in English, with some participant's sporadic dialogue in Arabic, Bangla, Punjabi and Urdu. The methodology was thematic analysis. Seven main themes were identified via thematic analysis of the data. A humanistic stance underpinned the conduct of the study alongside a hermeneutic researcher stance. A social constructivist and interpretive epistemological position in conjunction with a critical realism perspective infused the research process. A predominantly insider researcher position was established which was a major influence in eliciting the rich, deep and meaningful data which emerged regarding the honour and shame phenomena. Researcher reflexivity was a key factor in how the research was approached, conducted, interpreted and understood. This study identified a threefold patriarchal construct; Western, South Asian and Muslim underpinned the honour and shame phenomena. The research illustrated honour appeared to be relational and the nexus which held the family relationships together. Shame seemed to be the substance which fractured this complicated structure. There were narratives of some South Asian British Muslim women being sectioned and admitted into psychiatric institutions due to them being at risk to themselves/and or other persons. The deterioration in their mental health appeared to be closely associated with their experiences of being subjected to abusive honour and shame stipulations. The study also found cultural and traditional mores were very influential components in deleterious honour and shame practices, which at times replaced Islamic principles. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study was that some British Muslim Bangladeshi communities practised a bride price system. These findings cannot be extrapolated to all South Asian British Muslims as they derived from a small sample size.
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Tayob, Shaheed. "Consuming, producing, defining halal : halal authorities and Muslim consumers in South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12608.
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Includes bibliographical references.Nineteen eighty-five was the year in which the first halal-certified non-meat product appeared in South African stores. The certifying authority was the Muslim Judicial Council of Cape Town and the product was Flora-margarine. The certification of a non-meat product signaled a major shift in halal in South Africa. It represented the development of a halal consciousness that extended beyond the realm of purely meat products and into the unseen, intangible, expert-controlled world of food technology. Other developments also contributed to the growing halal industry in South Africa. The end of apartheid resulted in freedom of movement for the previously disadvantaged Muslim community. The newfound freedom resulted in increased demand for halal consumption in places previously restricted or considered unwelcoming. Changes in lifestyle resulted in an increase in dual income households and overall standards of living amongst middle class Muslims. These changes contributed to an increase in demand for packaged food, dining out and the cost effective, one-stop shopping that mass retailers offered. Muslims began to spend more time on vacation, at shopping malls and at restaurants. This change in consumption behavior resulted in a demand for halal products. This demand precipitated into requests for
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Megannon, Vayda. "The Lived Experience of Inheritance for Muslim Widows in Contemporary South Africa." Master's thesis, Faculty of Humanities, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32861.
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This empirical research explores experiences of inheritance in Muslim families, drawing upon case law, archival research and in-depth interviews with 6 Muslim widows in Cape Town. I examine women's experience of and attitudes towards inheritance in middle class Muslim families around Cape Town. This research aims to document Muslim widow's experiences of inheritance, furthermore, explore their attitudes towards these practices among their wider family. In particular, I investigate the experience of inheritance for Muslim widows, and interpret how these experiences relate to the governing principles of equality and diversity in the South African Constitution. This research has found that fairness and reciprocity serve as guiding principles of inheritance practices in middle class Muslim families around Cape Town. This is evidenced by two prominent practices of inheritance identified in the data, namely gendered conditionalities of inheritance shares, secondly the practice of gifting while alive. These findings indicate that to a large extent, on the micro level, the experiences of inheritance practices for Muslim women are in fact aligned with the principles of equality and diversity in the Constitution. However, these patterns of inheritance do occur in a context of gendered family practices. It is therefore argued that the challenge arises from the informality of inheritance practices among middle class Muslim families in Cape Town, characteristically occurring in the private sphere. In instances where fairness and reciprocity are not given primacy as guiding principles of inheritance practices, women tend to experience downward social mobility. Weak legal protection for Muslim widows during instances of discriminatory inheritances practices is resultant of the lack of a transformative mandate in the public sphere. Embedded within social forces, Muslim women's agency is conceptualised as proactively and strategically shaping their lives and the lives of female family members. Bringing the findings into conversation with transformative justice, there has been a stratification of rights and the realisation thereof, therefore resulting weak legal protection for Muslim widows in instances of discriminatory inheritance practices. It is further noted that existing international discourse regarding family law reform on a state level is relatable in this instance as gender-sensitive reforms do not in fact erode the foundations of religion and family, but merely challenge the tenuous balance of power. This research contributes to the developing body of literature on Muslim family practices in South Africa and acts as a lens in which to understand links between wider family history, and established social and institutional systems; therefore, leading to an evaluation of the role of transformative justice in this instance.
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Bano, Samia. "Complexity, difference and 'Muslim Personal law' : rethinking the relationship between Shariah Councils and South Asian Muslim women in Britain." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2004. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1205/.
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At the outset of the twenty-first century and despite the challenges presented by the global networks and communities, conceptions of culture, religion and rights in the West remain firmly situated within the moral frameworks of western universalism and cultural relativism. Indeed it seems that the uncertainties of local and global conditions have only served to entrench cultural and religious diversity as fixed, bounded and uncontested. A striking feature of this development in the West has been the rigid adoption of liberal multiculturalism to accommodate the emergence and settlement of diasporic minority ethnic communities into mainstream society. More recently, the specific cultural practices that can lead to intra-family inequalities for women from minority ethnic communities as generated much discussion in political and social theory. While much of this literature has contributed to our understanding on the relationship between gender equality, justice and the limits of liberal multiculturalism, it also seems that the fluid and contradictory understanding of identities has been lost and replaced by the acceptance of culture as essentialized and homogeneous. In this context we have also witnessed the emergence of a 'culture of rights' and the 'politics of recognition' under the framework of human rights. Yet in the process the contestation over 'meanings' and the intermeshing and complexity of cultural and religious practices have in essence been lost, only to be replaced by static and fixed definitions of culture, religion, identity and community. It is within this context of liberal multiculturalism that we have seen the emergence and development of unofficial non-statutory bodies identified as Shariah Councils in Britain. Framed as sites upon which family law matters are resolved according to Muslim family law they have developed frameworks that are characterized by specific cultural and religious norms and values. This mobilisation of communities challenges the hegemonic power of state law and unsettles the multicultural project in its attempt to reconfigure social and legal discourse in matters of Family Law. Most interestingly, for the socio-legal scholar this process opens up the conceptual space in which to see in evidence the multiple legal and social realities in operation, within the larger context of state law, liberal multiculturalism and the rights discourse. This thesis explores the ways in which these bodies constitute as unofficial dispute resolution mechanisms between and within the context of local 'community' and the overarching determinancy of state law. Of particular concern is how gender is transformed through the position and participation of women in this process of 'privatized dispute resolution'. The discourses produced by the participants in such processes constitute and transform understandings of British Pakistani Muslim women that are significant to their position and autonomy in the family, home and community. Drawing upon fieldwork data and interview material the study explores the socio-legal reality of these women's lives in relation to the complexities of attachment, belongingness and identity that multicultural society introduces.
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Bastos, Margo. "Muslim anti-Zionism and antisemitism in South Africa since the Second World War, with special reference to "Muslim news." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/3562.
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Bibliography: leaves 129-133.This study examines South African Muslim attitudes towards Zionism and Jews since the Second World War, focusing in particular on Muslim News/Views, a national Muslim owned community newspaper. Prior to the War, Muslim attitudes were informed largely by religious teachings. Limited contact in a racialised society allowed stereotypes to evolve. In the main, Muslims consolidated their own identity and engaged with the challenges of living in a Christian society.
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Njezula, Aurelia Babalwa. "Investigating domestic violence against women in South Africa." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2006. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_4964_1242781993.
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Domestic violence or intimate partner violence is increasingly being recognized as a problem that seems to be spiralling out of control. The causes of domestic violence have preoccupied scientists for several decades. The hypothesis that domestic violence might be biologically determined was significantly undermined by observations that its occurrence varies considerably between, as well as within, societies. The aim of this study was to add to the growing, but still rather fragmented, body of knowledge in South Africa on violence against women. This study seeks to analyze domestic violence from an angle whereby the data can be explored to find factors contributing to women experiencing domestic violence in South Africa. The objectives of this research are to measure the prevalence of physical, sexual and financial abuse and to identify a profile of women who have experienced domestic violence.
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Rasool, Shahana. "Help-seeking by abused women in South Africa." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.568072.
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Abused women are reluctant to seek help despite the existence of enabling legislation. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with 17 abused women in shelters, to understand the personal, socio-cultural, structural and institutional factors that influenced help-seeking. Feminist standpoint theories were influential in the research design, methodology and analysis of this study because it provided participants with the power to define their experiences from wi thin their own context. Four key themes that deterred help-seeking emerged. First, the predominance of patriarchy at the structural level emerged as an important theme that was enacted through men controlling women's freedom of speech, association and movement. Second, at the socio-culturallevel, discourses of love and the best interests of the child played a role in promoting the stability of the family above women's safety. Third, women sought help from informal networks of support, which sent them back to abusive relationships because of their acquiescence with patriarchy and socio-cultural constructions that normalised and privatised abuse. As a consequence of the inaction of informal networks, the psychosocial or personal consequences of abuse were exacerbated and women did not consider utilising formal services. This was compounded by a lack of financial resources. Fourth, at the institutional level, when abused women presented at health settings for medical concerns, they remained undetected or who were sent back to the abusive relationship. Rarely did medical services refer women to social services. Women obtained referrals to shelters from other women and community services many years after first experiencing abuse. Abused women were positive about the role shelters played in their empowerment. VI ••• im •••••• ~~~~~~~--------------- I A significant insight of this study is the way in which women attained empowerment and sought help by reconstructing the socio-cultural discourses that contributed to their oppression into the tools for agency. Women utilised legitimated socio-cultural discourses to justify seeking help, since challenging the status quo directly was too costly. Policy and practice need to target the personal, socio-cultural, institutional and structural impediments to seeking assistance, in order to prevent further violence, improve mental health outcomes and facilitate formal help-seeking.
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De, Wet Marion S. "Branding of professional women in corporate South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1711.
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Thesis (MTech (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005Although South African companies seem to make an attempt to employ more women to meet the required employment quotas, not enough is being done to allow women to grow beyond certain levels in their jobs, and it appears that women are still under-represented at top management level in corporate S.A. Despite employment-equity laws, gender inequalities regarding representative male-female ratios in corporate S.A. still appear to be prevalent at executive level. A more representative profile of male-female ratios at executive level in corporate S.A. might contribute towards a higher level of bottom-line performance for any organisation. The underlying premise is that by recognizing and utilizing their human potential to the fullest, the under-utilised available female talents and skills can contribute towards a larger skills pool within the organisation. In an attempt to assist m bridging the gap of gender inequality in corporate S.A., professional women may be branded as a valuable company asset. For females to be accepted and recognized by corporate S.A. as a brand, it is important to position them as a brand. To position a brand means emphasizing the distinctive characteristics that differentiate that brand from its competitors in a way that appeals to its target market. Identity, quality, differentiation, guaranteed consistency and clear communication to the target audience are the cornerstones of the branding process. In order for female professionals to be identified as a successful brand. these elements of the branding process need to be adhered to. What have traditionally been perceived to be inherent female qualities appear to meet the demands of contemporary management and leadership paradigms in a way that adds benefit to any leadership or management role in corporate S.A.
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De, la Rey Cheryl Merle. "Career Narratives of Women Professors in South Africa." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7859.
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The statistics on the gender profile of academics in South African universities show that women are concentrated at the lower levels of the hierarchy with very few women at the uppermost level of professorship. At the time that this study was conducted women comprised only eight percent of the total number of professors in South Africa. The central aim of the study was to tell the story behind these statistics on gender inequalities by examining the subjective experiences of women academics. Twenty-five women professors from a diversity of universities, academic disciplines, race groups and ages were interviewed for about two hours each. The general areas of questioning were: family background, educational history, trajectory of career development, professional experiences, and relation between personal life and professional life. All interviews were audio-taped and then transcribed. Using narrative analysis, the interview transcripts were then analysed. The processes of analysis and interpretation were informed by the theoretical underpinnings of the study, which was located within the ambit of feminist post-structuralism and social constructionism. Central to the conceptualisation of the study was the idea of self as constructed through narrative with narrative viewed as an inherently social process. Thus the analysis of the narratives moved between attention to the particular and the general examining how broader historical and social processes of stratification are given form in the narratives of self. The unfolding of the narratives of the 25 women professors illuminated complex articulations between the legacy of apartheid and processes of gender organisation both inside and outside the academy. Both gender and race were pointed to as salient factors in the subjective representations of academia, but neither of these manifested as unitary and fixed. Instead gender and race shifted in and out of focus along with other axes of difference such as age, relationship status, family status and career stage in shaping the narratives of self. There were multiple and shifting intersections. Consequently, there were no straightforward, continuous lines of commonality and difference. Constructions of gender were shown to shift within a complex matrix of relations relevant to academia in South Africa. Albeit complex and multidimensional, the significance of gender in shaping academic careers was confirmed. The gendered implications of performing as an academic pervaded the narratives in diverse ways at the level of both form and content. While all the narratives followed a progressive form, the analysis showed that the career lines of most participants did not follow the standard linear model of career. The frequency of regressive micro-narratives nested in the larger progressive narrative drew attention to late beginnings and interruptions to career development. The analysis gave visibility to the interconnectedness of subjective experiences of being multiply positioned as academics, women, mothers and wives. Tension, ambivalence and contradiction permeated the accounts of having to perform multiple tasks. There was a shared representation of academic life as a battle to be fought. Achieving success in moving up the academic hierarchy was constituted as involving varied shifts in self-construction such as a change from the naive self to the ambitious, competitive self. Self-management, loneliness and isolation were commonly noted as features of academic life. A shared sense of gender consciousness and solidarity was largely absent from the narratives. Feminism was claimed as self-relevant in very few narratives whereas in others it was positioned as a reference point from which the self could be distinguished. Juxtaposed against feminism was the discourse of women's issues, which was framed as less militant and more womanly. These representations of feminism were interpreted in relation to the fissures that mark the historical development of feminism in South Africa. In sum, the study succeeded in producing a complex account of the subjective experiences of women professors in South Africa, giving visibility to the diverse ways in which social processes of gender are given form at the level of self-narrative. The varied narratives of what it means to be a woman professor in South Africa in the late 1990s were seen to be shaped by past policies, as well as current practices and policies. Finally, noting the diversity in the narratives, the importance of theorising difference was affirmed, the need for a complex change agenda was signalled and the need for a scholarship that is comfortable with the notion that our analyses are always limited, in process and constantly in need of modification was noted.
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Hassan, Rania Hussein Abdel Rahman. "Identity construction in post-apartheid South Africa : the case of the Muslim community." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5978.
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Since the end of apartheid, issues pertaining to South African identity construction have attracted increased scholarly attention. This is reflected in a growing body of literature in several disciplines that analyze identities in post-apartheid South Africa. At the same time, a number of factors led to an equally increasing interest in Islamic and Muslim politics. However, the interest remains to a great extent concerned with the history of Islam in Africa, with very little attention paid to contemporary Muslim politics in its broader sense or indeed what this means in the South African context. This thesis, about Muslims’ identities in South Africa, aims to merge these two fields of identities in-formation and Muslim politics. In an attempt to unpack identity discourses within the Muslim community in South Africa, the study will address three main questions: How are Muslims’ identities formulated? How do they relate to each other? And how do they develop in different contexts? In order to answer the aforementioned questions the thesis will focus on how religious identities intersect with other levels of identification mainly national, ethnic and political identities. By answering the broader questions about identity construction processes, the thesis is able to address several other more specific questions. For example, what kind of interplay exists between the different identities such as those that are religious, ethnic, socio-economic or political? What does this interplay suggest in terms of the hierarchy of identities in different contexts? Instead of using identity as an analytical category, the thesis adopts the term ‘identification’, which reflects both the processes according to which identities are formulated as well as the context contingent nature of identities. After analyzing the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of identity construction, the rest of the thesis discusses the extent to which Islam has informed Muslims’ identities at three separate, yet intersected and connected, levels. At the political identity level, I argue that religious identity has relatively little bearing on the articulation of Muslims’ political identities in post-apartheid South Africa, by comparison with the apartheid era when political activism of Muslims was heavily charged by Islamic ethos and principles. I also argue that the stance adopted by Islamic religious bodies in the anti-apartheid struggle undermined their influence within the Muslim community to a great extent as far as political identities are concerned. In other contexts however, religious bodies enjoy a more prominent role; that is particularly evident in negotiating Muslims’ rights regarding Muslim Personal Law, which is highlighted as a case in point to show how citizenship, and thus national identity, is intertwined with religious identity. At a third and final level, ethnic identities within the Muslim community are examined through the inter-community relations, which reveal that racial and ethnic identification is best understood through both cultural as well as structural approaches.
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Alchin, Angela Nicole. "Are women making a difference in peacekeeping operations? Considering the voices of South African women peacekeepers." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/96843.
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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Although there has been a shift from state security to human security, feminist scholars pointed out the missing gender dynamic of a human security approach. The inclusion of a gendered lens has allowed for peacekeeping to come under scrutiny on how it affects the human security of the host society. Due to increased allegations of sexual exploitation of locals by male peacekeepers, the UN and scholars alike have advocated the increasing recruitment of women in peacekeeping operations, claiming that they have a number of unique contributions which improve the operational effectiveness of a peacekeeping unit and the human security of vulnerable populations. Broadly, the unique contributions women make to peacekeeping is: 1. They have a calming effect on men which decreases violence by peacekeepers; 2. Women are more inclined to interact with locals; 3. They are better respondents to victims of sexual violence; and 4. Women are inspirational to local women. However, women have faced a number of challenges which inhibit them from fulfilling these unique contributions. This project contributes to this line of inquiry and, by conducting focus group discussions with women soldiers in the 9 South Africa Infantry (9 SAI) base, this study provides further understanding on the challenges women peacekeepers face in realizing their value to peacekeeping missions. The evidence presented in this article suggests that even though women can have a positive impact on the operational effectiveness of a unit, the broadly advocated unique contributions of women peacekeepers presents a false holism of women in the military. In the South African case, patriarchal beliefs define gender perceptions and create a self-perception amongst women which inhibit them from realizing their contributions to peacekeeping missions beyond patriarchal lines. Furthermore, the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) liberal feminist approach to recruiting women in the military is based on gender equality, which has come at the expense of valuing gender difference. Considering the South African case, and more broadly, the hegemonic masculine culture of military institutions allows for the creation of a soldier identity which only features masculine qualities. Therefore, both men and women do not value feminine qualities which are useful and needed in peacekeeping operations. In the end, women dilute their femininity to fit into this male domain, defeating the point of adding more women to peacekeeping operations for their feminine qualities. This study shows that, ultimately, the correlation between recruiting more women and improving the human security of vulnerable citizens is hazy. Depending on the context in which peacekeepers are deployed, women peacekeepers may exacerbate the insecurity of the locals, the unit, and themselves. To overcome these challenges, this paper advocates the creation of a new soldier identity which should be championed by the SANDF. Furthermore, gender training should be done on a regular basis. In addition, recruitment processes should especially target women and emphasize the value they may add to the military and peacekeeping operations. Finally, ongoing challenges difficult to overcome are the deeply entrenched patriarchal beliefs in the South African society, and the hegemonic masculine culture of the SANDF.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel daar ʼn verskuiwing in fokus vanaf staatsveiligheid na menslike veiligheid plaasgevind het, lewer feministiese teorie steeds kritiek op menslike veiligheid omdat dit faal om ʼn geslagsaspek in ag te neem. Die insluiting van ʼn geslagsaspek het veroorsaak dat navorsing oor die maniere waarop ʼn vredesoperasie die menslikesekuriteit van die plaaslike bevolking beïnvloed gedoen word. As gevolg van toenemende bewerings van seksuele uitbuiting van plaaslike inwoners deur manlike vredebewaarders het beide die VN en ander geleerdes aanbeveel dat meer vroue gewerf moet word vir deelname aan vredesoperasies. Hul beweer dat vroulike vredesmagsoldate ʼn aantal unieke bydraes kan maak tot die effektiwiteit van vredesmageenhede, asook die menslike sekuriteit van kwesbare bevolkings. Die unieke bydrae wat vroue kan maak tot vredesendings sluit die volgende in: 1. Hulle het ʼn kalmerende effek op mans wat dus lei tot minder geweld deur manlike vredesmagsoldate; 2. Groter kommunikasie met die plaaslike bevolking; 3. Groter bevoegdheid om vroulike slagoffers van seksuele geweld te ondersteun; en 4. Inspirasie vir die plaaslike vroue. Alhoewel vroue hierdie unieke bydra kan maak, is daar ʼn aantal uitdagings wat hul in die gesig staar en dus verhoed om hierdie unieke bydrae te kan maak. Hierdie studie maak ʼn bydrae tot hierdie rigting van ondersoek, deur gebruik te maak van fokusgroepbesprekings met vroulike soldate van die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag om verdere begrip vir die uitdagings wat vroue vredesmagsoldate ondervind te kweek. Die studie dui aan dat alhoewel vroue ʼn bydrae kan maak tot die operasionele doeltreffendheid van vredesoperasies, kan hierdie unieke bydrae nie aan alle vroue toegeskryf word nie. Hierdie studie toon dat patriargie in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks ʼn groot uitdaging vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW) is omdat dit persepsies van geslag skep wat vroue verhinder om hul unieke bydrae tot vredesoperasies te realiseer. Verder, het die SANW se liberale feministiese benadering tot die werwing van vroue in die weermag gebaseer op geslagsgelykheid, gerealiseer ten koste van geslagsverskille wat waardeer moet word. In die geval van Suid-Afrika, asook militêre instellings in die algemeen, is daar ʼn hegemoniese manlike kultuur wat voorsiening maak vir die skepping van 'n soldaatsidentiteit wat net manlike eienskappe reflekteer. Dit is dus die rede waarom manlike en vroulike soldate nie waarde heg aan vroulike eienskappe nie, alhoewel hierdie eienskappe nuttig is in vredesoperasies. Op die ou einde is die toevoeging van vroue tot die weermag as gevolg van hul vroulike eienskappe onnuttig, aangesien hul hierdie eienskappe ‘opgee‘ om in te pas by die manlike kultuur van die SANW. Hierdie studie trek die stelling dat meer vroue in vredesoperasies tot die verbetering van menslikeveiligheid lei in twyfel. In teendeel, afhangende van die konteks waarin vredesmagte ontplooi word, kan vroulike vredesmagsoldate die menslike sekuriteit van die plaaslike bevolking, die vredeseenheid, en hulself in gedrang plaas. Om hierdie uitdagings die hoof te bied, stel hierdie studie voor dat die SANW ʼn nuwe soldaatsidentiteit wat manlike en vroulike eienskappe insluit, skep en bevorder. Geslagsopleiding moet ook op 'n gereelde basis plaasvind. Daarbenewens moet die werwingsproses veral op vroue gemik word en die waarde wat hulle toevoeg tot beide die weermag en vredesoperasies beklemtoon word. Ten slotte, voortdurende uitdagings wat moeilik is om die hoof te bied sluit in: die patriargale oortuigings in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing asook die hegemoniese manlike kultuur van die SANW.
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Topp, Janet. "Women and the Africanisation of Taarab in Zanzibar." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.301769.
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Zonde, Memory. "Empowered women in water management." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2007. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_9523_1258026827.
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Following South Africa's independence from apartheid rule, there has been progressive developments in policies that promote equity in all spheres including the water sector. Equality in the water sector is not only limited to water access, but also management of the water. This study investigated the factors that empower women in the water sector as an example of gender equity.
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Ganesan, Sudha. "Exploring factors contributing to South African women entrepreneurship." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97269.
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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This report is an exploratory study assessing the life stages of South African women entrepreneurs. The purpose is to share significant learnings, experiences and challenges from an entrepreneurial perspective. The study followed a phenomenological approach; the findings have been formed based on the lived experiences of the women without imposing bias or existing knowledge frameworks. The study aims to share meaningful experiences from their situational contexts. The sample consisted of ten South African women entrepreneurs in various industries. The industries range from packaging, clothing, fast moving consumer goods (food), communications, accommodation, and asset management. Important findings of the study are that having relevant work experience, expertise in their fields, and established reputations within their respective industries assisted the participating women in establishing their businesses. However, the younger entrepreneurs with limited work experience were also able to establish successful enterprises owing to being highly skilled in their areas of expertise. They had chosen to study courses, after identifying their passions. They had specifically chosen courses directly related to the businesses they created in order to improve their expertise further. One participant was an exception to the women entrepreneurs participating. She had started her business with no related work experience and no expertise with regards to her product offering. In her case, passion for her product, upskilling herself, having a support structure, and having access to mentorship, assisted her in overcoming challenges.
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Peacock, Brenda Thandiwe. "Strategies to improve the representation of black women in senior levels within the South African banking industry." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/19695.
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The main purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate strategies to improve the representation of black females in senior levels within the South African banking industry. This was done through investigating the challenges that black women face in their career advancement within the banking industry and the strategies which currently exist and can be implemented to improve this representation. In as much as the research is aimed at seeking strategies to improve black women representation in senior positions, it also seeks to understand the barriers experienced by black women in different levels within the industry as these levels serve as a pipeline for senior management. This problem was addressed through answering the research objectives. The research objectives were achieved through conducting a literature review to explore the existing research topic and conducting an empirical study. Empirical evidence was obtained through conducting semi-structured interviews with seven black women who are currently working in the banking sector. Semi-structured interviews were used due to the target population being specific to black women as well as the need to acquire in-depth knowledge from black women of their experiences in climbing the corporate ladder in the sector. The key findings of the research found that the participant’s perception was that black women were at the bottom, that black women were displaying behaviours that were inhibiting their progress to senior positions. The study also found that black women struggled to advance to senior positions due to different challenges that they encountered. The study is finalised by the participants providing recommendations in terms of how the representation of black women could be improved.
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Jantjes, Louisa. "Inter-level health service referral of women in labour." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/986.
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Although it is considered an everyday occurrence, childbirth is nonetheless an important and dramatic experience in the life of every woman. Childbirth, a normal physiological state in the life of a woman, can be an awe-inspiring and exciting experience, but sometimes disconcerting experiences may also occur. Women sometimes see labour as the end to a long drawn out process following pregnancy and therefore attribute great significance to all occurrences during labour. When complications occur in a usually uncomplicated process of labour, the health care provider must be able to make quick and effective management decisions and implement appropriate interventions. This may include the referral of women in labour to a level of care where complications can be dealt with more effectively, thereby ensuring the best maternal and neonatal outcomes. Patient referral is regarded as a fundamental component of the health care system therefore a well functioning system should ensure that patients are treated in the appropriate manner at the appropriate place at the lowest possible cost to the health system. The goal of this research study was to explore and describe the inter-level health service referral of women in labour by midwives, in order to design guidelines for midwives and other relevant health care providers involved in inter-level health service referral of women in labour in the South African public health care sector. The research design used for this study is a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The paradigmatic perspective of this study was based on the World Health Organization’s Health for All Model. Appropriate data collection and analysis strategies were used for the different stages of the study. Data collection commenced only after permission to conduct the research had been obtained from relevant authorities and University of Port Elizabeth and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University structures. Informed consent was obtained from participants included in the study. In stage 1 of this research project, a profile of midwives at lower level maternity care centres was compiled and the perceptions and experiences of midwives working at lower level maternity services, who are responsible for inter-level health referrals of women in labour, were described. Stage 2 described, by means of analysis of maternity case records, aspects of the inter-level referral of women in labour including the profiles of women admitted to midwife obstetric units (MOUs) who are v referred to higher levels of care. Of significance in this study is the appropriateness of midwifery referrals and the maternity care implemented by health care providers during inter-level health service referral of women in labour. In stage 3 clinical guidelines for midwives and other relevant maternity care providers, to assist them in the inter-level health service referral of women in labour, were developed. Findings from stage 1 of this research study revealed that midwives were generally well qualified and sufficiently experienced in the management of women in labour who need referral. Disconcerting findings relating to human and material resource shortages were discovered; these included major problems with patient transportation and difficulties with communication relating to inter-level health service referral of women. These shortages adversely affected midwives’ ability to efficiently care for women during the inter-level health service referral of women in labour in the research area. Stage 2 of the study yielded results of questionable standards of care to women and infants included in the study. A further disturbing finding from the study is the poor state of record keeping. The development of the provisional guidelines in stage 3 of the study was informed by the four main themes identified from the research findings. Before embarking on guideline development, the researcher familiarized herself with theory related to the clinical guidelines. These included clarifying the concept ‘clinical guidelines’, justifying the need for developing clinical guidelines as well as giving consideration to concerns about clinical guidelines. The research findings as well as literature related to these findings informed the researcher on the development of the guidelines. Provisional guidelines were therefore developed on responsibilities of role players in inter-level health service referral of women in labour at first level of referral, namely the midwife obstetric units, transport personnel and maternity care providers at the referral hospital. Steps were taken throughout the study to adhere to ethical standards of research. The researcher will ensure that the research report is available to all health authorities involved, the participants included in the study and the health care providers who may benefit from the research findings.
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Tame, Faith Jabulile Nomfundiso. "Women and co-operatives." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20615.
Full textAbstract:
In this study, “Women and Cooperatives”, the researcher was interested in finding out whether women cooperatives contributed towards development of women and poverty reduction in Sarah Baartman District Municipality between 2004 and 2014. The study was conducted with three cooperatives situated in Makana Local Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality and Eastern Cape Province. The cooperatives studied focused on sewing, poultry and agriculture. The study was explorative in nature as it was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of women cooperatives in empowering women, the effectiveness of women cooperatives in reducing poverty and to make recommendations regarding what can be done to address the challenges identified in the study. The qualitative research method was applied when conducting this study. Eight respondents from each cooperative were willing to take part and this led to a total of twenty-four respondents who participated. The questions asked were based on the interview schedule developed by the researcher. The results of the study and the recommendations indicated that more commitment from the government is required and the following key aspects should be taken into account when considering a development program: Infrastructure, Availability of funding, Access to resources, Skills development, Provision of basic services.
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Bradlow, Muhammad 'Adil. "Imperialism, state formation and the establishment of a Muslim community at the Cape of Good Hope, 1770-1840 : a study in urban resistance." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17069.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliography.One of the most significant and yet least studied developments of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Cape Town is the emergence and growth of a muslim community. So dramatic was this process, that by the end of the period of slavery, well over two thirds of the town's non-European population were considered to be members of this community. Yet this process has largely been regarded, in such studies as do exist, as one of only marginal significance to the unfolding pattern of struggles that characterise this turbulent and brutal period of Cape Town's history. This lack of serious research stems largely from the nature of prevailing conceptions, which have tended to characterise both Islam and the muslim community as ostensibly cultural phenomena; culture being defined in its narrowest sense. Denied its political and ideological significance, the process of Islamisation is reduced to the point where it is regarded only as a quaint and colourful anachronism, adding a touch of spice to the cosmopolitan nature of the town. This thesis, however, takes as its point of departure the rejection of the notion that the development of Islam in Cape Town can be meaningfully understood in these terms.
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Dlamini, Patricia Dollane. "Strategies for advancing women into executive management positions." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15005.
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Problem: In South Africa, women have not always had opportunities in society or the workplace due to historical discriminatory political and socio-economic policies and practices, including apartheid (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2011). Gender disparity at the top echelons of organisations is still prevalent, and the South African business landscape is not different despite progressive legislation promulgated in the late 90s when the democratic government took over. Aim of the study: The aim was to identify challenges faced by women when attempting to advance into executive positions and strategies that could assist them in this respect. Method: A literature study was conducted to establish what work had already been done in the field of gender studies and advancement of women in the corporate world. For the empirical study an interpretivist paradigm with a qualitative research approach was adopted. Interviews were conducted with ten women who were members of the Port Elizabeth branch of the Businesswomen's Association of South Africa (BWASA) and who were categorised as hopeful, emerging or already in executive positions. They were asked about the challenges they were facing or had experienced and the strategies that assisted or could assist them in advancing to an executive position. They were also asked to provide critical incidents with the view of enriching the data and gaining a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Results: Gender-insensitive organisational policies, an unsupportive organisational culture and unknown barriers in selection emerged as key challenges experienced by the participants. Facilitative strategies that emerged included a supportive corporate culture, family support, an enabling supervisor and affiliation to professional bodies. Conclusion: Whilst a large pool of work has been done on the advancement of women, gender equality in corporate South Africa remained a challenge. This challenge should be addressed from a corporate, personal and professional perspective. Recommendations: An integrated organisational approach to this phenomenon is required which should include appropriate company policies, a supportive organisational culture and enabling supervisors. In addition, women should garner the support that their families provide and they could greatly benefit from affiliating to professional bodies.
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Chowdhury, Tasneem A. 1954. "Segregation of women in Islamic societies of South Asia and its reflection in rural housing : case study in Bangladesh." Thesis, McGill University, 1992. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=61318.
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In Islamic societies, religion plays a significant role in shaping the home and the environment. An important feature of the Islamic culture is the segregation of women from males other than next of kin. This aspect has given rise to the separation of domains for men and women, both in the home and the neighbourhood. And this duality of space in turn reinforces the seclusion and segregation of women.This thesis studies this phenomenon in rural settlements in South Asia in regions where Muslims predominate and also in non-Muslim areas influenced by centuries of Muslim rule. The living patterns of rural women and how they use and perceive their local space formed the focus of the study.
A field study was undertaken in a rural community in Bangladesh. Gender segregation norms and the resulting spatial organization of dwellings of different socio-economic groups were studied and compared. An important premise of the study is how the poor manage to integrate their faith and Islamic customs in their living environment.
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Schwartz, Linda Mary. "Grandmothers, mothers and daughters : transformations and coping strategies in Xhosa households in Grahamstown." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006190.
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The aim of this oral history study is to explore the ways in which constructions of gender have brought women to the point where they now bear most of the burden of responsibility in their relationships with men and for the wellbeing of children. This study speaks into the gap of the undocumented history of women's lived experience as told by women themselves. It is a generational study which charts the transformations and coping strategies of women in Xhosa households since the 1940s. The study found that the familial burdens related to women's sexuality and fertility, raising of children and financial responsibilities in a time of HIV / AIDS have increased. Teenage pregnancies, the discipline of children, HIV / AIDS and the ever present aspects of poverty are major issues these women face. The stress of day to day demands on their lives precluded them the opportunity to reflect on the underlying causes and historical roots of their circumstances. Little understanding of the gendered order of their lives was expressed by the respondents. The use of feminist methodology authenticated the women's stories as they produced knowledge of their lived experience. The interview questions raised awareness of the gender bias underlying much of their struggles at home.KMBT_363
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Stolarczyk, Elizabeth Maria, and Mary McMahon. "Systemic influences on the career development of a sample of black South African adolescent females: adolescent and parental perspectives." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12865.
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Career counselling in South Africa is yet fully support the transformation process taking place nationally. More specifically, the discipline of career psychology requires the emergence of a career development theory commensurate with its diverse population. historically, extensive use was made of western career theories which were not applicable to the majority of South Africa's culturally and ethically diverse population groups consisting predominantly of black individuals of low socioeconomic status. In addition, since 1994 a black middle class has emerged in South Africa that has become increasingly prominent. Familial and parental influence on the career development of adolescents is acknowledge as pivotal; however, little South Afriucan research exists on this topic. The aim of the present study is to investigate the systematic influence on adolescent career development from the perspectives of black South African middle class grade 11 females and their parents.
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Doubell, Marianne. "Factors contributing to the success of professional and business women in South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1622.
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Women remain notably underrepresented in management and leadership positions despite the enactment of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies. A critical literature review yielded evidence of a multitude of barriers inhibiting women’s career advancement beyond an apparent glass ceiling, but not which of the factors constitute the major barriers. A knowledge gap was further identified in research pertaining to characteristics of successful professional women and the environments that enable them to succeed in their professions. The purpose of the current study is to expand the empirical body of research and knowledge on factors contributing to the success of professional women, and of factors inhibiting the career progression of women in business. The study extends that of Punnett, Duffy, Fox, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján and Santos (2006) and of Duffy, Fox, Punnett, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján, Santos and Miller (2006), conducted in the Americas, to the South African context. The study suggests a conceptual framework for investigating factors that influence professional success of women. The developed conceptual framework of factors perceived to influence professional success was employed to empirically test the relationships between the variables presented. The empirical data collected was subjected to a series of statistical tests and the results considered in testing the hypotheses. Statistica 10 was employed to analyse the empirical data collected. Univariate and multivariate tests (MANOVA) were employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about hypotheses one to five of the study, relating to differences between two success groups of women based on their demographics and the selected variables. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (Pearson r) was employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about vi hypotheses six to ten, relating to significant relationships between the selected independent variables for the study and the professional success of women. Professional success was measured as job seniority level. For the pipeline success group, professional success was measured as seniority in relation to years in the employment sector and age. The contribution of the study to management science and possible limitations are discussed and recommendations made for future research. Recommendations for the development of women and for the social transformation of organisations are made. The study identifies a number of internal organisational support factors and government interventions which are recommended for inclusion in development initiatives for the achievement of gender equity.
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Msengana, Sweetlener Thobeka. "The lived experiences of HIV-positive women in poverty." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013269.
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The focus of this study was on the experiences of a small sample of local women who are HIVpositive and are living in poverty. The researcher was interested in exploring the psychological and social experiences of these women using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. This research aimed at giving these women a voice to express their first-hand, personal accounts of living with HIV in poverty. Data was analysed for meaningful units, which were interpreted inductively and hermeneutically, and categorised into super-ordinate themes. Six themes within the participants' experiences of living with HIV were determined, namely: (I) experiences of diagnosis, (2) disclosure experiences, (3) stigma, (4) ARV experiences, (5) experiences of social support and (6) poverty. This research found that after an HIV-positive diagnosis, most women experience a variety of emotional reactions. These reactions however seem to change overtime into positive acceptance of the HIV diagnosis. Most of the women in this study preferred to use partial disclosure than to fully disclose their HJV-positive status openly to families, friends and to their community. Reasons for not using full disclosure included fear of discrimination and stigma, which included a fear of being rejected or being blamed for their status and a fear of losing relationships. It was also evident from the findings that most of the women had experienced stigma directly and therefore partial disclosure was used as a coping mechanism to protect the self from further harm. It was also revealed that stigma not only has a negative impact on disclosure but also on social support and ARV experiences. Because ofHIV-related stigma, lack of social support was a struggle that almost all the women in this study had experienced. Lack of understandings about their medication also had a negative impact of the ARV experiences. Stigmas along with poverty are the major struggles that HIV -positive women have to deal with in their day to day living. The findings of this study reveal a need for further research in this experiential area as well as campaigns and education around issues such as stigma, medication, and emotional difficulties associated with HIV.
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Badi, Yvonne Tankiso. "Survival of women in law enforcement." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020179.
Full textAbstract:
This study seeks to investigate the underlying ideologies and practices behind the perception that women who are in command positions are unable to command and control, especially those who are in the operational environment. The study was executed in the Eastern Cape Province (Eastern Cape), in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCM). The research participants (respondents) were constituted by 33 police officers from diverse police stations within the BCM. The participants were divided according to gender, i.e. 24 females and 9 males. With regards to objectives of the study, the aim was to investigate the following issues: i) to understand factors that make women not to be accepted in their positions as SAPS' operational commanders, by their male subordinateslcolleagues and community members. ii) To understand factors that make women not to be accepted in their positions as SAPS' operational commanders, by their male subordinates/colleagues and community members, and iii) to explore strategies to utilize in making SAPS' women operational commanders, survive while managing their day-te-day respective units/components effectively and efficiently. Regarding research design, this study mainly used a qualitative research method combined with a bit of a quantitative approach. And then the data collection method involved making use of semi structured interviews to all the respondents. The results of this study show that there is still a huge difference in the number of women who are commanders compared to their male counterparts, especially in those environments that were previously regarded as male dominated. Further, despite the necessary training being provided by the SAPS to women officers, the necessary support in particular from management is still a challenge. Lastly, the argument of this study is that there is still not a fair representation of women in command positions within the SAPS, especially, in the previously male dominated environments.
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Bux, Zubeida. "The changing roles of Muslim women in South Africa." Thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/6345.
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Boomberg, Raheemah. "The identity of South African Muslim - women: the modern Muslim woman." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/19989.
Full textAbstract:
There are withstanding stereotypes about the realities of Muslim women, as neat
categories, plastered on to Muslim women across the world. These inadequate
representations of Muslim women’s actualities stem from political images, provided
by international media relating to Middle Eastern women. Not to say that some
Muslim women are subjugated by patriarchy, the actual lives of many Muslim women
in other states such as South Africa are different. Hence, this research study aims to
better understand the identity of Muslim women in relation to broad socio-cultural
systems, Islamic ideals and secular lifestyles. Conducting ethnographic, qualitative
analysis within the discipline of Anthropology, the focus of this study pertained to a
group of Muslim women found in a middle-upper class suburb of Johannesburg,
South Africa. Ultimately Muslim women themselves deconstruct stereotypical ideas
of what it means to be Muslim in secular society. Instead of resisting Islamic ideals,
even though accustomed to modern society, Muslim women embrace these ideals and
mediate how they identify themselves as well as the ways in which they, as modern
Muslim women, express their identity to society. Muslim women are seen as selfdeterminants
rather than inactive participants of modern Muslim communities
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Sader, Farzana. "The identity of Muslim women in South Africa : married couples' perspectives." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/6611.
Full textAbstract:
The present study provides an understanding of how married, tertiary educated and employed
Muslim females negotiate their identities across contexts within a multicultural environment, such as
post-1994 contemporary Johannesburg. An additional facet of this study was to gain insight into
the construction of Muslim female identity by the husbands of the women in the study. The
commonly portrayed images of Muslim women are unflattering and ill-conceived and depict the
Muslim woman as one who is veiled, oppressed, secluded and submissive. In South Africa however,
Muslim women have been able to participate in secular education and employment opportunities
and practice their religion within a democratic dispensation that is responsive to issues of gender.
In order to obtain an understanding of the nuances that underpin Muslim female self-constructions
and constructions by their husbands, the study was approached from a social constructionist
epistemology. It is the assumption of the researcher that identities are thus in part created
discursively, and for the purpose of this study, the constructions of identity of the participants were
analysed using a discourse analysis methodology. Interviews were conducted with four Muslim
couples. Social facets such as gender, race, religion and globalisation were used as topics in order
to understand how participants constructed Muslim women’s identity. The Muslim women who
participated in the study appear to inhabit different subject positions in their daily lives. The study
highlighted that identity may not be fixed or stable, rather a function of relational or contextual
positions. Both the women and men in this study emphasised an Islamic identification while
distancing themselves from a cultural identification. The oppression of Muslim women was
relegated to the realm of culture. In prioritising an Islamic identity the participants have created a
space where they are able to construct an alternative identity for Muslim women that enables
them these women the freedom to access secular spaces or what may be viewed as the public
sphere of men.