Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Something Old, Something New: Historicizing Same-Sex Marriage Within Ongoing Struggles Over African Marriage In South Africa, Michael W. Yarbrough

Publications and Research

This article examines contemporary struggles over same-sex marriage in the daily lives of black lesbian- and gay-identified South Africans. Based primarily on 21 in-depth interviews with such South Africans drawn from a larger project on post-apartheid South African marriage, the author argues that their current struggles for relationship recognition share much in common with contemporaneous struggles of their heterosexual counterparts, and that these commonalities reflect ongoing tensions between more extended-family and more dyadic understandings of African marriage. The increasing influence of dyadic understandings of marriage, and of associated ideals of romantic love, has helped inspire same-sex marriage claims and, in …

Global Apartheid: A Black Feminist Analysis Of Motherwork In Townships, Autumn G. Diaz

Global Honors Theses

This thesis examines intersectional oppression operating within a South African township through the framework of Black Feminist Thought. Due to colonialism and the lingering effects of Apartheid-era policies, experiences of Black women in South Africa - particularly motherhood - must be navigated in a constant state of intersecting racism, sexism, and classism. In this current study, daily lived experiences are documented in thick, descriptive detail through portraiture, describing a day in the life of Somanga, a mother and non-governmental organization (NGO) employee residing in a township in the outskirts of Cape Town. Themes of conditional and individual violence, motherwork, othermothering, …

Regional Economic Groupings And Security Challenges: A Comparative Study Of Ecowas And Sadc, G.S. Mmaduabuchi Okeke Ph.D., Tola Odubajo Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Amidst the demanding need for economic integration, the pressure for security is always present. The several dimensions of security have also suffered a paradigmatic shift, especially in the context of upsurge in global terrorism, and several human security challenges. The article contextually addresses the contending issues and comparatively analyzes the similarities and differences in both regions: West Africa and Southern Africa. The functionalist approach is applied in the explanations of the circumstances that led to the establishment of ECOWAS and SADC as Regional Economic Groupings. Data for the research were adapted from secondary sources; published works, from libraries, internet sources …

Understanding Violence Against Foreigners In Cape Town: Conceptions Of Autochthony And Xenophobia In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Mary L. Casey

Student Publications

Examining the correlation between the history of colonialism and structures of Apartheid in South Africa and the current xenophobic violence experienced by Black African immigrants settling in Cape Town. This thesis explores theories of autochthony and belonging in the context of Cape Town, Black South African relationships and ownership of land, access to resources and opportunities for employment, and the continued disenfranchisement of Black South Africans in the wake of Apartheid. These components of the issue of xenophobia in Cape Town are factored into an analysis of how and why violence persists against immigrants in the city.

The Mountain Stands: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Zulu Christians' Approaches To Spiritual Health, Makayla Lagerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Spiritual health is a vital component of individual wellness that can be described in many ways; most commonly, it is thought of as the connectivity of the inner spirit to others, the world, transcendental beings, and more. From personal experience, I know that the state of my spiritual wellbeing can greatly impact my physical and mental health. For this reason, actively considered how to think about spiritual health for one of the first times in my life.

This project sought to explore Zulu Christians’ approaches to spiritual health in concurrence with my own. This was done by interviewing one Swazi …

Very Long Engagements: The Persistent Authority Of Bridewealth In A Post-Apartheid South African Community, Michael W. Yarbrough

Publications and Research

This article examines the persistent authority of the customary practice for forming recognized marriages in many South African communities, centered on bridewealth and called “lobola.” Marriage rates have sharply fallen in South Africa, and many South Africans blame this on the difficulty of completing lobola amid intense economic strife. Using in-depth qualitative research from a village in KwaZulu-Natal, where lobola demands are the country’s highest and marriage rates its lowest, I argue that lobola’s authority survives because lay actors, and especially women, have innovated new repertoires of lobola behavior that allow them to pursue emerging needs and desires for marriage …