The family in Shakespeare's plays: a study of South African revisions
- Authors: Hjul, Lauren Martha
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Parents , Parental bonds , Family , Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- In literature -- Research , Coetzee, J M, 1940-. Disgrace , Gordimer, Nadine. My son's story , Peteni, R L, 1915-. Hill of fools , English drama -- 17th century -- History and criticism , Families in literature , English literature -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2181 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001832
- Description: This thesis provides a detailed consideration of the family in Shakespeare’s canon and the engagement therewith in three South African novels: Hill of Fools (1976) by R. L. Peteni, My Son’s Story (1990) by Nadine Gordimer, and Disgrace (1999) by J. M. Coetzee. The study is divided into an introduction, three chapters each addressing one of the South African novels and its relationship with a Shakespeare text or texts, and a conclusion. The introductory chapter provides an analysis of the two strands of criticism in which the thesis is situated – studies of the family in Shakespeare and studies of appropriations of Shakespeare – and discusses the ways in which these two strands may be combined through a detailed discussion of the presence of power dynamics in the relationship between parent and child in all of the texts considered. The three chapters each contextualise the South African text and provide detailed discussions of the family dynamics within the relevant texts, with particular reference to questions of authority and autonomy. The focus in each chapter is determined by the nature of the intertextual relationship between the South African novel and the Shakespearean text being discussed. Thus, the first chapter, “The Dissolution of Familial Structures in Hill of Fools” considers power dynamics in the family as an inherent part of the Romeo and Juliet genre, of which William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is but a part. Similarly, the impact of a socio-political identity, and the secrecy it necessitates, is the focus of the second chapter, “Fathers, Sons and Legacy in My Son’s Story” as is the role of Shakespeare and literature within South Africa. These concerns are connected to the novel’s use of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, King Lear, and Hamlet. In the third chapter, “Reclaiming Agency through the Daughter in Disgrace and The Tempest”, I expand on Laurence Wright’s argument that Disgrace is an engagement with The Tempest and consider ways in which the altered power dynamic between father and daughter results in the reconciliation of the father figure with society. The thesis thus addresses the tension between parental bonds and parental bondage
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- Date Issued: 2013
Third crime unlucky
- Authors: Cartwright, Robert Oliver
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , Creative writing -- Fiction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5987 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015729
- Description: This is a contemporary mystery novel set in the Eastern Cape. A town’s airstrip, situated between the golf club and the military base, acts as host to the local flying club and an active skydiving school. An amateur investigator uses unorthodox methods and the help of friends to find the cause of aeroplane fires and sabotage. His investigations lead him via geological research and insurance reports into contact with members of the aviation, property development and military fields.
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- Date Issued: 2012
The development of isiZulu as an academic language for the teaching of fundamental concepts in economics
- Authors: Makhatini, Freedom Nkanyiso
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Zulu language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa African languages -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa Economics -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3589 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002164
- Description: This thesis looks at language as the medium of all our ideas and sentiments. The thesis represents a position statement regarding the development of isiZulu as an academic language. The field of Economics is used to merely illustrate and support the points that are being made in this work. It is argued that each language is viewed as the means of expression of the cultural heritage of its people, and it remains a reflection of cultural groups who speak that particular language. It is a fact that indigenous African Languages have been, for obvious reasons, blatantly understudied during the apartheid years in South Africa (Rudwick 2004). Languages have market value and the desirability of English as the most important global language today has an effect in most Black learners in South Africa. The study examined the development of indigenous African languages, isiZulu in particular, in Zululand University where ninety percent of students and lecturers are isiZulu first language speakers, and came to a conclusion that there is an urgent need for Black South African students to learn academic subjects through their mother tongues. This would help them in thorough understanding and interpretation of analytic text presented in a foreign language such as English. The study advocates that isiZulu, which is the mother-tongue of many students at the University of Zululand, should be a language for upward mobility to these students, but as the situation stands, isiZulu becomes a neglected or marginalised language since it is not the normal medium of instruction and it is not used for effective communication in their education system.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Facets of human resource development on building female capacity in the African context : the case of Gqebera Township, Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Sydhagen, Kristine
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Women in development -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Women -- Employment , Manpower policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:16149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/614 , Women in development -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Women -- Employment , Manpower policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: An empirical study of HRD, women, HIV and AIDS, and sustainable community development has been undertaken. Women make up approximately half of the population in the world. Taking this into account, there are many places where women do not have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. This is also true for most of Africa. Many people in Africa are deprived of basic education and often the majority of these are women. Even though the situation has improved for many girls and women in many areas, there is still a great deal that needs to be done in order to ensure equal opportunities for everyone within the labor market and society. In order to achieve this, it can be argued that sustainable development and sound human resource (HRD) policy implementation and strategies must be employed. HIV and AIDS damage society just as it does the human body: it begins by killing those parts responsible for building society: the women and breadwinners who sustain and look after the community as a whole. In this proposal, an outline of the structure of the dissertation will be given. The outline of four articles will be presented, as will the uniqueness and the similarities of the articles. For the purpose of this dissertation; different methodological research techniques will be employed according to the themes of the different articles in addition to the desired purpose of the research being conducted. Regarding the data collection, qualitative research will be used in the expectation of uncovering issues relating to women and HRD in Gqebera Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The need for skills development and training in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing in an area where unstable economies and high unemployment create challenges on many levels. Sub-Saharan Africa is faced with great poverty, skills migration, and HIV and AIDS, which are depleting the region of skilled workers in their prime working years. The region is facing numerous challenges in the development of skills and the ability to make use of the available human resources. It can be argued that the Sub-Saharan African region needs to increase the skilled labor pool and to develop communities. Perhaps most importantly, there is an urgent need for the region to face the impact of globalization on its own terms. This involves the fusion of African philosophy and management styles with the traditional Western theories with HRD strategies and policies that will be suitable for the developing economies in the region. Women in Africa face many difficult and complex situations in society, including difficulties entering the labor market. HIV and AIDS is a major challenge for South Africa and it brings people in the region much grief, sorrow and confusion as the rate of prevalence continues to rise. This article explores the social aspects of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the communities and in the labor market and the extent to which women are affected on an individual, community and labor market level. HRD in relations to HIV and AIDS is examined in order to get an understanding of the role that HRD should play in the deprived South African communities that struggle to find resources to battle the social consequences of HIV and AIDS. An examination of feminist theory and HRD in Africa indicates the need to incorporate African feminism in the cause of advancing HRD theory. Because they are subject to multiple levels of discrimination, and because there are no country-specific policies to ensure their advancement, African women need to be protected from the patriarchal domination that prevails in the majority of African countries. Despite higher female involvement in African economies, they are denied opportunities and equal rights. If the development goals of Africa are to be achieved, HRD theory needs to incorporate both Western and African feminist theory, specifically related to gender inequalities that women experience in the realm of work. The level women’s understanding of sustainable development in Gqebera Township, South Africa is explored. Further the challenges and opportunities for sustainable HRD in the Sub-Saharan region is examined. Sub-Saharan African is facing numerous challenges including poverty, inequality, HIV and AIDS and high unemployment. All these factors are important to consider when planning HRD policies and strategies in the region. Sustainable development is a worldwide aim and on the agenda of many countries; especially the developing and least developed, the countries on the African continent. The conditions under and the degree to which women in Sub-Saharan Africa have been participating in the development process in the past have often not enabled them to fully develop their capacity in order to take part in the work towards sustainable development.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Stepping into history : biography as approaches to contemporary South African choreography with specific reference to Bessie's Head (2000) and Miss Thandi (2002)
- Authors: Snyman, Johannes Hendrik Bailey
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Head, Bessie, 1937-1986 , Maqoma, Gregory -- Miss Thandi , Derrida, Jacques -- Criticism and interpretation , Biography , Choreography -- South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004678
- Description: This mini-thesis is located in historical discursive practices, choreographing history, biography as a source for making dance in South Africa and choreographic transformations in South African choreography since the 1994 democratic elections. Derridian concepts of deconstruction will be referenced in an attempt to focus the argument of this research, which comments on choreographic transformations since 1994, by subverting the influence of the 'violent hierarchies' enforced by the apartheid regime on South African cultural life and choreographic identity. The researcher draws on these considerations in order to explore the hybrid nature of South African choreography that has emerged since 1994. Chapter one examines the fallacious nature of historical discourse through a consideration and application of Derrida's notions of deconstruction and fabrication. Chapter two explores the notion of choreographing history in theatre through a focus on the objective/subjective fallacy and the history of the body as a textual medium. Chapter three focuses the study specifically in biography as a discourse within the idea of theatre. This approach to biography can be encapsulated by the phrase 'telling lives'. This chapter also explores the relationship between the traditional binaries of writing as a purely cerebral act and choreography as a purely visceral experience. Chapter four brings the focus to the specific post-apartheid South African context. This chapter considers the hybrid forms of dance emerging in South Africa as well as the notion of protest in relation to theatre and dance. The final chapter is an investigation and analysis of two choreographic works created by South African choreographers since 1994 in relation to biography and concepts of deconstruction. These works are Gary Gordon's Bessie's Head (2000) and Gregory Maqoma's Miss Thandi (2002). The focus of the analysis also reveals the inherent difficulty in objective interpretation, and considers the problematics of collaboration and autobiography when choreographing within a biographical context.
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- Date Issued: 2003