Africa's golden age debunked: a study of the sources of select black African historical novels
- Authors: Ayivor, Moses Geoffrey Kwame
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Mofolo, Thomas, 1875?-1948 -- Criticism and interpretation , Plaatje, Sol. T. (Solomon Tshekisho), 1876-1932 , Armah, Ayi Kwei, 1939 -- Criticism and interpretation , Ouologuem, Yambo, 1940- , African literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism , African literature -- Black authors -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2232 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002275 , Mofolo, Thomas, 1875?-1948 -- Criticism and interpretation , Plaatje, Sol. T. (Solomon Tshekisho), 1876-1932 , Armah, Ayi Kwei, 1939 -- Criticism and interpretation , Ouologuem, Yambo, 1940- , African literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism , African literature -- Black authors -- History and criticism
- Description: The main thesis of this dissertation is that even a casual analysis of African writing reveals that contemporary African literature has and is still undergoing a distinctive metamorphosis. This change, which amounts to a significant departure from the early fifties, derives its creative impulse from demonic anger and cynical iconoclasm and is triggered by the mind-shattering disillusion that followed independence. The proclivity towards tyranny and the exploitation of the ruled in modern Africa is traced by radical African creative writers to an ancient source: the legendary and god-like rulers of precolonial Africa. Ouologuem's Bound to Violence and Armah's Two Thousand Seasons and The Healers hypothesize that past sins begot present sins. The legendary warrior heroes of the past, whose glory and splendour were once exalted in African writing, are now ruthlessly disentombed and paraded as miscreants and despots, who not only brutalized and sold their people into slavery but also ideologically fabricated their own legends and myths in order to maximize their tyrannical power. The preoccupation of these works is, therefore, to divest the ancient heroes of their false glory. contemporary critics tend to perceive this anti-traditional posture purely as a modern trend in African literature. The truth of the matter, however, is that the literary foundations of this anti-nativist/anti-Afrocentric literary tradition were laid by Thomas Mofolo and Sol Plaatje, whose Chaka (1925) and Mhudi (1930) are the precursors. The five primary works in this study parody and veer away from the generally accepted traditional African epic heroism and recorded history towards a communal heroic ideal which celebrates the larger community instead of the single epic heroes normally romanticized in African legendary tradition. These novelists, while dismantling the European and African myths about Africa's Golden Age, also disfigure the often glorified ancient historical landmarks and the fabled heroes of Africa's oral and recorded history. The rationale behind this investigation is the fact that though these works have innovated, assimilated, and parodied the African oral arts, particularly traditional African epic heroism, no detailed study has been made to explore the literary transformation these texts have undergone as written works. Treating African texts only as appendages of Western literature may undermine the ability of the critical evaluations which go into the heart of these texts and unravel their deeper meanings. The outcome of this kind of approach is that pertinent issues of style and theme originating from negro-African metaphysics, oral traditions, and iconography could thereby be left unexplored. Besides, the bulk of the current body of criticism on African literature, particularly on colonial Africa, tends to concentrate on colonialist Christian values and Western literary production models. One of the overriding concerns of this research, therefore, is to veer away from merely rehashing Eurocentric pronouncements on European influences and literary modes parodied by these works, by taking a fresh. look at the texts from the perspective of Afrocentrism and in particular from the point of view of the traditional African oral bards. To this end, therefore, the dissertation is divided into six main chapters and a short concluding chapter: Chapter 1, A Survey of Black Representations of Pre-colonial Africa, functions as an introduction, sketches the European image versus the Black counter-discourse, and locates the study within the current debate on the concept of pre-colonial Africa's Golden Age. Chapter 2, Thomas Mofolo's "Inverted Epic Hero", the nucleus of the study I analyzes the anti-epic and ironic modes manipulated by the text and also maps out the epic generic framework which structures the whole dissertation. Chapter 3, Traditional African Epic Heroism Revised, discusses Plaatje's Mhudi, paying special attention to the text's deployment of the African epic genre as well as the caricaturist and the anti-heroic modes. In Chapter 4, Yambo Ouologuem's Bound to Violence is examined under the title A World Trapped in an Orgy of Violence, Barbarism and Servitude. African oral art is used as the hermeneutic key in unlocking the complexities of Ouologuem's novel. Chapter 5, The African Anti-Legendary Creative Mythology, scrutinizes Armah's Two Thousand Seasons, highlighting, among other topics, Armah's daring innovative stylistic experimentation. Chapter 6, entitled The Akan Iconic Forest of Symbols, deals with Armah' s The Healers, concentrating on the Akan iconographic backdrop which shapes and informs this work. And finally, The Metamorphosis of Traditional African Epic Heroism, the title of the concluding chapter, sums up this dissertation.
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- Date Issued: 1994
An ergonomic analysis of commercially available exercise equipment : implications for resistance training and clinical rehabilitation
- Authors: Scott, Stephen Bryce
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Human engineering -- Case studies , Exercise -- Equipment and supplies -- Evaluation , Isometric exercise -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5172 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016367
- Description: This study examined the often contrived advertising claims of the manufacturers of variable resistance isotonic machinery. Specifically, the study sought to ascertain whether certain equipment was compatible with musculo-skeletal and perceptual needs and limitations of the human user: that is, to determine whether presently installed eccentric cams, which provide the variable resistance, matched the users force curves. The format of this research was in the ergonomic tradition in which empirical research is not necessarily the primary avenue. Consequently the inter-disciplinary nature of ergonomics required small-scale laboratory- simulation experiments to be conducted in a diverse range of disciplines such as physiology, psychology and biomechanics. It was found that on all five pieces of variable resistance machinery analysed, a mismatch between the force curves and the eccentric cams exist. The cams were redesigned accordingly. The metabolic cost of performing fixed-rate isoinertial lifts was moderate. The psychophysical analysis revealed that perceptual responses indicated that the work was classified as 'light' and only at 30% stress levels do local cues begin to dominate. Based on these findings it was concluded that manufacturers advertising claims in the instances analysed were not well-founded and that variable resistance isotonic machinery should only be used to develop muscular strength and endurance, and do not effectively serve as weight-loss devices.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Author, ideology and publisher a symbiotic relationship : Lovedale Missionary Press and early Black writing in South Africa: with specific reference to the critical writings of H.I.E. Dlomo
- Authors: Midgley, Henry Peter
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Shepherd, Robert H W (Robert Henry Wishart), 1888-1971 Dhlomo, H I E (Herbert I E), 1903-1956 Rhodes University Dissertations African literature Lovedale Institution South African literature -- Black authors -- History and criticism South African literature (English) -- History and criticism Politics and literature -- South Africa -- History -- 20th century Press and politics -- South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2241 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002284
- Description: The specific instances of R.H.W. Shepherd and H.I.E. Dhlomo are used in this thesis to investigate some of the many factors that influence the formation of a colonial literature, such as politics, social structures and personal ideals. By isolating the Lovedale Mission Press ~s a "contact zone" - a·place where the cultures of the colonizer and the colonized come into direct contact with each other - it is possible to trace how the interaction between these cultures shaped the writing of a particular African writer, H.I.E. Dhlomo. This is done through an analysis of historical factors that shaped the policy of the Lovedale Mission Press in the twentieth century: the development of liberalism in South Africa, the·role of the missionary in African education, the function ofa liberal magazine such as The South African Outlook and the appointment of an ambitious missionary, R.I.W. Shepherd, to the position of Director of Publications. This necessarily included a study of Shepherd's vision of African literature. On the other hand, this study takes cognisance of the factors that shaped Herbert Dhlomo's vision of literature: the development of African nationalism, the entrenchment of segregation as a politial doctrine, and most importantly, his struggle to have his creative writing published by the Lovedale Press. It is shown how Shepherd's vision of what African literature should entail contrasted with Dhlomo's, and how, as a result, Dhlomo deliberately structured his critical writing as a response to Shepherd's Eurocentric approach to African literature.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Authority, avoidances and marriage: an analysis of the position of Gcaleka women in Qwaninga, Willowvale District, Transkei
- Authors: Liebenberg, Alida
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Marriage customs and rites -- South Africa -- Transkei , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Women -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2100 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002663 , Marriage customs and rites -- South Africa -- Transkei , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Women -- Developing countries
- Description: Authority as it operates in the daily lives of married women in Gcaleka society is reinforced and maintained by a body of avoidances which women need to observe during their married lives. Avoidances constitute part of the control system in the society whereby wives are being 'kept in their place'. Avoidances do not only restrict her, but also safeguard her position and her interests. Lines of authority emerge through the process of interaction; the structure reveals itself as avoidances are acted out in time and space. This study was conducted in Qwaninga, an administrative area in the coastal area of the Willowvale district, Transkei. The research started out as a study of ritual impurity and the status of women in a traditional, 'red' Gcaleka society. It soon became clear that pollution practices and beliefs associated with women form part of a greater body of avoidances which women need to observe during their married lives. Avoidances entail economic, dietary, sexual, linguistic and spatial prohibitions; as well as restrictions concerning what a woman is supposed to wear, and her withdrawal from social life. These restrictions are enforced through certain ritual and other sanctions. Three forms of avoidances are identified in this study, and are discussed and analysed. Avoidances are found in the everyday male/female division in society; in the ways through which the wife shows respect towards her husband and her in-laws (especially her husband's ancestors); and in the reproductive situations a woman finds herself in from time to time. In many anthropological studies in the past women have often been hidden in the background. This study is an attempt to give women the prominence they should be given, to show that nonwestern women are not as subordinated as people in Western society like to assume. In Gcaleka society the authority structure affecting the position of women is not only based on a distinction being made between males and females. It will be shown that a finer authority structure operates in this society whereby gender as well as age and kinship distinctions are being made. These distinctions constitute a system of classification which is safeguarded and protected by the avoidances and other restrictions imposed on women.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Effects of an enriched physical activity programme on selected anthropometric, physiological and performance characteristics of an underprivilieged ethnic group
- Authors: Van Rooyen, Frederick
- Date: 1994
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:21115 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6455
- Description: Fifty pre-pubescent Xhosa-speaking children from two primary schools within the township of Rini, Grahamstown, were selected in this study to determine the effects, if any, of an enriched physical activity programme. Subjects were divided into experimental and control groups with only the experimental group physically participating in the enrichment programme. Selected anthropometric, physiological and motor performance tests were administered on both groups, before and after the programme, to monitor the effect of the enrichment programme on growth, cardiovascular efficiency and physical performance. Somatotype ratings showed no change after the training programme. However body composition showed greater gains in fat mass in the control group and marked drops in fat mass and increases in lean body mass in the experimental group. Longer running distances, higher predicted VO2 max mean values and improved recovery heart rate (HR) as well as larger gains in relative power, absolute power and velocity were experienced by individuals who participated in the training programme. The performance of the experimental group in the two motor performance tests out-weighed by far the performance of the control group as a result of the additional programme. The enrichment programme not only produced a positive effect on body composition but also improved aerobic and anaerobic efficiency. Improvements in both motor performance tests favoured the experimental group.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Ideology, hegemony, and Xhosa written poetry, 1948-1990
- Authors: Mona, Godfrey Vulindlela
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Xhosa poetry -- History and criticism , Protest poetry, Xhosa -- History and criticism , Ideology and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002172 , Xhosa poetry -- History and criticism , Protest poetry, Xhosa -- History and criticism , Ideology and literature
- Description: This interdisciplinary study locates Xhosa written poetry (1948-1990) within the framework of the socio-politico-economic scenario in South Africa. It sets out to examine the impact of the above stated factors on literature, by supporting the hypothesis that Xhosa written poetry of the Apartheid epoch is a terrain of the struggle for hegemony between the dominant ideology and the alternative ideologies.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Lifestyle orientation of high versus low achievers in traditional school sports: an holistic analysis
- Authors: Davies, Simeon
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: School sports Achievement motivation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009501
- Description: One hundred and four subjects aged 16-18 years volunteered to participate in this study which sought to identify via an holistic model those factors that characterise the lifestyle orientations of high and low achievers (male and female) in traditional school sport. Subjects were evaluated with respect to their anthropometric, physiological, psychological and perceptual responses. The data were statistically analyzed by one way ANOVAS for significant differences in the following pairs; males and females, high and low achievers, Mhi (male high achievers) and Mlo (male low achievers), and Fhi (female high achievers) and Flo (female low achievers). Anthropometric results indicate that Fhi and Flo were significantly different in their stature, mass and body fat, while Mhi and Mlo show no significant differences. A greater disparity existed between VO, max of Fhi and Flo compared with Mhi and Mlo, along with trends in heart rate and RPE responses that were also more divergent. Psychological responses indicate that Fhi and Flo were significantly different in five of the seven sub-domains of CATPA, while Mhi and Mlo were only identifiable in one. In the PSPP Fhi and Flo were significantly different in all five subscales, while Mhi and Mlo in only two. This contrast in variability between the paired group analysis of Fhi and Flo as compared to Mhi and Mlo appears throughout the data.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Methods for assessing the susceptibility of freshwater ecosystems in Southern Africa to invasion by alien aquatic animals
- Authors: De Moor, Irene J
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Biotic communities -- South Africa , Animal introduction , Freshwater ecology -- Africa, Southern , Animal introduction -- South Africa , Geographic information systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5300 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005145
- Description: Two methods for predicting regions susceptible to invasion by alien aquatic animals were developed for southern Africa (excluding Zimbabwe and Mozambique). In the "traditional" (data-poor) approach, distributions of three categories of alien "indicator" species (warm mesothermal, cold stenothermal and eurytopic) were compared to seven existing biogeographical models of distribution patterns of various animals in southern Africa. On the basis of these comparisons a synthesis model was developed which divided southern Africa into seven regions characterised by their susceptibility to invasion by alien aquatic animals with particular habitat requirements. In the "data-rich," geographic information systems (GIS) approach, the distribution of trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta) in selected "sampled regions" was related to elevation (as a surrogate of water temperature) and median annual rainfall (MAR) (as a surrogate of water availability). Using concentration analysis, optimum conditions for trout were identified. Regions within a larger "predictive area" which satisfied these conditions, were plotted as a digital map using the IDRISI package. Using this method seven models of potential trout distribution were generated for the following regions: northern Natal (two); southern Natal/Lesotho/Transkei (three), eastern Cape (two) and western Cape (two). Since two of the models were used to refine the methods, only five models were considered for the final assessment. In a modification of the GIS method, another model of potential trout distribution, based on mean monthly July minimum air temperature and MAR parameters, was developed for the region bounded by 29º - 34º S and 26 º - 32°E. This model showed marked similarities to another model, developed for the region bounded by 29 º - 32°S and 26º - 32°E, which was based on elevation and MAR parameters. The validity of the models developed was assessed by independent experts. Of the six models considered, four received favourable judgements, one was equivocal and one was judged to be poor. Based on these assessments it was concluded that the GIS method has credibility and could be used to develop a "data-rich" model of the susceptibility of southern Africa to invasion by alien aquatic animals. This method represents an alternative to the bioclimatic matching approach developed by scientists in Australia. The GIS method has a number of advantages over the "traditional" method: it is more amenable to testing, has greater flexibility, stores more information, produces images of a finer resolution, and can be easily updated. The traditional method has the advantage of being less expensive and requiring a less extensive database.
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- Date Issued: 1994
South Africa's post-apartheid foreign policy : towards a diplomacy of trade
- Authors: Dullabh, Nitesh Amratlal
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Foreign trade regulation -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2774 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002984 , Foreign trade regulation -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign relations
- Description: This thesis attempts to argue that a post-apartheid foreign policy will no longer be based on seeking legitimacy for the South African Government. Instead, it argues that if South Africa wants to grow, both domestically and nternationally, it will be imperative for it (South Africa) to move from an import substitution trade policy to an export-oriented trade policy. It is further suggested that the export-led strategy will be an important component for the promotion of South African international trade in the post-Cold War era. South Africa cannot improve the status of its trade regime by its own doing. It will require the support and assistance of international organizations and hence, the international community. Following the principles, rules and procedures of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); it is argued, will help South Africa reconstruct its trade policies on the basis that they are free, fair and above all competitive. Furthermore, maintaining a constantly favourable relationship with the international community will allow easy access to international markets for South African goods and services, and eventually the smooth integration of the South African economy in the international political economy. This study, noting the importance of trade with a dedicated commitment to exports, concludes that although exports would flourish, there will be an immediate need for diplomats to be conversant with contemporary international trade developments. This would require diplomats to be innovative, steadfast and disciplined in their day-to-day negotiations. In the final instance, the role of trade in South Africa's future will ultimately be determined by its trade postures and the type of diplomacy to be used by its diplomats.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The comprehension of figurative language in English literary texts by students for whom English is not a mother tongue
- Authors: Winberg, Christine
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers , English literature -- Study and teaching (Higher) , Context (Linguistics) , Metaphor , Figures of speech
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2366 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002649 , English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers , English literature -- Study and teaching (Higher) , Context (Linguistics) , Metaphor , Figures of speech
- Description: This study applies Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory to the comprehension of figurative language in poetry. Students' understanding of metaphor as a linguistic category and comprehension of metaphorical texts are analysed in terms of the principle of relevance. Patterns of comprehension in English first language (Ll) and English second language (ESL) students' analyses of metaphorical texts are discussed and through an analysis of similarities and differences in these patterns of comprehension an attempt is made to develop a pedagogy around relevance theory. Relevance theory's particular emphasis on the role played by "context" in cognition is seen to have significance for the teaching of literature in South African universities. Relevance theory's account of cognition generates a range of educational principles which could be specifically applied to the teaching of metaphor. An appraisal of the strengths and difficulties students experience in expressing their understanding of metaphor in an academic context is included. This was done to further develop relevance theory into a pedagogical approach which takes into account the academic context in which writing occurs. The investigation of the particular difficulties that English metaphor poses for ESL students entailed acquiring a working knowledge of the ways in which metaphor is taught and assessed in DET schools. The interpretations of students of different linguistic, social and educational backgrounds reveal unifying elements that could be incorporated into a pedagogy based on relevance theory. Such a pedagogy would be appropriate to the multilingual/multicultural/multiracial nature of classes in South African universities and would be a more empowering approach to the teaching of English metaphor.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The design, implementation and evaluation of an English language development component within a Grahamstown community project
- Authors: Jefferay, Charlotte Ruth
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Grahamstown Tertiary Education Bridging Project , English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Writing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2351 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002633 , Grahamstown Tertiary Education Bridging Project , English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Writing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers
- Description: The Grahamstown Tertiary Education Bridging Project (GRATEP) was formed in 1991 by a group of post-matriculants from Grahamstown who had not been accepted into any tertiary institution for 1991. The overall aim of GRATEP was to prepare these students for tertiary education. The Academic Skills Programme at Rhodes University offered a programme in English Language Development. The present study aimed to research the design, implementation and evaluation of the GRATEP English Language Development programme which was implemented from May through to October 1991. A multimethod approach has been used to assess the progress made by the students in terms of developing communicative competence in English and to evaluate the course itself. The data included writing samples, questionnaires, exercises in hierarchical organization, a clozetest, comments made by the students and the participant observers. The programme appeared to have been most effective in terms of building confidence, developing academic skills and encouraging the students to take greater responsibility for their own learning. Statistical comparisons of the first and final writing samples revealed no overall significant improvement in communicative competence in English. However, comparisons of the scores in the categories and sub-categories of communicative competence revealed that students had improved in their ability to structure and organize their writing. The research raised questions about the design, implementation and assessment of non-formal language courses of this kind and made suggestions for improvement and further research.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The impact of structural adjustment programmes upon the political economy of Zambia: a critical analysis
- Authors: Makan, Amita
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Structural adjustment (Economic policy) -- Zambia , Zambia -- Economic conditions -- 1964- , Zambia -- Politics and government -- 1964-1991 , Zambia -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2800 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003010 , Structural adjustment (Economic policy) -- Zambia , Zambia -- Economic conditions -- 1964- , Zambia -- Politics and government -- 1964-1991 , Zambia -- Economic conditions
- Description: This study begins with a statistical survey setting out the parameters of Zambia's socio-economic decline in the 1980s. In order to unravel the complex reasons for the crisis, the study develops and employs an historical structural framework which emphasises the interconnectedness of historical, political, economic and social processes . Thereafter, an explanation of Zambia's political and economic development is presented as a background for understanding how and why the IMF came to play an increasingly decisive role in the management of the economic crisis in the 1980s. It is argued that patron-client politics in conjunction with a 'coincidence of interests' between local elite and international capital, entrenched the distorted mono-export dependent economy which, in turn, accelerated the economic decline and debt crisis of the 1980s. After presenting an overview of the Fund's philosophy and objectives, close attention is paid to the impact of SAPs on Zambia, especially in terms of how such policies as subsidy withdrawal, de-regulation and devaluation affected the economy, debt-reduction, health and education. While there is no incontrovertible evidence that adjustment policies caused the crisis, they have been largely ineffective in reversing Zambia's economic decline. In fact, due to the IMF's ahistorical and apolitical approach, any gains have been ephemeral and, in many instances, served to exacerbate the suffering of the population. Finally, Zambia's political structures have proved unable and unwilling to implement IMF reforms consistently and this underlies the central point that SAPs, as a strategy, cannot ensure long-term sustainable development.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The impact of the end of the Cold War on transition in South Africa
- Authors: Du Preez, Roni
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Cold War , International relations , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1989-1994 , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- 1989-1994 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1978-1989 , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- 1978-1989
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2773 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002983 , Cold War , International relations , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1989-1994 , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- 1989-1994 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1978-1989 , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- 1978-1989
- Description: This thesis argues that F.W. de Klerk's historic February 1990 speech was the end product of a set of circumstances in recent South African and global history which made possible the new phase of transitional politics which South Africa is currently experiencing. It seeks to establish that of all the factors that contributed to change, it was the late 1980s thaw in the Cold War, and its resultant repercussions internationally and regionally which was the catalytic factor which made the new era possible. In all the literature on transition there has been no comprehensive analysis of the plausible link between the two superpowers agreeing in the mid-1980s to abandon confrontational practices and to change their approaches to regional conflicts and the South African government agreeing to negotiate for a new political dispensation. This thesis will seek to establish and analyse such a link. By 1986 there was in certain governmental circles a non-public view that the policy of apartheid had failed both as a solution to the problem of black political aspirations and as a legitimating ideology. Constraining any serious move towards political change was a widely held fear at the top level of government that an accelerated reform process would make South Africa vulnerable to external aggression and internal revolutionary forces. This thesis suggests that the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe and the 'new political thinking' in Soviet foreign policy resulted in the notion of a communist-inspired total onslaught against South Africa losing currency - as did the position of those within the ruling elite who remained dogmatically attached to it. The end of the Cold War is the common thread which links South Africa's international , regional and domestic environments. Two important events occurred in the international and regional arenas, which against the backdrop of the end of the Cold War, strengthened the credibility of the alternative view in government: (i) the October 1986 Reykjavik Summit and (ii) the South African Defence Force setback at Cuito Cuanavale. P.W. Botha's resignation as leader of the National Party and soon after as State President created the political space through which the view of the reformers could emerge as dominant. Recognising that neither the international nor regional environments sustained the beliefs and fears held by the military hawks, F.W. de Klerk was able to capitalise on the ambience of negotiations and apply it to the South African situation. De Klerk's February 1990 speech was therefore the culmination of a process which had its origins in the mid-1980's.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The just figure shape, harmony and proportion in a selection of Andrew Marvell's lyrics
- Authors: Gardner, Corinna
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Marvell, Andrew, 1621-1678 -- Criticism and interpretation , English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2230 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002273 , Marvell, Andrew, 1621-1678 -- Criticism and interpretation , English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- History and criticism
- Description: The phrase "the just Figure" - a quotation from Upon Appleton House - is the central theme of this thesis as it aptly describes Marvell's repeated use of shape, harmony and proportion to suggest morality and virtue. The poet's concern with geometrical imagery is conveyed by the word "figure", which also is another term for a metaphor or conceit. The word "just" suggests not only moral appropriateness, but also mathematical exactness or fit. The thesis consists of five chapters, each dealing with an aspect of the imagery of shape and form which pervades so many of Marvell's lyrics. The first chapter, "Moral Geometry", deals with the way in which Marvell uses the imagery of lines, angles and curves. In some poems the lines are curved, as in Upon the Hill and Grove at Bill-borrow, where the graceful downward curved line of the hill conveys Fairfacian humility. Symmetry and circularity are discussed in the second chapter. The poet uses the perfect shape of the circle to depict objects which convey a moral significance. Similarly, several of the lyrics are themselves quasi-circular with their closing lines echoing their openings. Chapter Three deals with liquid spheres. Marvell explores the nature, shape and texture of tears in poems such as Eyes and Tears and Mourning; and in On a Drop of Dew uses the shape of the dew drop to suggest the perfection of the heavenly realm from which it has been parted. In several of the lyrics, Marvell places a frame around his poems to create an enclosed world in which his poetic creations exist. These enclosed, or framed, worlds are discussed in Chapter Four. The final chapter, "Beyond The Frame", describes how some of the lyrics suggest a move from the world within to the world beyond the frame of the poem.This can either be a movement from confinement to release, or from the seen world to worlds unseen. Shape, harmony and proportion are the qualities which Marvell uses to convey morality and humility and a vision of the world based on what is, in the various senses of the word, "just".
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- Date Issued: 1994
The phenomenology of the events of client inhibition and self-disclosure in the therapeutic dialogue
- Authors: Lockhart, Ian
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002518 , Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Description: The aim of this study was to provide an account of the power relations that are implicit in the experience of clients who initially withhold but eventually disclose a sensitive issue in the psychotherapeutic dialogue. Mainstream psychotherapeutic literature has maintained that clients who withhold sensitive material implicitly express a psychological powerlessness. The literature review also turned attention to an alternative view, not arising from within the psychotherapeutic literature. Specific reference was made to the work of Foucault who suggests that although clients may appear to be empowered through self-disclosure, they are in fact constrained, since disclosing themselves constitutes. an appropriation of selfunderstanding which forecloses openness to other forms of self-understanding. The tension between these conflicting accounts about the relation of self-disclosure to empowerment was discussed as an issue requiring further exploration through clinical research. A phenomenologically orientated research method was used to describe the experiences of five clients who withheld and subsequently disclosed sensitive issues in psychotherapy. These descriptions yielded a thematically differentiated process of psychological change. The structure of client inhibition and self-disclosure was seen to correspond to the concepts of powerlessness and empowerment outlined in the psychotherapeutic literature. The apparent empowerment of clients during self-disclosure casts doubt on Foucault's perspective. However, on further reflection and through a review of the research method, it became apparent that the lack of support for Foucault's perspective was a consequence of the particular research method used rather than an indication of the non-existence of constraint. Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology was used to develop the above methodological critique. Using this alternative approach the researcher critically evaluated the findings of the phenomenological study. This facilitated a reinterpretation of the clinical material. It emerged that the experience of empowerment represents a particular form of selfunderstanding, and it was shown, in relation to the clinical material, how this can indeed as Foucault suggests (because of its very specificity) constrain the client from understanding him/herself in alternative ways. It was revealed that the experience of empowerment is a necessary but limited component of successful client disclosure. This does not, however, go far enough. It was suggested that ideally, critical reflection on the constraints of self-understanding, rather than self-disclosure per se, should be regarded as the destination of the urge to self-disclosure.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The representation of women in the plays of Sam Shepard
- Authors: Volks, Carolyn Dana
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2151 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002383 , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Characters -- Women , Shepard, Sam, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Description: In the endeavour to abolish from society all forms of ideologies that prescribe the domination of one sex over another, it has become increasingly important to analyse the representation of women in dramatic literature because dramatic literature reflects the philosophies and codes of behaviour which enable individuals to dominate one another in society, and assists in either reinforcing old ideologies or shaping new ones. Although Sam Shepard has been an influential force in the creation of modern drama, his plays reflect a patriarchal ideology that dictates that women are subordinate to men. Shepard's plays dramatise various male predicaments and his female characters are constructed and utilised to express men's experience, not women's. One of the conflicts which besets the male characters is that they desire to return to the womb of the mother, but simultaneously fear that their identities will be engulfed by the mother. In The Rock Garden, Red Cross and Fourteen Hundred Thousand, these desires and fears are demonstrated through the female characters, who are manipulated to represent objects of male desire and/or objects onto which devouring images are projected. Women are therefore represented in a manner in which they are best able to express the male characters' identity related conflicts. In Curse of the Starving Class and Buried Child, characters suffer from receiving insufficient nurture, are spiritually and emotionally impoverished or cursed and appear unable to transform their lives. The female characters are presented as being partly responsible for causing these predicaments since their nurturing, generative and transformative abilities are presented in a negative light. Women are also represented as objects of blame in the male characters' attempts and failures to undergo rebirths and are once again created to express male predicaments. In Fool for Love and A Lie of the Mind, Shepard focuses on the relationships between men and women, but is only able to present the male characters' perspectives and represent male desire. The female characters are regarded, and engaged with, as reflections of the male characters' selves and are frequently utilised to express male desire. If Shepard's plays are persistently applauded and seen as examples to be emulated, we need to closely analyse these dramas that represent women in a manner which expresses male predicaments and which places them in roles that allow men to dominate them.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The South African lobby in America: the battle over sanctions
- Authors: Harning, Jeannie
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Lobbying -- South Africa , Lobbying -- United States , Economic sanctions, American -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- United States , United States -- Foreign relations -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2779 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002989 , Lobbying -- South Africa , Lobbying -- United States , Economic sanctions, American -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign relations -- United States , United States -- Foreign relations -- South Africa
- Description: The relationship between South Africa and the United States was, historically, quite mutually profitable. The South African government regarded the United States as an ally in the world and sought continued friendship with them. The United States was mildly critical of the South African system of apartheid, but they, however, viewed South Africa as an ally. During the 1980's the relationship between the two countries became strained as the anti-apartheid voices in the United States grew louder and louder. The movement sought to end the atrocities of apartheid and change American foreign policy toward South Africa. The strongest diplomatic means available to them was imposing economic sanctions on South Africa in an attempt to force political change in the country. The anti-apartheid movement lobbied extensively gaining support among the American pub1ic and eventually the U.S. Congress. The sanctions campaign culminated in the enactment of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (CAAA) of 1986. Prior to the enactment of the CAAA the South African government and its allies launched their own campaign in an attempt to combat the imposition of sanctions. Lobbying played a key role in the process for those on both sides of the issue. For the anti- apartheid movement, lobbying was effective on the American public and the U.S Congress. For the South African government lobbying was effective on the conservative right wing and President Reagan and his administration.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Transformation in late colonial Ngqika society : a political, economic and social history of African communities in the district of Stutterheim (Eastern Cape), c.1870-1910
- Authors: Wotshela, L E
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Xhosa (African people) -- History -- 19th century , Stutterheim (South Africa) -- History , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2574 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002427
- Description: This study analyses the methods and policies of the colonial government which shaped Stutterheim's African communities between c.1870 and 1910. In 1870 the Stutterheim magisterial district had not yet been officially established. However, creation of the British Kaffrarian administration (1847-1865) had already ensured the entrenchment of colonial rule over the humiliated Xhosa chiefdoms west of the Kei. This work studies transformations in late colonial Ngqika society and the development of Stutterheim as a magisterial district. It analyses the entrenchment of colonial bureaucracy and changes in indigenous social, economic and political structures. In the period c.1860-1877, direct administration of the Ngqika was first attempted. While recovering from the 1856-57 cattle killing, the Ngqika were brought under colonial administration by the annexation of British Kaffraria to the Cape Colony in 1865. The thesis also examines the process and implications of the breakup and resettlement of the Ngqika location after the 1877-1878 war and the mechanisms and complications in forming a new postwar settlement. The focus then narrows to Stutterheim magisterial district (finalised in 1880), where, after the removal of the main Ngqika population to the Transkei formal structures of quitrent settlement were established around mission stations. A new form of social behaviour underpinned by principles of individualism evolved under missionary influence. Urged on by legislation that sought to intensify implementation of individual tenure, this social behaviour predominated under the new administration. Attention is also given to the allocation of farm land in the district. On part of what had once been communally owned land, an immigrant farming community originally intended strictly for whites emerged. Numerous Africans later managed to hold property in this area. An urban area with a mixed African and white population resulted where allotments initially allocated to the German Legion were later auctioned. On crown lands, leasing and purchasing was initiated. By the early twentieth century, settlement patterns were in chaos: on the mission settlements, quitrenters disobeyed settlement regulations, farms were overpopulated by tenants and interracial urban settlements faced imminent segregationist policies. By 1910 local administration was in difficulties and the Africans were becoming politically mobilised against local and colonial policies.
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- Date Issued: 1994